Merge pull request #16121 from Shadowghost/search-rebased

Implement search providers

16 files changed, 1089 insertions, 251 deletions

diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/ApplicationHost.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/ApplicationHost.cs
index 7cbff0c67e..14380c33bf 100644
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/ApplicationHost.cs
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/ApplicationHost.cs
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ using Emby.Server.Implementations.Dto;
 using Emby.Server.Implementations.HttpServer.Security;
 using Emby.Server.Implementations.IO;
 using Emby.Server.Implementations.Library;
+using Emby.Server.Implementations.Library.Search;
 using Emby.Server.Implementations.Library.SimilarItems;
 using Emby.Server.Implementations.Localization;
 using Emby.Server.Implementations.Playlists;
@@ -551,7 +552,8 @@ namespace Emby.Server.Implementations
 
             serviceCollection.AddSingleton<ISimilarItemsManager, SimilarItemsManager>();
 
-            serviceCollection.AddSingleton<ISearchEngine, SearchEngine>();
+            serviceCollection.AddSingleton<ISearchManager, SearchManager>();
+            serviceCollection.AddSingleton<ISearchProvider, SqlSearchProvider>();
 
             serviceCollection.AddSingleton<IWebSocketManager, WebSocketManager>();
 
@@ -710,6 +712,7 @@ namespace Emby.Server.Implementations
             Resolve<IMediaSourceManager>().AddParts(GetExports<IMediaSourceProvider>());
 
