diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c0109fc65..60a2e969c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -278,6 +278,7 @@ local r = require('fff').content_search('TODO', {
   page_size             = 50,
   file_offset           = 0,
   time_budget_ms        = 0,
+  enforce_time_budget   = false,    -- also bound zero-match searches
   trim_whitespace       = false,
   cwd                   = nil,      -- switch indexed root if different
   wait_for_index_ms     = nil,      -- override the default scan wait timeout
@@ -431,6 +432,7 @@ require('fff').setup({
     max_matches_per_file = 100,
     smart_case = true,
     time_budget_ms = 150,
+    enforce_time_budget = false, -- apply time_budget_ms even before anything matched (off = zero-match queries scan everything)
     modes = { 'plain', 'regex', 'fuzzy' },
     trim_whitespace = false,
     enable_filename_constraint = false, -- treat filename-like tokens (e.g. `score.rs`) in a grep query as a file-path filter scoping the search; off = searched as literal text
diff --git a/crates/fff-c/include/fff.h b/crates/fff-c/include/fff.h
index 83df6c38c..10b295d25 100644
--- a/crates/fff-c/include/fff.h
+++ b/crates/fff-c/include/fff.h
@@ -636,6 +636,27 @@ struct FffResult *fff_live_grep(void *fff_handle,
                                 uint32_t after_context,
                                 bool classify_definitions);
 
+/**
+ * [`fff_live_grep`] plus `enforce_time_budget`: when true the budget also bounds
+ * zero-match searches and `next_file_offset` resumes at the first unsearched file.
+ *
+ * ## Safety
+ * Same as [`fff_live_grep`].
+ */
+struct FffResult *fff_live_grep_ex(void *fff_handle,
+                                   const char *query,
+                                   uint8_t mode,
+                                   uint64_t max_file_size,
+                                   uint32_t max_matches_per_file,
+                                   bool smart_case,
+                                   uint32_t file_offset,
+                                   uint32_t page_limit,
+                                   uint64_t time_budget_ms,
+                                   bool enforce_time_budget,
+                                   uint32_t before_context,
+                                   uint32_t after_context,
+                                   bool classify_definitions);
+
 /**
  * Multi-pattern OR search (SIMD Aho-Corasick): lines matching ANY pattern.
  *
@@ -660,6 +681,26 @@ struct FffResult *fff_multi_grep(void *fff_handle,
                                  uint32_t after_context,
                                  bool classify_definitions);
 
+/**
+ * [`fff_multi_grep`] plus `enforce_time_budget`, as in [`fff_live_grep_ex`].
+ *
+ * ## Safety
+ * Same as [`fff_multi_grep`].
+ */
+struct FffResult *fff_multi_grep_ex(void *fff_handle,
+                                    const char *patterns_joined,
+                                    const char *constraints,
+                                    uint64_t max_file_size,
+                                    uint32_t max_matches_per_file,
+                                    bool smart_case,
+                                    uint32_t file_offset,
+                                    uint32_t page_limit,
+                                    uint64_t time_budget_ms,
+                                    bool enforce_time_budget,
+                                    uint32_t before_context,
+                                    uint32_t after_context,
+                                    bool classify_definitions);
+
 /**
  * Trigger a rescan of the file index.
  *
@@ -1321,7 +1362,7 @@ struct FffResult *fff_watch_args(void *fff_handle,
 struct FffResult *fff_unwatch(void *fff_handle, uint64_t watch_id);
 
 /**
- * Number of events in a batch; 0 if `batch` is null.
+ * Number of events in a batch, 0 if `batch` is null.
  *
  * ## Safety
  * `batch` must be a valid `FffWatchEventBatch` pointer or null.
diff --git a/crates/fff-c/src/lib.rs b/crates/fff-c/src/lib.rs
index 00280ccb2..265b3492d 100644
--- a/crates/fff-c/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-c/src/lib.rs
@@ -626,6 +626,46 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn fff_live_grep(
     before_context: u32,
     after_context: u32,
     classify_definitions: bool,
+) -> *mut FffResult {
+    unsafe {
+        fff_live_grep_ex(
+            fff_handle,
+            query,
+            mode,
+            max_file_size,
+            max_matches_per_file,
+            smart_case,
+            file_offset,
+            page_limit,
+            time_budget_ms,
+            false,
+            before_context,
+            after_context,
+            classify_definitions,
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+/// [`fff_live_grep`] plus `enforce_time_budget`: when true the budget also bounds
+/// zero-match searches and `next_file_offset` resumes at the first unsearched file.
+///
+/// ## Safety
+/// Same as [`fff_live_grep`].
+#[unsafe(no_mangle)]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn fff_live_grep_ex(
+    fff_handle: *mut c_void,
+    query: *const c_char,
+    mode: u8,
+    max_file_size: u64,
+    max_matches_per_file: u32,
+    smart_case: bool,
+    file_offset: u32,
+    page_limit: u32,
+    time_budget_ms: u64,
+    enforce_time_budget: bool,
+    before_context: u32,
+    after_context: u32,
+    classify_definitions: bool,
 ) -> *mut FffResult {
     let inst = match unsafe { instance_ref(fff_handle) } {
         Ok(i) => i,
@@ -664,6 +704,7 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn fff_live_grep(
         page_limit: default_u32(page_limit, 50) as usize,
         mode: grep_mode_from_u8(mode),
         time_budget_ms,
+        enforce_time_budget,
         before_context: before_context as usize,
         after_context: after_context as usize,
         classify_definitions,
@@ -699,6 +740,45 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn fff_multi_grep(
     before_context: u32,
     after_context: u32,
     classify_definitions: bool,
+) -> *mut FffResult {
+    unsafe {
+        fff_multi_grep_ex(
+            fff_handle,
+            patterns_joined,
+            constraints,
+            max_file_size,
+            max_matches_per_file,
+            smart_case,
+            file_offset,
+            page_limit,
+            time_budget_ms,
+            false,
+            before_context,
+            after_context,
+            classify_definitions,
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+/// [`fff_multi_grep`] plus `enforce_time_budget`, as in [`fff_live_grep_ex`].
+///
+/// ## Safety
+/// Same as [`fff_multi_grep`].
+#[unsafe(no_mangle)]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn fff_multi_grep_ex(
+    fff_handle: *mut c_void,
+    patterns_joined: *const c_char,
+    constraints: *const c_char,
+    max_file_size: u64,
+    max_matches_per_file: u32,
+    smart_case: bool,
+    file_offset: u32,
+    page_limit: u32,
+    time_budget_ms: u64,
+    enforce_time_budget: bool,
+    before_context: u32,
+    after_context: u32,
+    classify_definitions: bool,
 ) -> *mut FffResult {
     let inst = match unsafe { instance_ref(fff_handle) } {
         Ok(i) => i,
@@ -746,6 +826,7 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn fff_multi_grep(
         page_limit: default_u32(page_limit, 50) as usize,
         mode: fff::GrepMode::PlainText, // ignored by multi_grep_search
         time_budget_ms,
+        enforce_time_budget,
         before_context: before_context as usize,
         after_context: after_context as usize,
         classify_definitions,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/fuzzy_grep.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/fuzzy_grep.rs
index 6f6becbeb..fb4143b43 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/fuzzy_grep.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/fuzzy_grep.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use crate::types::{ContentCacheBudget, FileItem, MmapSlot};
 use fff_grep::lines::LineStep;
 use rayon::prelude::*;
 use std::path::Path;
-use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicUsize, Ordering};
 
