diff --git a/cardinal/src-tauri/src/commands.rs b/cardinal/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
index ae863611..c7fc7ad3 100644
--- a/cardinal/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
+++ b/cardinal/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ use search_cache::{
 };
 use search_cancel::CancellationToken;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
-use std::{cell::LazyCell, process::Command};
+use std::{cell::LazyCell, fs::File, io::Read, process::Command};
 use tauri::{ActivationPolicy, AppHandle, State};
 use tracing::{error, info, warn};
 
@@ -217,6 +217,8 @@ pub struct NodeInfo {
     pub path: String,
     pub metadata: Option<NodeInfoMetadata>,
     pub icon: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(rename = "contentContext")]
+    pub content_context: Option<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Default)]
@@ -335,6 +337,8 @@ pub async fn search(
 pub fn get_nodes_info(
     results: Vec<SlabIndex>,
     include_icons: Option<bool>,
+    content_terms: Option<Vec<String>>,
+    case_insensitive: Option<bool>,
     state: State<'_, SearchState>,
 ) -> Vec<NodeInfo> {
     if results.is_empty() {
@@ -342,12 +346,24 @@ pub fn get_nodes_info(
     }
 
     let include_icons = include_icons.unwrap_or(true);
+    let content_terms = content_terms
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|term| term.trim().to_string())
+        .filter(|term| !term.is_empty())
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+    let case_insensitive = case_insensitive.unwrap_or_default();
     let nodes = state.request_nodes(results);
 
     nodes
         .into_iter()
         .map(|SearchResultNode { path, metadata }| {
             let path = path.to_string_lossy().into_owned();
+            let content_context = if content_terms.is_empty() {
+                None
+            } else {
+                content_context_for_path(&path, &content_terms, case_insensitive)
+            };
             let icon = if include_icons {
                 fs_icon::icon_of_path_ns(&path).map(|data| {
                     format!(
@@ -362,6 +378,7 @@ pub fn get_nodes_info(
                 path,
                 icon,
                 metadata: metadata.as_ref().map(NodeInfoMetadata::from_metadata),
+                content_context,
             }
         })
         .collect()
@@ -397,6 +414,110 @@ pub fn update_icon_viewport(id: u64, viewport: Vec<SlabIndex>, state: State<'_,
     }
 }
 