             Resolve<ISimilarItemsManager>().AddParts(GetExports<ISimilarItemsProvider>());
+            Resolve<ISearchManager>().AddParts(GetExports<ISearchProvider>());
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/Search/SearchManager.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/Search/SearchManager.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a5be3f07bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/Search/SearchManager.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,458 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Threading;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using Jellyfin.Data.Enums;
+using Jellyfin.Database.Implementations;
+using Jellyfin.Database.Implementations.Entities;
+using Jellyfin.Extensions;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Dto;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Entities;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Persistence;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.Querying;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.Search;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+
+namespace Emby.Server.Implementations.Library.Search;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Manages search providers and orchestrates search operations.
+/// </summary>
+public class SearchManager : ISearchManager
+{
+    private readonly ILibraryManager _libraryManager;
+    private readonly IUserManager _userManager;
+    private readonly IDbContextFactory<JellyfinDbContext> _dbProvider;
+    private readonly IItemQueryHelpers _queryHelpers;
+    private readonly ILogger<SearchManager> _logger;
+    private IExternalSearchProvider[] _externalProviders = [];
+    private IInternalSearchProvider[] _internalProviders = [];
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="SearchManager"/> class.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="libraryManager">The library manager.</param>
+    /// <param name="userManager">The user manager.</param>
+    /// <param name="dbProvider">The database context factory.</param>
+    /// <param name="queryHelpers">The shared item query helpers.</param>
+    /// <param name="logger">The logger.</param>
+    public SearchManager(
+        ILibraryManager libraryManager,
+        IUserManager userManager,
+        IDbContextFactory<JellyfinDbContext> dbProvider,
+        IItemQueryHelpers queryHelpers,
+        ILogger<SearchManager> logger)
+    {
+        _libraryManager = libraryManager;
+        _userManager = userManager;
+        _dbProvider = dbProvider;
+        _queryHelpers = queryHelpers;
+        _logger = logger;
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public void AddParts(IEnumerable<ISearchProvider> providers)
+    {
+        var allProviders = providers.OrderBy(p => p.Priority).ToArray();
+
+        _externalProviders = allProviders.OfType<IExternalSearchProvider>().ToArray();
+        _internalProviders = allProviders.OfType<IInternalSearchProvider>().ToArray();
+
+        _logger.LogInformation(
+            "Registered {ExternalCount} external search providers: {ExternalProviders}. Fallback providers: {FallbackProviders}",
+            _externalProviders.Length,
+            string.Join(", ", _externalProviders.Select(p => $"{p.Name} (priority {p.Priority})")),
+            string.Join(", ", _internalProviders.Select(p => $"{p.Name} (priority {p.Priority})")));
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public IReadOnlyList<ISearchProvider> GetProviders()
+    {
+        return [.. _externalProviders, .. _internalProviders];
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public async Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> GetSearchResultsAsync(
+        SearchProviderQuery query,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(query);
+        ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(query.SearchTerm);
+
+        var searchTerm = query.SearchTerm.Trim().RemoveDiacritics();
+
+        var externalTask = CollectFromProvidersAsync(_externalProviders, query, searchTerm, cancellationToken);
+        var internalTask = _internalProviders.Length > 0
+            ? CollectFromProvidersAsync(_internalProviders, query, searchTerm, cancellationToken)
+            : Task.FromResult<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>>([]);
+
+        await Task.WhenAll(externalTask, internalTask).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+        var externalResults = await externalTask.ConfigureAwait(false);
+        var fromExternal = externalResults.Count > 0;
+        IReadOnlyList<SearchResult> results;
+        if (fromExternal)
+        {
+            results = externalResults;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            results = await internalTask.ConfigureAwait(false);
+            if (_internalProviders.Length > 0)
+            {
+                _logger.LogDebug("No results from external providers, using internal provider results");
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Internal providers apply user-access filtering inline in their queries. External
+        // providers don't know about user permissions, so they may return IDs from hidden
+        // libraries or items the user is otherwise blocked from. Run the post-filter only
+        // when results came from externals to close that gap. The Items controller's second
+        // roundtrip via folder.GetItems applies most of these again, but it does not restrict
+        // by TopParentIds when ItemIds is set.
+        if (fromExternal && results.Count > 0 && query.UserId.HasValue && !query.UserId.Value.IsEmpty())
+        {
+            var user = _userManager.GetUserById(query.UserId.Value);
+            if (user is not null)
+            {
+                results = await FilterByUserAccessAsync(results, user, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return results;
+    }
+
+    private async Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> FilterByUserAccessAsync(
+        IReadOnlyList<SearchResult> candidates,
+        User user,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        // SetUser populates parental rating + blocked/allowed tags. ConfigureUserAccess populates
+        // TopParentIds for the user's accessible libraries — we call it before assigning ItemIds
+        // because LibraryManager.AddUserToQuery skips TopParentIds when ItemIds is non-empty.
+        var accessFilter = new InternalItemsQuery(user);
+        _libraryManager.ConfigureUserAccess(accessFilter, user);
+
+        Guid[] candidateIds = [.. candidates.Select(c => c.ItemId)];
+
+        var dbContext = await _dbProvider.CreateDbContextAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        await using (dbContext.ConfigureAwait(false))
+        {
+            var baseQuery = dbContext.BaseItems
+                .AsNoTracking()
+                .WhereOneOrMany(candidateIds, e => e.Id);
+
+            baseQuery = _queryHelpers.ApplyAccessFiltering(dbContext, baseQuery, accessFilter);
+
+            var allowedCount = await baseQuery.CountAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            if (allowedCount == candidates.Count)
+            {
+                return candidates;
+            }
+
+            var allowedIds = await baseQuery
+                .Select(e => e.Id)
+                .ToHashSetAsync(cancellationToken)
+                .ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            var filtered = candidates.Where(c => allowedIds.Contains(c.ItemId)).ToList();
+            if (filtered.Count < candidates.Count)
+            {
+                _logger.LogDebug(
+                    "Dropped {Dropped} of {Total} search candidates due to user access filtering",
+                    candidates.Count - filtered.Count,
+                    candidates.Count);
+            }
+
+            return filtered;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public async Task<QueryResult<SearchHintInfo>> GetSearchHintsAsync(SearchQuery query, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(query);
+        ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(query.SearchTerm);
+
+        var providerQuery = BuildProviderQuery(query);
+        var candidates = await GetSearchResultsAsync(providerQuery, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        if (candidates.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return new QueryResult<SearchHintInfo>();
+        }
+
+        var candidateScores = BuildScoreLookup(candidates);
+        var user = query.UserId.IsEmpty() ? null : _userManager.GetUserById(query.UserId);
+
+        var excludeItemTypes = BuildExcludeItemTypes(query);
+        var includeItemTypes = BuildIncludeItemTypes(query);
+
+        var internalQuery = new InternalItemsQuery(user)
+        {
+            ItemIds = candidateScores.Keys.ToArray(),
+            ExcludeItemTypes = excludeItemTypes.ToArray(),
+            IncludeItemTypes = includeItemTypes.Count > 0 ? includeItemTypes.ToArray() : [],
+            MediaTypes = query.MediaTypes.ToArray(),
+            IncludeItemsByName = !query.ParentId.HasValue,
+            ParentId = query.ParentId ?? Guid.Empty,
+            Recursive = true,
+            IsKids = query.IsKids,
+            IsMovie = query.IsMovie,
+            IsNews = query.IsNews,
+            IsSeries = query.IsSeries,
+            IsSports = query.IsSports,
+            DtoOptions = new DtoOptions
+            {
+                Fields =
+                [
+                    ItemFields.AirTime,
+                    ItemFields.DateCreated,
+                    ItemFields.ChannelInfo,
+                    ItemFields.ParentId
+                ]
+            }
+        };
+
+        // MusicArtist items are "ItemsByName" entities - virtual items that aggregate content by artist name
+        // rather than being stored as regular library items. They require special handling:
+        // 1. Convert ParentId to AncestorIds (to filter by library folder)
+        // 2. Set IncludeItemsByName = true (to include these virtual items in results)
+        // 3. Clear IncludeItemTypes (GetAllArtists handles type filtering internally)
+        // 4. Use GetAllArtists() instead of GetItemList() to query the artist index
+        IReadOnlyList<BaseItem> items;
+        if (internalQuery.IncludeItemTypes.Length == 1 && internalQuery.IncludeItemTypes[0] == BaseItemKind.MusicArtist)
+        {
+            if (!internalQuery.ParentId.IsEmpty())
+            {
+                internalQuery.AncestorIds = [internalQuery.ParentId];
+                internalQuery.ParentId = Guid.Empty;
+            }
+
+            internalQuery.IncludeItemsByName = true;
+            internalQuery.IncludeItemTypes = [];
+            items = _libraryManager.GetAllArtists(internalQuery).Items.Select(i => i.Item).ToList();
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            items = _libraryManager.GetItemList(internalQuery);
+        }
+
+        var orderedResults = items
+            .Select(item => new SearchHintInfo { Item = item })
+            .OrderByDescending(hint => candidateScores.GetValueOrDefault(hint.Item.Id, 0f))
+            .ToList();
+
+        var totalCount = orderedResults.Count;
+
+        if (query.StartIndex.HasValue)
+        {
+            orderedResults = orderedResults.Skip(query.StartIndex.Value).ToList();
+        }
+
+        if (query.Limit.HasValue)
+        {
+            orderedResults = orderedResults.Take(query.Limit.Value).ToList();
+        }
+
+        return new QueryResult<SearchHintInfo>(query.StartIndex, totalCount, orderedResults);
+    }
+
+    private async Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> CollectFromProvidersAsync(
+        IEnumerable<ISearchProvider> providers,
+        SearchProviderQuery providerQuery,
+        string searchTerm,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        var requestedLimit = providerQuery.Limit ?? 100;
+        var applicable = providers.Where(p => p.CanSearch(providerQuery)).ToArray();
+        if (applicable.Length == 0)
+        {
+            return [];
+        }
+
+        var perProvider = await Task.WhenAll(
+            applicable.Select(p => CollectFromProviderAsync(p, providerQuery, searchTerm, requestedLimit, cancellationToken)))
+            .ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+        var bestScores = new Dictionary<Guid, float>();
+        foreach (var providerResults in perProvider)
+        {
+            foreach (var result in providerResults)
+            {
+                UpdateBestScore(bestScores, result);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return bestScores
+            .Select(kvp => new SearchResult(kvp.Key, kvp.Value))
+            .OrderByDescending(r => r.Score)
+            .Take(requestedLimit)
+            .ToList();
+    }
+
+    private async Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> CollectFromProviderAsync(
+        ISearchProvider provider,
+        SearchProviderQuery providerQuery,
+        string searchTerm,
+        int requestedLimit,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var results = provider is IExternalSearchProvider externalProvider
+                ? await CollectFromExternalProviderAsync(externalProvider, providerQuery, requestedLimit, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false)
+                : await provider.SearchAsync(providerQuery, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            _logger.LogDebug(
+                "Provider {Provider} returned {Count} candidates for search term '{SearchTerm}'",
+                provider.Name,
+                results.Count,
+                searchTerm);
+            return results;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            _logger.LogWarning(ex, "Search provider {Provider} failed for term '{SearchTerm}'", provider.Name, searchTerm);
+            return [];
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static async Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> CollectFromExternalProviderAsync(
+        IExternalSearchProvider provider,
+        SearchProviderQuery providerQuery,
+        int requestedLimit,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        var results = new List<SearchResult>();
+        await foreach (var result in provider.SearchAsync(providerQuery, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false))
+        {
+            results.Add(result);
+            if (results.Count >= requestedLimit)
+            {
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return results;
+    }
+
+    private static void UpdateBestScore(Dictionary<Guid, float> bestScores, SearchResult result)
+    {
+        if (!bestScores.TryGetValue(result.ItemId, out var existingScore) || result.Score > existingScore)
+        {
+            bestScores[result.ItemId] = result.Score;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static Dictionary<Guid, float> BuildScoreLookup(IReadOnlyList<SearchResult> results)
+    {
+        var lookup = new Dictionary<Guid, float>(results.Count);
+        foreach (var result in results)
+        {
+            lookup[result.ItemId] = result.Score;
+        }
+
+        return lookup;
+    }
+
+    private static SearchProviderQuery BuildProviderQuery(SearchQuery query)
+    {
+        var excludeItemTypes = BuildExcludeItemTypes(query);
+        var includeItemTypes = BuildIncludeItemTypes(query);
+
+        // Remove any excluded types from includes
+        if (includeItemTypes.Count > 0 && excludeItemTypes.Count > 0)
+        {
+            includeItemTypes.RemoveAll(excludeItemTypes.Contains);
+        }
+
+        return new SearchProviderQuery
+        {
+            SearchTerm = query.SearchTerm,
+            UserId = query.UserId.IsEmpty() ? null : query.UserId,
+            IncludeItemTypes = includeItemTypes.ToArray(),
+            ExcludeItemTypes = excludeItemTypes.ToArray(),
+            MediaTypes = query.MediaTypes.ToArray(),
+            Limit = query.Limit,
+            ParentId = query.ParentId
+        };
+    }
+
+    private static List<BaseItemKind> BuildExcludeItemTypes(SearchQuery query)
+    {
+        var excludeItemTypes = query.ExcludeItemTypes.ToList();
+
+        excludeItemTypes.Add(BaseItemKind.Year);
+        excludeItemTypes.Add(BaseItemKind.Folder);
+        excludeItemTypes.Add(BaseItemKind.CollectionFolder);
+
+        if (!query.IncludeGenres)
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Genre);
+            AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicGenre);
+        }
+
+        if (!query.IncludePeople)
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Person);
+        }
+
+        if (!query.IncludeStudios)
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Studio);
+        }
+
+        if (!query.IncludeArtists)
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicArtist);
+        }
+
+        return excludeItemTypes;
+    }
+
+    private static List<BaseItemKind> BuildIncludeItemTypes(SearchQuery query)
+    {
+        var includeItemTypes = query.IncludeItemTypes.ToList();
+        if (query.IncludeMedia)
+        {
+            return includeItemTypes;
+        }
+
+        if (query.IncludeGenres && IsEmptyOrContains(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Genre))
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Genre);
+            AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicGenre);
+        }
+
+        if (query.IncludePeople && IsEmptyOrContains(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Person))
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Person);
+        }
+
+        if (query.IncludeStudios && IsEmptyOrContains(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Studio))
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Studio);
+        }
+
+        if (query.IncludeArtists && IsEmptyOrContains(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicArtist))
+        {
+            AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicArtist);
+        }
+
+        return includeItemTypes;
+    }
+
+    private static bool IsEmptyOrContains(List<BaseItemKind> list, BaseItemKind value)
+        => list.Count == 0 || list.Contains(value);
+
+    private static void AddIfMissing(List<BaseItemKind> list, BaseItemKind value)
+    {
+        if (!list.Contains(value))
+        {
+            list.Add(value);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/Search/SqlSearchProvider.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/Search/SqlSearchProvider.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bc766f1c8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/Search/SqlSearchProvider.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,230 @@