 use super::sink::{
     char_indices_to_byte_offsets, classify_definition, strip_line_terminators,
@@ -107,7 +107,8 @@ pub(super) fn fuzzy_grep_search<'a>(
         None
     };
     let search_start = std::time::Instant::now();
-    let budget_exceeded = AtomicBool::new(false);
+    // Lowest index an abort skipped, i.e. the resume point; usize::MAX means no abort.
+    let first_skipped = AtomicUsize::new(usize::MAX);
     let max_matches_per_file = options.max_matches_per_file;
 
     // for fuzzy match we need a bit smarter chunking as the amount of work we have to perform is
@@ -153,15 +154,14 @@ pub(super) fn fuzzy_grep_search<'a>(
                     )
                 },
                 |(matcher, buf, mmap_slot), (local_idx, file)| {
-                    if abort_signal.load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
-                        budget_exceeded.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
-                        return None;
-                    }
-
-                    if let Some(budget) = time_budget
-                        && search_start.elapsed() > budget
+                    // File 0 is never skipped so a page always consumes at least one
+                    // file (cursor 0 means "done").
+                    let idx = chunk_offset + local_idx;
+                    if idx > 0
+                        && (abort_signal.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+                            || time_budget.is_some_and(|b| search_start.elapsed() > b))
                     {
-                        budget_exceeded.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                        first_skipped.fetch_min(idx, Ordering::Relaxed);
                         return None;
                     }
 
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ pub(super) fn fuzzy_grep_search<'a>(
                         return None;
                     }
 
-                    Some((chunk_offset + local_idx, *file, file_matches))
+                    Some((idx, *file, file_matches))
                 },
             )
             .flatten()
@@ -342,17 +342,18 @@ pub(super) fn fuzzy_grep_search<'a>(
             per_file_results.push(result);
         }
 
-        if running_matches >= page_limit || budget_exceeded.load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
+        if running_matches >= page_limit || first_skipped.load(Ordering::Relaxed) != usize::MAX {
             break;
         }
     }
 
+    let abort_resume = Some(first_skipped.load(Ordering::Relaxed)).filter(|&i| i != usize::MAX);
     GrepResult::collect(
         per_file_results,
         files_to_search.len(),
         options,
         total_files,
         filtered_file_count,
-        budget_exceeded.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
+        abort_resume,
     )
 }
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep.rs
index 5a4af83f8..20fb8fa28 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ use fff_query_parser::{FFFQuery, GrepConfig, QueryParser};
 use rayon::prelude::*;
 use smallvec::SmallVec;
 use std::path::Path;
-use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicUsize, Ordering};
 use tracing::Level;
 
 #[allow(clippy::large_enum_variant)]
@@ -561,12 +561,15 @@ where
 
     let search_start = std::time::Instant::now();
     let page_limit = options.page_limit;
-    let budget_exceeded = AtomicBool::new(false);
+    // Lowest index an abort skipped; everything below it was searched, so it is
+    // the resume point for the next page. usize::MAX means no abort happened.
+    let first_skipped = AtomicUsize::new(usize::MAX);
 
     let mut result_files: Vec<&'a FileItem> = Vec::new();
     let mut all_matches: Vec<GrepMatch> = Vec::new();
     let mut files_consumed: usize = 0;
     let mut page_filled = false;
+    let mut aborted = false;
 
     // Each chunk is a rayon barrier. A flat small chunk over 500k files = ~7800
     // barriers; x2 growth makes it logarithmic. But a too-aggressive growth
@@ -593,6 +596,9 @@ where
         chunk_size = (chunk_size * growth).min(max_chunk);
         let chunk_offset = files_consumed;
 
