diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 40588ff..b6463c8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ The project is intentionally dependency-light: Swift Package Manager, AppKit, Ca
   - `Shift + Command + N` creates a new collection
   - `Space` previews the selected card when the focused search field is empty
 - Clipboard history for text, URLs with local preview thumbnails when available, images, audio, RTF/HTML rich text, PDFs, and file references
-- Keyboard-focusable cards and collection chips with Return-to-paste/select, Space-to-preview for text, links, files, and media, vertical wheel/trackpad panning and overflow edge fades in horizontal rails, visible focus chrome, and VoiceOver action hints
+- Keyboard-focusable cards and collection chips with type-to-search, Return-to-paste/select, Space-to-preview for text, links, files, and media, vertical wheel/trackpad panning and overflow edge fades in horizontal rails, visible focus chrome, and VoiceOver action hints
 - Shelf navigation keys for focused cards: Left/Right, Page Up/Page Down, Home, and End
 - Shelf navigation keys for focused collection chips: Left/Right, Home, and End
 - SQLite persistence with bounded history, pinned-item retention, and encrypted app-managed payloads
diff --git a/docs/SMOKE_TEST.md b/docs/SMOKE_TEST.md
index f0a3baf..a028df7 100644
--- a/docs/SMOKE_TEST.md
+++ b/docs/SMOKE_TEST.md
@@ -39,20 +39,21 @@ Use this checklist before a release or after changes to panel, pasteboard, setti
 6. Tab to collection chips and press `Space` or `Return`; confirm the focused chip is selected and the visible focus state is clear. Use Left/Right, Home, and End to move through the chip rail, including custom collections and Stack when present.
 7. Tab to cards; confirm the focused card gets a clear focus border, `Return` pastes or copies it, and `Space` opens Quick Look for text, links, files, and media.
 8. With a card focused, use Left/Right, Page Up/Page Down, Home, and End; confirm selection and focus move together across the shelf.
-9. Use a mouse wheel or two-finger vertical scroll over the card shelf and a crowded collection rail; confirm each pans horizontally, clamps at both ends, and shows subtle edge fades only where more content is hidden.
-10. Right-click a filtered result and choose Show in Clipboard, or press `Command + G`, and confirm search clears while the same card stays selected in Most Recent.
-11. Press `Esc` once with a non-empty search field and confirm search clears.
-12. Press `Esc` again and confirm the panel closes.
-13. Reopen the panel, change sort segments, and confirm each segment updates results.
-14. Press `Shift + Command + N` or the collection rail `+`, enter `Client Work`, choose a color, and confirm a Client Work chip appears with 0 clips and an empty collection view.
-15. Return to Clipboard, select a card, use its Collect button to choose Client Work, and confirm the Client Work chip count increases.
-16. Select the Client Work chip and confirm the rail filters to assigned items, cards use the Client Work name/color in their headers, and the collection/color/assignment persists after quitting and reopening ClipBored.
-17. Right-click the Client Work chip, choose Edit Collection..., rename it, change its color, and confirm the chip and assigned card headers update.
-18. Right-click a media, file, link, PDF, audio, or text card, choose Rename..., give it a title, and confirm the card title and search results use the custom title while paste/copy still uses the original payload.
-19. Double-click an item and confirm it attempts to paste or falls back to copy without creating a duplicate history entry.
-20. Right-click a card, use Capture Rules to ignore its source app, copy from that app again, and confirm the new item is skipped.
-21. Drag an unassigned card onto the renamed collection chip and confirm the chip count increases and the card appears when that collection is selected.
-22. Resize or test on a narrow display and confirm the bottom shelf switches to compact cards that still show two recent clips cleanly.
+9. With a card or collection chip focused, type a normal character and confirm focus returns to search with that character inserted and results filtered.
+10. Use a mouse wheel or two-finger vertical scroll over the card shelf and a crowded collection rail; confirm each pans horizontally, clamps at both ends, and shows subtle edge fades only where more content is hidden.
+11. Right-click a filtered result and choose Show in Clipboard, or press `Command + G`, and confirm search clears while the same card stays selected in Most Recent.
+12. Press `Esc` once with a non-empty search field and confirm search clears.
+13. Press `Esc` again and confirm the panel closes.
+14. Reopen the panel, change sort segments, and confirm each segment updates results.
+15. Press `Shift + Command + N` or the collection rail `+`, enter `Client Work`, choose a color, and confirm a Client Work chip appears with 0 clips and an empty collection view.
+16. Return to Clipboard, select a card, use its Collect button to choose Client Work, and confirm the Client Work chip count increases.
+17. Select the Client Work chip and confirm the rail filters to assigned items, cards use the Client Work name/color in their headers, and the collection/color/assignment persists after quitting and reopening ClipBored.
+18. Right-click the Client Work chip, choose Edit Collection..., rename it, change its color, and confirm the chip and assigned card headers update.
+19. Right-click a media, file, link, PDF, audio, or text card, choose Rename..., give it a title, and confirm the card title and search results use the custom title while paste/copy still uses the original payload.
+20. Double-click an item and confirm it attempts to paste or falls back to copy without creating a duplicate history entry.
+21. Right-click a card, use Capture Rules to ignore its source app, copy from that app again, and confirm the new item is skipped.
+22. Drag an unassigned card onto the renamed collection chip and confirm the chip count increases and the card appears when that collection is selected.
+23. Resize or test on a narrow display and confirm the bottom shelf switches to compact cards that still show two recent clips cleanly.
 
