diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d9ad3d09..7b44878a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -251,6 +251,22 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   by physical key position and matched against the commands; genuine Cyrillic
   search terms keep priority over remapped candidates, and short wrong-layout
   prefixes match by command title. (#283, #285, #287)
+- **Opt-in substring "lookup" search mode for agents.** `/api/search` gains an
+  additive, opt-in mode (guarded by a new `substring` flag) that matches literal
+  substrings of page titles and body text — so technical tokens the full-text
+  tokenizer mangles (`backup-srv.local`, `10.0.12.5`, `WB-MGE-30D86B`) are found
+  even when the FTS query is empty. It returns a location `path`, a windowed
+  `snippet` and a per-response relevance `score`, supports `titleOnly` and a
+  `parentPageId` subtree scope, and applies the page-level permission filter
+  before the limit. The web UI never sets `substring`, so its full-text search
+  behaviour is byte-for-byte unchanged. The leading-wildcard `LIKE` predicates
+  are backed by GIN trigram indexes on `LOWER(f_unaccent(title))` and
+  `LOWER(f_unaccent(text_content))` so lookups use a bitmap index scan instead of
+  a sequential scan. (#443)
+- **MCP `search` tool returns richer, agent-oriented results.** The external MCP
+  `search` response shape changes for the agent surface: each hit now carries
+  `pageId` (renamed from `id`), plus `path`, `snippet` and `score`; the
+  UI-oriented `spaceId`, `rank` and `highlight` fields are dropped. (#443)
 
 ### Changed
 
diff --git a/apps/server/src/core/search/search.service.ts b/apps/server/src/core/search/search.service.ts
index 111c5938..0d125d58 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/core/search/search.service.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/core/search/search.service.ts
@@ -378,10 +378,20 @@ export class SearchService {
     // Match predicate: title substring OR (unless titleOnly) text substring OR
     // (unless titleOnly) FTS. The substring branch runs even when the tsquery is
     // empty — that is the dotted/numeric-token case the FTS path misses.
+    //
+    // #443 dead-index fix: these two LIKE predicates MUST match the GIN trgm
+    // index expressions EXACTLY for Postgres to use them. The indexes are on the
+    // coalesce-FREE expressions `LOWER(f_unaccent(title))` (#348's
+    // idx_pages_title_trgm) and `LOWER(f_unaccent(text_content))` (this PR's
+    // idx_pages_text_content_trgm). A `coalesce(col,'')` wrapper here would make
+    // the query expression differ from the index expression and force a Seq Scan
+    // on pages for every lookup. Dropping coalesce is SEMANTICALLY EQUIVALENT:
+    // `NULL LIKE '%q%'` is NULL (falsy), so a NULL title/text simply doesn't
+    // match — exactly as an empty string wouldn't match `%q%`.
     candidates = candidates.where((eb) => {
       const ors = [
         eb(
-          sql`LOWER(f_unaccent(coalesce(pages.title, '')))`,
+          sql`LOWER(f_unaccent(pages.title))`,
           'like',
           sql`${likePattern} ESCAPE '\\'`,
         ),
@@ -389,7 +399,7 @@ export class SearchService {
       if (!searchParams.titleOnly) {
         ors.push(
           eb(
-            sql`LOWER(f_unaccent(coalesce(pages.text_content, '')))`,
+            sql`LOWER(f_unaccent(pages.text_content))`,
             'like',
             sql`${likePattern} ESCAPE '\\'`,
           ),
diff --git a/apps/server/src/database/migrations/20260706T120000-search-lookup-trgm.ts b/apps/server/src/database/migrations/20260706T120000-search-lookup-trgm.ts
index 4e00debf..c28f4cf0 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/database/migrations/20260706T120000-search-lookup-trgm.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/database/migrations/20260706T120000-search-lookup-trgm.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,12 @@ import { type Kysely, sql } from 'kysely';
  * pages.text_content. A leading wildcard cannot use a b-tree index, so without a
  * GIN trigram index each such predicate is a sequential scan.