+const CONTENT_CONTEXT_BEFORE_BYTES: usize = 24;
+const CONTENT_CONTEXT_AFTER_BYTES: usize = 160;
+const CONTENT_SNIPPET_BUFFER_BYTES: usize = 64 * 1024;
+
+fn content_context_for_path(
+    path: &str,
+    content_terms: &[String],
+    case_insensitive: bool,
+) -> Option<String> {
+    content_terms
+        .iter()
+        .find_map(|term| content_context_for_term(path, term, case_insensitive))
+}
+
+fn content_context_for_term(path: &str, term: &str, case_insensitive: bool) -> Option<String> {
+    let needle = if case_insensitive {
+        term.to_ascii_lowercase().into_bytes()
+    } else {
+        term.as_bytes().to_vec()
+    };
+    if needle.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    let mut file = File::open(path).ok()?;
+    let max_context_bytes = CONTENT_CONTEXT_BEFORE_BYTES.max(CONTENT_CONTEXT_AFTER_BYTES);
+    let overlap = needle.len().saturating_sub(1).max(max_context_bytes);
+    let mut buffer = vec![0u8; CONTENT_SNIPPET_BUFFER_BYTES + overlap];
+    let mut carry_len = 0usize;
+    let mut consumed_bytes = 0usize;
+
+    loop {
+        let read = file.read(&mut buffer[carry_len..]).ok()?;
+        if read == 0 {
+            return None;
+        }
+
+        let chunk_len = carry_len + read;
+        let chunk = &buffer[..chunk_len];
+        let mut searchable;
+        let haystack = if case_insensitive {
+            searchable = chunk.to_vec();
+            searchable.make_ascii_lowercase();
+            searchable.as_slice()
+        } else {
+            chunk
+        };
+
+        if let Some(match_index) = find_bytes(haystack, &needle) {
+            let before_start = match_index.saturating_sub(CONTENT_CONTEXT_BEFORE_BYTES);
+            let after_end =
+                (match_index + needle.len() + CONTENT_CONTEXT_AFTER_BYTES).min(chunk_len);
+            let mut snippet = chunk[before_start..after_end].to_vec();
+
+            let desired_after = match_index + needle.len() + CONTENT_CONTEXT_AFTER_BYTES;
+            let mut has_suffix = after_end < chunk_len;
+            if desired_after > chunk_len {
+                let mut extra = vec![0u8; desired_after - chunk_len];
+                if let Ok(extra_read) = file.read(&mut extra) {
+                    snippet.extend_from_slice(&extra[..extra_read]);
+                    has_suffix = extra_read == extra.len();
+                }
+            }
+
+            let chunk_start = consumed_bytes.saturating_sub(carry_len);
+            let absolute_match_index = chunk_start + match_index;
+            let has_prefix = absolute_match_index > CONTENT_CONTEXT_BEFORE_BYTES;
+            return Some(format_context_snippet(snippet, has_prefix, has_suffix));
+        }
+
+        let keep = overlap.min(chunk_len);
+        if keep > 0 {
+            let start = chunk_len - keep;
+            buffer.copy_within(start..chunk_len, 0);
+        }
+        consumed_bytes += read;
+        carry_len = keep;
+    }
+}
+
+fn find_bytes(haystack: &[u8], needle: &[u8]) -> Option<usize> {
+    haystack
+        .windows(needle.len())
+        .position(|window| window == needle)
+}
+
+fn format_context_snippet(snippet: Vec<u8>, has_prefix: bool, has_suffix: bool) -> String {
+    let normalized = String::from_utf8_lossy(&snippet)
+        .chars()
+        .map(|ch| match ch {
+            '\r' | '\n' | '\t' => ' ',
+            _ => ch,
+        })
+        .collect::<String>();
+    let compact = normalized.split_whitespace().collect::<Vec<_>>().join(" ");
+
+    match (has_prefix, has_suffix) {
+        (true, true) => format!("...{compact}..."),
+        (true, false) => format!("...{compact}"),
+        (false, true) => format!("{compact}..."),
+        (false, false) => compact,
+    }
+}
+
 #[tauri::command]
 pub async fn get_app_status() -> String {
     load_app_state().as_str().to_string()
diff --git a/cardinal/src/App.css b/cardinal/src/App.css
index 5d6af384..c1f15401 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/App.css
+++ b/cardinal/src/App.css
@@ -461,6 +461,7 @@ button:active:not(:disabled) {
   --columns-total: calc(
     var(--w-filename) + var(--w-path) + var(--w-size) + var(--w-modified) + var(--w-created)
   );
+  --columns-total-with-context: calc(var(--columns-total) + var(--w-context));
 }
 
 .scroll-area {
@@ -597,6 +598,14 @@ button:active:not(:disabled) {
   min-width: var(--columns-total);
 }
 
+.scroll-area--with-context .columns {
+  grid-template-columns:
+    var(--w-context) var(--w-filename) var(--w-path) var(--w-size) var(--w-modified)
+    var(--w-created);
+  width: var(--columns-total-with-context);
+  min-width: var(--columns-total-with-context);
+}
+
 /* === Header Row === */
 .header-row-container {
   overflow: hidden;
@@ -628,6 +637,16 @@ button:active:not(:disabled) {
     var(--virtual-scrollbar-width);
 }
 
+.scroll-area--with-context .header-row {
+  width: calc(var(--columns-total-with-context) + var(--virtual-scrollbar-width));
+}
+
+.scroll-area--with-context .header-row.columns {
+  grid-template-columns:
+    var(--w-context) var(--w-filename) var(--w-path) var(--w-size) var(--w-modified)
+    var(--w-created) var(--virtual-scrollbar-width);
+}
+
 .header {
   font-weight: 600;
   color: var(--color-header);
@@ -933,6 +952,13 @@ button:active:not(:disabled) {
   padding: 0 var(--cell-hpad);
 }
 
