Find any Mac file by describing it.
Shlexball finds files on your Mac from a plain-English description, searching names and contents, even inside PDFs and Word documents. It all runs locally; files are never uploaded.
Powered by a local LLM.
VERSUS MODESpotlight vs Shlexball: the same search in both ▶ DOWNLOAD
30 free searches, no account. Then 9 USD a month or 59 USD a year.
macOS 15 or later. Apple silicon. 16 GB memory.
First setup downloads about 3.1 GB of model files. Internet required for setup; cached searches run on your Mac.
FINDBENCH RESULTSA 1.5B MODEL ON A MAC LEADS OUR FILE SEARCH BENCHMARK
On 312 unseen file requests, Shlexball passed 308 of 312 tests. Gemini 3.8 Flash, on Google's servers, passed 295. The lead is 13 tests.
What “with plurals” means
Search matches whole words, so a search for “invoice” misses a file that only says “invoices”. Before each search, the Shlexball app adds the singular and plural of every topic word. We applied the same step to every model's answer before scoring, so all models are judged the way the app actually runs. No model gains an advantage.
FindBench is Shlexball's file search benchmark: 312 plain English requests the model never saw in training. Each model turns a request into a search. That search runs on a test folder holding the right files plus decoys that look similar. A test passes only if exactly the right files come back: nothing missing, nothing extra. No judge model, no partial credit. FindBench is our own benchmark, and it measures one task. Updated 4 October 2026.
0.4 sShlexball, on your Mac
0.6 sGemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, Google's API
TIME TO ANSWERShlexball averages 0.4 seconds per answer on an M4 Max MacBook Pro, fully on-device. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite averages 0.6 seconds through Google's API, network included.
BENCHMARKSee how we testedA BETTER WAY TO SEARCHFIND FILES BY DESCRIBING THEM, NOT NAMING THEM
Spotlight matches names and indexed words, so a file you can describe but not name often slips past it. Shlexball works differently: type what you remember, like “the lease PDF from last spring”, and it searches file names and the text inside PDFs and Word documents to find it. The AI model runs entirely on your Mac, so your files are never uploaded. Start with 30 free searches, no account required.
- A Spotlight alternative that finds files from a description, not exact words.
- Spotlight not working? Shlexball searches your folders directly, not only its index.
- Came from Windows? Shlexball is your Everything for Mac.
- Search inside PDFs and Word files, plus names, apps and System Settings.
- Find files you cannot name by describing what you remember.
Spotlight vs Shlexball Search inside PDFs on a Mac EasyFind vs Shlexball
PRIVATE BY DESIGNASK YOUR MAC, NOT SOMEONE ELSE'S SERVER
Shlexball's AI runs entirely on your Mac, finding lost files like your GitHub and Stripe recovery codes in seconds — and your files never leave your Mac.
- Runs on your Mac — no server queue, unlimited on Private.
- Your files never leave your Mac.
- Search works offline after a one-time model download.
- 1.5B model, ~3 GB download, passes 90% of unseen FindBench tests.
- Read-only by design — it never changes or deletes your files.
ATTRACT MODEWATCH SHLEXBALL SEARCH
The Shlexball launch film. The four searches in it are real, recorded on an Apple silicon Mac with the model running on the Mac.
STAGE 1HOW TO PLAY
YOU> the lease PDF from last spring
SHLEXBALL> Found it. 3 files.
Type what you remember. Shlexball searches file names, dates, and the text inside PDFs and documents, in the one folder you choose. The model runs on your Mac. Shlexball only reads: it never changes, moves or deletes a file.