diff --git a/build.zig b/build.zig
index 023f96f..ad3088b 100644
--- a/build.zig
+++ b/build.zig
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
         .optimize = dependency_optimize,
     });
 
+    const fuzzig_dep = b.dependency("fuzzig", .{
+        .target = target,
+        .optimize = dependency_optimize,
+    });
+
     const tracy_dep = if (tracy_enabled) b.dependency("tracy", .{
         .target = target,
         .optimize = dependency_optimize,
@@ -147,6 +152,7 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
             .{ .name = "tracy", .module = tracy_mod },
             .{ .name = "syntax", .module = syntax_dep.module("syntax") },
             .{ .name = "dizzy", .module = dizzy_dep.module("dizzy") },
+            .{ .name = "fuzzig", .module = fuzzig_dep.module("fuzzig") },
         },
     });
 
diff --git a/build.zig.zon b/build.zig.zon
index 3c402b4..4eee855 100644
--- a/build.zig.zon
+++ b/build.zig.zon
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@
             .url = "https://github.com/neurocyte/flow-syntax/archive/9f60a6d13b61511de6202bf96b4e85d1caae981e.tar.gz",
             .hash = "122089ff4be8879c8be3d66bc73d745cc0b32cb27c1b70cd6265dc27461072b60485",
         },
+        .fuzzig = .{
+            .url = "https://github.com/fjebaker/fuzzig/archive/c6a0e0ca1a24e55ebdce51c83b918d4325ca7032.tar.gz",
+            .hash = "1220214dfb9a0806d9c8a059beb9e3b07811fd138cd5baeb9d1da432588920a084bf",
+        },
     },
     .paths = .{
         "include",
diff --git a/src/Project.zig b/src/Project.zig
index 2499b09..996f05e 100644
--- a/src/Project.zig
+++ b/src/Project.zig
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const cbor = @import("cbor");
 const root = @import("root");
 const dizzy = @import("dizzy");
 const Buffer = @import("Buffer");
+const fuzzig = @import("fuzzig");
 const builtin = @import("builtin");
 
 const LSP = @import("LSP.zig");
@@ -129,13 +130,17 @@ pub fn request_recent_files(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, max: usize) error{ Ou
     }
 }
 
-pub fn query_recent_files(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, max: usize, query: []const u8) error{ OutOfMemory, Exit }!usize {
+fn simple_query_recent_files(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, max: usize, query: []const u8) error{ OutOfMemory, Exit }!usize {
     var i: usize = 0;
     defer from.send(.{ "PRJ", "recent_done", query }) catch {};
     for (self.files.items) |file| {
         if (file.path.len < query.len) continue;
-        if (std.mem.indexOf(u8, file.path, query)) |_| {
-            try from.send(.{ "PRJ", "recent", file.path });
+        if (std.mem.indexOf(u8, file.path, query)) |idx| {
+            switch (query.len) {
+                1 => try from.send(.{ "PRJ", "recent", file.path, .{idx} }),
+                2 => try from.send(.{ "PRJ", "recent", file.path, .{ idx, idx + 1 } }),
+                else => try from.send(.{ "PRJ", "recent", file.path }),
+            }
             i += 1;
             if (i >= max) return i;
         }
@@ -143,6 +148,50 @@ pub fn query_recent_files(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, max: usize, query: []co
     return i;
 }
 