+        // Unless enforced, the budget stays dormant until something matched.
+        let budget = time_budget.filter(|_| options.enforce_time_budget || all_matches.len() > 1);
+
         let chunk_results: Vec<(usize, &'a FileItem, Vec<GrepMatch>)> = chunk
             .par_iter()
             .enumerate()
@@ -600,23 +606,19 @@ where
                 // tested it out a few times, this is just fine for rayon worker in this specific
                 // case it doesn't reallocate this many times and it is actually faster than using
                 // scoped threads with a predefined local scratch buffers because of spawn cost
-                || (Vec::with_capacity(64 * 1024), MmapSlot::default()),
-                |(buf, mmap_slot), (local_idx, file)| {
-                    // perform all the atomic machinery on every 8th
-                    if local_idx % 8 == 0 {
-                        let mut need_abort = ctx.abort_signal.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
-                        if !need_abort
-                            && let Some(budget) = time_budget
-                            && all_matches.len() > 1
-                            && search_start.elapsed() > budget
-                        {
-                            need_abort = true;
-                        }
-
-                        if need_abort {
-                            budget_exceeded.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
-                            return None;
-                        }
+                || (Vec::with_capacity(64 * 1024), MmapSlot::default(), false),
+                |(buf, mmap_slot, aborted), (local_idx, file)| {
+                    // check the clock on every 8th file only; `aborted` latches for the
+                    // rest of this worker's range. File 0 is never skipped so a page
+                    // always consumes at least one file (cursor 0 means "done").
+                    let idx = chunk_offset + local_idx;
+                    if !*aborted && local_idx % 8 == 0 && idx > 0 {
+                        *aborted = ctx.abort_signal.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+                            || budget.is_some_and(|b| search_start.elapsed() > b);
+                    }
+                    if *aborted {
+                        first_skipped.fetch_min(idx, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                        return None;
                     }
 
                     let content = file.get_content_for_search(
@@ -642,17 +644,23 @@ where
                         return None;
                     }
 
-                    Some((chunk_offset + local_idx, *file, file_matches))
+                    Some((idx, *file, file_matches))
                 },
             )
             .flatten()
             .collect();
 
-        // Every file in the chunk was visited by rayon (matched or not).
-        files_consumed = chunk_offset + chunk.len();
+        // Every file in the chunk was visited unless an abort cut it short.
+        let resume_at = first_skipped.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        aborted = resume_at != usize::MAX;
+        files_consumed = resume_at.min(chunk_offset + chunk.len());
 
-        // Flatten this chunk's results into the accumulator.
         for (batch_idx, file, file_matches) in chunk_results {
+            // Matches past the abort point are dropped; the next page re-searches them.
+            if batch_idx >= resume_at {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             let file_result_idx = result_files.len();
             result_files.push(file);
 
@@ -673,18 +681,17 @@ where
             }
         }
 
-        if page_filled || budget_exceeded.load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
+        if page_filled || aborted {
             break;
         }
     }
 
-    // If no file had any match, we searched the entire slice.
-    if result_files.is_empty() {
+    // No match and no abort means the whole slice was searched.
+    if result_files.is_empty() && !aborted {
         files_consumed = files_to_search.len();
     }
 
-    let has_more = budget_exceeded.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
-        || (page_filled && files_consumed < files_to_search.len());
+    let has_more = (aborted || page_filled) && files_consumed < files_to_search.len();
 
     let next_file_offset = if has_more {
         options.file_offset + files_consumed
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep_tests.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep_tests.rs
index 149bde977..a7c42da34 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/grep_tests.rs
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ fn test_multi_grep_search() {
         page_limit: 100,
         mode: super::GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
@@ -422,6 +423,7 @@ fn test_grep_no_duplicates_with_overflow_trailing_bits() {
         page_limit: 100,
         mode: super::GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/types.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/types.rs
index 08f354fa8..7c3888564 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/grep/types.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/grep/types.rs
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ pub struct GrepSearchOptions {
     /// Maximum time in milliseconds to spend searching before returning partial
     /// results. Prevents UI freezes on pathological queries. 0 = no limit.
     pub time_budget_ms: u64,
+    /// Apply `time_budget_ms` even before anything matched. Off by default: plain/regex
+    /// grep only starts counting once matches exist, so a zero-match query scans everything.
+    pub enforce_time_budget: bool,
     /// Number of context lines to include before each match. 0 = disabled.
     pub before_context: usize,
     /// Number of context lines to include after each match. 0 = disabled.
@@ -122,6 +125,7 @@ impl Default for GrepSearchOptions {
             page_limit: 50,
             mode: GrepMode::default(),
             time_budget_ms: 0,
+            enforce_time_budget: false,
             before_context: 0,
             after_context: 0,
             classify_definitions: false,
@@ -173,7 +177,8 @@ impl<'a> GrepResult<'a> {
         options: &GrepSearchOptions,
         total_files: usize,
         filtered_file_count: usize,
-        budget_exceeded: bool,
+        // Lowest unsearched index when an abort stopped the search.
+        abort_resume: Option<usize>,
     ) -> Self {
         let page_limit = options.page_limit;
 
@@ -191,6 +196,11 @@ impl<'a> GrepResult<'a> {
         let mut files_consumed: usize = 0;
 
         for (batch_idx, file, file_matches) in per_file_results {
+            // Matches past the abort point are dropped; the next page re-searches them.
+            if abort_resume.is_some_and(|at| batch_idx >= at) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             // batch_idx is the 0-based position in files_to_search.
             // Advance files_consumed to include this file and all no-match files before it.
             files_consumed = batch_idx + 1;
@@ -214,13 +224,15 @@ impl<'a> GrepResult<'a> {
             }
         }
 
-        // If no file had any match, we searched the entire slice.
-        if result_files.is_empty() {
-            files_consumed = files_to_search_len;
+        // Abort stops at a known index; otherwise zero matches means a full scan.
+        match abort_resume {
+            Some(resume_at) => files_consumed = resume_at.min(files_to_search_len),
+            None if result_files.is_empty() => files_consumed = files_to_search_len,
+            None => {}
         }
 