+#pragma warning disable RS0030 // Do not use banned APIs
+#pragma warning disable CA1862 // Use the 'StringComparison' method overloads to perform case-insensitive string comparisons
+
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Threading;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using Jellyfin.Data.Enums;
+using Jellyfin.Database.Implementations;
+using Jellyfin.Database.Implementations.Entities;
+using Jellyfin.Extensions;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Entities;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+using MediaBrowser.Controller.Persistence;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.Configuration;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+
+namespace Emby.Server.Implementations.Library.Search;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Built-in SQL-based search provider that queries the library database directly.
+/// </summary>
+public class SqlSearchProvider : IInternalSearchProvider
+{
+    private const int DefaultSearchLimit = 100;
+    private const float ExactMatchScore = 100f;
+    private const float PrefixMatchScore = 80f;
+    private const float WordPrefixMatchScore = 75f;
+    private const float ContainsMatchScore = 50f;
+
+    private static readonly Guid _placeholderId = Guid.Parse("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001");
+
+    private readonly IDbContextFactory<JellyfinDbContext> _dbProvider;
+    private readonly IItemTypeLookup _itemTypeLookup;
+    private readonly ILibraryManager _libraryManager;
+    private readonly IUserManager _userManager;
+    private readonly IItemQueryHelpers _queryHelpers;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="SqlSearchProvider"/> class.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="dbProvider">The database context factory.</param>
+    /// <param name="itemTypeLookup">The item type lookup.</param>
+    /// <param name="libraryManager">The library manager.</param>
+    /// <param name="userManager">The user manager.</param>
+    /// <param name="queryHelpers">The shared item query helpers.</param>
+    public SqlSearchProvider(
+        IDbContextFactory<JellyfinDbContext> dbProvider,
+        IItemTypeLookup itemTypeLookup,
+        ILibraryManager libraryManager,
+        IUserManager userManager,
+        IItemQueryHelpers queryHelpers)
+    {
+        _dbProvider = dbProvider;
+        _itemTypeLookup = itemTypeLookup;
+        _libraryManager = libraryManager;
+        _userManager = userManager;
+        _queryHelpers = queryHelpers;
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public string Name => "Database";
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public MetadataPluginType Type => MetadataPluginType.SearchProvider;
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public int Priority => 100; // Low priority - runs as fallback
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public bool CanSearch(SearchProviderQuery query)
+    {
+        // SQL search can always handle any query
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public async Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> SearchAsync(SearchProviderQuery query, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(query);
+        ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(query.SearchTerm);
+
+        var rawSearchTerm = query.SearchTerm.Trim().RemoveDiacritics();
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(rawSearchTerm))
+        {
+            return [];
+        }
+
+        var cleanSearchTerm = rawSearchTerm.GetCleanValue();
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(cleanSearchTerm))
+        {
+            return [];
+        }
+
+        var cleanPrefix = cleanSearchTerm + " ";
+        // OriginalTitle is stored mixed-case and isn't pre-normalized like CleanName,
+        // so match it via a case-insensitive LIKE rather than a per-row case conversion
+        // that may not translate to SQL on every provider.
+        var likeOriginal = $"%{rawSearchTerm}%";
+        var limit = query.Limit ?? DefaultSearchLimit;
+
+        var dbContext = await _dbProvider.CreateDbContextAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        await using (dbContext.ConfigureAwait(false))
+        {
+            // Lightweight projection: select only what's needed to score and identify items.
+            var dbQuery = dbContext.BaseItems
+                .AsNoTracking()
+                .Where(e => e.Id != _placeholderId)
+                .Where(e => !e.IsVirtualItem)
+                .Where(e => e.CleanName!.Contains(cleanSearchTerm)
+                    || (e.OriginalTitle != null && EF.Functions.Like(e.OriginalTitle, likeOriginal)));
+
+            dbQuery = ApplyTypeFilter(dbQuery, query.IncludeItemTypes, query.ExcludeItemTypes);
+            dbQuery = ApplyMediaTypeFilter(dbQuery, query.MediaTypes);
+            dbQuery = ApplyParentFilter(dbQuery, query.ParentId);
+            dbQuery = ApplyUserAccessFilter(dbContext, dbQuery, query.UserId);
+
+            // Compute the score in SQL: the ternary translates to a CASE WHEN. CleanName is
+            // the pre-normalized (lowercase, diacritic-stripped) form, so we score against it
+            // directly without any per-row case conversion. Items that match only via
+            // OriginalTitle fall through to the Contains tier.
+            // Tie-break by Id for deterministic ordering so the explicit OrderBy + Take
+            // satisfies EF Core's row-limiting-with-OrderBy requirement.
+            var scored = dbQuery.Select(e => new
+            {
+                e.Id,
+                Score =
+                    (e.CleanName == cleanSearchTerm) ? ExactMatchScore
+                    : e.CleanName!.StartsWith(cleanSearchTerm) ? PrefixMatchScore
+                    : e.CleanName!.Contains(cleanPrefix) ? WordPrefixMatchScore
+                    : ContainsMatchScore
+            });
+
+            return await scored
+                .OrderByDescending(x => x.Score)
+                .ThenBy(x => x.Id)
+                .Take(limit)
+                .Select(x => new SearchResult(x.Id, x.Score))
+                .ToArrayAsync(cancellationToken)
+                .ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> ApplyTypeFilter(
+        IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> query,
+        BaseItemKind[] includeItemTypes,
+        BaseItemKind[] excludeItemTypes)
+    {
+        if (includeItemTypes.Length > 0)
+        {
+            var includeTypeNames = MapKindsToTypeNames(includeItemTypes);
+            if (includeTypeNames.Count > 0)
+            {
+                query = query.Where(e => includeTypeNames.Contains(e.Type));
+            }
+        }
+        else if (excludeItemTypes.Length > 0)
+        {
+            var excludeTypeNames = MapKindsToTypeNames(excludeItemTypes);
+            if (excludeTypeNames.Count > 0)
+            {
+                query = query.Where(e => !excludeTypeNames.Contains(e.Type));
+            }
+        }
+
+        return query;
+    }
+
+    private static IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> ApplyMediaTypeFilter(
+        IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> query,
+        MediaType[] mediaTypes)
+    {
+        if (mediaTypes.Length == 0)
+        {
+            return query;
+        }
+
+        var mediaTypeNames = mediaTypes.Select(m => m.ToString()).ToArray();
+        return query.Where(e => e.MediaType != null && mediaTypeNames.Contains(e.MediaType));
+    }
+
+    private static IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> ApplyParentFilter(
+        IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> query,
+        Guid? parentId)
+    {
+        if (!parentId.HasValue || parentId.Value.IsEmpty())
+        {
+            return query;
+        }
+
+        var pid = parentId.Value;
+        return query.Where(e => e.ParentId == pid || e.Parents!.Any(p => p.ParentItemId == pid));
+    }
+
+    private IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> ApplyUserAccessFilter(
+        JellyfinDbContext dbContext,
+        IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> query,
+        Guid? userId)
+    {
+        if (!userId.HasValue || userId.Value.IsEmpty())
+        {
+            return query;
+        }
+
+        var user = _userManager.GetUserById(userId.Value);
+        if (user is null)
+        {
+            return query;
+        }
+
+        var accessFilter = new InternalItemsQuery(user);
+        _libraryManager.ConfigureUserAccess(accessFilter, user);
+        return _queryHelpers.ApplyAccessFiltering(dbContext, query, accessFilter);
+    }
+
+    private List<string> MapKindsToTypeNames(BaseItemKind[] kinds)
+    {
+        var list = new List<string>(kinds.Length);
+        foreach (var kind in kinds)
+        {
+            if (_itemTypeLookup.BaseItemKindNames.TryGetValue(kind, out var name) && name is not null)
+            {
+                list.Add(name);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return list;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/SearchEngine.cs b/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/SearchEngine.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index c682118597..0000000000
--- a/Emby.Server.Implementations/Library/SearchEngine.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,200 +0,0 @@
-#pragma warning disable CS1591
-
-using System;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Linq;
-using Jellyfin.Data.Enums;
-using Jellyfin.Database.Implementations.Entities;
-using Jellyfin.Database.Implementations.Enums;
-using Jellyfin.Extensions;
-using MediaBrowser.Controller.Dto;
-using MediaBrowser.Controller.Entities;
-using MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
-using MediaBrowser.Model.Querying;
-using MediaBrowser.Model.Search;
-
-namespace Emby.Server.Implementations.Library
-{
-    public class SearchEngine : ISearchEngine
-    {
-        private readonly ILibraryManager _libraryManager;
-        private readonly IUserManager _userManager;
-
-        public SearchEngine(ILibraryManager libraryManager, IUserManager userManager)
-        {
-            _libraryManager = libraryManager;
-            _userManager = userManager;
-        }
-
-        public QueryResult<SearchHintInfo> GetSearchHints(SearchQuery query)
-        {
-            User? user = null;
-            if (!query.UserId.IsEmpty())
-            {
-                user = _userManager.GetUserById(query.UserId);
-            }
-
-            var results = GetSearchHints(query, user);
-            var totalRecordCount = results.Count;
-
-            if (query.StartIndex.HasValue)
-            {
-                results = results.GetRange(query.StartIndex.Value, totalRecordCount - query.StartIndex.Value);
-            }
-
-            if (query.Limit.HasValue && query.Limit.Value > 0)
-            {
-                results = results.GetRange(0, Math.Min(query.Limit.Value, results.Count));
-            }
-
-            return new QueryResult<SearchHintInfo>(
-                query.StartIndex,
-                totalRecordCount,
-                results);
-        }
-
-        private static void AddIfMissing(List<BaseItemKind> list, BaseItemKind value)
-        {
-            if (!list.Contains(value))
-            {
-                list.Add(value);
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Gets the search hints.
-        /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="query">The query.</param>
-        /// <param name="user">The user.</param>
-        /// <returns>IEnumerable{SearchHintResult}.</returns>
-        /// <exception cref="ArgumentException"><c>query.SearchTerm</c> is <c>null</c> or empty.</exception>
-        private List<SearchHintInfo> GetSearchHints(SearchQuery query, User? user)
-        {
-            var searchTerm = query.SearchTerm;
-
-            ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrEmpty(searchTerm);
-
-            searchTerm = searchTerm.Trim().RemoveDiacritics();
-
-            var excludeItemTypes = query.ExcludeItemTypes.ToList();
-            var includeItemTypes = query.IncludeItemTypes.ToList();
-
-            excludeItemTypes.Add(BaseItemKind.Year);
-            excludeItemTypes.Add(BaseItemKind.Folder);
-
-            if (query.IncludeGenres && (includeItemTypes.Count == 0 || includeItemTypes.Contains(BaseItemKind.Genre)))
-            {
-                if (!query.IncludeMedia)
-                {
-                    AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Genre);
-                    AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicGenre);
-                }
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Genre);
-                AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicGenre);
-            }
-
-            if (query.IncludePeople && (includeItemTypes.Count == 0 || includeItemTypes.Contains(BaseItemKind.Person)))
-            {
-                if (!query.IncludeMedia)
-                {
-                    AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Person);
-                }
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Person);
-            }
-
-            if (query.IncludeStudios && (includeItemTypes.Count == 0 || includeItemTypes.Contains(BaseItemKind.Studio)))
-            {
-                if (!query.IncludeMedia)
-                {
-                    AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Studio);
-                }
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Studio);
-            }
-
-            if (query.IncludeArtists && (includeItemTypes.Count == 0 || includeItemTypes.Contains(BaseItemKind.MusicArtist)))
-            {
-                if (!query.IncludeMedia)
-                {
-                    AddIfMissing(includeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicArtist);
-                }
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.MusicArtist);
-            }
-
-            AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.CollectionFolder);
-            AddIfMissing(excludeItemTypes, BaseItemKind.Folder);
-            var mediaTypes = query.MediaTypes.ToList();
-
-            if (includeItemTypes.Count > 0)
-            {
-                excludeItemTypes.Clear();
-                mediaTypes.Clear();
-            }
-
-            var searchQuery = new InternalItemsQuery(user)
-            {
-                SearchTerm = searchTerm,
-                ExcludeItemTypes = excludeItemTypes.ToArray(),
-                IncludeItemTypes = includeItemTypes.ToArray(),
-                Limit = query.Limit,
-                IncludeItemsByName = !query.ParentId.HasValue,
-                ParentId = query.ParentId ?? Guid.Empty,
-                OrderBy = new[] { (ItemSortBy.SortName, SortOrder.Ascending) },
-                Recursive = true,
-
-                IsKids = query.IsKids,
-                IsMovie = query.IsMovie,
-                IsNews = query.IsNews,
-                IsSeries = query.IsSeries,
-                IsSports = query.IsSports,
-                MediaTypes = mediaTypes.ToArray(),
-
-                DtoOptions = new DtoOptions
-                {
-                    Fields = new ItemFields[]
-                    {
-                        ItemFields.AirTime,
-                        ItemFields.DateCreated,
-                        ItemFields.ChannelInfo,
-                        ItemFields.ParentId
-                    }
-                }
-            };
-
-            IReadOnlyList<BaseItem> mediaItems;
-
-            if (searchQuery.IncludeItemTypes.Length == 1 && searchQuery.IncludeItemTypes[0] == BaseItemKind.MusicArtist)
-            {
-                if (!searchQuery.ParentId.IsEmpty())
-                {
-                    searchQuery.AncestorIds = [searchQuery.ParentId];
-                    searchQuery.ParentId = Guid.Empty;
-                }
-
-                searchQuery.IncludeItemsByName = true;
-                searchQuery.IncludeItemTypes = Array.Empty<BaseItemKind>();
-                mediaItems = _libraryManager.GetAllArtists(searchQuery).Items.Select(i => i.Item).ToList();
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                mediaItems = _libraryManager.GetItemList(searchQuery);
-            }
-
-            return mediaItems.Select(i => new SearchHintInfo
-            {
-                Item = i
-            }).ToList();
-        }
-    }
-}
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs
index 5705284cfb..9115227707 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/ItemsController.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
     private readonly ILogger<ItemsController> _logger;
     private readonly ISessionManager _sessionManager;
     private readonly IUserDataManager _userDataRepository;
+    private readonly ISearchManager _searchManager;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="ItemsController"/> class.
@@ -53,6 +55,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
     /// <param name="logger">Instance of the <see cref="ILogger"/> interface.</param>
     /// <param name="sessionManager">Instance of the <see cref="ISessionManager"/> interface.</param>
     /// <param name="userDataRepository">Instance of the <see cref="IUserDataManager"/> interface.</param>
+    /// <param name="searchManager">Instance of the <see cref="ISearchManager"/> interface.</param>
     public ItemsController(
         IUserManager userManager,
         ILibraryManager libraryManager,
@@ -60,7 +63,8 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
         IDtoService dtoService,
         ILogger<ItemsController> logger,
         ISessionManager sessionManager,
-        IUserDataManager userDataRepository)
+        IUserDataManager userDataRepository,
+        ISearchManager searchManager)
     {
         _userManager = userManager;
         _libraryManager = libraryManager;
@@ -69,6 +73,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
         _logger = logger;
         _sessionManager = sessionManager;
         _userDataRepository = userDataRepository;
+        _searchManager = searchManager;
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -314,7 +319,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
         if (collectionType == CollectionType.playlists)
         {
             recursive = true;
-            includeItemTypes = new[] { BaseItemKind.Playlist };
+            includeItemTypes = [BaseItemKind.Playlist];
         }
         else if (folder is ICollectionFolder)
         {
@@ -348,6 +353,34 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
 