  *
- *  - TITLE: the title predicate is IDENTICAL to the one added for /search/suggest
- *    (#348), which already created `idx_pages_title_trgm` on
- *    `(LOWER(f_unaccent(title))) gin_trgm_ops`. We re-assert it here with
- *    `IF NOT EXISTS` so a fresh DB that somehow lacks it still gets it, and so
- *    this migration is self-describing. On an existing DB it is a no-op.
+ *  - TITLE: the lookup-mode title predicate is `LOWER(f_unaccent(title)) LIKE
+ *    '%q%'` (coalesce-free, so it can use a functional index), which is IDENTICAL
+ *    to the one added for /search/suggest (#348). #348's perf-indexes migration
+ *    already created `idx_pages_title_trgm` on `(LOWER(f_unaccent(title)))
+ *    gin_trgm_ops`, so the title predicate is already covered — we do NOT
+ *    re-create that index here (it would be redundant).
  *
  *  - TEXT_CONTENT: NEW. The substring branch scans text_content when the query
  *    is not titleOnly. text_content is the large column, so a GIN trigram index
@@ -34,15 +35,13 @@ import { type Kysely, sql } from 'kysely';
  * here). Small/typical tenants are unaffected.
  */
 export async function up(db: Kysely<any>): Promise<void> {
-  // Title trigram index — matches the lookup-mode title predicate exactly.
-  // Already present from #348 on existing DBs; re-asserted for freshness.
-  await sql`
-    CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_pages_title_trgm
-      ON pages USING gin ((LOWER(f_unaccent(title))) gin_trgm_ops)
-  `.execute(db);
+  // The title predicate is served by #348's idx_pages_title_trgm — see header.
+  // Only the text_content index is introduced here.
 
-  // text_content trigram index — accelerates the lookup-mode text substring
-  // predicate. Expression matches the predicate in search.service.ts.
+  // text_content trigram index. Its expression is coalesce-free —
+  // `LOWER(f_unaccent(text_content))` — to EXACTLY match the coalesce-free
+  // lookup-mode text substring predicate in search.service.ts, so Postgres can
+  // use it (a `coalesce(...)` mismatch would silently fall back to a Seq Scan).
   await sql`
     CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_pages_text_content_trgm
       ON pages USING gin ((LOWER(f_unaccent(text_content))) gin_trgm_ops)
diff --git a/apps/server/test/integration/search-lookup-explain.int-spec.ts b/apps/server/test/integration/search-lookup-explain.int-spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4a50e553
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/server/test/integration/search-lookup-explain.int-spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto';
+import { Kysely, sql } from 'kysely';
+import {
+  getTestDb,
+  destroyTestDb,
+  createWorkspace,
+  createSpace,
+} from './db';
+
+/**
+ * #443 dead-index guard — EXPLAIN on the REAL DB.
+ *
+ * The lookup mode's substring predicates run a leading-wildcard
+ * `LOWER(f_unaccent(col)) LIKE '%q%'`. Those are only fast when Postgres uses
+ * the GIN trigram indexes:
+ *   - idx_pages_title_trgm         on (LOWER(f_unaccent(title)))        [#348]
+ *   - idx_pages_text_content_trgm  on (LOWER(f_unaccent(text_content))) [#443]
+ *
+ * Postgres uses a functional index ONLY when the query expression matches the
+ * index expression EXACTLY. The original lookup query wrapped the columns in
+ * `coalesce(col,'')`, which differs from the coalesce-FREE index expression and
+ * silently forced a Seq Scan on pages for EVERY lookup (the MCP client always
+ * sends substring:true). This test locks that in.
+ *
+ * Discriminator: `SET enable_seqscan = off` asks the planner "CAN this predicate
+ * use the index at all?" — which is exactly what the coalesce bug breaks. With
+ * seqscan disabled:
+ *   - the coalesce-FREE (fixed) predicate plans a Bitmap Index Scan on the trgm
+ *     index (no Seq Scan on pages);
+ *   - the coalesce-WRAPPED (buggy) predicate cannot use the index and falls back
+ *     to a Seq Scan on pages even though seqscan is disabled.
