diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/files/FileBrowserPanel.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/files/FileBrowserPanel.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e2b273b1aba6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/files/FileBrowserPanel.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+import { FileTree } from "@pierre/trees/react";
+import type { FileTree as FileTreeModel } from "@pierre/trees";
+import { EnvironmentId, type ProjectEntry } from "@t3tools/contracts";
+import { act, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import { create, type ReactTestRenderer } from "react-test-renderer";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
+
+import { InputGroupInput } from "~/components/ui/input-group";
+import FileBrowserPanel from "./FileBrowserPanel";
+
+const files = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  directoryEntries: [] as ProjectEntry[],
+  searchEntries: [] as ProjectEntry[],
+  searchPending: false,
+  searchError: null as string | null,
+  load: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+  refresh: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("./useDirectoryEntries", () => ({
+  useDirectoryEntries: () => ({
+    entries: files.directoryEntries,
+    load: files.load,
+    refresh: files.refresh,
+    ready: true,
+    error: null,
+    isPending: false,
+  }),
+}));
+vi.mock("~/state/queries", () => ({
+  useProjectPathSearch: () => ({
+    entries: files.searchEntries,
+    isPending: files.searchPending,
+    error: files.searchError,
+    truncated: false,
+    refresh: files.refresh,
+  }),
+}));
+vi.mock("~/hooks/useTheme", () => ({ useTheme: () => ({ resolvedTheme: "dark" }) }));
+vi.mock("~/hooks/useWorkspaceMutationRefresh", () => ({ useWorkspaceMutationRefresh: vi.fn() }));
+vi.mock("~/composerHandleContext", () => ({ useComposerHandleContext: () => null }));
+vi.mock("~/fileContextMenu", () => ({ useFileContextMenu: () => ({}) }));
+vi.mock("~/localApi", () => ({ readLocalApi: () => undefined }));
+vi.mock("~/components/ui/toast", () => ({ toastManager: { add: vi.fn() } }));
+vi.mock("~/components/MorphIcon", () => ({ MorphIcon: () => null }));
+vi.mock("~/components/ui/tooltip", () => ({
+  Tooltip: ({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) => children,
+  TooltipTrigger: ({ render }: { render: ReactNode }) => render,
+  TooltipPopup: () => null,
+}));
+
+describe("Files panel search", () => {
+  let renderer: ReactTestRenderer | undefined;
+  const props = {
+    environmentId: EnvironmentId.make("test-environment"),
+    cwd: "/workspace",
+    projectName: "Test project",
+    selectedPath: null,
+    selectedPathRevealId: 0,
+    onOpenFile: vi.fn(),
+    workspaceMutationId: null,
+  };
+
+  async function render() {
+    await act(async () => {
+      if (renderer) renderer.update(<FileBrowserPanel {...props} />);
+      else renderer = create(<FileBrowserPanel {...props} />);
+    });
+  }
+
+  async function search(value: string) {
+    await act(async () => {
+      renderer!.root.findByType(InputGroupInput).props.onChange({ target: { value } });
+    });
+  }
+
+  function visiblePaths() {
+    const trees = renderer!.root.findAllByType(FileTree);
+    if (trees.length === 0) return [];
+    const model: FileTreeModel = trees[0]!.props.model;
+    return model.getVisibleRows(0, model.getVisibleCount()).map((row) => row.path);
+  }
+
+  function hasMessage(message: string) {
+    return (
+      renderer!.root.findAll((node) => node.type === "div" && node.props.children === message)
+        .length > 0
+    );
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.stubGlobal("IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT", true);
+    vi.stubGlobal("document", new EventTarget());
+    files.directoryEntries = [
+      { path: "src", kind: "directory" },
+      { path: "src/app.ts", kind: "file" },
+      { path: "package.json", kind: "file" },
+    ];
+    files.searchEntries = [];
+    files.searchPending = false;
+    files.searchError = null;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await act(async () => renderer?.unmount());
+    renderer = undefined;
+    vi.runOnlyPendingTimers();
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+    vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+  });
+
+  it("shows no matching files instead of the full tree when a filename is absent", async () => {
+    await render();
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual(["src/", "package.json"]);
+
+    await search(".env.local");
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual([]);
+    expect(hasMessage("No matching files.")).toBe(true);
+
+    await search("package");
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual(["package.json"]);
+    expect(hasMessage("No matching files.")).toBe(false);
+
+    await search("");
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual(["src/", "package.json"]);
+  });
+
+  it("still finds ignored files already loaded from a directory", async () => {
+    files.directoryEntries.push({ path: ".env.local", kind: "file", ignored: true });
+    await render();
+    await search(".env.local");
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual([".env.local"]);
+    expect(hasMessage("No matching files.")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("waits for remote matches without showing unrelated files or a premature empty result", async () => {
+    await render();
+    files.searchPending = true;
+    await search("settings.ts");
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual([]);
+    expect(hasMessage("Loading files…")).toBe(true);
+    expect(hasMessage("No matching files.")).toBe(false);
+
+    files.searchEntries = [{ path: "config/settings.ts", kind: "file" }];
+    files.searchPending = false;
+    await render();
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual(["config/", "config/settings.ts"]);
+    expect(hasMessage("No matching files.")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("restores the tree on Escape after an unsuccessful search", async () => {
+    await render();
+    await search("missing-file");
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual([]);
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      renderer!.root.findByType(InputGroupInput).props.onKeyDown({
+        key: "Escape",
+        currentTarget: { blur: vi.fn() },
+      });
+    });
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual(["src/", "package.json"]);
+    expect(hasMessage("No matching files.")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does not report an empty result when the search failed", async () => {
+    await render();
+    files.searchError = "Workspace search failed.";
+    await search("missing-file");
+    expect(visiblePaths()).toEqual([]);
+    expect(hasMessage("No matching files.")).toBe(false);
+    expect(JSON.stringify(renderer!.toJSON())).toContain("Workspace search failed.");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/files/FileBrowserPanel.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/files/FileBrowserPanel.tsx
index ad134abf8904..f94186880c36 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/files/FileBrowserPanel.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/files/FileBrowserPanel.tsx
@@ -288,6 +288,8 @@ export default function FileBrowserPanel({
     unsafeCSS: PIERRE_TREE_UNSAFE_CSS,
   });
   const search = useFileTreeSearch(model);
+  // Pierre restores the unfiltered tree when a search has no matches.
+  const hasNoSearchMatches = search.value.trim().length > 0 && search.matchingPaths.length === 0;
   const allDirectoriesExpanded = useFileTreeSelector(model, (currentModel) =>
     areAllDirectoriesExpanded(currentModel, directoryPaths),
   );
@@ -547,12 +549,20 @@ export default function FileBrowserPanel({
           Loading files…
         </div>
       )}
-      <FileTree
-        model={model}
-        aria-label={`${projectName} files`}
-        className="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-hidden"
-        style={pierreTreeStyle(resolvedTheme)}
-      />
+      {hasNoSearchMatches ? (
+        ready && !isPending && !pathSearch.isPending && !error && !pathSearch.error ? (
+          <div role="status" className="px-3 py-4 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+            No matching files.
+          </div>
+        ) : null
+      ) : (
+        <FileTree
+          model={model}
+          aria-label={`${projectName} files`}
+          className="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-hidden"
+          style={pierreTreeStyle(resolvedTheme)}
+        />
+      )}
     </div>
   );
 }