         if ((recursive.HasValue && recursive.Value) || ids.Length != 0 || item is not UserRootFolder)
         {
+            // Use search providers when searchTerm is provided. Providers return only IDs and scores;
+            // items are loaded server-side via folder.GetItems below, which applies user-access filtering.
+            Dictionary<Guid, float>? searchResultScores = null;
+            Guid[] itemIds = ids;
+
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(searchTerm))
+            {
+                var searchProviderQuery = new SearchProviderQuery
+                {
+                    SearchTerm = searchTerm,
+                    UserId = userId,
+                    IncludeItemTypes = includeItemTypes,
+                    ExcludeItemTypes = excludeItemTypes,
+                    MediaTypes = mediaTypes,
+                    Limit = limit.HasValue ? limit.Value * 3 : null,
+                    ParentId = parentId
+                };
+
+                var searchResults = await _searchManager.GetSearchResultsAsync(searchProviderQuery, HttpContext.RequestAborted).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                if (searchResults.Count > 0)
+                {
+                    searchResultScores = searchResults.ToDictionary(r => r.ItemId, r => r.Score);
+                    itemIds = ids.Length > 0
+                        ? ids.Concat(searchResultScores.Keys).Distinct().ToArray()
+                        : searchResultScores.Keys.ToArray();
+                }
+            }
+
             var query = new InternalItemsQuery(user)
             {
                 IsPlayed = isPlayed,
@@ -357,8 +390,8 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
                 Recursive = recursive ?? false,
                 OrderBy = RequestHelpers.GetOrderBy(sortBy, sortOrder),
                 IsFavorite = isFavorite,
-                Limit = limit,
-                StartIndex = startIndex,
+                Limit = searchResultScores is null ? limit : null,
+                StartIndex = searchResultScores is null ? startIndex : null,
                 IsMissing = isMissing,
                 IsUnaired = isUnaired,
                 CollapseBoxSetItems = collapseBoxSetItems,
@@ -405,7 +438,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
                 ImageTypes = imageTypes,
                 VideoTypes = videoTypes,
                 AdjacentTo = adjacentTo,
-                ItemIds = ids,
+                ItemIds = itemIds,
                 MinCommunityRating = minCommunityRating,
                 MinCriticRating = minCriticRating,
                 ParentId = parentId ?? Guid.Empty,
@@ -414,7 +447,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
                 EnableTotalRecordCount = enableTotalRecordCount,
                 ExcludeItemIds = excludeItemIds,
                 DtoOptions = dtoOptions,
-                SearchTerm = searchTerm,
+                SearchTerm = searchResultScores is null ? searchTerm : null,
                 MinDateLastSaved = minDateLastSaved?.ToUniversalTime(),
                 MinDateLastSavedForUser = minDateLastSavedForUser?.ToUniversalTime(),
                 MinPremiereDate = minPremiereDate?.ToUniversalTime(),
@@ -526,7 +559,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
             {
                 query.AlbumIds = albums.SelectMany(i =>
                 {
-                    return _libraryManager.GetItemIds(new InternalItemsQuery { IncludeItemTypes = new[] { BaseItemKind.MusicAlbum }, Name = i, Limit = 1 });
+                    return _libraryManager.GetItemIds(new InternalItemsQuery { IncludeItemTypes = [BaseItemKind.MusicAlbum], Name = i, Limit = 1 });
                 }).ToArray();
             }
 
