diff --git a/.changeset/pink-rivers-turn.md b/.changeset/pink-rivers-turn.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..757a3e4386
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/pink-rivers-turn.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"shadcn": minor
+---
+
+improve search command
diff --git a/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.test.ts b/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.test.ts
index 8bdb72a10b..1fc47c1e07 100644
--- a/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.test.ts
+++ b/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
+import { searchRegistries } from "@/src/registry/search"
+import { getConfig } from "@/src/utils/get-config"
 import { ensureRegistriesInConfig } from "@/src/utils/registries"
+import fsExtra from "fs-extra"
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest"
 
 import { search } from "./search"
@@ -35,6 +38,30 @@ const baseConfig = {
   },
 }
 
+const mockResults = {
+  pagination: {
+    total: 2,
+    offset: 0,
+    limit: 100,
+    hasMore: false,
+  },
+  items: [
+    {
+      name: "button",
+      type: "registry:ui",
+      description: "A button component",
+      registry: "@shadcn",
+      addCommandArgument: "@shadcn/button",
+    },
+    {
+      name: "card",
+      type: "registry:ui",
+      registry: "@shadcn",
+      addCommandArgument: "@shadcn/card",
+    },
+  ],
+}
+
 vi.mock("fs-extra", () => ({
   default: {
     existsSync: vi.fn(() => false),
@@ -62,8 +89,11 @@ vi.mock("@/src/registry/validator", () => ({
   validateRegistryConfigForItems: vi.fn(),
 }))
 
-vi.mock("@/src/registry/search", () => ({
-  searchRegistries: vi.fn(() => []),
+// Stub searchRegistries but keep the real printSearchResults (both now live
+// in @/src/registry/search) so the human-readable output is exercised.
+vi.mock("@/src/registry/search", async (importActual) => ({
+  ...(await importActual<typeof import("@/src/registry/search")>()),
+  searchRegistries: vi.fn(() => mockResults),
 }))
 
