Short answer: Bluesky's search is more powerful than it looks, but the power is hidden behind operators you have to remember. Skyscraper's search replaces the syntax with a Filters panel (author, mentions, language, website and time range), and adds two things the operators can't: results that update on their own, and searches you can pin as feeds.
If you want the typed operators, our complete operator guide covers every one. This post is about the other route: doing the same job from a form, and keeping the searches you use most.
The Quick Answer
| You want to | In Skyscraper |
|---|---|
| See posts by one person | Filters → From |
| Find posts that mention someone | Filters → Mentions |
| Limit to one language | Filters → Language |
| Find who is linking to a website | Filters → Domain |
| Only recent posts | Filters → Time range: past hour, 24 hours, week or month |
| Newest first, or most engaged first | Latest or Top |
| Watch a search as it happens | Live results |
| Keep a search as a tab | Save as Pinned Feed |
How to Use the Search Filters
- Open Explore and tap the search box.
- Type what you're looking for, and make sure you're on the Posts results (the other two are Users and History).
- Tap Filters and fill in any of the fields: From, Mentions, Language, Domain, Time range, and the Top or Latest sort.
- Tap Apply Filters. The panel folds away so the results get the whole screen, and a short summary of your active filters stays visible.
The fields can be combined: From a reporter plus a Domain shows you only their posts that link to one outlet. Mentions you, plus a Language, narrows a noisy week of replies to the ones you can read.
Time range versus since: and until:
The time range is a rolling window counted back from now: past hour, past 24 hours, past week, past month. That's the right tool for "what's happening lately." If you need an exact window, such as everything posted on one particular Sunday, use the since: and until: operators from the operator guide, and remember that Bluesky reads those dates in UTC.
Top or Latest?
Skyscraper opens search on Latest, which lists every match newest first. Switch to Top when you want the most-engaged posts about a topic. For finding one specific post, or for anything you plan to watch, stay on Latest.
Live Results: A Search That Updates Itself
Turn on Live results for a Posts search and Skyscraper keeps checking for new matches while the results are on screen. By default it checks about every 30 seconds (it follows your background refresh setting, and never polls faster than every 15 seconds).
New posts are slipped in above the viewport instead of shoving what you're reading down the screen. A pill reading “N posts above” counts them, and the number ticks down as you scroll up through them rather than clearing all at once.
Two details worth knowing:
- Live always uses Latest. A post made a moment ago can't rank into a Top list, so switching Live on moves the sort to Latest for you.
- It only polls while you're looking. Leave the results and it stops, so it doesn't run in the background of another tab.
Live results are made for events: a game, a keynote, an election night, a launch. Search the event's hashtag or name, turn on Live, and you have a running feed of what people are saying. For something you want to be told about when you're not in the app, an email alert is the better tool. The keyword alerts tool sends one when a keyword appears on Bluesky.
Pin a Search as a Feed
The search you run every day shouldn't need retyping. Save as Pinned Feed stores the query and every filter you set (From, Mentions, Language, Domain and Time range), then puts the search in your feed selector and sidebar like any other feed. On the Mac it can also live in a column next to your timeline.
Because the point of a pinned feed is that new posts arrive on top, pinned searches always run newest first. The Save button is turned off while Top is selected, rather than quietly changing your sort. Searches worth pinning:
- Who links to your site. A Domain filter with your website, or a blog you care about.
- Your name or product. The words people use when they talk about you, with and without an @.
- A topic in your language. A hashtag plus a Language filter, so you read one language without muting the others.
- One person's posts about one subject. From plus a keyword, like a developer's posts about a framework.
- A season, not a day. Pin a hashtag for a sports season or a conference week, then unpin it when it's over.
It's the same idea as pinning a list as a feed, except that a list is a fixed group of people and a pinned search is a fixed question, so it finds posts from accounts you've never heard of.
Search History
The History tab keeps what you've searched, so a search you ran last week is a tap away. If you find yourself coming back to the same one more than twice, that's the cue to pin it.
What About Mastodon?
Skyscraper 1.8 added Mastodon accounts. The filters and Live results described here are Bluesky features, and they aren't offered while a Mastodon account is the active one. Mastodon search is a regular search against that account's server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bluesky have advanced search?
Bluesky has no advanced search form in its own app, but its search box understands operators such as from:, mentions:, since:, until:, lang: and domain:. Skyscraper puts the same kinds of filters in a Filters panel, so you can fill in fields instead of typing syntax.
How do I search one person's posts on Bluesky?
Type your search words, open Filters in Skyscraper and enter their handle in the From field. In Bluesky's own search box you can type from: followed by the handle instead.
Can I save a search on Bluesky?
In Skyscraper, yes. Use Save as Pinned Feed to keep a search, with all of its filters, as its own feed in your feed selector and in a Mac column. Saved searches always run newest first.
Can Bluesky search results update live?
In Skyscraper, turn on Live results for a Posts search and new matches are fetched automatically, about every 30 seconds by default. New posts appear above the one you're reading, and a pill counts how many are waiting.
Do search filters work for Mastodon accounts in Skyscraper?
No. The filters and Live results are for Bluesky. When a Mastodon account is the active account, they aren't offered.
Advanced Search in Skyscraper
- Filters for From, Mentions, Language, Domain and Time range, with Top or Latest sorting
- Live results that fetch new matches on their own and count them above your reading position
- Save as Pinned Feed to keep any search as a feed, including as a column on the Mac
- History for the searches you've already run