@@ -552,12 +585,37 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
                 // Albums by artist
                 if (query.ArtistIds.Length > 0 && query.IncludeItemTypes.Length == 1 && query.IncludeItemTypes[0] == BaseItemKind.MusicAlbum)
                 {
-                    query.OrderBy = new[] { (ItemSortBy.ProductionYear, SortOrder.Descending), (ItemSortBy.SortName, SortOrder.Ascending) };
+                    query.OrderBy = [(ItemSortBy.ProductionYear, SortOrder.Descending), (ItemSortBy.SortName, SortOrder.Ascending)];
                 }
             }
 
             query.Parent = null;
+
+            // folder.GetItems applies user-access filtering via the InternalItemsQuery's User.
             result = folder.GetItems(query);
+            if (searchResultScores is not null && searchResultScores.Count > 0)
+            {
+                var orderedItems = result.Items
+                    .OrderByDescending(item => searchResultScores.GetValueOrDefault(item.Id, 0f))
+                    .ThenBy(item => item.SortName)
+                    .ToArray();
+
+                var totalCount = orderedItems.Length;
+                if (startIndex.HasValue && startIndex.Value > 0)
+                {
+                    orderedItems = orderedItems.Skip(startIndex.Value).ToArray();
+                }
+
+                if (limit.HasValue)
+                {
+                    orderedItems = orderedItems.Take(limit.Value).ToArray();
+                }
+
+                return new QueryResult<BaseItemDto>(
+                    startIndex,
+                    totalCount,
+                    _dtoService.GetBaseItemDtos(orderedItems, dtoOptions, user));
+            }
         }
         else
         {
@@ -913,7 +971,7 @@ public class ItemsController : BaseJellyfinApiController
 