 vi.mock("@/src/registry/context", () => ({
@@ -112,6 +142,185 @@ describe("search command", () => {
     log.mockRestore()
     exit.mockRestore()
   })
+
+  it("prints human-readable output by default", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const exit = mockProcessExit()
+
+    await expect(
+      search.parseAsync(["@shadcn", "--cwd", "/tmp/test-project"], {
+        from: "user",
+      })
+    ).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:0")
+
+    expect(searchRegistries).toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining("Found 2 items in @shadcn")
+    )
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("@shadcn/button"))
+    expect(log).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining('"pagination"')
+    )
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+    exit.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("prints JSON output with --json", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const exit = mockProcessExit()
+
+    await expect(
+      search.parseAsync(["@shadcn", "--cwd", "/tmp/test-project", "--json"], {
+        from: "user",
+      })
+    ).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:0")
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(JSON.stringify(mockResults, null, 2))
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+    exit.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("requires a registry when no components.json is present", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const exit = mockProcessExit()
+
+    // fs-extra.existsSync is mocked to return false (no components.json).
+    // This is a usage error, so it prints a message and exits 1 directly
+    // instead of routing through handleError.
+    await expect(
+      search.parseAsync(["--cwd", "/tmp/test-project"], {
+        from: "user",
+      })
+    ).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:1")
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining("Provide a registry or namespace to search")
+    )
+    expect(searchRegistries).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+    exit.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("requires a registry when components.json has no registries", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const exit = mockProcessExit()
+
+    vi.mocked(fsExtra.existsSync).mockReturnValueOnce(true as never)
+    vi.mocked(fsExtra.readJson).mockResolvedValueOnce({ style: "new-york" })
+    // components.json present but with no configured registries (only the
+    // builtin @shadcn, which is excluded from "search all").
+    vi.mocked(getConfig).mockReturnValueOnce({ ...baseConfig } as never)
+
+    await expect(
+      search.parseAsync(["--cwd", "/tmp/test-project"], {
+        from: "user",
+      })
+    ).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:1")
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining("No registries are configured")
+    )
+    expect(searchRegistries).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+    exit.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("errors on an unknown --type", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const exit = mockProcessExit()
+
+    await expect(
+      search.parseAsync(
+        ["@shadcn", "--type", "bogus", "--cwd", "/tmp/test-project"],
+        {
+          from: "user",
+        }
+      )
+    ).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:1")
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Unknown type"))
+    expect(searchRegistries).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+    exit.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("searches all configured registries when none are provided", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const exit = mockProcessExit()
+
+    vi.mocked(fsExtra.existsSync).mockReturnValueOnce(true as never)
+    // readJson returns a raw (unresolved) components.json shape.
+    vi.mocked(fsExtra.readJson).mockResolvedValueOnce({ style: "new-york" })
+    vi.mocked(getConfig).mockReturnValueOnce({
+      ...baseConfig,
+      registries: {
+        "@acme": "https://acme.com/{name}.json",
+        "@internal": "https://internal.com/{name}.json",
+      },
+    } as never)
+
+    await expect(
+      search.parseAsync(["--cwd", "/tmp/test-project"], {
+        from: "user",
+      })
+    ).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:0")
+
+    // No explicit namespace args, so nothing to discover.
+    expect(ensureRegistriesInConfig).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      [],
+      expect.any(Object),
+      expect.any(Object)
+    )
+
+    // Only the configured registries are searched (builtin @shadcn is
+    // excluded), and per-registry failures are tolerated.
+    expect(searchRegistries).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      ["@acme", "@internal"],
+      expect.objectContaining({ continueOnError: true })
+    )
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+    exit.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("exits non-zero when every registry fails in search-all", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const exit = mockProcessExit()
+
+    vi.mocked(fsExtra.existsSync).mockReturnValueOnce(true as never)
+    vi.mocked(fsExtra.readJson).mockResolvedValueOnce({ style: "new-york" })
+    vi.mocked(getConfig).mockReturnValueOnce({
+      ...baseConfig,
+      registries: {
+        "@acme": "https://acme.com/{name}.json",
+        "@internal": "https://internal.com/{name}.json",
+      },
+    } as never)
+
+    // Both configured registries failed to load.
+    vi.mocked(searchRegistries).mockReturnValueOnce({
+      pagination: { total: 0, offset: 0, limit: 0, hasMore: false },
+      items: [],
+      errors: [
+        { registry: "@acme", message: "boom" },
+        { registry: "@internal", message: "boom" },
+      ],
+    } as never)
+
+    await expect(
+      search.parseAsync(["--cwd", "/tmp/test-project"], {
+        from: "user",
+      })
+    ).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:1")
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+    exit.mockRestore()
+  })
 })
 