+.context-text {
+  min-width: 0;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+  padding: 0 var(--cell-hpad);
+}
+
 .filename-text {
   flex: 1;
   min-width: 0;
diff --git a/cardinal/src/App.tsx b/cardinal/src/App.tsx
index 16cd5e68..38250588 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/App.tsx
+++ b/cardinal/src/App.tsx
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import { useAppPreferences } from './hooks/useAppPreferences';
 import { useAppWindowListeners } from './hooks/useAppWindowListeners';
 import { useFilesTabEffects } from './hooks/useFilesTabEffects';
 import { useFilesTabState } from './hooks/useFilesTabState';
+import { extractContentTerms } from './utils/contentQuery';
 
 function App() {
   const {
@@ -262,6 +263,11 @@ function App() {
   }, []);
 
   const selectedIndexSet = useMemo(() => new Set(selectedIndices), [selectedIndices]);
+  const contentTerms = useMemo(() => extractContentTerms(currentQuery), [currentQuery]);
+  const showContentContext = contentTerms.length > 0;
+  const fileRowsWidth = showContentContext
+    ? 'var(--columns-total-with-context)'
+    : 'var(--columns-total)';
 
   const handleRowContextMenu = useCallback(
     (event: ReactMouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>, path: string, rowIndex: number) => {
@@ -289,7 +295,7 @@ function App() {
           <div
             key={`placeholder-${rowIndex}`}
             className="row columns row-loading"
-            style={{ ...rowStyle, width: 'var(--columns-total)' }}
+            style={{ ...rowStyle, width: fileRowsWidth }}
           />
         );
       }
@@ -299,11 +305,13 @@ function App() {
           key={item.path}
           rowIndex={rowIndex}
           item={item}
-          style={{ ...rowStyle, width: 'var(--columns-total)' }}
+          style={{ ...rowStyle, width: fileRowsWidth }}
           isSelected={selectedIndexSet.has(rowIndex)}
           selectedPathsForDrag={selectedPaths}
           caseInsensitive={!caseSensitive}
           highlightTerms={highlightTerms}
+          contentTerms={contentTerms}
+          showContentContext={showContentContext}
           onContextMenu={handleRowContextMenu}
           onSelect={handleRowSelect}
           onOpen={openResultPath}
@@ -314,6 +322,9 @@ function App() {
       handleRowContextMenu,
       handleRowSelect,
       highlightTerms,
+      contentTerms,
+      showContentContext,
+      fileRowsWidth,
       caseSensitive,
       selectedIndexSet,
       selectedPaths,
@@ -335,6 +346,7 @@ function App() {
       ({
         '--w-filename': `${colWidths.filename}px`,
         '--w-path': `${colWidths.path}px`,
+        '--w-context': `${Math.max(420, Math.floor(window.innerWidth * 0.4))}px`,
         '--w-size': `${colWidths.size}px`,
         '--w-modified': `${colWidths.modified}px`,
         '--w-created': `${colWidths.created}px`,
@@ -426,6 +438,9 @@ function App() {
               onSortToggle={handleSortToggle}
               sortDisabled={sortButtonsDisabled}
               sortDisabledTooltip={sortDisabledTooltip}
+              showContentContext={showContentContext}
+              contentTerms={contentTerms}
+              caseInsensitive={!caseSensitive}
             />
           )}
         </div>
diff --git a/cardinal/src/components/ColumnHeader.tsx b/cardinal/src/components/ColumnHeader.tsx
index 7de4f9a8..071c85a3 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/components/ColumnHeader.tsx
+++ b/cardinal/src/components/ColumnHeader.tsx
@@ -27,18 +27,30 @@ type ColumnHeaderProps = {
   onSortToggle: (sortKey: SortKey) => void;
   sortDisabled: boolean;
   sortDisabledTooltip: string | null;
+  showContentContext: boolean;
 };
 
 // Column widths are applied via CSS vars on container; no need to pass colWidths prop.
 export const ColumnHeader = forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, ColumnHeaderProps>(
   (
-    { onResizeStart, onContextMenu, sortState, onSortToggle, sortDisabled, sortDisabledTooltip },
+    {
+      onResizeStart,
+      onContextMenu,
+      sortState,
+      onSortToggle,
+      sortDisabled,
+      sortDisabledTooltip,
+      showContentContext,
+    },
     ref,
   ) => {
     const { t } = useTranslation();
     return (
       <div ref={ref} className="header-row-container">
         <div className="header-row columns" onContextMenu={onContextMenu}>
+          {showContentContext ? (
+            <span className="context-text header header-cell">{t('columns.context')}</span>
+          ) : null}
           {columns.map(({ key, labelKey, className }) => {
             const label = t(labelKey);
             const sortKey = sortableColumns[key];
diff --git a/cardinal/src/components/FileRow.tsx b/cardinal/src/components/FileRow.tsx
index 695dba11..ee077fd9 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/components/FileRow.tsx
+++ b/cardinal/src/components/FileRow.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ type FileRowProps = {
   selectedPathsForDrag?: string[];
   caseInsensitive?: boolean;
   highlightTerms?: readonly string[];
+  contentTerms?: readonly string[];
+  showContentContext?: boolean;
 };
 