         var itemsResult = _libraryManager.GetItemsResult(new InternalItemsQuery(user)
         {
-            OrderBy = new[] { (ItemSortBy.DatePlayed, SortOrder.Descending) },
+            OrderBy = [(ItemSortBy.DatePlayed, SortOrder.Descending)],
             IsResumable = true,
             StartIndex = startIndex,
             Limit = limit,
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/SearchController.cs b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/SearchController.cs
index ecf2335ba0..b03cb88e75 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/SearchController.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Api/Controllers/SearchController.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ using System.ComponentModel;
 using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
 using System.Globalization;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Jellyfin.Api.Helpers;
 using Jellyfin.Api.ModelBinders;
 using Jellyfin.Data.Enums;
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ namespace Jellyfin.Api.Controllers;
 [Authorize]
 public class SearchController : BaseJellyfinApiController
 {
-    private readonly ISearchEngine _searchEngine;
+    private readonly ISearchManager _searchManager;
     private readonly ILibraryManager _libraryManager;
     private readonly IDtoService _dtoService;
     private readonly IImageProcessor _imageProcessor;
@@ -37,17 +38,17 @@ public class SearchController : BaseJellyfinApiController
     /// <summary>
     /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="SearchController"/> class.
     /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="searchEngine">Instance of <see cref="ISearchEngine"/> interface.</param>
+    /// <param name="searchManager">Instance of <see cref="ISearchManager"/> interface.</param>
     /// <param name="libraryManager">Instance of <see cref="ILibraryManager"/> interface.</param>
     /// <param name="dtoService">Instance of <see cref="IDtoService"/> interface.</param>
     /// <param name="imageProcessor">Instance of <see cref="IImageProcessor"/> interface.</param>
     public SearchController(
-        ISearchEngine searchEngine,
+        ISearchManager searchManager,
         ILibraryManager libraryManager,
         IDtoService dtoService,
         IImageProcessor imageProcessor)
     {
-        _searchEngine = searchEngine;
+        _searchManager = searchManager;
         _libraryManager = libraryManager;
         _dtoService = dtoService;
         _imageProcessor = imageProcessor;
@@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ public class SearchController : BaseJellyfinApiController
     [HttpGet]
     [Description("Gets search hints based on a search term")]
     [ProducesResponseType(StatusCodes.Status200OK)]
-    public ActionResult<SearchHintResult> GetSearchHints(
+    public async Task<ActionResult<SearchHintResult>> GetSearchHints(
         [FromQuery] int? startIndex,
         [FromQuery] int? limit,
         [FromQuery] Guid? userId,
@@ -100,7 +101,7 @@ public class SearchController : BaseJellyfinApiController
         [FromQuery] bool includeArtists = true)
     {
         userId = RequestHelpers.GetUserId(User, userId);
-        var result = _searchEngine.GetSearchHints(new SearchQuery
+        var result = await _searchManager.GetSearchHintsAsync(new SearchQuery
         {
             Limit = limit,
             SearchTerm = searchTerm,
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ public class SearchController : BaseJellyfinApiController
             IsNews = isNews,
             IsSeries = isSeries,
             IsSports = isSports
-        });
+        }).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
         return new SearchHintResult(result.Items.Select(GetSearchHintResult).ToArray(), result.TotalRecordCount);
     }
diff --git a/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/BaseItemRepository.TranslateQuery.cs b/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/BaseItemRepository.TranslateQuery.cs
index f33a65a703..d905775aef 100644
--- a/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/BaseItemRepository.TranslateQuery.cs
+++ b/Jellyfin.Server.Implementations/Item/BaseItemRepository.TranslateQuery.cs
@@ -953,24 +953,17 @@ public sealed partial class BaseItemRepository
 