 function mockProcessExit() {
diff --git a/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.ts b/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.ts
index 4e2584cc83..a9a5e6f58a 100644
--- a/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.ts
+++ b/packages/shadcn/src/commands/search.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,20 @@
 import path from "path"
 import { configWithDefaults } from "@/src/registry/config"
 import { clearRegistryContext } from "@/src/registry/context"
-import { searchRegistries } from "@/src/registry/search"
+import {
+  findUnknownSearchTypes,
+  printSearchResults,
+  resolveSearchRegistries,
+  SEARCHABLE_TYPES,
+  searchRegistries,
+} from "@/src/registry/search"
 import { validateRegistryConfigForItems } from "@/src/registry/validator"
 import { rawConfigSchema } from "@/src/schema"
 import { loadEnvFiles } from "@/src/utils/env-loader"
 import { createConfig, getConfig } from "@/src/utils/get-config"
 import { handleError } from "@/src/utils/handle-error"
+import { highlighter } from "@/src/utils/highlighter"
+import { logger } from "@/src/utils/logger"
 import { ensureRegistriesInConfig } from "@/src/utils/registries"
 import { Command } from "commander"
 import fsExtra from "fs-extra"
@@ -15,6 +23,7 @@ import { z } from "zod"
 const searchOptionsSchema = z.object({
   cwd: z.string(),
   query: z.string().optional(),
+  types: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
   limit: z.number().optional(),
   offset: z.number().optional(),
 })
@@ -27,8 +36,8 @@ export const search = new Command()
   .alias("list")
   .description("search items from registries")
   .argument(
-    "<registries...>",
-    "the registry addresses to search. Supports namespaces, GitHub sources and URLs."
+    "[registries...]",
+    "the registry addresses to search. Supports namespaces, GitHub sources and URLs. When omitted, searches all registries configured in components.json."
   )
   .option(
     "-c, --cwd <cwd>",
@@ -37,20 +46,44 @@ export const search = new Command()
   )
   .option("-q, --query <query>", "query string")
   .option(
-    "-l, --limit <number>",
-    "maximum number of items to display per registry",
-    "100"
+    "-t, --type <type>",
+    "filter by item type, e.g. ui, block, hook. Comma-separated for multiple."
   )
+  .option("-l, --limit <number>", "maximum number of items to display", "100")
   .option("-o, --offset <number>", "number of items to skip", "0")
+  .option("--json", "output as JSON.", false)
   .action(async (registries: string[], opts) => {
     try {
       const options = searchOptionsSchema.parse({
         cwd: path.resolve(opts.cwd),
         query: opts.query,
+        types: opts.type
+          ? opts.type
+              .split(",")
+              .map((type: string) => type.trim())
+              .filter(Boolean)
+          : undefined,
         limit: opts.limit ? parseInt(opts.limit, 10) : undefined,
         offset: opts.offset ? parseInt(opts.offset, 10) : undefined,
       })
 
+      // Validate type filters up front so an unknown type fails clearly
+      // instead of silently returning no results.
+      if (options.types?.length) {
+        const unknownTypes = findUnknownSearchTypes(options.types)
+        if (unknownTypes.length > 0) {
+          logger.break()
+          logger.error(
+            `Unknown ${unknownTypes.length === 1 ? "type" : "types"}: ${unknownTypes
+              .map((type) => highlighter.info(type))
+              .join(", ")}.`
+          )
+          logger.error(`Valid types: ${SEARCHABLE_TYPES.join(", ")}.`)
+          logger.break()
+          process.exit(1)
+        }
+      }
+
       await loadEnvFiles(options.cwd)
 
       // Start with a shadow config to support partial components.json.
@@ -65,7 +98,8 @@ export const search = new Command()
 
       // Check if there's a components.json file (partial or complete).
       const componentsJsonPath = path.resolve(options.cwd, "components.json")
-      if (fsExtra.existsSync(componentsJsonPath)) {
+      const hasComponentsJson = fsExtra.existsSync(componentsJsonPath)
+      if (hasComponentsJson) {
         const existingConfig = await fsExtra.readJson(componentsJsonPath)
         const partialConfig = rawConfigSchema.partial().parse(existingConfig)
         shadowConfig = configWithDefaults({
@@ -85,6 +119,33 @@ export const search = new Command()
         // Use shadow config if getConfig fails (partial components.json).
       }
 
+      // When no registry is provided, search across every registry configured
+      // in components.json. This only makes sense when a components.json is
+      // present to enumerate; otherwise there is nothing to search and we ask
+      // for an explicit registry/namespace argument.
+      const searchAllConfigured = registries.length === 0
+      if (searchAllConfigured && !hasComponentsJson) {
+        logger.break()
+        logger.error(
+          `Provide a registry or namespace to search, e.g. ${highlighter.info(
+            "shadcn search @shadcn"
+          )}.`
+        )
+        logger.break()
+        logger.error(
+          `If you have a ${highlighter.info(
+            "components.json"
+          )} with registries configured, run ${highlighter.info(
+            "shadcn search"
+          )} with no arguments to search all of them.`
+        )
+        logger.break()
+        process.exit(1)
+      }
+
+      // Only namespace registries passed explicitly need to be discovered and
+      // added to the config. Registries already configured in components.json
+      // are resolved directly from the config below.
       const { config: updatedConfig, newRegistries } =
         await ensureRegistriesInConfig(
           registries
@@ -100,19 +161,63 @@ export const search = new Command()
         config.registries = updatedConfig.registries
       }
 