 export const FileRow = memo(function FileRow({
@@ -34,6 +36,8 @@ export const FileRow = memo(function FileRow({
   selectedPathsForDrag = [],
   caseInsensitive,
   highlightTerms,
+  contentTerms,
+  showContentContext = false,
 }: FileRowProps): React.JSX.Element {
   const pendingSelectRef = useRef<{
     isShift: boolean;
@@ -148,6 +152,19 @@ export const FileRow = memo(function FileRow({
       aria-selected={isSelected}
       title={path}
     >
+      {showContentContext ? (
+        item.contentContext ? (
+          <MiddleEllipsisHighlight
+            className="context-text"
+            text={item.contentContext}
+            highlightTerms={contentTerms}
+            caseInsensitive={caseInsensitive}
+            ellipsisMode="end"
+          />
+        ) : (
+          <span className="context-text muted">—</span>
+        )
+      ) : null}
       <div className="filename-column">
         {item.icon ? (
           <img src={item.icon} alt="icon" className="file-icon" />
diff --git a/cardinal/src/components/FilesTabContent.tsx b/cardinal/src/components/FilesTabContent.tsx
index 267e2ad7..caaeef0a 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/components/FilesTabContent.tsx
+++ b/cardinal/src/components/FilesTabContent.tsx
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ type FilesTabContentProps = {
   onSortToggle: (sortKey: SortKey) => void;
   sortDisabled: boolean;
   sortDisabledTooltip: string | null;
+  showContentContext: boolean;
+  contentTerms: readonly string[];
+  caseInsensitive: boolean;
 };
 
 export function FilesTabContent({
@@ -58,9 +61,12 @@ export function FilesTabContent({
   onSortToggle,
   sortDisabled,
   sortDisabledTooltip,
+  showContentContext,
+  contentTerms,
+  caseInsensitive,
 }: FilesTabContentProps): React.JSX.Element {
   return (
-    <div className="scroll-area">
+    <div className={`scroll-area${showContentContext ? ' scroll-area--with-context' : ''}`}>
       <ColumnHeader
         ref={headerRef}
         onResizeStart={onResizeStart}
@@ -69,6 +75,7 @@ export function FilesTabContent({
         onSortToggle={onSortToggle}
         sortDisabled={sortDisabled}
         sortDisabledTooltip={sortDisabledTooltip}
+        showContentContext={showContentContext}
       />
       <div className="flex-fill">
         {displayState !== 'results' ? (
@@ -88,6 +95,8 @@ export function FilesTabContent({
             overscan={overscan}
             renderRow={renderRow}
             onScrollSync={onScrollSync}
+            contentTerms={contentTerms}
+            caseInsensitive={caseInsensitive}
           />
         )}
       </div>
diff --git a/cardinal/src/components/MiddleEllipsisHighlight.tsx b/cardinal/src/components/MiddleEllipsisHighlight.tsx
index b024bc46..d086e7c8 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/components/MiddleEllipsisHighlight.tsx
+++ b/cardinal/src/components/MiddleEllipsisHighlight.tsx
@@ -131,11 +131,44 @@ function applyMiddleEllipsis(parts: HighlightSegment[], maxChars: number): Highl
   return [...leftParts, { text: '…', isHighlight: false }, ...rightParts];
 }
 