-        let has_more = budget_exceeded
-            || (all_matches.len() >= page_limit && files_consumed < files_to_search_len);
+        let has_more = files_consumed < files_to_search_len
+            && (abort_resume.is_some() || all_matches.len() >= page_limit);
 
         let next_file_offset = if has_more {
             options.file_offset + files_consumed
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_coherence_test.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_coherence_test.rs
index 6cee64e4f..fdf81ec76 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_coherence_test.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_coherence_test.rs
@@ -1314,6 +1314,7 @@ fn grep_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 500,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_integration.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_integration.rs
index c663acf8f..96948ed89 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_integration.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/bigram_overlay_integration.rs
@@ -373,6 +373,7 @@ fn grep_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 200,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_file_operations.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_file_operations.rs
index 846849396..822b87d9e 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_file_operations.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_file_operations.rs
@@ -620,6 +620,7 @@ fn grep_plain_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 500,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_git_watcher_stress.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_git_watcher_stress.rs
index 8fdaff8ed..79969d59e 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_git_watcher_stress.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_git_watcher_stress.rs
@@ -957,6 +957,7 @@ fn grep_plain_matches(shared: &SharedFilePicker, query: &str) -> Vec<String> {
         page_limit: 500,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
@@ -994,6 +995,7 @@ fn grep_fuzzy_matches(shared: &SharedFilePicker, query: &str) -> Vec<String> {
         page_limit: 500,
         mode: GrepMode::Fuzzy,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
@@ -1026,6 +1028,7 @@ fn grep_regex_matches(shared: &SharedFilePicker, query: &str) -> Vec<String> {
         page_limit: 500,
         mode: GrepMode::Regex,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_real_repos.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_real_repos.rs
index b06851a36..6a349902e 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_real_repos.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/fuzz_real_repos.rs
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ fn grep_opts(mode: GrepMode) -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 500,
         mode,
         time_budget_ms: 5000,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/grep_integration.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/grep_integration.rs
index d579370ac..ae2f2a233 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/grep_integration.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/grep_integration.rs
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ fn plain_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 200,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ fn regex_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 200,
         mode: GrepMode::Regex,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
@@ -72,6 +74,7 @@ fn fuzzy_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 200,
         mode: GrepMode::Fuzzy,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/grep_time_budget_zero_match.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/grep_time_budget_zero_match.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d3fe0a177
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/grep_time_budget_zero_match.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+use std::fs;
+use std::path::Path;
+use tempfile::TempDir;
+
+use fff_search::FilePickerOptions;
+use fff_search::file_picker::FilePicker;
+use fff_search::grep::{GrepMode, GrepSearchOptions, parse_grep_query};
+
+const FILE_COUNT: usize = 10_000;
+const NEEDLE: &str = "needle-in-a-haystack";
+
+// With `enforce_time_budget` a zero-match search must stop at the budget and
+// hand back a resume cursor instead of scanning every candidate. Issue #826.
+#[test]
+fn zero_match_search_stops_at_enforced_time_budget() {
+    let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let picker = create_picker(tmp.path(), None);
+
+    let parsed = parse_grep_query("zzz-absent-literal");
+    let result = picker.grep(&parsed, &budget_opts(GrepMode::PlainText, true));
+
+    assert_eq!(result.matches.len(), 0, "sanity: query must not match");
+    assert_eq!(result.filtered_file_count, FILE_COUNT);
+    assert!(
+        result.total_files_searched < result.filtered_file_count,
+        "budget expired but all {} candidate files were searched",
+        result.filtered_file_count
+    );
+    assert!(
+        result.next_file_offset > 0,
+        "budget expired with no resume cursor"
+    );
+}
+
+// Default stays as it always was: plain/regex ignores the budget until matches
+// exist, so a zero-match query still scans everything and reports no cursor.
+#[test]
+fn zero_match_search_ignores_unenforced_time_budget() {
+    let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let picker = create_picker(tmp.path(), None);
+
+    let parsed = parse_grep_query("zzz-absent-literal");
+    let result = picker.grep(&parsed, &budget_opts(GrepMode::PlainText, false));
+
+    assert_eq!(result.matches.len(), 0, "sanity: query must not match");
+    assert_eq!(result.total_files_searched, result.filtered_file_count);
+    assert_eq!(result.next_file_offset, 0);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn zero_match_fuzzy_search_stops_at_time_budget() {
+    let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let picker = create_picker(tmp.path(), None);
+
+    let parsed = parse_grep_query("zzzabsentfuzzy");
+    let result = picker.grep(&parsed, &budget_opts(GrepMode::Fuzzy, false));
+
+    assert_eq!(result.matches.len(), 0, "sanity: query must not match");
+    assert!(
+        result.total_files_searched < result.filtered_file_count,
+        "budget expired but all {} candidate files were searched",
+        result.filtered_file_count
+    );
+    assert!(
+        result.next_file_offset > 0,
+        "budget expired with no resume cursor"
+    );
+}
+
+// The resume cursor must not skip files: paging a budget-limited search to
+// exhaustion has to find a needle that lives past the first page.
+#[test]
+fn budget_resume_cursor_does_not_skip_files() {
+    let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let picker = create_picker(tmp.path(), Some(FILE_COUNT - 1));
+
+    let parsed = parse_grep_query(NEEDLE);
+    let mut opts = budget_opts(GrepMode::PlainText, true);
+    let mut found = 0usize;
+    let mut pages = 0usize;
+
+    loop {
+        let result = picker.grep(&parsed, &opts);
+        found += result.matches.len();
+        pages += 1;
+
+        assert!(pages < 5_000, "paging did not terminate");
+        if result.next_file_offset == 0 {
+            break;
+        }
+        assert!(
+            result.next_file_offset > opts.file_offset,
+            "cursor did not advance: {} -> {}",
+            opts.file_offset,
+            result.next_file_offset
+        );
+        opts.file_offset = result.next_file_offset;
+    }
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        found, 1,
+        "resume cursor skipped the file holding the needle"
+    );
+}
+
+// 10k files of 4KiB filler. `needle_at` gets NEEDLE appended so paging can be
+// checked for skipped files.
+fn create_picker(base: &Path, needle_at: Option<usize>) -> FilePicker {
+    let filler = format!("{}\n", "x".repeat(4 * 1024));
+    for i in 0..FILE_COUNT {
+        let path = base.join(format!("file-{i}.txt"));
+        if needle_at == Some(i) {
+            fs::write(&path, format!("{filler}{NEEDLE}\n")).unwrap();
+        } else {
+            fs::write(&path, &filler).unwrap();
+        }
+    }
+    let mut picker = FilePicker::new(FilePickerOptions {
+        base_path: base.to_string_lossy().to_string(),
+        enable_mmap_cache: false,
+        watch: false,
+        ..Default::default()
+    })
+    .expect("Failed to create FilePicker");
+    picker.collect_files().expect("Failed to collect files");
+    picker
+}
+
+fn budget_opts(mode: GrepMode, enforce_time_budget: bool) -> GrepSearchOptions {
+    GrepSearchOptions {
+        max_file_size: 1024 * 1024,
+        max_matches_per_file: 200,
+        smart_case: true,
+        file_offset: 0,
+        page_limit: 500,
+        mode,
+        time_budget_ms: 5,
+        enforce_time_budget,
+        before_context: 0,
+        after_context: 0,
+        classify_definitions: false,
+        trim_whitespace: false,
+        abort_signal: None,
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/new_directory_watcher_test.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/new_directory_watcher_test.rs
index e76b71b59..e22608888 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/new_directory_watcher_test.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/new_directory_watcher_test.rs
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ fn grep_plain_count(picker: &FilePicker, query: &str) -> usize {
         page_limit: 500,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/path_separator_constraint_test.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/path_separator_constraint_test.rs
index bc614a158..3637e93c7 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/path_separator_constraint_test.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/path_separator_constraint_test.rs
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ fn plain_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 200,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/tests/real_binary_fixtures.rs b/crates/fff-core/tests/real_binary_fixtures.rs
