---
tip_number: 37
date: 2026-07-18
category: search
status: pending
---

# Tip #37 — Fuzzy-Search for items & recipes

**Date:** 2026-07-18  
**Category:** search  
**Source:** MC-Survival Wiki Daily Tip (cron @ 18:00 MESZ)

## Fuzzy-Search for items & recipes

Fuzzy search lets the wiki match items and recipes even when a player misspells the name, for example 'diamnd sword' or 'nethrite' instead of the correct spelling. It solves the very common problem that players land on a recipe URL from Google or a friend's chat message and cannot type the canonical item name. Real-world server logs show that exact-match-only search produces a high bounce rate on the first query, and the fix is a Levenshtein or trigram fallback on top of the existing Prisma query. With a small alias table, this also doubles as a hand-curated 'what players actually call things' layer.

## Implementation tips

1. Add a server function in functions.ts that wraps Prisma queries with a Levenshtein or trigram fallback when no exact match is found.
2. Use fuse.js (lightweight, no deps issues) on the client for instant-as-you-type feedback before hitting the server.
3. Index item aliases (e.g. 'netherite scrap' ↔ 'ancient debris') in a small ItemAlias table — most leverage for least code.
4. Highlight matched characters in the result list so users see WHY a fuzzy hit scored.

## Watch out

- Fuzzy search is expensive — debounce input by 200ms and never run it on every keystroke without a limit.