sift-light 1.0.3-1 → 1.0.3-3

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 1.0.3-3 — 2026-10-04
+
+- Keep explicit paths outside the MCP project isolated after zero matches by default, and evaluate content-search and file-discovery globs/exclusions from the selected external root. Explicit `scope: "expand"` still retries the MCP project ([#106](https://github.com/lightsifter/sift-light/issues/106)).
+
+## 1.0.3-2 — 2026-09-30
+
+- Accept an empty `sourceCursor` placeholder outside `mode: "inspect"` by removing the key before mode validation, with the normalization disclosed in text and `details.requestNotes` ([#101](https://github.com/lightsifter/sift-light/issues/101)). Nonempty source continuation tokens still require inspection mode; empty inspection tokens and ordinary `cursor` validation retain their existing failure behavior.
+- Apply the same normalization to Pi, OMP and MCP through the shared request boundary. This fixes the reported rejected request shape without attributing the placeholder to a particular model or host.
+
 ## 1.0.3-1 — 2026-09-30
 
 - Explain missing inspection paths explicitly while retaining the `source-unavailable` status for compatibility.

package/README.md

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ The first uncached Concept or hybrid search loads the local model and may take t
 
 Ask the agent to restrict a search to one folder when that is the scope you need. If you remember only part of a filename, start by finding the file and then inspect its contents—like narrowing a cabinet down to a shelf and then a document.
 
-Multi-word `files` queries require each word literally in the path; a single abbreviation still supports fuzzy matching. Use `hybrid` or `concept` for business intent. Ordinary content searches retain their default zero-result expansion; use `scope: "strict"` to stay within an explicit path. Expansion is announced before returned evidence.
+Multi-word `files` queries require each word literally in the path; a single abbreviation still supports fuzzy matching. Use `hybrid` or `concept` for business intent. Content searches inside the active project still expand after zero results by default. An explicit path outside the project stays isolated; pass `scope: "expand"` to retry the server project. Use `scope: "strict"` to prevent in-project expansion. Expansion is announced before returned evidence.
 
 ### Know what has been shown
 

package/README.zh-CN.md

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Concept 或 hybrid 较慢时，会在默认五秒等待窗口内返回 `status:
 
 需要只查某个文件夹时，可以明确告诉 Agent 限定范围。只记得文件名的一部分，也可以先找文件，再看内容。像先确定资料柜的哪一层，再逐步缩小到要找的那一份。
 
-`files` 多词查询要求每个词都在路径中按字面出现；单个缩写仍支持模糊匹配。业务意图使用 `hybrid` 或 `concept`。普通内容搜索保留零匹配后扩大范围的既有默认；需要限定目录时传 `scope: "strict"`。范围扩大的提示会先于证据显示。
+`files` 多词查询要求每个词都在路径中按字面出现；单个缩写仍支持模糊匹配。业务意图使用 `hybrid` 或 `concept`。项目内路径仍保留零匹配后扩展到项目根目录的既有默认。显式指定到当前 MCP 项目之外的路径时，零匹配后仍默认只查该路径；需要继续查服务器项目时传 `scope: "expand"`。需要始终限定显式路径时传 `scope: "strict"`。范围扩大前会先给出提示。
 
 ### 看到了多少，说得清楚
 

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "sift-light",
-  "version": "1.0.3-1",
+  "version": "1.0.3-3",
   "description": "Context-efficient local search for files, documents, notes and logs across Pi, OMP and MCP clients",
   "keywords": [
     "ai-agent",

package/plugins/sift-light/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "sift-light",
-  "version": "1.0.3-1",
+  "version": "1.0.3-3",
   "description": "Require sift-light for conventional local searches while keeping development tools available.",
   "author": {
     "name": "baoer"

package/plugins/sift-light/.codex-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "sift-light",
-  "version": "1.0.3-1",
+  "version": "1.0.3-3",
   "description": "Require sift-light for conventional local searches while keeping development tools available.",
   "author": {
     "name": "baoer"

package/plugins/sift-light/.mcp.json

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
       "args": [
         "--yes",
         "--package",
-        "sift-light-runtime@npm:sift-light@1.0.3-1",
+        "sift-light-runtime@npm:sift-light@1.0.3-3",
         "sift-light-mcp",
         "--stdio"
       ],

package/plugins/sift-light/kimi.plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "sift-light",
-  "version": "1.0.3-1",
+  "version": "1.0.3-3",
   "description": "Require sift-light for conventional local searches while keeping development tools available.",
   "author": {
     "name": "baoer"
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
       "args": [
         "--yes",
         "--package",
-        "sift-light-runtime@npm:sift-light@1.0.3-1",
+        "sift-light-runtime@npm:sift-light@1.0.3-3",
         "sift-light-mcp",
         "--stdio"
       ],

package/plugins/sift-light/omp-extension.mjs

@@ -513,9 +513,9 @@ async function consumeCappedLines(stream, onLine, options = {}) {
 }
 
 // src/path-policy.ts
-import { realpath } from "fs/promises";
+import { realpath, stat } from "fs/promises";
 import { homedir } from "os";
-import { isAbsolute, join as join2, relative, resolve, sep } from "path";
+import { dirname, isAbsolute, join as join2, relative, resolve, sep } from "path";
 var POSIX_SPECIAL_ROOTS = ["/dev", "/proc", "/sys"];
 var PORTABLE_CREDENTIAL_DIRECTORY_NAMES = [
   ".ssh",
@@ -650,6 +650,28 @@ class SearchPathPolicy {
     ]);
     return canonical && (!isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd) || !isPathInsideRoot(canonical, canonicalCwd)) ? canonical : absolute;
   }
+  async allowsScopeExpansion(path, scope) {
+    if (scope === "strict")
+      return false;
+    if (scope === "expand")
+      return true;
+    const searchTarget = await this.resolveSearchTarget(path);
+    return isPathInsideRoot(searchTarget, this.cwd);
+  }
+  async ripgrepWorkingDirectory(searchPath) {
+    const absolute = resolve(this.cwd, searchPath);
+    if (isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd))
+      return this.cwd;
+    let isDirectory;
+    try {
+      isDirectory = (await stat(absolute)).isDirectory();
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error instanceof Error && "code" in error && error.code === "ENOENT")
+        return this.cwd;
+      throw error;
+    }
+    return isDirectory ? absolute : dirname(absolute);
+  }
   ripgrepGlobArguments(searchPath) {
     const absolute = resolve(this.cwd, searchPath);
     if (isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd))
@@ -770,7 +792,7 @@ async function runOwnedProcess(options, consumeOutput) {
 
