How it works
Bower uses hybrid semantic search: a combination of keyword matching and vector embedding. In practice, this means:- Exact terms are found reliably — searching for “pH 8.1” returns notes that contain that value.
- Meaning-based queries also work — “water alkalinity last Tuesday” will surface relevant notes even if those exact words don’t appear together in any note.
- Scientific synonyms are handled — “sodium chloride” and “NaCl” return the same results.
How to search
1
Open search
Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux), or click the search bar at the top of the desktop app.
2
Type your query
Use natural language or keywords.
3
Browse results
Results appear ranked by relevance, with the matching excerpt shown in context.
4
Open a result
Click any result to open the note.
Tips for better results
- Be specific about time — “field samples from February” narrows results more than “field samples.”
- Use your own terminology — Bower learns from what you capture, so your specific shorthand and abbreviations become findable over time.
- Search from Bird — for questions that need synthesis rather than retrieval, asking Bird directly is often more useful than a keyword search.
- It’s more than search — the same Cmd+K command palette also jumps you to any page or setting, and hands a question to Bird when you press Tab.