+pub fn query_recent_files(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, max: usize, query: []const u8) error{ OutOfMemory, Exit }!usize {
+    if (query.len < 3)
+        return self.simple_query_recent_files(from, max, query);
+    defer from.send(.{ "PRJ", "recent_done", query }) catch {};
+
+    var searcher = try fuzzig.Ascii.init(
+        self.a,
+        std.fs.max_path_bytes, // haystack max size
+        std.fs.max_path_bytes, // needle max size
+        .{ .case_sensitive = false },
+    );
+    defer searcher.deinit();
+
+    const Match = struct {
+        path: []const u8,
+        score: i32,
+        matches: []const usize,
+    };
+    var matches = std.ArrayList(Match).init(self.a);
+
+    for (self.files.items) |file| {
+        const match = searcher.scoreMatches(file.path, query);
+        if (match.score) |score| {
+            (try matches.addOne()).* = .{
+                .path = file.path,
+                .score = score,
+                .matches = try self.a.dupe(usize, match.matches),
+            };
+        }
+    }
+    if (matches.items.len == 0) return 0;
+
+    const less_fn = struct {
+        fn less_fn(_: void, lhs: Match, rhs: Match) bool {
+            return lhs.score > rhs.score;
+        }
+    }.less_fn;
+    std.mem.sort(Match, matches.items, {}, less_fn);
+
+    for (matches.items[0..@min(max, matches.items.len)]) |match|
+        try from.send(.{ "PRJ", "recent", match.path, match.matches });
+    return @min(max, matches.items.len);
+}
+
 pub fn update_mru(self: *Self, file_path: []const u8, row: usize, col: usize) !void {
     defer self.sort_files_by_mtime();
     try self.update_mru_internal(file_path, std.time.nanoTimestamp(), row, col);
diff --git a/src/project_manager.zig b/src/project_manager.zig
index 7fc6526..3fbef18 100644
--- a/src/project_manager.zig
+++ b/src/project_manager.zig
@@ -237,11 +237,11 @@ const Process = struct {
 
     fn query_recent_files(self: *Process, from: tp.pid_ref, project_directory: []const u8, max: usize, query: []const u8) error{ OutOfMemory, Exit }!void {
         const project = if (self.projects.get(project_directory)) |p| p else return tp.exit("No project");
-        // const start_time = std.time.milliTimestamp();
-        // project.sort_files_by_mtime();
+        const start_time = std.time.milliTimestamp();
         const matched = try project.query_recent_files(from, max, query);
-        _ = matched;
-        // self.logger.print("queried: {s} for {s} match {d} in {d} ms", .{ project_directory, query, matched, std.time.milliTimestamp() - start_time });
+        const query_time = std.time.milliTimestamp() - start_time;
+        if (query_time > 250)
+            self.logger.print("query \"{s}\" matched {d}/{d} in {d} ms", .{ query, matched, project.files.items.len, query_time });
     }
 
     fn did_open(self: *Process, from: tp.pid_ref, project_directory: []const u8, file_path: []const u8, file_type: []const u8, language_server: []const u8, version: usize, text: []const u8) tp.result {
diff --git a/src/tui/mode/overlay/open_recent.zig b/src/tui/mode/overlay/open_recent.zig
index ddf4d11..a68fa76 100644
--- a/src/tui/mode/overlay/open_recent.zig
+++ b/src/tui/mode/overlay/open_recent.zig
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ const std = @import("std");
 const nc = @import("notcurses");
 const tp = @import("thespian");
 const log = @import("log");
+const cbor = @import("cbor");
 
 const tui = @import("../../tui.zig");
 const command = @import("../../command.zig");
@@ -68,15 +69,34 @@ fn on_render_menu(_: *Self, button: *Button.State(*Menu.State(*Self)), theme: *c
     try tui.set_base_style_alpha(button.plane, " ", style_base, nc.ALPHA_OPAQUE, nc.ALPHA_OPAQUE);
     button.plane.erase();
     button.plane.home();
+    var file_path: []const u8 = undefined;
+    var iter = button.opts.label; // label contains cbor, first the file name, then multiple match indexes
+    if (!(cbor.matchString(&iter, &file_path) catch false))
+        file_path = "#ERROR#";
     const pointer = if (selected) "⏵" else " ";
     var buf: [max_menu_width]u8 = undefined;
     _ = button.plane.print("{s}{s} ", .{
         pointer,
-        if (button.opts.label.len > max_menu_width - 2) shorten_path(&buf, button.opts.label) else button.opts.label,
+        if (file_path.len > max_menu_width - 2) shorten_path(&buf, file_path) else file_path,
     }) catch {};
+    var index: usize = 0;
+    var len = cbor.decodeArrayHeader(&iter) catch return false;
+    while (len > 0) : (len -= 1) {
+        if (cbor.matchValue(&iter, cbor.extract(&index)) catch break) {
+            render_cell(button.plane, 0, index + 1, theme.editor_match) catch break;
+        } else break;
+    }
     return false;
 }
 