 // src/ripgrep-executable.ts
 import { constants } from "fs";
-import { access, stat } from "fs/promises";
+import { access, stat as stat2 } from "fs/promises";
 import { isAbsolute as isAbsolute2 } from "path";
 var OVERRIDE_ENV = "SIFT_LIGHT_RG_PATH";
 var BUNDLED_REPAIR = `Reinstall sift-light with optional dependencies enabled for this platform, or set ${OVERRIDE_ENV} to an absolute ripgrep executable path.`;
@@ -789,7 +811,7 @@ async function resolveRipgrepExecutable() {
     }
   }
   try {
-    if (!(await stat(executable)).isFile())
+    if (!(await stat2(executable)).isFile())
       throw new Error("Expected an executable file");
     await access(executable, constants.X_OK);
   } catch (cause) {
@@ -973,12 +995,12 @@ function describeUnreadableDiagnostics(diagnostics) {
 }
 
 // src/source.ts
-import { readFile as readFile2, realpath as realpath2, stat as stat2 } from "fs/promises";
+import { readFile as readFile2, realpath as realpath2, stat as stat3 } from "fs/promises";
 var SOURCE_RANGE_METADATA_RESERVE_BYTES = 1024;
 var MAX_SOURCE_RANGE_BYTES = MAX_RESULT_BYTES - SOURCE_RANGE_METADATA_RESERVE_BYTES;
 async function getSourceRevision(path, onError) {
   try {
-    const metadata2 = await stat2(path);
+    const metadata2 = await stat3(path);
     return sourceRevisionFromStats(metadata2);
   } catch (error) {
     onError?.(error);
@@ -1439,6 +1461,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
     const searchPath = resolve4(cwd, request.path ?? ".");
     const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
     const validatedSearchPath = await policy.resolveSearchTarget(searchPath);
+    const ripgrepCwd = await policy.ripgrepWorkingDirectory(validatedSearchPath);
     const expectedSearchTarget = await policy.resolveExistingPath(validatedSearchPath);
     const searchTarget = isPathInsideCwd(validatedSearchPath, cwd) ? relative2(resolve4(cwd), validatedSearchPath) || "." : validatedSearchPath;
     const args2 = buildRipgrepArguments(request, cwd, validatedSearchPath);
@@ -1528,7 +1551,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
         ...policy.ripgrepGlobArguments(validatedSearchPath),
         "--",
         searchTarget
-      ], cwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
+      ], ripgrepCwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
       let ignoredFileCount = 0;
       let ignoredFileSamples = [];
       let filesystemCoverage = "complete";
@@ -1550,7 +1573,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
           ...policy.ripgrepGlobArguments(validatedSearchPath),
           "--",
           searchTarget
-        ], cwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
+        ], ripgrepCwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
         const ignored = [...allCandidates.revisions.keys()].filter((path) => !before.revisions.has(path));
         ignoredFileCount = ignored.length;
         ignoredFileSamples = ignored.slice(0, 20).map((path) => displayPath(path, cwd).displayPath);
@@ -1579,7 +1602,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
       if (before.unreadable.length > 0)
         filesystemCoverageReasons.add(describeUnreadableDiagnostics(before.unreadable));
       await assertSearchTargetIdentity(policy, validatedSearchPath, expectedSearchTarget);
-      const { code, stderr } = await runOwnedProcess({ executable, args: args2, cwd, ...signal ? { signal } : {} }, (stdout) => consumeCappedLines(stdout, onLine, {
+      const { code, stderr } = await runOwnedProcess({ executable, args: args2, cwd: ripgrepCwd, ...signal ? { signal } : {} }, (stdout) => consumeCappedLines(stdout, onLine, {
         maxLineBytes: maxEventBytes,
         onLineTooLong: ({ prefix, observedBytes }) => {
           const source = oversizedMatchPath(prefix, cwd);
@@ -1822,7 +1845,7 @@ function createCtagsStructureProvider(options = {}) {
 // package.json
 var package_default = {
   name: "sift-light",
-  version: "1.0.3-1",
+  version: "1.0.3-3",
   description: "Context-efficient local search for files, documents, notes and logs across Pi, OMP and MCP clients",
   keywords: [
     "ai-agent",
@@ -2179,7 +2202,7 @@ class OwnedTaskQueue {
 }
 
 // src/concept-search.ts
-import { dirname as dirname3, join as join5, resolve as resolve12 } from "path";
+import { dirname as dirname4, join as join5, resolve as resolve12 } from "path";
 import { fileURLToPath as fileURLToPath2 } from "url";
 import { StringDecoder } from "string_decoder";
 import { mkdir as mkdir2 } from "fs/promises";
@@ -2343,7 +2366,7 @@ import { extname as extname2, resolve as resolve11 } from "path";
 import { lstat, mkdir, mkdtemp, open, rm, writeFile } from "fs/promises";
 import { constants as constants2 } from "fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "os";
-import { dirname, join as join4, parse, relative as relative4, resolve as resolve8 } from "path";
+import { dirname as dirname2, join as join4, parse, relative as relative4, resolve as resolve8 } from "path";
 