+function applyEndEllipsis(parts: HighlightSegment[], maxChars: number): HighlightSegment[] {
+  if (maxChars <= 1) {
+    return [{ text: '…', isHighlight: false }];
+  }
+
+  const totalLength = parts.reduce((sum, part) => sum + part.text.length, 0);
+  if (totalLength <= maxChars) {
+    return parts;
+  }
+
+  const visibleChars = maxChars - 1;
+  const visibleParts: HighlightSegment[] = [];
+  let visibleCount = 0;
+  for (const part of parts) {
+    const remainingSpace = visibleChars - visibleCount;
+    if (remainingSpace <= 0) break;
+
+    if (part.text.length <= remainingSpace) {
+      visibleParts.push(part);
+      visibleCount += part.text.length;
+    } else {
+      visibleParts.push({
+        text: part.text.slice(0, remainingSpace),
+        isHighlight: part.isHighlight,
+      });
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return [...visibleParts, { text: '…', isHighlight: false }];
+}
+
 type MiddleEllipsisHighlightProps = {
   text: string;
   className?: string;
   highlightTerms?: readonly string[];
   caseInsensitive?: boolean;
+  ellipsisMode?: 'middle' | 'end';
 };
 
 export function MiddleEllipsisHighlight({
@@ -143,6 +176,7 @@ export function MiddleEllipsisHighlight({
   className,
   highlightTerms,
   caseInsensitive,
+  ellipsisMode = 'middle',
 }: MiddleEllipsisHighlightProps): React.JSX.Element {
   const containerRef = useRef<HTMLSpanElement | null>(null);
   const [containerWidth, setContainerWidth] = useState(0);
@@ -157,8 +191,10 @@ export function MiddleEllipsisHighlight({
     if (!containerWidth || highlightedParts.length === 0) return highlightedParts;
 
     const maxChars = Math.floor(containerWidth / CHAR_WIDTH) - 1;
-    return applyMiddleEllipsis(highlightedParts, maxChars);
-  }, [highlightedParts, containerWidth]);
+    return ellipsisMode === 'end'
+      ? applyEndEllipsis(highlightedParts, maxChars)
+      : applyMiddleEllipsis(highlightedParts, maxChars);
+  }, [highlightedParts, containerWidth, ellipsisMode]);
 
   // Measure before paint so result refreshes do not flash the full text before truncation.
   // ResizeObserver keeps truncation in sync with later layout shifts.
diff --git a/cardinal/src/components/VirtualList.tsx b/cardinal/src/components/VirtualList.tsx
index 838ac2a5..713eb49c 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/components/VirtualList.tsx
+++ b/cardinal/src/components/VirtualList.tsx
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ type VirtualListProps = {
     rowStyle: CSSProperties,
   ) => React.ReactNode;
   onScrollSync: (scrollLeft: number) => void;
+  contentTerms?: readonly string[];
+  caseInsensitive?: boolean;
 };
 
 // Virtualized list with lazy row hydration plus a short-lived frozen viewport during
@@ -52,6 +54,8 @@ export const VirtualList = forwardRef<VirtualListHandle, VirtualListProps>(funct
     overscan,
     renderRow,
     onScrollSync,
+    contentTerms = [],
+    caseInsensitive = false,
   },
   ref,
 ) {
@@ -67,7 +71,12 @@ export const VirtualList = forwardRef<VirtualListHandle, VirtualListProps>(funct
   const rowCount = results.length;
 
   // ----- data loader -----
-  const { cache, ensureRangeLoaded } = useDataLoader(results, dataResultsVersion);
+  const { cache, ensureRangeLoaded } = useDataLoader(
+    results,
+    dataResultsVersion,
+    contentTerms,
+    caseInsensitive,
+  );
 
   // Virtualized height powers the scrollbar math
   const totalHeight = rowCount * rowHeight;
diff --git a/cardinal/src/hooks/__tests__/useDataLoader.test.ts b/cardinal/src/hooks/__tests__/useDataLoader.test.ts
index 28daba49..2bc8d445 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/hooks/__tests__/useDataLoader.test.ts
+++ b/cardinal/src/hooks/__tests__/useDataLoader.test.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,17 @@ const renderDataLoader = (initialProps: HookProps) =>
     initialProps,
   });
 
