No-Results Recovery
Turn an empty search into a next step instead of a dead end.
What it adds
A zero-result search state that says which part of the query is at fault and offers a concrete way to get results.
What your agent is told to do
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What your agent is told to do
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Separate the causes: no matches, a failed request, and results filtered away by permissions all look identical to the user and need different copy.
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When filters are active, list them and let the user drop them individually — and name the one that eliminated the most results.
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Rerun the query in a relaxed form behind the scenes (fewer terms, or without the narrowest filter) and offer that as a suggestion with its real count.
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Suggest a spelling correction only when you have a real candidate from the index, phrased as a question the user can accept.
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Do NOT show approximate or unrelated results as if they matched. A wrong answer presented confidently is worse than an honest empty state.
Edge cases it handles
6
Edge cases it handles
6- Suggested counts must respect the user's permissions, or the number itself reveals records they cannot see.
- A 'did you mean' must not suggest a term that also returns nothing.
- Never hint that a hidden record exists — no 'one result in a workspace you cannot access'.
- Log zero-result queries with their filters. That log is the highest-value backlog you have for search and for content gaps.
- Do not log query text if the privacy rules for search history forbid it; log the shape instead.
- A search that returns nothing because the account has no data at all is an onboarding problem, not a search problem — send them to the empty state.
Definition of done
8
Definition of done
8- No matches, request failure, and permission-filtered results have distinct states and copy.
- Active filters are listed and individually removable from the empty state.
- A broadened query is offered with its actual result count.
- Spelling suggestions come from the index and never lead to another empty result.
- No suggestion or count reveals the existence of a hidden record.
- Zero-result queries are recorded for review.
- The feature matches the existing design system.
- No existing functionality is broken.
Related features
Global Search
Global Search
One search box that finds anything in your app.
What it does
Search across every meaningful entity in the application from a single input.
How it works
- 1 Identify every entity worth searching, and report them before building.
- 2 Use the database's own search capability first (for example Postgres full-text search). Do not add Elasticsearch or a search SaaS unless the project already has one.
- 3 Return results grouped by entity type, strongest match first.
Copy the prompt
No account needed
Add this feature to my app:
https://addthisfeature.com/x/global-search
Voice Search
Voice Search
Let people speak a search query instead of typing it, and still edit what was heard.
What it does
A microphone control on the app's existing search field that turns speech into a query the user can correct before it runs.
How it works
- 1 Add the microphone to the search input the app already has. Do not build a separate voice search screen or a second results page; the spoken query must go through the same search, the same filters, and the same ranking as a typed one.
- 2 Show words as they are recognised, in the search field itself, so the user can see the microphone is working before the final result arrives.
- 3 Leave the recognised text in the field as ordinary editable text once recognition finishes. The single most common repair is the user fixing one wrong word and pressing enter.
Copy the prompt
No account needed
Add this feature to my app:
https://addthisfeature.com/x/voice-search
Store Locator
Store Locator
Help visitors find the nearest branch, with hours, directions, and a way to get in touch.
What it does
A searchable list of physical locations with distance, opening hours, contact details, and a map view.
How it works
- 1 Build the list first and the map second. The list of nearest locations with address, distance, hours, and phone number is the feature; the map is a way to scan it.
- 2 Offer to use the visitor's device location and always offer a text field for a postcode, town, or address alongside it. Never make the location prompt the only route in.
- 3 Store opening hours per location with the location's own time zone, including regular weekly hours and dated exceptions for holidays and one-off closures, and compute open or closed from those.
Copy the prompt
No account needed
Add this feature to my app:
https://addthisfeature.com/x/store-locator
How it works
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1
Copy the link
Grab the Markdown instruction URL for this feature.
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2
Give it to your AI
Paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, v0, Lovable — whatever you build with.
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3
It inspects, then implements
Your agent reads your existing app first, then adds the feature to fit it.
Works with your stack
These instructions are written to adapt. They tell the agent to detect your framework, match your existing design system, and reuse what you already have — rather than assuming a particular stack.
Need it tighter than that? Customize the feature and tell it exactly what you're running.