 // src/workspace-files.ts
 import { relative as relative3, resolve as resolve7, sep as sep2 } from "path";
@@ -2361,6 +2384,7 @@ async function listWorkspaceFiles(cwd, signal, options = {}) {
   const absolutePath = resolve7(cwd, options.path ?? ".");
   const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
   const searchPath = await policy.resolveSearchTarget(absolutePath);
+  const ripgrepCwd = await policy.ripgrepWorkingDirectory(searchPath);
   const maxFiles = options.maxFiles ?? MAX_SOURCE_REVISION_FILES;
   if (!Number.isSafeInteger(maxFiles) || maxFiles < 1)
     throw new SiftLightError("Candidate file limit must be a positive integer");
@@ -2386,7 +2410,7 @@ async function listWorkspaceFiles(cwd, signal, options = {}) {
         "--",
         searchPath
       ],
-      cwd,
+      cwd: ripgrepCwd,
       ...signal ? { signal } : {}
     }, async (stdout) => {
       let pending = Buffer.alloc(0);
@@ -2454,11 +2478,11 @@ function partitionPaths(paths) {
 }
 function relevantDirectories(cwd, paths) {
   const directories = new Set;
-  for (const path of [cwd, ...paths.map((sourcePath) => dirname(resolve8(cwd, sourcePath)))]) {
+  for (const path of [cwd, ...paths.map((sourcePath) => dirname2(resolve8(cwd, sourcePath)))]) {
     let current = path;
     for (;; ) {
       directories.add(current);
-      const parent = dirname(current);
+      const parent = dirname2(current);
       if (current === parent)
         break;
       current = parent;
@@ -2542,12 +2566,12 @@ async function filterHistoricalPaths(cwd, paths, request, signal) {
       for (const path of group) {
         const safe = workspaceRelativePath(absoluteCwd, path);
         const placeholder = resolve8(target, safe);
-        await mkdir(dirname(placeholder), { recursive: true });
+        await mkdir(dirname2(placeholder), { recursive: true });
         await writeFile(placeholder, "");
       }
       for (const ignore of ignoreFiles) {
         const destination = join4(tree, ignore.local);
-        await mkdir(dirname(destination), { recursive: true });
+        await mkdir(dirname2(destination), { recursive: true });
         await writeFile(destination, ignore.bytes);
       }
       const privacy = await listWorkspaceFiles(tree, signal, { ignoreParents: false });
@@ -3540,7 +3564,7 @@ async function readWorkspaceDocument(path, cwd, signal, expected, readBudget = M
 }
 
 // src/syntax.ts
-import { dirname as dirname2 } from "path";
+import { dirname as dirname3 } from "path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
 
 // src/syntax-tree.ts
@@ -4242,7 +4266,7 @@ async function parseSyntax(path, text, signal, pattern) {
     const result = await runOwnedProcess({
       executable: process.execPath,
       args: args2,
-      cwd: dirname2(worker),
+      cwd: dirname3(worker),
       env,
       signal: controller.signal,
       input: Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ language, text, pattern }))
@@ -4761,7 +4785,7 @@ async function similarities(query, passages, parent, onProgress) {
         worker,
         "--infer"
       ] : [worker, "--infer"],
-      cwd: dirname3(worker),
+      cwd: dirname4(worker),
       env: { ...env, SIFT_LIGHT_CONCEPT_CACHE_STAGING_DIR: stagingRoot },
       ...parent ? { signal: parent } : {},
       input: Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({
@@ -5183,7 +5207,7 @@ async function structuralSearch(input, access) {
 }
 
 // src/evidence-service.ts
-import { dirname as dirname4, extname as extname3, resolve as resolve21 } from "path";
+import { dirname as dirname5, extname as extname3, resolve as resolve21 } from "path";
 
 // src/analysis-store.ts
 import { randomUUID as randomUUID2 } from "crypto";
@@ -8440,7 +8464,7 @@ async function continueSource(cursor, access, continuations, expectedPath) {
 }
 
 // src/evidence-validation.ts
-import { realpath as realpath5, stat as stat3 } from "fs/promises";
+import { realpath as realpath5, stat as stat4 } from "fs/promises";
 import { resolve as resolve19 } from "path";
 