         if (filter.ExcludeProviderIds is not null && filter.ExcludeProviderIds.Count > 0)
         {
-            var exclude = filter.ExcludeProviderIds.Select(e => $"{e.Key}:{e.Value}").ToArray();
-            baseQuery = baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.Select(f => f.ProviderId + ":" + f.ProviderValue)!.All(f => !exclude.Contains(f)));
+            baseQuery = baseQuery.WhereExcludeProviderIds(filter.ExcludeProviderIds);
         }
 
         if (filter.HasAnyProviderId is not null && filter.HasAnyProviderId.Count > 0)
         {
-            // Allow setting a null or empty value to get all items that have the specified provider set.
-            var includeAny = filter.HasAnyProviderId.Where(e => string.IsNullOrEmpty(e.Value)).Select(e => e.Key).ToArray();
-            if (includeAny.Length > 0)
-            {
-                baseQuery = baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.Any(f => includeAny.Contains(f.ProviderId)));
-            }
+            baseQuery = baseQuery.WhereHasAnyProviderId(filter.HasAnyProviderId);
+        }
 
-            var includeSelected = filter.HasAnyProviderId.Where(e => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(e.Value)).Select(e => $"{e.Key}:{e.Value}").ToArray();
-            if (includeSelected.Length > 0)
-            {
-                baseQuery = baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.Select(f => f.ProviderId + ":" + f.ProviderValue)!.Any(f => includeSelected.Contains(f)));
-            }
+        if (filter.HasAnyProviderIds is not null && filter.HasAnyProviderIds.Count > 0)
+        {
+            baseQuery = baseQuery.WhereHasAnyProviderIds(filter.HasAnyProviderIds);
         }
 
         if (filter.HasAnyProviderIds is not null && filter.HasAnyProviderIds.Count > 0)
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/IExternalSearchProvider.cs b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/IExternalSearchProvider.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bded8ba3a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/IExternalSearchProvider.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Threading;
+
+namespace MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Interface for external search providers that offer enhanced search capabilities.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IExternalSearchProvider : ISearchProvider
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Searches for items matching the query.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="query">The search query.</param>
+    /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
+    /// <returns>Async enumerable of search results with relevance scores.</returns>
+    new IAsyncEnumerable<SearchResult> SearchAsync(
+        SearchProviderQuery query,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken);
+}
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/IInternalSearchProvider.cs b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/IInternalSearchProvider.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f87931395d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/IInternalSearchProvider.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+namespace MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Marker interface for internal search providers that typically query the local database directly.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IInternalSearchProvider : ISearchProvider
+{
+}
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchEngine.cs b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchEngine.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 31dcbba5bd..0000000000
--- a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchEngine.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-using MediaBrowser.Model.Querying;
-using MediaBrowser.Model.Search;
-
-namespace MediaBrowser.Controller.Library
-{
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Interface ILibrarySearchEngine.
-    /// </summary>
-    public interface ISearchEngine
-    {
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Gets the search hints.
-        /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="query">The query.</param>
-        /// <returns>Task{IEnumerable{SearchHintInfo}}.</returns>
-        QueryResult<SearchHintInfo> GetSearchHints(SearchQuery query);
-    }
-}
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchManager.cs b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchManager.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4f763829a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchManager.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Threading;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.Querying;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.Search;
+
+namespace MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Orchestrates search operations across registered search providers.
+/// </summary>
+public interface ISearchManager
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Searches for items and returns hints suitable for autocomplete/typeahead UI.
+    /// Results are ordered by relevance score from search providers.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="query">The search query including filters and pagination.</param>
+    /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
+    /// <returns>Paginated search hints with item metadata for display.</returns>
+    Task<QueryResult<SearchHintInfo>> GetSearchHintsAsync(
+        SearchQuery query,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets ranked search results from registered providers. Returns only item IDs and
+    /// relevance scores; callers are responsible for loading items and applying user-access filtering.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="query">The search provider query with type/media filters.</param>
+    /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
+    /// <returns>Search results containing item IDs and relevance scores.</returns>
+    Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> GetSearchResultsAsync(
+        SearchProviderQuery query,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Registers search providers discovered through dependency injection.
+    /// Called during application startup.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="providers">The search providers to register.</param>
+    void AddParts(IEnumerable<ISearchProvider> providers);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets all registered search providers ordered by priority.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <returns>The list of search providers including the SQL fallback provider.</returns>
+    IReadOnlyList<ISearchProvider> GetProviders();
+}
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchProvider.cs b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchProvider.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3b300ed38b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/ISearchProvider.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Threading;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using MediaBrowser.Model.Configuration;
+
+namespace MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Interface for search providers.
+/// </summary>
+public interface ISearchProvider
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the name of the provider.
+    /// </summary>
+    string Name { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the type of the provider.
+    /// </summary>
+    MetadataPluginType Type { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the priority of the provider. Lower values execute first.
+    /// </summary>
+    int Priority { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Searches for items matching the query.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="query">The search query.</param>
+    /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
+    /// <returns>Ranked list of candidate item IDs with scores.</returns>
+    Task<IReadOnlyList<SearchResult>> SearchAsync(
+        SearchProviderQuery query,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Determines whether this provider can handle the given query.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="query">The search query to evaluate.</param>
+    /// <returns>True if this provider can search for the query; otherwise, false.</returns>
+    bool CanSearch(SearchProviderQuery query);
+}
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/SearchProviderQuery.cs b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/SearchProviderQuery.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..845588c872
--- /dev/null
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/SearchProviderQuery.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+using System;
+using Jellyfin.Data.Enums;
+
+namespace MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Query object for search providers.
+/// </summary>
+public class SearchProviderQuery
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the search term.
+    /// </summary>
+    public required string SearchTerm { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the user ID for user-specific searches.
+    /// </summary>
+    public Guid? UserId { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the item types to include in the search.
+    /// </summary>
+    public BaseItemKind[] IncludeItemTypes { get; init; } = [];
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the item types to exclude from the search.
+    /// </summary>
+    public BaseItemKind[] ExcludeItemTypes { get; init; } = [];
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the media types to include in the search.
+    /// </summary>
+    public MediaType[] MediaTypes { get; init; } = [];
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the maximum number of results to return.
+    /// </summary>
+    public int? Limit { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the parent ID to scope the search.
+    /// </summary>
+    public Guid? ParentId { get; init; }
+}
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/SearchResult.cs b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/SearchResult.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e6f145e979
--- /dev/null
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Controller/Library/SearchResult.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+using System;
+
+namespace MediaBrowser.Controller.Library;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Represents an item matched by a search query with its relevance score.
+/// </summary>
+public readonly struct SearchResult : IEquatable<SearchResult>
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="SearchResult"/> struct.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="itemId">The item ID.</param>
+    /// <param name="score">The relevance score.</param>
+    public SearchResult(Guid itemId, float score)
+    {
+        ItemId = itemId;
+        Score = score;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the ID of the matching item.
+    /// </summary>
+    public Guid ItemId { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the relevance score. Higher values indicate more relevant results.
+    /// </summary>
+    public float Score { get; init; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Compares two <see cref="SearchResult"/> instances for equality.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="left">The left operand.</param>
+    /// <param name="right">The right operand.</param>
+    /// <returns>True if the instances are equal; otherwise, false.</returns>
+    public static bool operator ==(SearchResult left, SearchResult right)
+        => left.Equals(right);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Compares two <see cref="SearchResult"/> instances for inequality.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="left">The left operand.</param>
+    /// <param name="right">The right operand.</param>
+    /// <returns>True if the instances are not equal; otherwise, false.</returns>
+    public static bool operator !=(SearchResult left, SearchResult right)
+        => !left.Equals(right);
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public override bool Equals(object? obj)
+        => obj is SearchResult other && Equals(other);
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public bool Equals(SearchResult other)
+        => ItemId.Equals(other.ItemId) && Score.Equals(other.Score);
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public override int GetHashCode()
+        => HashCode.Combine(ItemId, Score);
+}
diff --git a/MediaBrowser.Model/Configuration/MetadataPluginType.cs b/MediaBrowser.Model/Configuration/MetadataPluginType.cs
index 476060ceef..dd9a599a29 100644
--- a/MediaBrowser.Model/Configuration/MetadataPluginType.cs
+++ b/MediaBrowser.Model/Configuration/MetadataPluginType.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ namespace MediaBrowser.Model.Configuration
         LyricFetcher,
         MediaSegmentProvider,
         LocalSimilarityProvider,
-        SimilarityProvider
+        SimilarityProvider,
+        SearchProvider
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Jellyfin.Database/Jellyfin.Database.Implementations/JellyfinQueryHelperExtensions.cs b/src/Jellyfin.Database/Jellyfin.Database.Implementations/JellyfinQueryHelperExtensions.cs
index f386e882e2..1af7460540 100644
--- a/src/Jellyfin.Database/Jellyfin.Database.Implementations/JellyfinQueryHelperExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Jellyfin.Database/Jellyfin.Database.Implementations/JellyfinQueryHelperExtensions.cs
@@ -112,6 +112,92 @@ public static class JellyfinQueryHelperExtensions
     }
 