-      // Validate registries early for better error messages.
-      validateRegistryConfigForItems(registries, config)
+      // When no registry is passed, "search all" resolves to every configured
+      // registry, excluding builtins (e.g. @shadcn).
+      const registriesToSearch = resolveSearchRegistries(registries, config)
 
-      // Use searchRegistries for both search and non-search cases
-      const results = await searchRegistries(registries as `@${string}`[], {
+      if (searchAllConfigured && registriesToSearch.length === 0) {
+        logger.break()
+        logger.error(
+          `No registries are configured in ${highlighter.info(
+            "components.json"
+          )}.`
+        )
+        logger.error(
+          `Provide a registry or namespace to search, e.g. ${highlighter.info(
+            "shadcn search @shadcn"
+          )}.`
+        )
+        logger.break()
+        process.exit(1)
+      }
+
+      // For explicitly requested registries we validate up front so the user
+      // gets a clear error (e.g. missing env vars). When searching every
+      // configured registry we skip strict validation and instead tolerate
+      // individual registry failures (see continueOnError below).
+      if (!searchAllConfigured) {
+        validateRegistryConfigForItems(registriesToSearch, config)
+      }
+
+      const results = await searchRegistries(registriesToSearch, {
         query: options.query,
+        types: options.types,
         limit: options.limit,
         offset: options.offset,
         config,
+        // Tolerate per-registry failures when searching every configured
+        // registry; failures are returned in `results.errors` so they can be
+        // surfaced to humans (printSearchResults) and machines (--json) alike.
+        continueOnError: searchAllConfigured,
       })
 
-      console.log(JSON.stringify(results, null, 2))
-      process.exit(0)
+      // In search-all mode, failures are tolerated and collected. If *every*
+      // registry failed, the search did not succeed — exit non-zero.
+      const allRegistriesFailed =
+        searchAllConfigured &&
+        results.errors?.length === registriesToSearch.length
+
+      if (opts.json) {
+        console.log(JSON.stringify(results, null, 2))
+      } else {
+        printSearchResults(results, {
+          query: options.query,
+          types: options.types,
+          registries: registriesToSearch,
+        })
+      }
+
+      process.exit(allRegistriesFailed ? 1 : 0)
     } catch (error) {
       handleError(error)
     } finally {
diff --git a/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/index.ts b/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/index.ts
index 4daca0e3cc..549aa06a87 100644
--- a/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/index.ts
+++ b/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 import { getRegistryItems, searchRegistries } from "@/src/registry"
 import { RegistryError } from "@/src/registry/errors"
+import {
+  resolveSearchRegistries,
+  SEARCHABLE_TYPES,
+} from "@/src/registry/search"
 import { Server } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/index.js"
 import {
   CallToolRequestSchema,
@@ -10,9 +14,11 @@ import { z } from "zod"
 import { zodToJsonSchema } from "zod-to-json-schema"
 