 // src/evidence-validity.ts
@@ -8478,9 +8502,9 @@ async function confirmWorktreeState(path, cwd, signal) {
   const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
   try {
     policy.assertPath(absolute);
-    const before = await stat3(absolute);
+    const before = await stat4(absolute);
     const beforeCanonical = await realpath5(absolute);
-    const after = await stat3(absolute);
+    const after = await stat4(absolute);
     const afterCanonical = await realpath5(absolute);
     if (!before.isFile() || !after.isFile()) {
       return { status: "stale", reason: "Source is no longer a regular file" };
@@ -8622,9 +8646,9 @@ async function validateSnapshotTarget(target, cwd, policy, signal) {
       const result = await confirmWorktreeState(target.path, cwd, signal);
       return { path: target.path, role: "source", ...result };
     }
-    const before = await stat3(absolute);
+    const before = await stat4(absolute);
     const beforeCanonical = canonical;
-    const after = await stat3(absolute);
+    const after = await stat4(absolute);
     const afterCanonical = await realpath5(absolute);
     if (!before.isFile() || !after.isFile()) {
       return {
@@ -10951,10 +10975,10 @@ function searchScope(request) {
 }
 async function navigationRoot(cwd, path, signal) {
   const absolute = resolve21(cwd, path);
-  const repository = await findGitRepository(dirname4(absolute), signal);
+  const repository = await findGitRepository(dirname5(absolute), signal);
   if (repository)
     return repository;
-  return isPathInsideCwd(absolute, cwd) ? resolve21(cwd) : dirname4(absolute);
+  return isPathInsideCwd(absolute, cwd) ? resolve21(cwd) : dirname5(absolute);
 }
 function navigationFilters(input) {
   const request = normalizeRequest({
@@ -11069,7 +11093,7 @@ class EvidenceService {
       maxFiles: access.maxFiles
     });
     const candidates = await collect(request);
-    if (input.changes || request.scope === "strict" || request.path === undefined || candidates.files.length > 0 || candidates.partial) {
+    if (input.changes || request.path === undefined || !await new SearchPathPolicy(access.cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(request.path, request.scope) || candidates.files.length > 0 || candidates.partial) {
       return { candidates, request };
     }
     const { path: requestedPath, ...projectRequest } = request;
@@ -11214,7 +11238,7 @@ class EvidenceService {
         });
       }, signal);
       let chunkResults = await runChunks();
-      if (!input.changes && input.path !== undefined && input.scope !== "strict" && chunkResults.every(({ candidates }) => !candidates.partial && candidates.files.length === 0)) {
+      if (!input.changes && input.path !== undefined && await new SearchPathPolicy(cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(input.path, input.scope) && chunkResults.every(({ candidates }) => !candidates.partial && candidates.files.length === 0)) {
         chunkResults = await runChunks(input.path.replace(/^@/, ""));
       }
       const reasons = new Set;
@@ -11634,6 +11658,11 @@ function normalizeRequestAliases(request) {
   } else if (mode !== undefined) {
     input = { ...rest, mode };
   }
+  if (input.mode !== "inspect" && input.sourceCursor === "") {
+    const { sourceCursor: _sourceCursor, ...withoutSourceCursor } = input;
+    input = withoutSourceCursor;
+    notes.push("Empty sourceCursor is ignored outside mode=inspect.");
+  }
   if (input.sourceCursor !== undefined && input.line !== undefined) {
     const { line: _line, ...withoutLine } = input;
     input = withoutLine;
@@ -13378,7 +13407,7 @@ class SiftLightService {
       throw new SiftLightError("line requires mode=inspect");
     const request = normalizeRequest(input);
     let scan = await this.#runRipgrep(request, cwd, signal);
-    if (scan.totalMatches === 0 && request.path !== undefined && request.scope !== "strict") {
+    if (scan.totalMatches === 0 && request.path !== undefined && await new SearchPathPolicy(cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(request.path, request.scope)) {
       const { path: requestedPath, ...projectRequest } = request;
       scan = await this.#runRipgrep({ ...projectRequest, expandedFromPath: requestedPath }, cwd, signal);
     }
@@ -13648,7 +13677,7 @@ function siftLightPromptGuidelines(structuredOutput = true) {
   return [
     SIFT_LIGHT_DISCOVERY_GUIDANCE,
     `Use sift-light for read-only content search. ${SOURCE_OUTPUT_GUIDANCE} For routine development searches, start with fast exact content, filename or applicable structural modes when the request has a usable name, symbol, error text or other literal clue. Omitted mode is ordinary exact search and never loads the local embedding model. Vector search is disabled by default; concept/hybrid require vectorSearchEnabled:true in sift-light.json and an installed model. They can take tens of seconds on an uncached scope, so select them only when semantic recall is needed. Omit mode and limit for automatic detail/summary selection; use mode="matches" for ordinary match metadata.`,
-    `An omitted path searches the project cwd. Use scope:"strict" for a question restricted to one path; otherwise, if an explicit subpath has zero matches, ordinary and content-analysis searches retry from cwd and return project-wide counts with an expansion notice. Explicit absolute paths and .. traversal can search outside cwd, except protected external system areas and .git internals. Git changes mode remains cwd-scoped.`,
+    `An omitted path searches the project cwd. Use scope:"strict" to disable zero-match expansion; by default, explicit paths inside cwd that return no matches retry from cwd and report project-wide counts with an expansion notice. Explicit absolute paths and .. traversal can search outside cwd; those external targets stay isolated unless scope:"expand" opts into the same cwd retry. Protected external system areas and .git internals remain excluded. Git changes mode remains cwd-scoped.`,
     `Search output includes counts, categories, ranked paths, coverage and continuation metadata. Source excerpts may contain the searched text. Use mode="inspect" or the host read capability when exact source is required for an edit or verification.`,
     `Use file and directory distributions to choose evidence. Reuse the visible cursor with path or paths for match metadata; mode="summary" pages the remaining file statistics. Match counts are not relevance scores.`,
     `Mode="inspect" with a direct path/line or ordinary retained match returns bounded source windows and source-revision metadata. Some retained analysis selectors return only revision metadata; use direct path/line or the host read capability when source is needed. Do not use inspection merely to obtain a citation.`,
@@ -21067,7 +21096,7 @@ var siftLightSchema = _Object_({
     })
   })),
   sourceCursor: Optional(String2({
-    description: "Missing-source continuation token. Copy nextRequest exactly: mode=inspect plus sourceCursor only. Same token replays the same page; changed or expired sources fail clearly."
+    description: "Missing-source continuation token. Copy nextRequest exactly: mode=inspect plus sourceCursor only. Same token replays the same page; changed or expired sources fail clearly. An empty string outside mode=inspect is treated as an omitted placeholder and disclosed in request notes; nonempty tokens still require mode=inspect."
   })),
   symbol: Optional(String2({
     description: "Syntax name for outline/imports/tests; use a concrete source file and line to narrow repeated names."

package/plugins/sift-light/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "sift-light",
-  "version": "1.0.3-1",
+  "version": "1.0.3-3",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "omp": {

package/src/evidence-service.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { AnalysisStore } from "./analysis-store.js";
 import type { AnalysisItem, AnalysisResultSet } from "./analysis-types.js";
 import { abortError, CursorError, SiftLightError } from "./errors.js";
 import { findGitRepository } from "./git-repository.js";
-import { isPathInsideCwd, isPathInsideRoot } from "./path-policy.js";
+import { isPathInsideCwd, isPathInsideRoot, SearchPathPolicy } from "./path-policy.js";
 import { resolveInspectionTarget } from "./inspect.js";
 import {
   collectEvidenceCandidates,
@@ -457,8 +457,8 @@ export class EvidenceService {
     const candidates = await collect(request);
     if (
       input.changes ||
-      request.scope === "strict" ||
       request.path === undefined ||
+      !(await new SearchPathPolicy(access.cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(request.path, request.scope)) ||
       candidates.files.length > 0 ||
       candidates.partial
     ) {
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ export class EvidenceService {
       if (
         !input.changes &&
         input.path !== undefined &&
-        input.scope !== "strict" &&
+        (await new SearchPathPolicy(cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(input.path, input.scope)) &&
         chunkResults.every(({ candidates }) => !candidates.partial && candidates.files.length === 0)
       ) {
         chunkResults = await runChunks(input.path.replace(/^@/, ""));

package/src/mcp-server.mjs

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { URL as URL2 } from "node:url";
 // package.json
 var package_default = {
   name: "sift-light",
-  version: "1.0.3-1",
+  version: "1.0.3-3",
   description: "Context-efficient local search for files, documents, notes and logs across Pi, OMP and MCP clients",
   keywords: [
     "ai-agent",
@@ -1580,9 +1580,9 @@ async function consumeCappedLines(stream, onLine, options = {}) {
 }
 