+ * We assert both to prove the fix and to keep the regression from silently
+ * returning.
+ */
+describe('SearchService agent-lookup EXPLAIN — trgm index is live [integration]', () => {
+  let db: Kysely<any>;
+  let workspaceId: string;
+  let spaceId: string;
+
+  async function insertPage(title: string, textContent: string): Promise<void> {
+    const id = randomUUID();
+    await db
+      .insertInto('pages')
+      .values({
+        id,
+        slugId: `slug-${id.slice(0, 12)}`,
+        title,
+        textContent,
+        spaceId,
+        workspaceId,
+      })
+      .execute();
+  }
+
+  // Run EXPLAIN (no ANALYZE — we only inspect the chosen plan) and return the
+  // concatenated plan text.
+  async function explain(query: string): Promise<string> {
+    const rows = await sql<{ 'QUERY PLAN': string }>`EXPLAIN ${sql.raw(query)}`.execute(
+      db,
+    );
+    return (rows.rows as any[]).map((r) => r['QUERY PLAN']).join('\n');
+  }
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    db = getTestDb();
+    workspaceId = (await createWorkspace(db)).id;
+    spaceId = (await createSpace(db, workspaceId)).id;
+
+    // Seed enough rows that a trigram index is a plausible plan. The content is
+    // varied so the '%needle%' pattern is selective.
+    for (let i = 0; i < 200; i++) {
+      await insertPage(
+        `seed-title-${i}`,
+        `seed body content number ${i} lorem ipsum dolor sit amet ${i}`,
+      );
+    }
+    await insertPage('backup-srv.local', 'the needle-token-xyz lives here');
+
+    // Keep the trgm indexes' stats fresh so the planner costs them correctly.
+    await sql`ANALYZE pages`.execute(db);
+  });
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await destroyTestDb();
+  });
+
+  // Force the planner to answer "can the index be used?" rather than "is it
+  // cheaper than a seq scan on this size?". Restored after each test.
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    await sql`SET enable_seqscan = off`.execute(db);
+  });
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await sql`RESET enable_seqscan`.execute(db);
+  });
+
+  it('title predicate (coalesce-FREE, as fixed) uses idx_pages_title_trgm, not a Seq Scan', async () => {
+    const plan = await explain(
+      `SELECT id FROM pages WHERE LOWER(f_unaccent(title)) LIKE '%srv.local%'`,
+    );
+    expect(plan).toContain('idx_pages_title_trgm');
+    expect(plan).not.toMatch(/Seq Scan on pages/i);
+  });
+
+  it('text_content predicate (coalesce-FREE, as fixed) uses idx_pages_text_content_trgm, not a Seq Scan', async () => {
+    const plan = await explain(
+      `SELECT id FROM pages WHERE LOWER(f_unaccent(text_content)) LIKE '%needle-token%'`,
+    );
+    expect(plan).toContain('idx_pages_text_content_trgm');
+    expect(plan).not.toMatch(/Seq Scan on pages/i);
+  });
+
+  // Negative control: the OLD coalesce-wrapped predicate must NOT be able to use
+  // the index — even with seqscan disabled it can only Seq Scan pages. If this
+  // ever stops seq-scanning, the coalesce/index expressions have re-aligned and
+  // the guard above is no longer meaningful.
+  it('coalesce-WRAPPED text predicate (the bug) cannot use the index — falls to Seq Scan', async () => {
+    const plan = await explain(
+      `SELECT id FROM pages WHERE LOWER(f_unaccent(coalesce(text_content,''))) LIKE '%needle-token%'`,
+    );
+    expect(plan).not.toContain('idx_pages_text_content_trgm');
+    expect(plan).toMatch(/Seq Scan on pages/i);
+  });
+});