If this sounds like your week
When Windows Search gets in the way
finance users search invoices, statements, and exports whose filenames reveal vendors, payroll periods, or account context. Windows Search is local but broad while hosted launchers can turn filenames into telemetry attached to a user account. spreadsheets, accounting apps, and PDF tools make broad indexing show up as fan noise and disk pressure.
Where tooling usually breaks
Why local-first matters
index.db, config.json, and logs stay under %APPDATA%\SearchSentinel instead of a vendor-hosted workspace. Search queries are not uploaded for AI enhancement, analytics, or ad targeting. You buy the app once and keep the search index as a local workstation asset.
Technical proof points
- JSON-line logs - 7-day purge - Query length only - SQLite FTS5 - Local-first storage - No network logger - Release path redaction