wacli-messages-search
Search WhatsApp message history using full-text search
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
wacli messages search query [--chat jid] [--from jid] [--has-media] [--type type] [--forwarded] [--starred] [--limit n] [--after date] [--before date] [--json] [--store dir]
DESCRIPTION
wacli messages search performs a full-text search over the locally synced message bodies. It uses SQLite FTS5 when the binary was built with `-tags sqlite_fts5`, and falls back to `LIKE` otherwise. Optional filters cover chat, sender, date range, media, type, and starred/forwarded flags.Search works completely offline once the store has been synced. Status broadcasts are not included.Default store path is `~/.local/state/wacli` on Linux and `~/.wacli` elsewhere.
PARAMETERS
query
Search terms. Supports simple terms; quote phrases as needed for the shell.--chat jid
Limit search to one chat.--from jid
Limit to messages from this sender.--has-media
Only messages that include media.--type type
Filter by content type: `text`, `image`, `video`, `audio`, or `document`.--forwarded
Only forwarded messages.--starred
Only starred messages.--after, --before date
Date filters (RFC3339 or `YYYY-MM-DD`).--limit n
Maximum results.--json
JSON output.--store dir
Override the store directory (cannot be combined with `--account`).
CAVEATS
Search only covers messages that have been synced into the local store. History is best-effort; use `wacli history backfill` for older messages.
SEE ALSO
wacli(1), wacli-messages-list(1), wacli-messages-show(1), wacli-messages-context(1)
