# Search Synonyms and Aliases

## Objective

Find the right thing even when users call it by a different name.

A managed set of synonyms, aliases, and common misspellings applied at match time so alternate wording still finds the record.

## Before You Begin

This feature is being added to an application that already exists and already
works. Do not scaffold a new project, and do not assume a blank slate.

Inspect the codebase first and establish:

- The existing application structure and where code of this kind already lives.
- The framework and version in use.
- The existing design system — colours, spacing, typography, and component conventions.
- Existing UI components you can reuse instead of writing new ones.
- The existing database structure, if this feature needs to persist anything.
- The existing authentication and authorization system, if this feature is user-scoped.
- Dependencies already installed, so you don't add a library that duplicates one.
- The existing test setup and conventions.

Only start writing code once you understand the above. If the application
already implements part of this feature, extend it rather than replacing it.

## Implementation Instructions

1. Build a synonym set the app can edit, covering the three real cases: industry jargon versus plain language, product names that changed, and misspellings your logs show people actually type.
2. Expand the query at match time, not the stored documents, so a synonym change takes effect immediately without a reindex.
3. Scope sets by workspace, language, and object type. A word that means one thing in one tenant's vocabulary means nothing in another's.
4. Rank exact matches above synonym matches so the literal term the user typed still wins.
5. Do NOT expand aggressively. Every added term widens the result set, and a search that returns everything is the same as a search that returns nothing.

## UI and UX Requirements

Match the application's existing design system exactly. Reuse its components,
spacing, and typography. This feature should look like it was always there.

## Responsive Requirements

Works on mobile, tablet, and desktop. Touch targets are large enough to hit on a
phone, and nothing overflows horizontally at 320px.

## Accessibility Requirements

- Fully keyboard navigable.
- Correct semantic elements and ARIA roles.
- Visible focus states.
- Meets WCAG AA contrast.
- Dynamic changes are announced to screen readers.
- Respects prefers-reduced-motion.

## Edge Cases

- Circular and chained rules must be resolved or rejected at save time, or one expansion cascades into the whole dictionary.
- One-way aliases and two-way synonyms are different. An old product name should map to the new one, not the reverse.
- Multi-word synonyms must match as a phrase, not as loose independent tokens.
- When a result matched only via a synonym, say so — otherwise a hit with none of the typed words looks like a bug.
- Short synonyms collide with unrelated words. Require a minimum length or an explicit exact-term rule.
- Someone must own the list. An unmaintained synonym set decays into wrong results nobody can explain.

## Testing

Exercise the feature end to end in the running application. Cover every edge case
above, then run the existing test suite and confirm nothing regressed.

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Synonyms, one-way aliases, and misspellings are stored in an editable set.
- [ ] Expansion happens at query time and takes effect without a reindex.
- [ ] Sets are scoped by workspace, language, and object type.
- [ ] Exact matches rank above synonym-only matches.
- [ ] Circular rules are detected and refused when saved.
- [ ] Synonym-driven results are labelled as such in the UI.
- [ ] The feature matches the existing design system.
- [ ] No existing functionality is broken.

## Adaptation Rules

- Match the existing design system. Do not introduce a new colour palette,
  spacing scale, or component library.
- Reuse existing components and utilities wherever they fit.
- Follow the naming, file layout, and code style already present.
- Do not upgrade, replace, or remove existing dependencies to make this
  feature fit. Adapt the feature to the app, not the app to the feature.
- Do not break existing functionality. If a change is genuinely required in
  existing code, make the smallest one that works and say so.
- If something in these instructions conflicts with how the application is
  built, follow the application and explain the deviation.

## Final Verification

Before you report the work as done:

1. Re-read the acceptance criteria above and check each one against what you
   actually built.
2. Run the application and exercise the feature end to end.
3. Run the existing test suite and confirm you have broken nothing.
4. Check the feature on mobile, tablet, and desktop widths.
5. Check keyboard navigation and focus handling.
6. Summarize what changed: files added, files modified, and anything you
   deliberately did differently because of how this application is built.

If any acceptance criterion is unmet, fix it before reporting completion.