 // src/path-policy.ts
-import { realpath } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { realpath, stat } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
-import { isAbsolute, join, relative, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
+import { dirname, isAbsolute, join, relative, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
 var POSIX_SPECIAL_ROOTS = ["/dev", "/proc", "/sys"];
 var PORTABLE_CREDENTIAL_DIRECTORY_NAMES = [
   ".ssh",
@@ -1717,6 +1717,28 @@ class SearchPathPolicy {
     ]);
     return canonical && (!isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd) || !isPathInsideRoot(canonical, canonicalCwd)) ? canonical : absolute;
   }
+  async allowsScopeExpansion(path, scope) {
+    if (scope === "strict")
+      return false;
+    if (scope === "expand")
+      return true;
+    const searchTarget = await this.resolveSearchTarget(path);
+    return isPathInsideRoot(searchTarget, this.cwd);
+  }
+  async ripgrepWorkingDirectory(searchPath) {
+    const absolute = resolve(this.cwd, searchPath);
+    if (isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd))
+      return this.cwd;
+    let isDirectory;
+    try {
+      isDirectory = (await stat(absolute)).isDirectory();
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error instanceof Error && "code" in error && error.code === "ENOENT")
+        return this.cwd;
+      throw error;
+    }
+    return isDirectory ? absolute : dirname(absolute);
+  }
   ripgrepGlobArguments(searchPath) {
     const absolute = resolve(this.cwd, searchPath);
     if (isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd))
@@ -1837,7 +1859,7 @@ async function runOwnedProcess(options, consumeOutput) {
 
 // src/ripgrep-executable.ts
 import { constants } from "node:fs";
-import { access, stat } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { access, stat as stat2 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { isAbsolute as isAbsolute2 } from "node:path";
 var OVERRIDE_ENV = "SIFT_LIGHT_RG_PATH";
 var BUNDLED_REPAIR = `Reinstall sift-light with optional dependencies enabled for this platform, or set ${OVERRIDE_ENV} to an absolute ripgrep executable path.`;
@@ -1856,7 +1878,7 @@ async function resolveRipgrepExecutable() {
     }
   }
   try {
-    if (!(await stat(executable)).isFile())
+    if (!(await stat2(executable)).isFile())
       throw new Error("Expected an executable file");
     await access(executable, constants.X_OK);
   } catch (cause) {
@@ -1945,12 +1967,12 @@ function describeUnreadableDiagnostics(diagnostics) {
 }
 
 // src/source.ts
-import { readFile, realpath as realpath2, stat as stat2 } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { readFile, realpath as realpath2, stat as stat3 } from "node:fs/promises";
 var SOURCE_RANGE_METADATA_RESERVE_BYTES = 1024;
 var MAX_SOURCE_RANGE_BYTES = MAX_RESULT_BYTES - SOURCE_RANGE_METADATA_RESERVE_BYTES;
 async function getSourceRevision(path, onError) {
   try {
-    const metadata = await stat2(path);
+    const metadata = await stat3(path);
     return sourceRevisionFromStats(metadata);
   } catch (error) {
     onError?.(error);
@@ -2411,6 +2433,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
     const searchPath = resolve4(cwd, request.path ?? ".");
     const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
     const validatedSearchPath = await policy.resolveSearchTarget(searchPath);
+    const ripgrepCwd = await policy.ripgrepWorkingDirectory(validatedSearchPath);
     const expectedSearchTarget = await policy.resolveExistingPath(validatedSearchPath);
     const searchTarget = isPathInsideCwd(validatedSearchPath, cwd) ? relative2(resolve4(cwd), validatedSearchPath) || "." : validatedSearchPath;
     const args = buildRipgrepArguments(request, cwd, validatedSearchPath);
@@ -2500,7 +2523,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
         ...policy.ripgrepGlobArguments(validatedSearchPath),
         "--",
         searchTarget
-      ], cwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
+      ], ripgrepCwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
       let ignoredFileCount = 0;
       let ignoredFileSamples = [];
       let filesystemCoverage = "complete";
@@ -2522,7 +2545,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
           ...policy.ripgrepGlobArguments(validatedSearchPath),
           "--",
           searchTarget
-        ], cwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
+        ], ripgrepCwd, maxSourceRevisionFiles, signal, request.redact);
         const ignored = [...allCandidates.revisions.keys()].filter((path) => !before.revisions.has(path));
         ignoredFileCount = ignored.length;
         ignoredFileSamples = ignored.slice(0, 20).map((path) => displayPath(path, cwd).displayPath);
@@ -2551,7 +2574,7 @@ function createRipgrepRunner(options = {}) {
       if (before.unreadable.length > 0)
         filesystemCoverageReasons.add(describeUnreadableDiagnostics(before.unreadable));
       await assertSearchTargetIdentity(policy, validatedSearchPath, expectedSearchTarget);
-      const { code, stderr } = await runOwnedProcess({ executable, args, cwd, ...signal ? { signal } : {} }, (stdout) => consumeCappedLines(stdout, onLine, {
+      const { code, stderr } = await runOwnedProcess({ executable, args, cwd: ripgrepCwd, ...signal ? { signal } : {} }, (stdout) => consumeCappedLines(stdout, onLine, {
         maxLineBytes: maxEventBytes,
         onLineTooLong: ({ prefix, observedBytes }) => {
           const source = oversizedMatchPath(prefix, cwd);
@@ -2876,7 +2899,7 @@ class OwnedTaskQueue {
 }
 
 // src/concept-search.ts
-import { dirname as dirname3, join as join4, resolve as resolve12 } from "node:path";
+import { dirname as dirname4, join as join4, resolve as resolve12 } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath as fileURLToPath2 } from "node:url";
 import { StringDecoder } from "node:string_decoder";
 import { mkdir as mkdir2 } from "node:fs/promises";
@@ -3013,7 +3036,7 @@ import { extname as extname2, resolve as resolve11 } from "node:path";
 import { lstat, mkdir, mkdtemp, open, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { constants as constants2 } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { dirname, join as join3, parse, relative as relative4, resolve as resolve8 } from "node:path";
+import { dirname as dirname2, join as join3, parse, relative as relative4, resolve as resolve8 } from "node:path";
 