+const renderDataLoaderWithContent = (
+  initialProps: HookProps & { contentTerms: string[]; caseInsensitive: boolean },
+) =>
+  renderHook(
+    ({ results, version, contentTerms, caseInsensitive }) =>
+      useDataLoader(results, version, contentTerms, caseInsensitive),
+    {
+      initialProps,
+    },
+  );
+
 const createDeferred = <T>() => {
   let resolve!: (value: T) => void;
   const promise = new Promise<T>((res) => {
@@ -159,4 +170,23 @@ describe('useDataLoader', () => {
 
     expect(iconUpdateUnlisten).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
+
+  it('passes content snippet options to node info requests', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderDataLoaderWithContent({
+      results: [11 as SlabIndex],
+      version: 1,
+      contentTerms: ['needle'],
+      caseInsensitive: true,
+    });
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.ensureRangeLoaded(0, 0);
+    });
+
+    expect(mockedInvoke).toHaveBeenCalledWith('get_nodes_info', {
+      results: [11],
+      contentTerms: ['needle'],
+      caseInsensitive: true,
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/cardinal/src/hooks/useDataLoader.ts b/cardinal/src/hooks/useDataLoader.ts
index 2b2b19ec..2871c4bf 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/hooks/useDataLoader.ts
+++ b/cardinal/src/hooks/useDataLoader.ts
@@ -15,11 +15,17 @@ const fromNodeInfo = (node: NodeInfoResponse): SearchResultItem => ({
   mtime: node.mtime ?? node.metadata?.mtime,
   ctime: node.ctime ?? node.metadata?.ctime,
   icon: node.icon ?? undefined,
+  contentContext: node.contentContext ?? undefined,
 });
 
 // Data-only loader for visible rows. It owns row metadata caching and stale-request rejection;
 // VirtualList handles any temporary frozen-view rendering during result-set swaps.
-export function useDataLoader(results: SlabIndex[], dataResultsVersion: number) {
+export function useDataLoader(
+  results: SlabIndex[],
+  dataResultsVersion: number,
+  contentTerms: readonly string[] = [],
+  caseInsensitive = false,
+) {
   const loadingRef = useRef<Set<SlabIndex>>(new Set());
   // Monotonic epoch for range-load requests. A new search result-set bumps this value so
   // late `get_nodes_info` responses from the previous result-set can be ignored safely.
@@ -32,7 +38,11 @@ export function useDataLoader(results: SlabIndex[], dataResultsVersion: number)
     return initial;
   });
   const resultsRef = useRef<SlabIndex[]>([]);
+  const contentTermsRef = useRef<readonly string[]>([]);
+  const caseInsensitiveRef = useRef(caseInsensitive);
   resultsRef.current = results;
+  contentTermsRef.current = contentTerms;
+  caseInsensitiveRef.current = caseInsensitive;
 