     /// <summary>
+    /// Filters items that match any of the specified (provider name, value) pairs.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="baseQuery">The source query.</param>
+    /// <param name="providerIds">Dictionary mapping provider names to arrays of values to match.</param>
+    /// <returns>A filtered query.</returns>
+    public static IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> WhereHasAnyProviderIds(
+        this IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> baseQuery,
+        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, string[]> providerIds)
+    {
+        var providerKeys = providerIds
+            .SelectMany(kvp => kvp.Value.Select(v => $"{kvp.Key}:{v}"))
+            .ToList();
+
+        if (providerKeys.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return baseQuery;
+        }
+
+        return baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.Any(p => providerKeys.Contains(p.ProviderId + ":" + p.ProviderValue)));
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Filters items that have any of the specified providers. Empty/null values match any value for that provider.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="baseQuery">The source query.</param>
+    /// <param name="providerIds">Dictionary mapping provider names to optional values.</param>
+    /// <returns>A filtered query.</returns>
+    public static IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> WhereHasAnyProviderId(
+        this IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> baseQuery,
+        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, string> providerIds)
+    {
+        var existenceOnly = providerIds
+            .Where(e => string.IsNullOrEmpty(e.Value))
+            .Select(e => e.Key)
+            .ToList();
+
+        var specificValues = providerIds
+            .Where(e => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(e.Value))
+            .Select(e => $"{e.Key}:{e.Value}")
+            .ToList();
+
+        if (existenceOnly.Count == 0 && specificValues.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return baseQuery;
+        }
+
+        if (existenceOnly.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.Any(p =>
+                specificValues.Contains(p.ProviderId + ":" + p.ProviderValue)));
+        }
+
+        if (specificValues.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.Any(p => existenceOnly.Contains(p.ProviderId)));
+        }
+
+        // Single EXISTS over Provider with both predicates OR'd, instead of two separate subqueries.
+        return baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.Any(p =>
+            existenceOnly.Contains(p.ProviderId) ||
+            specificValues.Contains(p.ProviderId + ":" + p.ProviderValue)));
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Excludes items that match any of the specified (provider name, value) pairs.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="baseQuery">The source query.</param>
+    /// <param name="providerIds">Dictionary mapping provider names to values to exclude.</param>
+    /// <returns>A filtered query.</returns>
+    public static IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> WhereExcludeProviderIds(
+        this IQueryable<BaseItemEntity> baseQuery,
+        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, string> providerIds)
+    {
+        var excludeKeys = providerIds
+            .Select(e => $"{e.Key}:{e.Value}")
+            .ToList();
+
+        if (excludeKeys.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return baseQuery;
+        }
+
+        return baseQuery.Where(e => e.Provider!.All(p => !excludeKeys.Contains(p.ProviderId + ":" + p.ProviderValue)));
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
     /// Builds an optimised query expression checking one property against a list of values while maintaining an optimal query.
     /// </summary>
     /// <typeparam name="TEntity">The entity.</typeparam>
@@ -138,9 +224,10 @@ public static class JellyfinQueryHelperExtensions
 
         var containsMethodInfo = _containsQueryCache.GetOrAdd(typeof(TProperty), static (key) => _containsMethodGenericCache.MakeGenericMethod(key));
 
-        if (oneOf.Count < 4) // arbitrary value choosen.
+        // Threshold picked from microbenchmarks on SQLite: inline IN(const,...) beats a
+        // parameterized array lookup by ~5-10% up to ~32 elements.
+        if (oneOf.Count <= 32)
         {
-            // if we have 3 or fewer values to check against its faster to do a IN(const,const,const) lookup
             return Expression.Lambda<Func<TEntity, bool>>(Expression.Call(null, containsMethodInfo, Expression.Constant(oneOf), property.Body), parameter);
         }