 // src/workspace-files.ts
 import { relative as relative3, resolve as resolve7, sep as sep2 } from "node:path";
@@ -3031,6 +3054,7 @@ async function listWorkspaceFiles(cwd, signal, options = {}) {
   const absolutePath = resolve7(cwd, options.path ?? ".");
   const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
   const searchPath = await policy.resolveSearchTarget(absolutePath);
+  const ripgrepCwd = await policy.ripgrepWorkingDirectory(searchPath);
   const maxFiles = options.maxFiles ?? MAX_SOURCE_REVISION_FILES;
   if (!Number.isSafeInteger(maxFiles) || maxFiles < 1)
     throw new SiftLightError("Candidate file limit must be a positive integer");
@@ -3056,7 +3080,7 @@ async function listWorkspaceFiles(cwd, signal, options = {}) {
         "--",
         searchPath
       ],
-      cwd,
+      cwd: ripgrepCwd,
       ...signal ? { signal } : {}
     }, async (stdout) => {
       let pending = Buffer.alloc(0);
@@ -3124,11 +3148,11 @@ function partitionPaths(paths) {
 }
 function relevantDirectories(cwd, paths) {
   const directories = new Set;
-  for (const path of [cwd, ...paths.map((sourcePath) => dirname(resolve8(cwd, sourcePath)))]) {
+  for (const path of [cwd, ...paths.map((sourcePath) => dirname2(resolve8(cwd, sourcePath)))]) {
     let current = path;
     for (;; ) {
       directories.add(current);
-      const parent = dirname(current);
+      const parent = dirname2(current);
       if (current === parent)
         break;
       current = parent;
@@ -3212,12 +3236,12 @@ async function filterHistoricalPaths(cwd, paths, request, signal) {
       for (const path of group) {
         const safe = workspaceRelativePath(absoluteCwd, path);
         const placeholder = resolve8(target, safe);
-        await mkdir(dirname(placeholder), { recursive: true });
+        await mkdir(dirname2(placeholder), { recursive: true });
         await writeFile(placeholder, "");
       }
       for (const ignore of ignoreFiles) {
         const destination = join3(tree, ignore.local);
-        await mkdir(dirname(destination), { recursive: true });
+        await mkdir(dirname2(destination), { recursive: true });
         await writeFile(destination, ignore.bytes);
       }
       const privacy = await listWorkspaceFiles(tree, signal, { ignoreParents: false });
@@ -4210,7 +4234,7 @@ async function readWorkspaceDocument(path, cwd, signal, expected, readBudget = M
 }
 
 // src/syntax.ts
-import { dirname as dirname2 } from "node:path";
+import { dirname as dirname3 } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 
 // src/syntax-tree.ts
@@ -4751,7 +4775,7 @@ async function parseSyntax(path, text, signal, pattern) {
     const result = await runOwnedProcess({
       executable: process.execPath,
       args,
-      cwd: dirname2(worker),
+      cwd: dirname3(worker),
       env,
       signal: controller.signal,
       input: Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ language, text, pattern }))
@@ -5270,7 +5294,7 @@ async function similarities(query, passages, parent, onProgress) {
         worker,
         "--infer"
       ] : [worker, "--infer"],
-      cwd: dirname3(worker),
+      cwd: dirname4(worker),
       env: { ...env, SIFT_LIGHT_CONCEPT_CACHE_STAGING_DIR: stagingRoot },
       ...parent ? { signal: parent } : {},
       input: Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({
@@ -5692,7 +5716,7 @@ async function structuralSearch(input, access) {
 }
 
 // src/evidence-service.ts
-import { dirname as dirname4, extname as extname3, resolve as resolve21 } from "node:path";
+import { dirname as dirname5, extname as extname3, resolve as resolve21 } from "node:path";
 
 // src/analysis-store.ts
 import { randomUUID as randomUUID2 } from "node:crypto";
@@ -8846,7 +8870,7 @@ async function continueSource(cursor, access, continuations, expectedPath) {
 }
 
 // src/evidence-validation.ts
-import { realpath as realpath5, stat as stat3 } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { realpath as realpath5, stat as stat4 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { resolve as resolve19 } from "node:path";
 