 import {
+  findUnknownTypesMessage,
   formatItemExamples,
   formatRegistryItems,
   formatSearchResultsWithPagination,
+  formatSkippedRegistries,
   getMcpConfig,
   npxShadcn,
 } from "./utils"
@@ -47,13 +53,22 @@ server.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => {
           z.object({
             registries: z
               .array(z.string())
+              .optional()
               .describe(
-                "Array of registry names to search (e.g., ['@shadcn', '@acme'])"
+                "Array of registry names to list (e.g., ['@shadcn', '@acme']). Omit to list from every registry configured in components.json."
+              ),
+            types: z
+              .array(z.string())
+              .optional()
+              .describe(
+                `Filter by item type. One of: ${SEARCHABLE_TYPES.join(", ")}.`
               ),
             limit: z
               .number()
               .optional()
-              .describe("Maximum number of items to return"),
+              .describe(
+                "Maximum number of items to return (defaults to 100; use 0 for no limit)"
+              ),
             offset: z
               .number()
               .optional()
@@ -69,18 +84,27 @@ server.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => {
           z.object({
             registries: z
               .array(z.string())
+              .optional()
               .describe(
-                "Array of registry names to search (e.g., ['@shadcn', '@acme'])"
+                "Array of registry names to search (e.g., ['@shadcn', '@acme']). Omit to search every registry configured in components.json."
               ),
             query: z
               .string()
               .describe(
                 "Search query string for fuzzy matching against item names and descriptions"
               ),
+            types: z
+              .array(z.string())
+              .optional()
+              .describe(
+                `Filter by item type. One of: ${SEARCHABLE_TYPES.join(", ")}.`
+              ),
             limit: z
               .number()
               .optional()
-              .describe("Maximum number of items to return"),
+              .describe(
+                "Maximum number of items to return (defaults to 100; use 0 for no limit)"
+              ),
             offset: z
               .number()
               .optional()
@@ -110,8 +134,9 @@ server.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => {
           z.object({
             registries: z
               .array(z.string())
+              .optional()
               .describe(
-                "Array of registry names to search (e.g., ['@shadcn', '@acme'])"
+                "Array of registry names to search (e.g., ['@shadcn', '@acme']). Omit to search every registry configured in components.json."
               ),
             query: z
               .string()
@@ -196,21 +221,56 @@ server.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async (request) => {
 
       case "search_items_in_registries": {
         const inputSchema = z.object({
-          registries: z.array(z.string()),
+          registries: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
           query: z.string(),
+          types: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
           limit: z.number().optional(),
           offset: z.number().optional(),
         })
 
         const args = inputSchema.parse(request.params.arguments)
-        const results = await searchRegistries(args.registries, {
+
+        const unknownTypesMessage = findUnknownTypesMessage(args.types)
+        if (unknownTypesMessage) {
+          return {
+            content: [{ type: "text", text: unknownTypesMessage }],
+            isError: true,
+          }
+        }
+
+        const config = await getMcpConfig(process.cwd())
+
+        // When registries are omitted, search every configured registry and
+        // tolerate individual failures.
+        const searchAll = !args.registries?.length
+        const registries = resolveSearchRegistries(
+          args.registries ?? [],
+          config
+        )
+
+        if (registries.length === 0) {
+          return {
+            content: [
+              {
+                type: "text",
+                text: dedent`No registries are configured. Add registries to components.json (use get_project_registries to inspect) or pass them explicitly.`,
+              },
+            ],
+          }
+        }
+
+        const results = await searchRegistries(registries, {
           query: args.query,
-          limit: args.limit,
+          types: args.types,
+          limit: args.limit ?? 100,
           offset: args.offset,
-          config: await getMcpConfig(process.cwd()),
+          config,
           useCache: false,
+          continueOnError: searchAll,
         })
 
+        const skippedNote = formatSkippedRegistries(results)
+
         if (results.items.length === 0) {
           return {
             content: [
@@ -218,9 +278,9 @@ server.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async (request) => {
                 type: "text",
                 text: dedent`No items found matching "${
                   args.query
-                }" in registries ${args.registries.join(
+                }" in registries ${registries.join(
                   ", "
-                )}, Try searching with a different query or registry.`,
+                )}, Try searching with a different query or registry.${skippedNote}`,
               },
             ],
           }
@@ -230,10 +290,11 @@ server.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async (request) => {
           content: [
             {
               type: "text",
-              text: formatSearchResultsWithPagination(results, {
-                query: args.query,
-                registries: args.registries,
-              }),
+              text:
+                formatSearchResultsWithPagination(results, {
+                  query: args.query,
+                  registries,
+                }) + skippedNote,
             },
           ],
         }
@@ -241,28 +302,61 @@ server.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async (request) => {
 