index e4da06915..22c4c4f63 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/tests/real_binary_fixtures.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/tests/real_binary_fixtures.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ fn plain_opts() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 200,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-mcp/src/server.rs b/crates/fff-mcp/src/server.rs
index cd2cacfb1..0a5a3fe8b 100644
--- a/crates/fff-mcp/src/server.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-mcp/src/server.rs
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ fn make_grep_options(
             page_limit: 50,
             mode,
             time_budget_ms: 0,
+            enforce_time_budget: false,
             before_context: ctx_lines,
             after_context: after_ctx,
             classify_definitions: true,
diff --git a/crates/fff-nvim/benches/fuzzy_search_bench.rs b/crates/fff-nvim/benches/fuzzy_search_bench.rs
index e0ccfee18..c199af085 100644
--- a/crates/fff-nvim/benches/fuzzy_search_bench.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-nvim/benches/fuzzy_search_bench.rs
@@ -618,6 +618,7 @@ fn bench_grep_search(c: &mut Criterion) {
         page_limit: 100,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-nvim/benches/grep_bench.rs b/crates/fff-nvim/benches/grep_bench.rs
index 64939946d..21ff6f42f 100644
--- a/crates/fff-nvim/benches/grep_bench.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-nvim/benches/grep_bench.rs
@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@ fn plain_options() -> GrepSearchOptions {
         page_limit: 50,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/bench_grep_query.rs b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/bench_grep_query.rs
index 063d08160..9209d4b8d 100644
--- a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/bench_grep_query.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/bench_grep_query.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ fn run_grep(picker: &FilePicker, query: &str, iters: usize) {
         page_limit: usize::MAX,
         mode: GrepMode::PlainText,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/fuzzy_grep_test.rs b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/fuzzy_grep_test.rs
index e3bceac81..d209ecfcf 100644
--- a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/fuzzy_grep_test.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/fuzzy_grep_test.rs
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ fn run_fuzzy_query(picker: &FilePicker, query: &str, label: &str) {
         page_limit: 100,
         mode: GrepMode::Fuzzy,
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_profiler.rs b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_profiler.rs
index 4c0386b2b..0b6713a9d 100644
--- a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_profiler.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_profiler.rs
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ impl<'a> GrepBench<'a> {
                 page_limit: 50,
                 mode,
                 time_budget_ms: 0,
+                enforce_time_budget: false,
                 before_context: 0,
                 after_context: 0,
                 classify_definitions: false,
@@ -414,6 +415,7 @@ fn main() {
             page_limit: 50,
             mode: Default::default(),
             time_budget_ms: 0,
+            enforce_time_budget: false,
             before_context: 0,
             after_context: 0,
             classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_vs_rg.rs b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_vs_rg.rs
index f202fc1f9..033353025 100644
--- a/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_vs_rg.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-nvim/src/bin/grep_vs_rg.rs
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ fn run_fff_full(picker: &FilePicker, query: &str) -> (usize, Duration) {
         page_limit: usize::MAX,
         mode: Default::default(),
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
@@ -190,6 +191,7 @@ fn run_fff_page(picker: &FilePicker, query: &str) -> (usize, Duration) {
         page_limit: 50,
         mode: Default::default(),
         time_budget_ms: 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: false,
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-nvim/src/lib.rs b/crates/fff-nvim/src/lib.rs
index 4ea4208af..7f9c90932 100644
--- a/crates/fff-nvim/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-nvim/src/lib.rs
@@ -437,6 +437,7 @@ pub fn live_grep(
         grep_mode,
         time_budget_ms,
         trim_whitespace,
+        enforce_time_budget,
     ): (
         String,
         Option<usize>,
@@ -447,6 +448,7 @@ pub fn live_grep(
         Option<String>,
         Option<u64>,
         Option<bool>,
+        Option<bool>,
     ),
 ) -> LuaResult<LuaValue> {
     let file_picker_guard = FILE_PICKER.read().into_lua_result()?;
@@ -469,6 +471,7 @@ pub fn live_grep(
         page_limit: page_size.unwrap_or(50),
         mode,
         time_budget_ms: time_budget_ms.unwrap_or(0),
+        enforce_time_budget: enforce_time_budget.unwrap_or(false),
         before_context: 0,
         after_context: 0,
         classify_definitions: false,
diff --git a/crates/fff-python/src/finder.rs b/crates/fff-python/src/finder.rs
index f4a27246a..429fcb272 100644
--- a/crates/fff-python/src/finder.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-python/src/finder.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ fn grep_options(
     smart_case: bool,
     page_limit: u32,
     time_budget_ms: u64,
+    enforce_time_budget: bool,
     before_context: u32,
     after_context: u32,
     classify_definitions: bool,
@@ -99,6 +100,7 @@ fn grep_options(
         page_limit: defaulted_usize(page_limit, defaults.page_limit),
         mode,
         time_budget_ms,
+        enforce_time_budget,
         before_context: before_context as usize,
         after_context: after_context as usize,
         classify_definitions,
@@ -594,6 +596,7 @@ impl FileFinder {
         cursor=None,
         page_limit=0,
         time_budget_ms=0,
+        enforce_time_budget=false,
         before_context=0,
         after_context=0,
         classify_definitions=false,
@@ -609,6 +612,7 @@ impl FileFinder {
         cursor: Option<&GrepCursor>,
         page_limit: u32,
         time_budget_ms: u64,
+        enforce_time_budget: bool,
         before_context: u32,
         after_context: u32,
         classify_definitions: bool,
@@ -637,6 +641,7 @@ impl FileFinder {
                 smart_case,
                 page_limit,
                 time_budget_ms,
+                enforce_time_budget,
                 before_context,
                 after_context,
                 classify_definitions,
@@ -658,6 +663,7 @@ impl FileFinder {
         cursor=None,
         page_limit=0,
         time_budget_ms=0,
+        enforce_time_budget=false,
         before_context=0,
         after_context=0,
         classify_definitions=false,
@@ -674,6 +680,7 @@ impl FileFinder {
         cursor: Option<&GrepCursor>,
         page_limit: u32,
         time_budget_ms: u64,
+        enforce_time_budget: bool,
         before_context: u32,
         after_context: u32,
         classify_definitions: bool,
@@ -708,6 +715,7 @@ impl FileFinder {
                 smart_case,
                 page_limit,
                 time_budget_ms,
+                enforce_time_budget,
                 before_context,
                 after_context,
                 classify_definitions,
diff --git a/lua/fff/conf.lua b/lua/fff/conf.lua
index 31aa8a32f..7231e7c2e 100644
--- a/lua/fff/conf.lua
+++ b/lua/fff/conf.lua
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ local M = {}
 --- @field max_matches_per_file number
 --- @field smart_case boolean
 --- @field time_budget_ms number
+--- @field enforce_time_budget boolean
 --- @field modes string[]
 --- @field trim_whitespace boolean
 --- @field location_format string
@@ -463,6 +464,7 @@ local function init()
       max_matches_per_file = 100, -- Maximum matches per file (set 0 to unlimited)
       smart_case = true, -- Case-insensitive unless query has uppercase
       time_budget_ms = 150, -- Max search time in ms per call (prevents UI freeze, 0 = no limit)
+      enforce_time_budget = false, -- Apply time_budget_ms even before anything matched (off = zero-match queries scan everything)
       modes = { 'plain', 'regex', 'fuzzy' }, -- Available grep modes and their cycling order
       trim_whitespace = false, -- Strip leading whitespace from matched lines (useful for cleaner display)
       -- Treat filename-like tokens (e.g. `score.rs`, `src/main.rs`) in a grep query as a
diff --git a/lua/fff/main.lua b/lua/fff/main.lua
index 01cf38bbf..2197dd79f 100644
--- a/lua/fff/main.lua
+++ b/lua/fff/main.lua
@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ end
 --- @field page_size? number Max matches returned (default: 50).
 --- @field file_offset? number File-based pagination offset (default: 0).
 --- @field time_budget_ms? number Max wall-clock time, 0 = unlimited (default: config.grep.time_budget_ms).
+--- @field enforce_time_budget? boolean Apply the budget even with zero matches (default: config.grep.enforce_time_budget).
 --- @field trim_whitespace? boolean Strip leading whitespace from matched lines (default: config.grep.trim_whitespace).
 --- @field cwd? string Switch indexed root before grepping (same semantics as `file_search`).
 --- @field wait_for_index_ms? number Block up to this many ms for the index to be ready.
@@ -376,6 +377,7 @@ function M.content_search(query, opts)
     max_matches_per_file = opts.max_matches_per_file or grep_cfg.max_matches_per_file,
     smart_case = opts.smart_case == nil and grep_cfg.smart_case or opts.smart_case,
     time_budget_ms = opts.time_budget_ms or grep_cfg.time_budget_ms,
+    enforce_time_budget = opts.enforce_time_budget == nil and grep_cfg.enforce_time_budget or opts.enforce_time_budget,
     trim_whitespace = opts.trim_whitespace == nil and grep_cfg.trim_whitespace or opts.trim_whitespace,
   }
 