   // Reset cache state whenever the backing result-set changes so slab-index reuse in the
   // backend cannot surface stale row data for a newer search result-set.
@@ -102,7 +112,11 @@ export function useDataLoader(results: SlabIndex[], dataResultsVersion: number)
       }
       if (needLoading.length === 0) return;
       const versionAtRequest = versionRef.current;
-      const fetched = await invoke<NodeInfoResponse[]>('get_nodes_info', { results: needLoading });
+      const fetched = await invoke<NodeInfoResponse[]>('get_nodes_info', {
+        results: needLoading,
+        contentTerms: contentTermsRef.current,
+        caseInsensitive: caseInsensitiveRef.current,
+      });
       if (versionRef.current !== versionAtRequest) {
         // The result-set changed while this request was in flight. Drop the payload instead of
         // merging stale rows into the cache for the new query.
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ar-SA.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ar-SA.json
index 3abea4ba..1daa88dc 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ar-SA.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ar-SA.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "المسار",
     "size": "الحجم",
     "modified": "تاريخ التعديل",
-    "created": "تاريخ الإنشاء"
+    "created": "تاريخ الإنشاء",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "تم تعطيل الفرز. كثرة النتائج ({{limit}}+) قد تؤثر على الأداء. يمكنك تعديل العتبة في التفضيلات."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/de-DE.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/de-DE.json
index 021f41c9..36256494 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/de-DE.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/de-DE.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Pfad",
     "size": "Größe",
     "modified": "Geändert",
-    "created": "Erstellt"
+    "created": "Erstellt",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "Sortieren ist deaktiviert. Zu viele Ergebnisse ({{limit}}+) können die Leistung beeinträchtigen. Sie können den Schwellenwert in den Einstellungen anpassen."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/en-US.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/en-US.json
index bd8065a1..b1db6d17 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/en-US.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/en-US.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Path",
     "size": "Size",
     "modified": "Modified",
-    "created": "Created"
+    "created": "Created",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "Sorting is disabled. Too many results ({{limit}}+) may impact performance. You can adjust the threshold in Preferences."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/es-ES.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/es-ES.json
index 3403a72b..eea48f25 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/es-ES.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/es-ES.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Ruta",
     "size": "Tamaño",
     "modified": "Modificado",
-    "created": "Creado"
+    "created": "Creado",
+    "context": "Contexto"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "La ordenación está deshabilitada. Demasiados resultados ({{limit}}+) pueden afectar el rendimiento. Puede ajustar el umbral en Preferencias."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/fr-FR.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/fr-FR.json
index 6c190379..8d86a781 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/fr-FR.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/fr-FR.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Chemin",
     "size": "Taille",
     "modified": "Modifié",
-    "created": "Créé"
+    "created": "Créé",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "Le tri est désactivé. Trop de résultats ({{limit}}+) peuvent affecter les performances. Vous pouvez ajuster le seuil dans les Préférences."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/hi-IN.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/hi-IN.json
index aad3774e..b5a59086 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/hi-IN.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/hi-IN.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "पथ",
     "size": "आकार",
     "modified": "संशोधित",
-    "created": "निर्मित"
+    "created": "निर्मित",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "सॉर्टिंग बंद है। बहुत अधिक परिणाम ({{limit}}+) प्रदर्शन को प्रभावित कर सकते हैं। आप सीमा को प्राथमिकताओं में बदल सकते हैं।"
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/it-IT.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/it-IT.json
index 045e09f6..0df142f0 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/it-IT.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/it-IT.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Percorso",
     "size": "Dimensione",
     "modified": "Modificato",
-    "created": "Creato"
+    "created": "Creato",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "L'ordinamento è disattivato. Troppi risultati ({{limit}}+) potrebbero influire sulle prestazioni. Puoi regolare la soglia in Preferenze."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ja-JP.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ja-JP.json
index 26ad1f4b..b39adab4 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ja-JP.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ja-JP.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "パス",
     "size": "サイズ",
     "modified": "更新日時",
-    "created": "作成日時"
+    "created": "作成日時",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "並べ替えは無効化されています。結果が多すぎる ({{limit}}+) とパフォーマンスに影響する可能性があります。環境設定でしきい値を調整できます。"
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ko-KR.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ko-KR.json
index 9b53098e..afc826ae 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ko-KR.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ko-KR.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "경로",
     "size": "크기",
     "modified": "수정됨",
-    "created": "생성됨"
+    "created": "생성됨",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "정렬이 비활성화되었습니다. 결과가 너무 많으면 ({{limit}}+) 성능에 영향을 줄 수 있습니다. 환경설정에서 임계값을 조정할 수 있습니다."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/pt-BR.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/pt-BR.json
index 9b9f383c..34ce83dd 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/pt-BR.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/pt-BR.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Caminho",
     "size": "Tamanho",
     "modified": "Modificado",
-    "created": "Criado"
+    "created": "Criado",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "A ordenação está desativada. Muitos resultados ({{limit}}+) podem afetar o desempenho. Ajuste o limite em Preferências."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ru-RU.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ru-RU.json
index 275ff36e..cb64b462 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ru-RU.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/ru-RU.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Путь",
     "size": "Размер",
     "modified": "Изменено",
-    "created": "Создано"
+    "created": "Создано",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "Сортировка отключена. Слишком много результатов ({{limit}}+) может повлиять на производительность. Вы можете изменить порог в Настройках."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/tr-TR.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/tr-TR.json
index 02fea62a..748de385 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/tr-TR.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/tr-TR.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Yol",
     "size": "Boyut",
     "modified": "Değiştirildi",
-    "created": "Oluşturuldu"
+    "created": "Oluşturuldu",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "Sıralama devre dışı. Çok fazla sonuç ({{limit}}+) performansı etkileyebilir. Eşiği Tercihler'de ayarlayabilirsiniz."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/uk-UA.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/uk-UA.json
index 977579d9..4b1fa725 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/uk-UA.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/uk-UA.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "Шлях",
     "size": "Розмір",
     "modified": "Змінено",
-    "created": "Створено"
+    "created": "Створено",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "Сортування вимкнено. Забагато результатів ({{limit}}+) може вплинути на продуктивність. Ви можете змінити поріг у Налаштуваннях."
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN.json
index e0441f6f..dca52ff4 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "路径",
     "size": "大小",
     "modified": "修改时间",
-    "created": "创建时间"
+    "created": "创建时间",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "排序已禁用。结果超过 {{limit}} 个可能影响性能。您可以在偏好设置中调整阈值。"
diff --git a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-TW.json b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-TW.json
index 95b35586..2f0bbe9c 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-TW.json
+++ b/cardinal/src/i18n/resources/zh-TW.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
     "path": "路徑",
     "size": "大小",
     "modified": "修改時間",
-    "created": "建立時間"
+    "created": "建立時間",
+    "context": "Context"
   },
   "sorting": {
     "disabled": "排序已停用。結果超過 {{limit}} 個可能影響效能。你可以在偏好設定中調整門檻。"
diff --git a/cardinal/src/types/search.ts b/cardinal/src/types/search.ts
index 3b3d3a7e..7867cc76 100644
--- a/cardinal/src/types/search.ts
+++ b/cardinal/src/types/search.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ export type SearchResultItem = Readonly<{
   mtime?: number;
   ctime?: number;
   icon?: string;
+  contentContext?: string;
 }>;
 