       case "list_items_in_registries": {
         const inputSchema = z.object({
-          registries: z.array(z.string()),
+          registries: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
+          types: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
           limit: z.number().optional(),
           offset: z.number().optional(),
           cwd: z.string().optional(),
         })
 
         const args = inputSchema.parse(request.params.arguments)
-        const results = await searchRegistries(args.registries, {
-          limit: args.limit,
+
+        const unknownTypesMessage = findUnknownTypesMessage(args.types)
+        if (unknownTypesMessage) {
+          return {
+            content: [{ type: "text", text: unknownTypesMessage }],
+            isError: true,
+          }
+        }
+
+        const config = await getMcpConfig(process.cwd())
+
+        const listAll = !args.registries?.length
+        const registries = resolveSearchRegistries(
+          args.registries ?? [],
+          config
+        )
+
+        if (registries.length === 0) {
+          return {
+            content: [
+              {
+                type: "text",
+                text: dedent`No registries are configured. Add registries to components.json (use get_project_registries to inspect) or pass them explicitly.`,
+              },
+            ],
+          }
+        }
+
+        const results = await searchRegistries(registries, {
+          types: args.types,
+          limit: args.limit ?? 100,
           offset: args.offset,
-          config: await getMcpConfig(process.cwd()),
+          config,
           useCache: false,
+          continueOnError: listAll,
         })
 
+        const skippedNote = formatSkippedRegistries(results)
+
         if (results.items.length === 0) {
           return {
             content: [
               {
                 type: "text",
-                text: dedent`No items found in registries ${args.registries.join(
+                text: dedent`No items found in registries ${registries.join(
                   ", "
-                )}.`,
+                )}.${skippedNote}`,
               },
             ],
           }
@@ -272,9 +366,10 @@ server.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async (request) => {
           content: [
             {
               type: "text",
-              text: formatSearchResultsWithPagination(results, {
-                registries: args.registries,
-              }),
+              text:
+                formatSearchResultsWithPagination(results, {
+                  registries,
+                }) + skippedNote,
             },
           ],
         }
@@ -321,16 +416,34 @@ server.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async (request) => {
       case "get_item_examples_from_registries": {
         const inputSchema = z.object({
           query: z.string(),
-          registries: z.array(z.string()),
+          registries: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
         })
 
         const args = inputSchema.parse(request.params.arguments)
         const config = await getMcpConfig()
 
-        const results = await searchRegistries(args.registries, {
+        const searchAll = !args.registries?.length
+        const registries = resolveSearchRegistries(
+          args.registries ?? [],
+          config
+        )
+
+        if (registries.length === 0) {
+          return {
+            content: [
+              {
+                type: "text",
+                text: dedent`No registries are configured. Add registries to components.json (use get_project_registries to inspect) or pass them explicitly.`,
+              },
+            ],
+          }
+        }
+
+        const results = await searchRegistries(registries, {
           query: args.query,
           config,
           useCache: false,
+          continueOnError: searchAll,
         })
 
         if (results.items.length === 0) {
diff --git a/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/utils.ts b/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/utils.ts
index 5877420533..d990e8cb58 100644
--- a/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/shadcn/src/mcp/utils.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { getRegistriesConfig } from "@/src/registry/api"
+import { findUnknownSearchTypes, SEARCHABLE_TYPES } from "@/src/registry/search"
 import { registryItemSchema, searchResultsSchema } from "@/src/schema"
 import { getPackageRunner } from "@/src/utils/get-package-manager"
 import { z } from "zod"
@@ -78,6 +79,41 @@ export function formatSearchResultsWithPagination(
   return output
 }
 
