Document Search¶

Effective document search is critical for maintaining an organized records system. Records Manager provides powerful search capabilities through paperless-ngx integration, combining full-text content search with tag-based filtering.

Search Basics¶

Simple Search¶

The quickest way to find documents is by describing what you're looking for:

User: "Find my tax return"
AI: [Returns documents matching 'tax return']

User: "Show me medical receipts"
AI: [Returns documents with 'medical' and 'receipt' tags]

Search by Document ID¶

If you know the exact document ID:

User: "Show me document 1234"
AI: [Returns detailed information for document #1234]

Search Strategies¶

By Content¶

Paperless-ngx indexes document content, enabling full-text search:

User: "Search for documents containing 'Smith'"
AI: [Returns all documents where 'Smith' appears in content]

Tips for content search:

Use specific terms: "invoice" instead of "payment document"
Include names: "Dr Smith" instead of "doctor"
Search dates: "January 2024" instead of "early this year"

By Tags¶

Tags are the primary organizational mechanism:

User: "Find all documents tagged 'medical'"
AI: [Returns documents with 'medical' tag]

User: "Show documents tagged 'financial' and '2024'"
AI: [Returns documents with both tags]

Tag search patterns:

Single tag: medical
Multiple tags: financial tax 2024
Tag categories: insurance vehicle

By Document Type¶

Each document has a type for classification:

User: "Find all invoices"
AI: [Returns documents with type 'Invoice']

User: "Show medical receipts"
AI: [Returns documents with type 'Medical Receipt']

Common document types: * Invoice, Receipt, Tax Return, Bank Statement * Insurance Policy, Contract, Legal Document * Trust Deed, Distribution Minutes, Trustee Resolution

By Date Range¶

Filter documents by creation or document date:

User: "Find invoices from January 2024"
AI: [Returns invoices created in January 2024]

User: "Show tax documents from 2023"
AI: [Returns tax documents dated 2023]

Combined Searches¶

The most powerful searches combine multiple filters:

User: "Find medical receipts from 2024 that are tax deductible"
AI: "Searching with filters:"
    "  - Type: Medical Receipt"
    "  - Tags: medical, receipt, tax-deductible, 2024"
    "  "
    "Found 8 documents:"
    "  #1234: Medical Receipt - Dr Smith ($150)"
    "  #1235: Pharmacy Receipt ($45)"
    "  ..."

Search Workflow¶

The Search workflow follows a consistent process:

Parse Request: Extract search criteria from natural language
Build Query: Combine filters (tags, type, content, dates)
Execute Search: Query paperless-ngx API
Present Results: Show matches with key details
Offer Refinement: Suggest ways to narrow or expand

Result Display¶

Search results include:

#1234: Medical Receipt - Dr Smith
  Created: 2024-03-15
  Tags: medical, receipt, tax-deductible, 2024
  Type: Medical Receipt
  Retention: Until 2031-03-15 (7 years)

CLI Search¶

For programmatic or script-based search:

# Basic search
bun run RecordManager.ts search --query "medical"

# Search with tags
bun run RecordManager.ts search --tags "financial,tax,2024"

# Search by type
bun run RecordManager.ts search --type "Invoice"

# Combined search
bun run RecordManager.ts search \
  --query "office supplies" \
  --tags "expense,2024" \
  --type "Receipt"

Advanced Search Techniques¶

Fuzzy Matching¶

Paperless-ngx supports fuzzy matching for typos and variations:

User: "Find documents from Dr Smyth" (note: typo)
AI: [Finds documents from 'Dr Smith']

Regular Expressions¶

For complex pattern matching:

bun run RecordManager.ts search --query "invoice.*2024"

Exclude Terms¶

Use negation to exclude certain results:

User: "Find invoices excluding cancelled ones"
AI: [Returns invoices without 'cancelled' tag]

Search Within Results¶

Refine previous searches:

User: "Find all 2024 documents"
AI: [Returns 156 documents]

User: "Now show only the medical ones"
AI: [Refines to 23 medical documents from 2024]

Search Best Practices¶

Be Specific¶

Vague searches return too many results:

Poor:

