Message Search
MeshMonitor includes a unified message search feature that lets you search across all your channels, direct messages, and MeshCore messages. Results are permission-aware and clicking a result navigates directly to the message in its original context.
Opening Search
There are two ways to open the search panel:
- Click the Search icon (🔍) in the sidebar, located below Channels and Messages
- Press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on macOS) from anywhere in the application
Searching Messages
Type at least 2 characters in the search field and press Enter or click Search. Results appear below the filters, showing the most recent matches first.
Each result displays:
- Context label — the channel name (e.g., "Channel 0", "Channel meshmonitor") or "DM with [node name]" or "MeshCore"
- Sender — the node's long name and short name
- Timestamp — when the message was sent
- Message text — with matching terms highlighted in yellow
Filters
You can narrow your search using the following filters:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Case Sensitive | Toggle to match exact letter casing. Off by default (case-insensitive search). |
| Scope | Choose which message types to search: All, Channels, DMs, or MeshCore. |
| Channel | When scope includes channels, filter to a specific channel. |
| Sender | Filter by a specific sender node. |
| Date From / Date To | Restrict results to a date range. |
Click-to-Navigate
Clicking a search result closes the search panel and navigates to the message in its original location:
- Channel messages — switches to the Channels tab, selects the correct channel, and scrolls to the message with a brief highlight
- Direct messages — switches to the Messages tab and opens the conversation with the sender
- MeshCore messages — switches to the MeshCore tab
The target message is highlighted with a yellow pulse animation for a few seconds so you can easily spot it.
Pagination
Search returns up to 25 results at a time. If there are more matches, a Load More button appears at the bottom of the results list to fetch the next page.
Permissions
Search results respect the existing permission system:
- Channel messages — only channels where you have read permission are included
- Direct messages — only visible if you have the
messages:readpermission - Admin users — see all results across all channels and DMs
API Endpoint
The search feature is also available via the REST API for programmatic access:
GET /api/v1/messages/search| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
q | string | yes | — | Search text (minimum 2 characters) |
caseSensitive | boolean | no | false | Case-sensitive matching |
scope | string | no | all | all, channels, dms, or meshcore |
channels | string | no | — | Comma-separated channel IDs to filter |
fromNodeId | string | no | — | Filter by sender node ID |
startDate | number | no | — | Earliest timestamp (epoch seconds) |
endDate | number | no | — | Latest timestamp (epoch seconds) |
limit | number | no | 50 | Max results per page (max 100) |
offset | number | no | 0 | Pagination offset |
API Authentication
The /api/v1/messages/search endpoint requires a valid API token (Bearer authentication). The frontend uses session-based authentication via /api/messages/search which is not intended for external use.
Related Documentation
- Settings — general MeshMonitor settings
- Channel Database — additional channel configurations
- MeshCore — MeshCore messaging
- Security — permissions and access control