diff --git a/lua/fff/picker_ui/grep_renderer.lua b/lua/fff/picker_ui/grep_renderer.lua
index 7bebe9bee..b96088fb7 100644
--- a/lua/fff/picker_ui/grep_renderer.lua
+++ b/lua/fff/picker_ui/grep_renderer.lua
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ function M.search(query, file_offset, page_size, config, grep_mode)
     conf.smart_case,
     grep_mode or 'plain',
     conf.time_budget_ms,
-    conf.trim_whitespace
+    conf.trim_whitespace,
+    conf.enforce_time_budget
   )
   return last_result
 end
diff --git a/packages/fff-bun/src/fff-api.ts b/packages/fff-bun/src/fff-api.ts
index 2d0038aab..4573b8d22 100644
--- a/packages/fff-bun/src/fff-api.ts
+++ b/packages/fff-bun/src/fff-api.ts
@@ -432,6 +432,11 @@ export interface GrepOptions {
    * partial results. 0 = unlimited. (default: 0)
    */
   timeBudgetMs?: number;
+  /**
+   * Apply `timeBudgetMs` even before anything matched. Off by default, so a
+   * zero-match query scans every candidate file. (default: false)
+   */
+  enforceTimeBudget?: boolean;
   /** Number of context lines to include before each match (default: 0) */
   beforeContext?: number;
   /** Number of context lines to include after each match (default: 0) */
@@ -538,6 +543,11 @@ export interface MultiGrepOptions {
    * partial results. 0 = unlimited. (default: 0)
    */
   timeBudgetMs?: number;
+  /**
+   * Apply `timeBudgetMs` even before anything matched. Off by default, so a
+   * zero-match query scans every candidate file. (default: false)
+   */
+  enforceTimeBudget?: boolean;
   /** Number of context lines to include before each match (default: 0) */
   beforeContext?: number;
   /** Number of context lines to include after each match (default: 0) */
diff --git a/packages/fff-bun/src/ffi.ts b/packages/fff-bun/src/ffi.ts
index 0a9f3b075..4cfe65264 100644
--- a/packages/fff-bun/src/ffi.ts
+++ b/packages/fff-bun/src/ffi.ts
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ const ffiDefinition = {
   },
 