 // src/evidence-validity.ts
@@ -8884,9 +8908,9 @@ async function confirmWorktreeState(path, cwd, signal) {
   const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
   try {
     policy.assertPath(absolute);
-    const before = await stat3(absolute);
+    const before = await stat4(absolute);
     const beforeCanonical = await realpath5(absolute);
-    const after = await stat3(absolute);
+    const after = await stat4(absolute);
     const afterCanonical = await realpath5(absolute);
     if (!before.isFile() || !after.isFile()) {
       return { status: "stale", reason: "Source is no longer a regular file" };
@@ -9028,9 +9052,9 @@ async function validateSnapshotTarget(target, cwd, policy, signal) {
       const result = await confirmWorktreeState(target.path, cwd, signal);
       return { path: target.path, role: "source", ...result };
     }
-    const before = await stat3(absolute);
+    const before = await stat4(absolute);
     const beforeCanonical = canonical;
-    const after = await stat3(absolute);
+    const after = await stat4(absolute);
     const afterCanonical = await realpath5(absolute);
     if (!before.isFile() || !after.isFile()) {
       return {
@@ -10983,10 +11007,10 @@ function searchScope(request) {
 }
 async function navigationRoot(cwd, path, signal) {
   const absolute = resolve21(cwd, path);
-  const repository = await findGitRepository(dirname4(absolute), signal);
+  const repository = await findGitRepository(dirname5(absolute), signal);
   if (repository)
     return repository;
-  return isPathInsideCwd(absolute, cwd) ? resolve21(cwd) : dirname4(absolute);
+  return isPathInsideCwd(absolute, cwd) ? resolve21(cwd) : dirname5(absolute);
 }
 function navigationFilters(input) {
   const request = normalizeRequest({
@@ -11101,7 +11125,7 @@ class EvidenceService {
       maxFiles: access.maxFiles
     });
     const candidates = await collect(request);
-    if (input.changes || request.scope === "strict" || request.path === undefined || candidates.files.length > 0 || candidates.partial) {
+    if (input.changes || request.path === undefined || !await new SearchPathPolicy(access.cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(request.path, request.scope) || candidates.files.length > 0 || candidates.partial) {
       return { candidates, request };
     }
     const { path: requestedPath, ...projectRequest } = request;
@@ -11246,7 +11270,7 @@ class EvidenceService {
         });
       }, signal);
       let chunkResults = await runChunks();
-      if (!input.changes && input.path !== undefined && input.scope !== "strict" && chunkResults.every(({ candidates }) => !candidates.partial && candidates.files.length === 0)) {
+      if (!input.changes && input.path !== undefined && await new SearchPathPolicy(cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(input.path, input.scope) && chunkResults.every(({ candidates }) => !candidates.partial && candidates.files.length === 0)) {
         chunkResults = await runChunks(input.path.replace(/^@/, ""));
       }
       const reasons = new Set;
@@ -11666,6 +11690,11 @@ function normalizeRequestAliases(request) {
   } else if (mode !== undefined) {
     input = { ...rest, mode };
   }
+  if (input.mode !== "inspect" && input.sourceCursor === "") {
+    const { sourceCursor: _sourceCursor, ...withoutSourceCursor } = input;
+    input = withoutSourceCursor;
+    notes.push("Empty sourceCursor is ignored outside mode=inspect.");
+  }
   if (input.sourceCursor !== undefined && input.line !== undefined) {
     const { line: _line, ...withoutLine } = input;
     input = withoutLine;
@@ -13410,7 +13439,7 @@ class SiftLightService {
       throw new SiftLightError("line requires mode=inspect");
     const request = normalizeRequest(input);
     let scan = await this.#runRipgrep(request, cwd, signal);
-    if (scan.totalMatches === 0 && request.path !== undefined && request.scope !== "strict") {
+    if (scan.totalMatches === 0 && request.path !== undefined && await new SearchPathPolicy(cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(request.path, request.scope)) {
       const { path: requestedPath, ...projectRequest } = request;
       scan = await this.#runRipgrep({ ...projectRequest, expandedFromPath: requestedPath }, cwd, signal);
     }
@@ -13680,7 +13709,7 @@ function siftLightPromptGuidelines(structuredOutput = true) {
   return [
     SIFT_LIGHT_DISCOVERY_GUIDANCE,
     `Use sift-light for read-only content search. ${SOURCE_OUTPUT_GUIDANCE} For routine development searches, start with fast exact content, filename or applicable structural modes when the request has a usable name, symbol, error text or other literal clue. Omitted mode is ordinary exact search and never loads the local embedding model. Vector search is disabled by default; concept/hybrid require vectorSearchEnabled:true in sift-light.json and an installed model. They can take tens of seconds on an uncached scope, so select them only when semantic recall is needed. Omit mode and limit for automatic detail/summary selection; use mode="matches" for ordinary match metadata.`,
-    `An omitted path searches the project cwd. Use scope:"strict" for a question restricted to one path; otherwise, if an explicit subpath has zero matches, ordinary and content-analysis searches retry from cwd and return project-wide counts with an expansion notice. Explicit absolute paths and .. traversal can search outside cwd, except protected external system areas and .git internals. Git changes mode remains cwd-scoped.`,
+    `An omitted path searches the project cwd. Use scope:"strict" to disable zero-match expansion; by default, explicit paths inside cwd that return no matches retry from cwd and report project-wide counts with an expansion notice. Explicit absolute paths and .. traversal can search outside cwd; those external targets stay isolated unless scope:"expand" opts into the same cwd retry. Protected external system areas and .git internals remain excluded. Git changes mode remains cwd-scoped.`,
     `Search output includes counts, categories, ranked paths, coverage and continuation metadata. Source excerpts may contain the searched text. Use mode="inspect" or the host read capability when exact source is required for an edit or verification.`,
     `Use file and directory distributions to choose evidence. Reuse the visible cursor with path or paths for match metadata; mode="summary" pages the remaining file statistics. Match counts are not relevance scores.`,
     `Mode="inspect" with a direct path/line or ordinary retained match returns bounded source windows and source-revision metadata. Some retained analysis selectors return only revision metadata; use direct path/line or the host read capability when source is needed. Do not use inspection merely to obtain a citation.`,
@@ -13781,7 +13810,7 @@ var siftLightSchema = Type.Object({
     })
   })),
   sourceCursor: Type.Optional(Type.String({
-    description: "Missing-source continuation token. Copy nextRequest exactly: mode=inspect plus sourceCursor only. Same token replays the same page; changed or expired sources fail clearly."
+    description: "Missing-source continuation token. Copy nextRequest exactly: mode=inspect plus sourceCursor only. Same token replays the same page; changed or expired sources fail clearly. An empty string outside mode=inspect is treated as an omitted placeholder and disclosed in request notes; nonempty tokens still require mode=inspect."
   })),
   symbol: Type.Optional(Type.String({
     description: "Syntax name for outline/imports/tests; use a concrete source file and line to narrow repeated names."

package/src/path-policy.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-import { realpath } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { realpath, stat } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
-import { isAbsolute, join, relative, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
+import { dirname, isAbsolute, join, relative, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
 import { SiftLightError } from "./errors.js";
 
 const POSIX_SPECIAL_ROOTS = ["/dev", "/proc", "/sys"] as const;
@@ -173,6 +173,26 @@ export class SearchPathPolicy {
       : absolute;
   }
 
+  async allowsScopeExpansion(path: string, scope?: "strict" | "expand"): Promise<boolean> {
+    if (scope === "strict") return false;
+    if (scope === "expand") return true;
+    const searchTarget = await this.resolveSearchTarget(path);
+    return isPathInsideRoot(searchTarget, this.cwd);
+  }
+
+  async ripgrepWorkingDirectory(searchPath: string): Promise<string> {
+    const absolute = resolve(this.cwd, searchPath);
+    if (isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd)) return this.cwd;
+    let isDirectory: boolean;
+    try {
+      isDirectory = (await stat(absolute)).isDirectory();
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error instanceof Error && "code" in error && error.code === "ENOENT") return this.cwd;
+      throw error;
+    }
+    return isDirectory ? absolute : dirname(absolute);
+  }
+
   ripgrepGlobArguments(searchPath: string): string[] {
     const absolute = resolve(this.cwd, searchPath);
     if (isPathInsideRoot(absolute, this.cwd)) return [];