User: "Find old documents"
AI: [Returns hundreds of documents]

Better:

User: "Find tax returns from before 2020"
AI: [Returns specific documents]

Use Filters¶

Combine multiple filters for precision:

User: "Find medical receipts from 2024 that are tax deductible over $100"

Search Content, Not Just Titles¶

Paperless-ngx indexes document content:

User: "Search for documents mentioning 'John Smith'"
AI: [Finds contracts, invoices, letters naming John Smith]

Leverage Tags¶

Well-tagged documents are searchable documents:

User: "Show all household documents from 2024"
AI: [Uses 'household' and '2024' tags for fast filtering]

Search Shortcuts¶

Create aliases for common searches:

# Common searches
alias rm-tax='bun run RecordManager.ts search --tags "tax"'
alias rm-medical='bun run RecordManager.ts search --tags "medical"'
alias rm-2024='bun run RecordManager.ts search --tags "2024"'
alias rm-invoices='bun run RecordManager.ts search --type "Invoice"'

# Combined searches
alias rm-tax-2024='bun run RecordManager.ts search --tags "tax,2024"'
alias rm-deductions='bun run RecordManager.ts search --tags "tax-deductible"'

Organizing for Better Search¶

Good search starts with good organization:

Tag Strategy¶

Category tags: financial, medical, insurance, legal
Year tags: 2024, 2023, 2022
Status tags: tax-deductible, paid, pending, archived
Entity tags: household, corporate, trust-name

Document Type Assignment¶

Always assign document types (not just tags):

Invoices should have type "Invoice"
Tax documents should have type "Tax Return" or "Tax Assessment"
Insurance documents should have type "Insurance Policy"

Consistent Naming¶

Use consistent document titles:

Good: "Invoice - Supplier Name - YYYY-MM-DD"
Bad: "Scan001.pdf"
Bad: "Document (1)"

Search Examples by Use Case¶

Tax Preparation¶

User: "Find all tax deductible medical expenses from 2024"
AI: "Searching with filters:"
    "  - Tags: medical, tax-deductible, 2024"
    "  - Types: Medical Receipt"
    "  "
    "Found 12 documents totaling $1,847"

Insurance Claims¶

User: "Find home insurance documents and related receipts"
AI: "Found documents:"
    "  Policy: #1234 - Home Insurance (expires 2024-12-31)"
    "  Receipts: 8 documents related to home repairs"

Trust Administration¶

User: "Find all Smith Family Trust documents for 2024"
AI: "Found 34 documents:"
    "  Financial Statements (1)"
    "  Distribution Minutes (1)"
    "  Correspondence (12)"
    "  Tax documents (4)"
    "  Other (16)"

Audit Preparation¶

User: "Find all documents I need for a 2024 financial audit"
AI: "Compiling audit documents..."
    "  Financial Statements: ✓"
    "  Invoices: 127 documents"
    "  Receipts: 234 documents"
    "  Bank Statements: 12 documents"
    "  Tax Documents: 8 documents"
    "  "
    "  Total: 386 documents ready for export"

Troubleshooting Search¶

Too Many Results¶

Narrow with more filters:

User: "Find invoices" (returns 500+ results)
AI: "Try refining by:"
    "  - Year: 'invoices from 2024'"
    "  - Tag: 'invoices tagged unpaid'"
    "  - Amount: 'invoices over $1000'"

No Results¶

Broaden the search:

User: "Find invoice from Acme Corp dated March 15 2024" (no results)
AI: "Try broader searches:"
    "  - 'Find Acme Corp invoices'"
    "  - 'Find invoices from March 2024'"
    "  - 'Search for Acme'"

Unexpected Results¶

Check document tags:

User: "Why did this document appear?"
AI: "Document #1234 matched because:"
    "  - Content contains: 'search term'"
    "  - Tags include: 'matching tag'"
    "  - Type is: 'matching type'"

Search Performance Tips¶

Use tags first: Tag-based search is faster than content search
Add year filters: Reduces search space significantly
Specify document types: Narrowing by type improves results
Search recent first: Limit to recent years when possible
Combine filters: Multiple specific filters beat one vague filter