+fn render_cell(plane: nc.Plane, y: usize, x: usize, style: Widget.Theme.Style) !void {
+    plane.cursor_move_yx(@intCast(y), @intCast(x)) catch return;
+    var cell = plane.cell_init();
+    _ = plane.at_cursor_cell(&cell) catch return;
+    tui.set_cell_style(&cell, style);
+    _ = plane.putc(&cell) catch {};
+}
+
 fn on_resize_menu(self: *Self, state: *Menu.State(*Self), box: Widget.Box) void {
     const w = @min(box.w, @min(self.longest, max_menu_width) + 2);
     self.menu.resize(.{
@@ -88,8 +108,11 @@ fn on_resize_menu(self: *Self, state: *Menu.State(*Self), box: Widget.Box) void
 }
 
 fn menu_action_open_file(menu: **Menu.State(*Self), button: *Button.State(*Menu.State(*Self))) void {
+    var file_path: []const u8 = undefined;
+    var iter = button.opts.label;
+    if (!(cbor.matchString(&iter, &file_path) catch false)) return;
     tp.self_pid().send(.{ "cmd", "exit_overlay_mode" }) catch |e| menu.*.opts.ctx.logger.err("navigate", e);
-    tp.self_pid().send(.{ "cmd", "navigate", .{ .file = button.label.items } }) catch |e| menu.*.opts.ctx.logger.err("navigate", e);
+    tp.self_pid().send(.{ "cmd", "navigate", .{ .file = file_path } }) catch |e| menu.*.opts.ctx.logger.err("navigate", e);
 }
 
 fn shorten_path(buf: []u8, path: []const u8) []const u8 {
@@ -112,6 +135,15 @@ fn shorten_path(buf: []u8, path: []const u8) []const u8 {
     return stream.getWritten();
 }
 
+fn add_item(self: *Self, file_name: []const u8, matches: ?[]const u8) !void {
+    var label = std.ArrayList(u8).init(self.a);
+    defer label.deinit();
+    const writer = label.writer();
+    try cbor.writeValue(writer, file_name);
+    if (matches) |cb| _ = try writer.write(cb);
+    try self.menu.add_item_with_handler(label.items, menu_action_open_file);
+}
+
 fn receive_project_manager(self: *Self, _: tp.pid_ref, m: tp.message) error{Exit}!bool {
     if (try m.match(.{ "PRJ", tp.more })) {
         try self.process_project_manager(m);
@@ -122,11 +154,22 @@ fn receive_project_manager(self: *Self, _: tp.pid_ref, m: tp.message) error{Exit
 
 fn process_project_manager(self: *Self, m: tp.message) tp.result {
     var file_name: []const u8 = undefined;
+    var matches: []const u8 = undefined;
     var query: []const u8 = undefined;
-    if (try m.match(.{ "PRJ", "recent", tp.extract(&file_name) })) {
+    if (try m.match(.{ "PRJ", "recent", tp.extract(&file_name), tp.extract_cbor(&matches) })) {
         if (self.need_reset) self.reset_results();
         self.longest = @max(self.longest, file_name.len);
-        self.menu.add_item_with_handler(file_name, menu_action_open_file) catch |e| return tp.exit_error(e);
+        self.add_item(file_name, matches) catch |e| return tp.exit_error(e);
+        self.menu.resize(.{ .y = 0, .x = 25, .w = @min(self.longest, max_menu_width) + 2 });
+        if (self.need_select_first) {
+            self.menu.select_down();
+            self.need_select_first = false;
+        }
+        tui.need_render();
+    } else if (try m.match(.{ "PRJ", "recent", tp.extract(&file_name) })) {
+        if (self.need_reset) self.reset_results();
+        self.longest = @max(self.longest, file_name.len);
+        self.add_item(file_name, null) catch |e| return tp.exit_error(e);
         self.menu.resize(.{ .y = 0, .x = 25, .w = @min(self.longest, max_menu_width) + 2 });
         if (self.need_select_first) {
             self.menu.select_down();