 export type NodeInfoResponse = Readonly<{
@@ -21,4 +22,5 @@ export type NodeInfoResponse = Readonly<{
   size?: number | null;
   mtime?: number | null;
   ctime?: number | null;
+  contentContext?: string | null;
 }>;
diff --git a/cardinal/src/utils/__tests__/contentQuery.test.ts b/cardinal/src/utils/__tests__/contentQuery.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..240a2a20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cardinal/src/utils/__tests__/contentQuery.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { extractContentTerms } from '../contentQuery';
+
+describe('extractContentTerms', () => {
+  it('extracts bare and quoted content filters', () => {
+    expect(extractContentTerms('report content:foo content:"bar baz"')).toEqual(['foo', 'bar baz']);
+  });
+
+  it('unescapes quoted values and ignores empty filters', () => {
+    expect(extractContentTerms(String.raw`content:"foo\"bar" content:"" content:`)).toEqual([
+      'foo"bar',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('deduplicates repeated values while preserving order', () => {
+    expect(extractContentTerms('content:foo content:bar content:foo')).toEqual(['foo', 'bar']);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/cardinal/src/utils/contentQuery.ts b/cardinal/src/utils/contentQuery.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..413f9381
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cardinal/src/utils/contentQuery.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+const CONTENT_PREFIX = 'content:';
+
+const readQuotedValue = (query: string, start: number): { value: string; end: number } => {
+  let value = '';
+  let index = start;
+
+  while (index < query.length) {
+    const char = query[index];
+    if (char === '\\' && index + 1 < query.length) {
+      value += query[index + 1];
+      index += 2;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (char === '"') {
+      return { value, end: index + 1 };
+    }
+    value += char;
+    index += 1;
+  }
+
+  return { value, end: index };
+};
+
+const readBareValue = (query: string, start: number): { value: string; end: number } => {
+  let index = start;
+  while (index < query.length && !/\s/.test(query[index])) {
+    index += 1;
+  }
+  return { value: query.slice(start, index), end: index };
+};
+
+export const extractContentTerms = (query: string | null | undefined): string[] => {
+  if (!query) {
+    return [];
+  }
+
+  const terms: string[] = [];
+  const seen = new Set<string>();
+  const lowerQuery = query.toLocaleLowerCase();
+  let index = 0;
+
+  while (index < query.length) {
+    const matchIndex = lowerQuery.indexOf(CONTENT_PREFIX, index);
+    if (matchIndex === -1) {
+      break;
+    }
+
+    const valueStart = matchIndex + CONTENT_PREFIX.length;
+    const parsed =
+      query[valueStart] === '"'
+        ? readQuotedValue(query, valueStart + 1)
+        : readBareValue(query, valueStart);
+    const value = parsed.value.trim();
+
+    if (value && !seen.has(value)) {
+      seen.add(value);
+      terms.push(value);
+    }
+
+    index = Math.max(parsed.end, valueStart + 1);
+  }
+
+  return terms;
+};