 ## Copy And Paste
 
diff --git a/sources/clipbored/views/ClipboardPanelView.swift b/sources/clipbored/views/ClipboardPanelView.swift
index 5c96cd9..5508321 100644
--- a/sources/clipbored/views/ClipboardPanelView.swift
+++ b/sources/clipbored/views/ClipboardPanelView.swift
@@ -592,6 +592,9 @@ final class ClipboardPanelView: NSVisualEffectView, NSSearchFieldDelegate {
   }
 
   private func configureCollectionKeyboardNavigation(for chip: CollectionChipView) {
+    chip.onStartSearch = { [weak self] text in
+      self?.startSearchFromShelf(text)
+    }
     chip.onMoveFocus = { [weak self, weak chip] delta in
       self?.moveCollectionFocus(from: chip, delta: delta)
     }
@@ -744,6 +747,9 @@ final class ClipboardPanelView: NSVisualEffectView, NSSearchFieldDelegate {
         card.onSelect = { [weak self] selected in
           self?.viewModel.selectItem(at: selected)
         }
+        card.onStartSearch = { [weak self] text in
+          self?.startSearchFromShelf(text)
+        }
         card.onMoveSelection = { [weak self] delta in
           self?.moveSelectionFromFocusedCard(delta)
         }
@@ -1225,6 +1231,13 @@ final class ClipboardPanelView: NSVisualEffectView, NSSearchFieldDelegate {
     window?.makeFirstResponder(searchField)
   }
 
+  private func startSearchFromShelf(_ text: String) {
+    guard !text.isEmpty else { return }
+    focusSearchField()
+    searchField.stringValue += text
+    updateSearchText()
+  }
+
   func setBottomSafeInset(_ inset: CGFloat) {
     bottomSafeInset = max(Metrics.minimumBottomInset, inset)
     mainStack?.edgeInsets = contentInsets()
@@ -1478,6 +1491,10 @@ final class ClipboardPanelView: NSVisualEffectView, NSSearchFieldDelegate {
     debugPressFocusedResponder(characters: "", keyCode: keyCode)
   }
 
+  func debugTypeFocusedResponder(_ characters: String, keyCode: UInt16) {
+    debugPressFocusedResponder(characters: characters, keyCode: keyCode)
+  }
+
   private func debugPressFocusedResponder(characters: String, keyCode: UInt16) {
     guard let window,
           let event = NSEvent.keyEvent(
@@ -1813,6 +1830,14 @@ private enum ClipboardItemDragPasteboard {
   ]
 }
 