+// Validates type filters the same way the CLI does. Returns an error message
+// listing the valid types when any are unknown, or null when all are valid.
+export function findUnknownTypesMessage(types?: string[]): string | null {
+  if (!types?.length) {
+    return null
+  }
+
+  const unknown = findUnknownSearchTypes(types)
+  if (unknown.length === 0) {
+    return null
+  }
+
+  return `Unknown type${
+    unknown.length === 1 ? "" : "s"
+  }: ${unknown.join(", ")}. Valid types: ${SEARCHABLE_TYPES.join(", ")}.`
+}
+
+// When searching across all configured registries, some may fail to load.
+// Returns a note listing them (empty string when there were no failures).
+export function formatSkippedRegistries(
+  results: z.infer<typeof searchResultsSchema>
+) {
+  if (!results.errors?.length) {
+    return ""
+  }
+
+  const lines = results.errors.map(
+    (error) => `- ${error.registry}: ${error.message}`
+  )
+
+  return `\n\nSkipped ${results.errors.length} registr${
+    results.errors.length === 1 ? "y" : "ies"
+  } that failed to load:\n${lines.join("\n")}`
+}
+
 export function formatRegistryItems(
   items: z.infer<typeof registryItemSchema>[]
 ) {
diff --git a/packages/shadcn/src/registry/schema.ts b/packages/shadcn/src/registry/schema.ts
index ff24e3f531..7948ee35be 100644
--- a/packages/shadcn/src/registry/schema.ts
+++ b/packages/shadcn/src/registry/schema.ts
@@ -287,6 +287,11 @@ export const searchResultItemSchema = z.object({
   addCommandArgument: z.string(),
 })
 
+export const searchResultErrorSchema = z.object({
+  registry: z.string(),
+  message: z.string(),
+})
+
 export const searchResultsSchema = z.object({
   pagination: z.object({
     total: z.number(),
@@ -295,6 +300,10 @@ export const searchResultsSchema = z.object({
     hasMore: z.boolean(),
   }),
   items: z.array(searchResultItemSchema),
+  // Registries that failed to load during the search. Only present when a
+  // search tolerates per-registry failures (see searchRegistries'
+  // continueOnError) and at least one registry was skipped.
+  errors: z.array(searchResultErrorSchema).optional(),
 })
 
 // Legacy schema for getRegistriesIndex() backward compatibility.
diff --git a/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.test.ts b/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.test.ts
index e9a49bd46a..ff11f1545d 100644
--- a/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.test.ts
+++ b/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,18 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest"
 
 import { getRegistry } from "./api"
-import { buildRegistryItemNameFromRegistry, searchRegistries } from "./search"
+import {
+  buildRegistryItemNameFromRegistry,
+  findUnknownSearchTypes,
+  formatSearchResultDescription,
+  formatSearchResultType,
+  printSearchResults,
+  resolveSearchRegistries,
+  SEARCH_CONCURRENCY,
+  SEARCH_RESULT_DESCRIPTION_MAX_LENGTH,
+  SEARCHABLE_TYPES,
+  searchRegistries,
+} from "./search"
 
 describe("searchRegistries", () => {
   it("should fetch and return registries in flat format", async () => {
@@ -152,6 +163,177 @@ describe("searchRegistries", () => {
     mockGetRegistry.mockRestore()
   })
 
