diff --git a/build/office-suite/scripts/desktop_entry_install_smoke.sh b/build/office-suite/scripts/desktop_entry_install_smoke.sh
index 1f11722..d99d43e 100644
--- a/build/office-suite/scripts/desktop_entry_install_smoke.sh
+++ b/build/office-suite/scripts/desktop_entry_install_smoke.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ mkdir -p "$HOME"
 
 DESKTOP_FILE="$XDG_DATA_HOME/applications/sourceos-office.desktop"
 BIN_FILE="$HOME/.local/bin/sourceos-office-open"
+CLOUD_FILE="$HOME/.local/bin/office_cloud_handoff.sh"
+SEARCH_FILE="$HOME/.local/bin/office_search_handoff.sh"
+SEARCH_OPEN_FILE="$HOME/.local/bin/office_search_open.sh"
 MIME_FILE="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mimeapps.list"
 
 [[ -f "$DESKTOP_FILE" ]] || {
@@ -26,6 +29,21 @@ MIME_FILE="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mimeapps.list"
   exit 1
 }
 
+[[ -x "$CLOUD_FILE" ]] || {
+  echo "desktop entry install smoke failed: missing cloud handoff helper" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+[[ -x "$SEARCH_FILE" ]] || {
+  echo "desktop entry install smoke failed: missing search handoff helper" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+[[ -x "$SEARCH_OPEN_FILE" ]] || {
+  echo "desktop entry install smoke failed: missing search open helper" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
 [[ -f "$MIME_FILE" ]] || {
   echo "desktop entry install smoke failed: missing MIME defaults" >&2
   exit 1
diff --git a/build/office-suite/scripts/install_office_desktop_entry.sh b/build/office-suite/scripts/install_office_desktop_entry.sh
index fd1bce7..3734f4a 100644
--- a/build/office-suite/scripts/install_office_desktop_entry.sh
+++ b/build/office-suite/scripts/install_office_desktop_entry.sh
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../../.." && pwd)"
 DESKTOP_SRC="$ROOT/build/office-suite/desktop/sourceos-office.desktop"
 BIN_SRC="$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_open.sh"
 CLOUD_SRC="$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_cloud_handoff.sh"
+SEARCH_SRC="$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_search_handoff.sh"
+SEARCH_OPEN_SRC="$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_search_open.sh"
 APP_DIR="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/applications"
 BIN_DIR="$HOME/.local/bin"
 
@@ -12,11 +14,14 @@ mkdir -p "$APP_DIR" "$BIN_DIR"
 cp "$DESKTOP_SRC" "$APP_DIR/sourceos-office.desktop"
 cp "$BIN_SRC" "$BIN_DIR/sourceos-office-open"
 cp "$CLOUD_SRC" "$BIN_DIR/office_cloud_handoff.sh"
-chmod +x "$BIN_DIR/sourceos-office-open" "$BIN_DIR/office_cloud_handoff.sh"
+cp "$SEARCH_SRC" "$BIN_DIR/office_search_handoff.sh"
+cp "$SEARCH_OPEN_SRC" "$BIN_DIR/office_search_open.sh"
+chmod +x "$BIN_DIR/sourceos-office-open" "$BIN_DIR/office_cloud_handoff.sh" "$BIN_DIR/office_search_handoff.sh" "$BIN_DIR/office_search_open.sh"
 
 "$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/install_office_mime_defaults.sh" >/dev/null
 
 echo "installed desktop entry to $APP_DIR/sourceos-office.desktop"
 echo "installed launcher helper to $BIN_DIR/sourceos-office-open"
 echo "installed cloud handoff helper to $BIN_DIR/office_cloud_handoff.sh"
+echo "installed search helpers to $BIN_DIR"
 echo "installed office MIME defaults"
diff --git a/build/office-suite/scripts/office_search_open.sh b/build/office-suite/scripts/office_search_open.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec5d341
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/office-suite/scripts/office_search_open.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [[ $# -lt 1 ]]; then
+  echo "usage: $0 <query>" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+QUERY="$1"
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/../../.." && pwd)"
+
+if [[ -x "$SCRIPT_DIR/office_search_handoff.sh" ]]; then
+  SEARCH_HELPER="$SCRIPT_DIR/office_search_handoff.sh"
+elif [[ -x "$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_search_handoff.sh" ]]; then
+  SEARCH_HELPER="$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_search_handoff.sh"
+else
+  echo "office_search_handoff.sh not found" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ -x "$SCRIPT_DIR/sourceos-office-open" ]]; then
+  OPEN_HELPER="$SCRIPT_DIR/sourceos-office-open"
+elif [[ -x "$SCRIPT_DIR/office_open.sh" ]]; then
+  OPEN_HELPER="$SCRIPT_DIR/office_open.sh"
+elif [[ -x "$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_open.sh" ]]; then
+  OPEN_HELPER="$ROOT/build/office-suite/scripts/office_open.sh"
+else
+  echo "office open helper not found" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+SEARCH_OUT="$($SEARCH_HELPER "$QUERY" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+FIRST_PATH="$(printf '%s\n' "$SEARCH_OUT" | head -n 1)"
+
+if [[ -z "$FIRST_PATH" ]]; then
+  echo "no search results" >&2
+  exit 3
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "$FIRST_PATH" ]]; then
+  echo "$FIRST_PATH"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+"$OPEN_HELPER" "$FIRST_PATH"