   // Live grep (content search)
-  fff_live_grep: {
+  fff_live_grep_ex: {
     args: [
       FFIType.ptr, // handle
       FFIType.cstring, // query
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ const ffiDefinition = {
       FFIType.u32, // file_offset
       FFIType.u32, // page_limit
       FFIType.u64, // time_budget_ms
+      FFIType.bool, // enforce_time_budget
       FFIType.u32, // before_context
       FFIType.u32, // after_context
       FFIType.bool, // classify_definitions
@@ -158,7 +159,7 @@ const ffiDefinition = {
   },
 
   // Multi-pattern grep (Aho-Corasick)
-  fff_multi_grep: {
+  fff_multi_grep_ex: {
     args: [
       FFIType.ptr, // handle
       FFIType.cstring, // patterns_joined (\n-separated)
@@ -169,6 +170,7 @@ const ffiDefinition = {
       FFIType.u32, // file_offset
       FFIType.u32, // page_limit
       FFIType.u64, // time_budget_ms
+      FFIType.bool, // enforce_time_budget
       FFIType.u32, // before_context
       FFIType.u32, // after_context
       FFIType.bool, // classify_definitions
@@ -1244,12 +1246,13 @@ export function ffiLiveGrep(
   fileOffset: number,
   pageLimit: number,
   timeBudgetMs: number,
+  enforceTimeBudget: boolean,
   beforeContext: number,
   afterContext: number,
   classifyDefinitions: boolean,
 ): Result<GrepResult> {
   const library = loadLibrary();
-  const resultPtr = library.symbols.fff_live_grep(
+  const resultPtr = library.symbols.fff_live_grep_ex(
     handle,
     ptr(encodeString(query)),
     grepModeToU8(mode),
@@ -1259,6 +1262,7 @@ export function ffiLiveGrep(
     fileOffset,
     pageLimit,
     BigInt(timeBudgetMs),
+    enforceTimeBudget,
     beforeContext,
     afterContext,
     classifyDefinitions,
@@ -1279,12 +1283,13 @@ export function ffiMultiGrep(
   fileOffset: number,
   pageLimit: number,
   timeBudgetMs: number,
+  enforceTimeBudget: boolean,
   beforeContext: number,
   afterContext: number,
   classifyDefinitions: boolean,
 ): Result<GrepResult> {
   const library = loadLibrary();
-  const resultPtr = library.symbols.fff_multi_grep(
+  const resultPtr = library.symbols.fff_multi_grep_ex(
     handle,
     ptr(encodeString(patternsJoined)),
     ptr(encodeString(constraints)),
@@ -1294,6 +1299,7 @@ export function ffiMultiGrep(
     fileOffset,
     pageLimit,
     BigInt(timeBudgetMs),
+    enforceTimeBudget,
     beforeContext,
     afterContext,
     classifyDefinitions,
diff --git a/packages/fff-bun/src/finder.ts b/packages/fff-bun/src/finder.ts
index d8210b43f..6f5b23aea 100644
--- a/packages/fff-bun/src/finder.ts
+++ b/packages/fff-bun/src/finder.ts
@@ -373,6 +373,7 @@ export class FileFinder implements FileFinderApi {
       options?.cursor?._offset ?? 0,
       options?.pageSize ?? 0,
       options?.timeBudgetMs ?? 0,
+      options?.enforceTimeBudget ?? false,
       options?.beforeContext ?? 0,
       options?.afterContext ?? 0,
       options?.classifyDefinitions ?? false,
@@ -422,6 +423,7 @@ export class FileFinder implements FileFinderApi {
       options.cursor?._offset ?? 0,
       options.pageSize ?? 0,
       options.timeBudgetMs ?? 0,
+      options.enforceTimeBudget ?? false,
       options.beforeContext ?? 0,
       options.afterContext ?? 0,
       options.classifyDefinitions ?? false,
diff --git a/packages/fff-node/src/fff-api.ts b/packages/fff-node/src/fff-api.ts
index 2d0038aab..4573b8d22 100644
--- a/packages/fff-node/src/fff-api.ts
+++ b/packages/fff-node/src/fff-api.ts
@@ -432,6 +432,11 @@ export interface GrepOptions {
    * partial results. 0 = unlimited. (default: 0)
    */
   timeBudgetMs?: number;
+  /**
+   * Apply `timeBudgetMs` even before anything matched. Off by default, so a
+   * zero-match query scans every candidate file. (default: false)
+   */
+  enforceTimeBudget?: boolean;
   /** Number of context lines to include before each match (default: 0) */
   beforeContext?: number;
   /** Number of context lines to include after each match (default: 0) */
@@ -538,6 +543,11 @@ export interface MultiGrepOptions {
    * partial results. 0 = unlimited. (default: 0)
    */
   timeBudgetMs?: number;
+  /**
+   * Apply `timeBudgetMs` even before anything matched. Off by default, so a
+   * zero-match query scans every candidate file. (default: false)
+   */
+  enforceTimeBudget?: boolean;
   /** Number of context lines to include before each match (default: 0) */
   beforeContext?: number;
   /** Number of context lines to include after each match (default: 0) */
diff --git a/packages/fff-node/src/ffi.ts b/packages/fff-node/src/ffi.ts
index 61080f421..ccfee81dd 100644
--- a/packages/fff-node/src/ffi.ts
+++ b/packages/fff-node/src/ffi.ts
@@ -1365,6 +1365,7 @@ export function ffiLiveGrep(
   fileOffset: number,
   pageLimit: number,
   timeBudgetMs: number,
+  enforceTimeBudget: boolean,
   beforeContext: number,
   afterContext: number,
   classifyDefinitions: boolean,
@@ -1373,7 +1374,7 @@ export function ffiLiveGrep(
 
