SkillFoxx

Everything Search Skill

A Windows skill for instant file search via the Everything index: an HTTP mode for sandboxes, Docker, WSL2 and the es.exe CLI

  • 70 ★ on the repository
  • Last commit
  • MIT
Skill

Extended access

Why this level

  • Enabling the Everything HTTP server on port 8080 exposes the file index to anyone who can reach the port
  • The installer changes the user PATH and copies files into the directories of several agents
All reasons and checks

mayuqi-crypto/everything-search-skillAuthor:Mayuqi-crypto

Install

In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI

npx skillfoxx add skills/everything-search-skill

Detects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.

Other ways to install

Access and checks

How we review

Extended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.

  • Enabling the Everything HTTP server on port 8080 exposes the file index to anyone who can reach the port
  • The installer changes the user PATH and copies files into the directories of several agents

This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.

What it does

The skill gives agents fast search of files and folders through the Voidtools Everything index. Its main idea is a dual-mode architecture. The usual es.exe utility talks to the Everything window through Win32 messages (WM_COPYDATA), but Windows blocks such messages from sandboxes, containers and background services because of interface and session isolation, and the agent gets the error Everything IPC window not found. So the skill introduces two modes. In HTTP mode the request goes over REST to the built-in Everything HTTP server (port 8080), where session boundaries do not interfere, which suits Docker (through host.docker.internal), WSL2 and remote agents. CLI mode uses es.exe in a normal working session. The scripts/everything_search.py helper in automatic mode tries HTTP first and falls back to the CLI, can output JSON and can limit the search to a project folder. The install.ps1 script places es.exe in ~/.local/bin, adds the path to PATH and copies the skill into ~/.agents/skills/, ~/.cursor/skills/ and ~/.codex/skills/. The enable_http.ps1 script turns on the Everything HTTP server. The README has a search syntax cheat sheet: extensions, size, modification date.

Who it is for. Windows users of Claude Code, Cursor and Codex who have Everything installed and whose agent runs in a sandbox, Docker, WSL2 or a background service.

Good fit when

  • Searching a disk for package.json or all .tsx files runs on the index with no folder walking
  • An agent inside a Docker container reaches the host index through host.docker.internal:8080
  • From WSL2 you need to find files on Windows drives with the EVERYTHING_HTTP_URL variable
  • Results are needed as JSON with a row limit and a search inside the project folder
  • The Everything IPC window not found error from a sandbox is removed by switching to HTTP

Not a fit when

  • Your machine runs macOS or Linux: the skill and es.exe are built for Windows with Everything installed
  • Everything is not installed: search does not work without it and the skill does not install it
  • You need search by file content: Everything searches names, paths and properties
  • You want an agent with no access to an HTTP server: the sandbox mode needs the Everything server enabled

Example request

Find all package.json files in C:\Workspace\repo through Everything and show the first 20 results as JSON

Limitations

  • Built for Windows with Everything from Voidtools installed, and the skill does not work on other systems.
  • For sandboxes, Docker and WSL2 the Everything HTTP server must be enabled: Tools, Options, HTTP Server, port 8080, or run scripts/enable_http.ps1.
  • The HTTP port exposes the file index to anyone who can reach it, so keep it for a trusted network.
  • A container needs the EVERYTHING_HTTP_URL variable and host access, and for Docker the --add-host host.docker.internal:host-gateway flag.
  • Search runs on an index of names and properties, with no file content search.
  • The license is MIT and the last commit is from September 2026.

How to disable. The skill is deleted from ~/.agents/skills/, ~/.cursor/skills/ and ~/.codex/skills/. es.exe is removed from ~/.local/bin and the Everything HTTP server is turned off under Tools, Options, HTTP Server.

FAQ

Why does es.exe return error 8 in a sandbox?

The utility sends Win32 messages to the Everything window, and Windows interface and session isolation blocks them from sandboxes, containers and services. The skill works around this through the HTTP mode.

How do I enable the HTTP mode?

In Everything open Tools, Options, HTTP Server, enable the server and set port 8080, or run scripts/enable_http.ps1 -Port 8080.

How do I search from Docker or WSL2?

Set EVERYTHING_HTTP_URL: http://host.docker.internal:8080 with the --add-host flag for Docker and the Windows host address for WSL2. Then run python scripts/everything_search.py "query" -n 10 --json.

What does install.ps1 install?

It places es.exe in ~/.local/bin with a PATH entry and copies the skill into ~/.agents/skills/, ~/.cursor/skills/ and ~/.codex/skills/.

Which filters does the search understand?

Everything syntax: extensions separated by semicolons (ext:md;txt;json), size (size:>100MB), modification date (dm:today, dm:last7days), exact match (exact:Dockerfile) and more.

Discussion

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README in short

The README begins with the problem: es.exe in a sandbox returns error 8 because of Windows isolation. It then shows the two-mode scheme with HTTP and CLI, installation and enabling the Everything HTTP server, use from Docker and WSL2 and examples of the script and es.exe. A search syntax cheat sheet ends the page.

README badge

Original SKILL.md

---
name: everything-search
description: Search files and folders instantly across Windows drives or within specific project paths using Everything (HTTP REST API or es.exe CLI). Supports sandboxed agents (Docker, WSL, DevContainers) and native desktop environments with automatic dual-mode fallback.
---

# Everything Search (Dual-Mode: HTTP REST API & CLI)

Ultra-fast, index-powered local file search using Voidtools Everything.
Supports both **HTTP REST API mode** (essential for sandboxed/containerized agents like Docker, WSL, DevContainers) and **native CLI mode** (`es.exe` Win32 IPC) with automatic fallback.

---

## Why Dual-Mode? (Solving Sandboxed Agent IPC Issues)

When an AI agent runs inside a **sandbox**, **Docker container**, **WSL2**, or a **Session 0 background service**, calling `es.exe` directly often fails with:
`Error 8: Everything IPC window not found. Please make sure Everything is running.`

**Root Cause**: Windows enforces User Interface Privilege Isolation (UIPI) and Session Isolation. Sandboxed processes and non-interactive sessions cannot send Win32 `WM_COPYDATA` window messages to the host desktop session.

**The Solution**:
Everything provides a high-performance built-in **HTTP REST API**. Network calls (TCP) bypass Win32 UIPI/session isolation entirely:
- **Sandboxed Agent / Container** ➡️ HTTP Request (`http://host.docker.internal:8080`) ➡️ Host Everything Index (Instant Results!)
- **Native Desktop Session** ➡️ Automatic fallback to `es.exe` CLI if HTTP is disabled.

---

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill whenever you need to:
- Locate files or directories instantly across local drives or inside a project directory
- Search files in sandboxed environments (Docker, WSL, restricted agents) without IPC errors
- Filter by name pattern, extension (`ext:ts;tsx`), size (`size:>100MB`), or date modified (`dm:today`)
- Output structured JSON for automated pipelines without token-costly directory walks

---

## Quick Start: Python Dual-Mode Helper (Recommended)

The skill includes `scripts/everything_search.py`, which uses **only Python standard libraries** (zero external dependencies like `requests`).

```bash
# Auto mode: Attempts HTTP on port 8080 first; falls back to es.exe CLI automatically
python scripts/everything_search.py "package.json" -n 20

# Structured JSON output

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