+private func shelfSearchText(from event: NSEvent) -> String? {
+  let blockedModifiers: NSEvent.ModifierFlags = [.command, .control, .option, .function]
+  guard event.modifierFlags.intersection(blockedModifiers).isEmpty else { return nil }
+  guard let characters = event.characters, !characters.isEmpty else { return nil }
+  guard characters.rangeOfCharacter(from: .controlCharacters) == nil else { return nil }
+  return characters
+}
+
 private enum ClipboardCardDragContext {
   static var itemID: UUID?
 }
@@ -1960,6 +1985,7 @@ private final class CollectionChipView: NSView {
   private var isKeyboardFocused = false
   private var isDropTargeted = false
   var onPress: () -> Void = {}
+  var onStartSearch: (String) -> Void = { _ in }
   var onMoveFocus: (Int) -> Void = { _ in }
   var onSelectFirst: () -> Void = {}
   var onSelectLast: () -> Void = {}
@@ -2126,7 +2152,11 @@ private final class CollectionChipView: NSView {
     case 124:
       onMoveFocus(1)
     default:
-      super.keyDown(with: event)
+      if let text = shelfSearchText(from: event) {
+        onStartSearch(text)
+      } else {
+        super.keyDown(with: event)
+      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -2313,6 +2343,7 @@ private final class ClipboardItemCardView: NSView, NSDraggingSource {
   var onIgnoreSourceApp: (Int) -> Void = { _ in }
   var onIgnoreKind: (Int) -> Void = { _ in }
   var onDelete: (Int) -> Void = { _ in }
+  var onStartSearch: (String) -> Void = { _ in }
 
   private let index: Int
   private let itemID: UUID
@@ -2447,7 +2478,11 @@ private final class ClipboardItemCardView: NSView, NSDraggingSource {
     case 124:
       onMoveSelection(1)
     default:
-      super.keyDown(with: event)
+      if let text = shelfSearchText(from: event) {
+        onStartSearch(text)
+      } else {
+        super.keyDown(with: event)
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/tests/clipboredtests/ClipboardPanelViewTests.swift b/tests/clipboredtests/ClipboardPanelViewTests.swift
index f39e4e2..b8b8fad 100644
--- a/tests/clipboredtests/ClipboardPanelViewTests.swift
+++ b/tests/clipboredtests/ClipboardPanelViewTests.swift
@@ -246,6 +246,23 @@ final class ClipboardPanelViewTests: XCTestCase {
     XCTAssertEqual(fixture.view.debugKeyboardFocusedCollectionTitles, ["Clipboard"])
   }
 
+  func testTypingFromFocusedCollectionChipStartsSearch() {
+    let fixture = makePanelFixture()
+    fixture.store.upsert(makeTextItem("Alpha note", store: fixture.store))
+    fixture.store.upsert(makeTextItem("Quantum reference", store: fixture.store))
+    drainMainQueue()
+    fixture.window.contentView?.layoutSubtreeIfNeeded()
+
+    XCTAssertTrue(fixture.view.debugFocusCollectionChip(.links))
+    fixture.view.debugTypeFocusedResponder("q", keyCode: 12)
+    drainMainQueue()
+    fixture.window.contentView?.layoutSubtreeIfNeeded()
+
+    XCTAssertTrue(fixture.view.isSearchFieldEditing)
+    XCTAssertEqual(fixture.view.debugSearchFieldText, "q")
+    XCTAssertEqual(fixture.viewModel.visibleItems.map(\.payload), ["Quantum reference"])
+  }
+
   func testCollectionRailAddButtonCreatesEmptyCollection() {
     let fixture = makePanelFixture()
 
@@ -380,6 +397,23 @@ final class ClipboardPanelViewTests: XCTestCase {
     XCTAssertEqual(fixture.viewModel.statusMessage, "")
   }
 
+  func testTypingFromFocusedCardStartsSearch() {
+    let fixture = makePanelFixture()
+    fixture.store.upsert(makeTextItem("Alpha note", store: fixture.store))
+    fixture.store.upsert(makeTextItem("Quantum card", store: fixture.store))
+    drainMainQueue()
+    fixture.window.contentView?.layoutSubtreeIfNeeded()
+
+    XCTAssertTrue(fixture.view.debugFocusCard(at: 0))
+    fixture.view.debugTypeFocusedResponder("q", keyCode: 12)
+    drainMainQueue()
+    fixture.window.contentView?.layoutSubtreeIfNeeded()
+
+    XCTAssertTrue(fixture.view.isSearchFieldEditing)
+    XCTAssertEqual(fixture.view.debugSearchFieldText, "q")
+    XCTAssertEqual(fixture.viewModel.visibleItems.map(\.payload), ["Quantum card"])
+  }
+
   func testFocusedPreviewableCardSpaceOpensQuickLook() {
     let fixture = makePanelFixture()
     fixture.store.upsert(makeItem(kind: .url, text: "https://example.com/read", store: fixture.store))