   const rawPtr = load({
     library: LIBRARY_KEY,
-    funcName: "fff_live_grep",
+    funcName: "fff_live_grep_ex",
     retType: DataType.External,
     paramsType: [
       DataType.External, // handle
@@ -1385,6 +1386,7 @@ export function ffiLiveGrep(
       DataType.U32, // file_offset
       DataType.U32, // page_limit
       DataType.U64, // time_budget_ms
+      DataType.Boolean, // enforce_time_budget
       DataType.U32, // before_context
       DataType.U32, // after_context
       DataType.Boolean, // classify_definitions
@@ -1399,6 +1401,7 @@ export function ffiLiveGrep(
       fileOffset,
       pageLimit,
       timeBudgetMs,
+      enforceTimeBudget,
       beforeContext,
       afterContext,
       classifyDefinitions,
@@ -1422,6 +1425,7 @@ export function ffiMultiGrep(
   fileOffset: number,
   pageLimit: number,
   timeBudgetMs: number,
+  enforceTimeBudget: boolean,
   beforeContext: number,
   afterContext: number,
   classifyDefinitions: boolean,
@@ -1430,7 +1434,7 @@ export function ffiMultiGrep(
 
   const rawPtr = load({
     library: LIBRARY_KEY,
-    funcName: "fff_multi_grep",
+    funcName: "fff_multi_grep_ex",
     retType: DataType.External,
     paramsType: [
       DataType.External, // handle
@@ -1442,6 +1446,7 @@ export function ffiMultiGrep(
       DataType.U32, // file_offset
       DataType.U32, // page_limit
       DataType.U64, // time_budget_ms
+      DataType.Boolean, // enforce_time_budget
       DataType.U32, // before_context
       DataType.U32, // after_context
       DataType.Boolean, // classify_definitions
@@ -1456,6 +1461,7 @@ export function ffiMultiGrep(
       fileOffset,
       pageLimit,
       timeBudgetMs,
+      enforceTimeBudget,
       beforeContext,
       afterContext,
       classifyDefinitions,
diff --git a/packages/fff-node/src/finder.ts b/packages/fff-node/src/finder.ts
index e80b4ef66..d49baf363 100644
--- a/packages/fff-node/src/finder.ts
+++ b/packages/fff-node/src/finder.ts
@@ -379,6 +379,7 @@ export class FileFinder implements FileFinderApi {
       options?.cursor?._offset ?? 0,
       options?.pageSize ?? 0,
       options?.timeBudgetMs ?? 0,
+      options?.enforceTimeBudget ?? false,
       options?.beforeContext ?? 0,
       options?.afterContext ?? 0,
       options?.classifyDefinitions ?? false,
@@ -428,6 +429,7 @@ export class FileFinder implements FileFinderApi {
       options.cursor?._offset ?? 0,
       options.pageSize ?? 0,
       options.timeBudgetMs ?? 0,
+      options.enforceTimeBudget ?? false,
       options.beforeContext ?? 0,
       options.afterContext ?? 0,
       options.classifyDefinitions ?? false,
diff --git a/packages/fff-python/src/fff/__init__.pyi b/packages/fff-python/src/fff/__init__.pyi
index 44cee2f1d..4b841f4d9 100644
--- a/packages/fff-python/src/fff/__init__.pyi
+++ b/packages/fff-python/src/fff/__init__.pyi
@@ -241,6 +241,7 @@ class FileFinder:
         cursor: GrepCursor | None = None,
         page_limit: int = 0,
         time_budget_ms: int = 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: bool = False,
         before_context: int = 0,
         after_context: int = 0,
         classify_definitions: bool = False,
@@ -257,6 +258,7 @@ class FileFinder:
         cursor: GrepCursor | None = None,
         page_limit: int = 0,
         time_budget_ms: int = 0,
+        enforce_time_budget: bool = False,
         before_context: int = 0,
         after_context: int = 0,
         classify_definitions: bool = False,
diff --git a/packages/shared/fff-api.ts b/packages/shared/fff-api.ts
index dcd9f2ac2..4331ca571 100644
--- a/packages/shared/fff-api.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/fff-api.ts
@@ -426,6 +426,11 @@ export interface GrepOptions {
    * partial results. 0 = unlimited. (default: 0)
    */
   timeBudgetMs?: number;
+  /**
+   * Apply `timeBudgetMs` even before anything matched. Off by default, so a
+   * zero-match query scans every candidate file. (default: false)
+   */
+  enforceTimeBudget?: boolean;
   /** Number of context lines to include before each match (default: 0) */
   beforeContext?: number;
   /** Number of context lines to include after each match (default: 0) */
@@ -532,6 +537,11 @@ export interface MultiGrepOptions {
    * partial results. 0 = unlimited. (default: 0)
    */
   timeBudgetMs?: number;
+  /**
+   * Apply `timeBudgetMs` even before anything matched. Off by default, so a
+   * zero-match query scans every candidate file. (default: false)
+   */
+  enforceTimeBudget?: boolean;
   /** Number of context lines to include before each match (default: 0) */
   beforeContext?: number;
   /** Number of context lines to include after each match (default: 0) */