Pickme Diagnostics

# Is it indexed?
pickme search --exact "path/to/file"

# Is it gitignored?
git check-ignore -v "path/to/file"

# Is it in a root?
pickme roots | grep "$(dirname path/to/file)"

Common Issues and Fixes

File Not Found in Index

Diagnosis steps:

1. Verify file exists: ls -la path/to/file
2. Check gitignore: git check-ignore -v path/to/file
3. Check roots: pickme roots
4. Check excludes: pickme config --show | grep -A10 exclude

Common fixes:

• Enable gitignored files: set include_gitignored = true
• Add parent as root: add a [[roots]] entry
• Remove overly broad exclude pattern

Stale Index

Symptoms:

• Deleted files still appearing
• New files not showing
• Mismatch between filesystem and results

Fix:

pickme refresh
# or re-index a root
pickme index /path/to/root

Too Many Results

Symptoms:

• Search returns noise
• Unrelated files appearing
• Slow search performance

Fixes:

• Add exclude patterns for generated files
• Reduce max_depth
• Use more specific roots

Resolution Flow

1. Identify symptom (missing file, stale data, noise)
2. Run diagnostics (2-3 commands max)
3. Determine cause (use decision tree)
4. Apply fix (config edit or command)
5. Verify resolution (pickme search to confirm)

Target: Resolve in 2 steps after diagnosis.