package/src/prompt-guidelines.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ export function siftLightPromptGuidelines(structuredOutput = true): string[] {
   return [
     SIFT_LIGHT_DISCOVERY_GUIDANCE,
     `Use sift-light for read-only content search. ${SOURCE_OUTPUT_GUIDANCE} For routine development searches, start with fast exact content, filename or applicable structural modes when the request has a usable name, symbol, error text or other literal clue. Omitted mode is ordinary exact search and never loads the local embedding model. Vector search is disabled by default; concept/hybrid require vectorSearchEnabled:true in sift-light.json and an installed model. They can take tens of seconds on an uncached scope, so select them only when semantic recall is needed. Omit mode and limit for automatic detail/summary selection; use mode="matches" for ordinary match metadata.`,
-    `An omitted path searches the project cwd. Use scope:"strict" for a question restricted to one path; otherwise, if an explicit subpath has zero matches, ordinary and content-analysis searches retry from cwd and return project-wide counts with an expansion notice. Explicit absolute paths and .. traversal can search outside cwd, except protected external system areas and .git internals. Git changes mode remains cwd-scoped.`,
+    `An omitted path searches the project cwd. Use scope:"strict" to disable zero-match expansion; by default, explicit paths inside cwd that return no matches retry from cwd and report project-wide counts with an expansion notice. Explicit absolute paths and .. traversal can search outside cwd; those external targets stay isolated unless scope:"expand" opts into the same cwd retry. Protected external system areas and .git internals remain excluded. Git changes mode remains cwd-scoped.`,
     `Search output includes counts, categories, ranked paths, coverage and continuation metadata. Source excerpts may contain the searched text. Use mode="inspect" or the host read capability when exact source is required for an edit or verification.`,
     `Use file and directory distributions to choose evidence. Reuse the visible cursor with path or paths for match metadata; mode="summary" pages the remaining file statistics. Match counts are not relevance scores.`,
     `Mode="inspect" with a direct path/line or ordinary retained match returns bounded source windows and source-revision metadata. Some retained analysis selectors return only revision metadata; use direct path/line or the host read capability when source is needed. Do not use inspection merely to obtain a citation.`,

package/src/request-aliases.ts

@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ export function normalizeRequestAliases(request: SiftLightRequest): NormalizedRe
   } else if (mode !== undefined) {
     input = { ...rest, mode };
   }
+  if (input.mode !== "inspect" && input.sourceCursor === "") {
+    const { sourceCursor: _sourceCursor, ...withoutSourceCursor } = input;
+    input = withoutSourceCursor;
+    notes.push("Empty sourceCursor is ignored outside mode=inspect.");
+  }
   if (input.sourceCursor !== undefined && input.line !== undefined) {
     const { line: _line, ...withoutLine } = input;
     input = withoutLine;

package/src/rg.ts

@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ export function createRipgrepRunner(options: RipgrepRunnerOptions = {}) {
     const searchPath = resolve(cwd, request.path ?? ".");
     const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
     const validatedSearchPath = await policy.resolveSearchTarget(searchPath);
+    const ripgrepCwd = await policy.ripgrepWorkingDirectory(validatedSearchPath);
     const expectedSearchTarget = await policy.resolveExistingPath(validatedSearchPath);
     const searchTarget = isPathInsideCwd(validatedSearchPath, cwd)
       ? relative(resolve(cwd), validatedSearchPath) || "."
@@ -430,7 +431,7 @@ export function createRipgrepRunner(options: RipgrepRunnerOptions = {}) {
           "--",
           searchTarget,
         ],
-        cwd,
+        ripgrepCwd,
         maxSourceRevisionFiles,
         signal,
         request.redact,
@@ -463,7 +464,7 @@ export function createRipgrepRunner(options: RipgrepRunnerOptions = {}) {
             "--",
             searchTarget,
           ],
-          cwd,
+          ripgrepCwd,
           maxSourceRevisionFiles,
           signal,
           request.redact,
@@ -501,7 +502,7 @@ export function createRipgrepRunner(options: RipgrepRunnerOptions = {}) {
         filesystemCoverageReasons.add(describeUnreadableDiagnostics(before.unreadable));
       await assertSearchTargetIdentity(policy, validatedSearchPath, expectedSearchTarget);
       const { code, stderr } = await runOwnedProcess(
-        { executable, args, cwd, ...(signal ? { signal } : {}) },
+        { executable, args, cwd: ripgrepCwd, ...(signal ? { signal } : {}) },
         (stdout) =>
           consumeCappedLines(stdout, onLine, {
             maxLineBytes: maxEventBytes,

package/src/service.ts

@@ -598,7 +598,11 @@ export class SiftLightService {
 
     const request = normalizeRequest(input);
     let scan = await this.#runRipgrep(request, cwd, signal);
-    if (scan.totalMatches === 0 && request.path !== undefined && request.scope !== "strict") {
+    if (
+      scan.totalMatches === 0 &&
+      request.path !== undefined &&
+      (await new SearchPathPolicy(cwd).allowsScopeExpansion(request.path, request.scope))
+    ) {
       const { path: requestedPath, ...projectRequest } = request;
       scan = await this.#runRipgrep(
         { ...projectRequest, expandedFromPath: requestedPath },

package/src/tool-schema.ts

@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ export const siftLightSchema = Type.Object({
   sourceCursor: Type.Optional(
     Type.String({
       description:
-        "Missing-source continuation token. Copy nextRequest exactly: mode=inspect plus sourceCursor only. Same token replays the same page; changed or expired sources fail clearly.",
+        "Missing-source continuation token. Copy nextRequest exactly: mode=inspect plus sourceCursor only. Same token replays the same page; changed or expired sources fail clearly. An empty string outside mode=inspect is treated as an omitted placeholder and disclosed in request notes; nonempty tokens still require mode=inspect.",
     }),
   ),
   symbol: Type.Optional(

package/src/workspace-files.ts

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ export async function listWorkspaceFiles(
   const absolutePath = resolve(cwd, options.path ?? ".");
   const policy = new SearchPathPolicy(cwd);
   const searchPath = await policy.resolveSearchTarget(absolutePath);
+  const ripgrepCwd = await policy.ripgrepWorkingDirectory(searchPath);
   const maxFiles = options.maxFiles ?? MAX_SOURCE_REVISION_FILES;
   if (!Number.isSafeInteger(maxFiles) || maxFiles < 1)
     throw new SiftLightError("Candidate file limit must be a positive integer");
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ export async function listWorkspaceFiles(
           "--",
           searchPath,
         ],
-        cwd,
+        cwd: ripgrepCwd,
         ...(signal ? { signal } : {}),
       },
       async (stdout) => {