+  it("collects errors and continues when continueOnError is set", async () => {
+    vi.mock("./api", () => ({
+      getRegistry: vi.fn(),
+    }))
+
+    const mockGetRegistry = vi.mocked(getRegistry)
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockImplementation(async (name: string) => {
+      if (name === "@ok") {
+        return {
+          name: "ok/registry",
+          homepage: "https://ok.com",
+          items: [
+            { name: "button", type: "registry:ui", description: "A button" },
+          ],
+        }
+      }
+      throw new Error(`Registry not found: ${name}`)
+    })
+
+    const results = await searchRegistries(["@ok", "@broken"], {
+      continueOnError: true,
+    })
+
+    // Items from the working registry are still returned.
+    expect(results.items).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(results.items[0].name).toBe("button")
+
+    // The failing registry is recorded in errors instead of throwing.
+    expect(results.errors).toEqual([
+      {
+        registry: "@broken",
+        message: "Registry not found: @broken",
+      },
+    ])
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("preserves argument order even when responses resolve out of order", async () => {
+    vi.mock("./api", () => ({
+      getRegistry: vi.fn(),
+    }))
+
+    const mockGetRegistry = vi.mocked(getRegistry)
+
+    // @slow resolves after @fast, but its items must still come first because
+    // it is listed first. Guards the parallel fetch / ordered processing.
+    mockGetRegistry.mockImplementation(async (name: string) => {
+      if (name === "@slow") {
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 20))
+        return {
+          name: "slow",
+          homepage: "https://slow.com",
+          items: [{ name: "slow-item", type: "registry:ui", description: "" }],
+        }
+      }
+      if (name === "@fast") {
+        return {
+          name: "fast",
+          homepage: "https://fast.com",
+          items: [{ name: "fast-item", type: "registry:ui", description: "" }],
+        }
+      }
+      throw new Error(`Unknown registry: ${name}`)
+    })
+
+    const results = await searchRegistries(["@slow", "@fast"])
+
+    expect(results.items.map((item) => item.name)).toEqual([
+      "slow-item",
+      "fast-item",
+    ])
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("caps how many registries are fetched concurrently", async () => {
+    vi.mock("./api", () => ({
+      getRegistry: vi.fn(),
+    }))
+
+    const mockGetRegistry = vi.mocked(getRegistry)
+
+    let active = 0
+    let maxActive = 0
+    mockGetRegistry.mockImplementation(async (name: string) => {
+      active++
+      maxActive = Math.max(maxActive, active)
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 10))
+      active--
+      return {
+        name,
+        homepage: "https://test.com",
+        items: [{ name: `${name}-item`, type: "registry:ui", description: "" }],
+      }
+    })
+
+    const registries = Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, i) => `@r${i}`)
+    const results = await searchRegistries(registries)
+
+    // All registries are still fetched...
+    expect(results.items).toHaveLength(20)
+    // ...but never more than the concurrency cap at once.
+    expect(maxActive).toBeLessThanOrEqual(SEARCH_CONCURRENCY)
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("filters by type (shorthand and full namespace, multiple)", async () => {
+    vi.mock("./api", () => ({
+      getRegistry: vi.fn(),
+    }))
+
+    const mockGetRegistry = vi.mocked(getRegistry)
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockImplementation(async () => ({
+      name: "test/registry",
+      homepage: "https://test.com",
+      items: [
+        { name: "button", type: "registry:ui", description: "" },
+        { name: "dashboard", type: "registry:block", description: "" },
+        { name: "use-foo", type: "registry:hook", description: "" },
+      ],
+    }))
+
+    // Shorthand, multiple types.
+    const multiple = await searchRegistries(["@test"], {
+      types: ["ui", "hook"],
+    })
+    expect(multiple.items.map((item) => item.name)).toEqual([
+      "button",
+      "use-foo",
+    ])
+
+    // Full namespaced form is accepted too.
+    const full = await searchRegistries(["@test"], {
+      types: ["registry:block"],
+    })
+    expect(full.items.map((item) => item.name)).toEqual(["dashboard"])
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("combines a type filter with a query", async () => {
+    vi.mock("./api", () => ({
+      getRegistry: vi.fn(),
+    }))
+
+    const mockGetRegistry = vi.mocked(getRegistry)
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockImplementation(async () => ({
+      name: "test/registry",
+      homepage: "https://test.com",
+      items: [
+        { name: "button", type: "registry:ui", description: "A button" },
+        { name: "button-group", type: "registry:block", description: "" },
+      ],
+    }))
+
+    const results = await searchRegistries(["@test"], {
+      query: "button",
+      types: ["ui"],
+    })
+
+    // Both match the query, but only the ui item survives the type filter.
+    expect(results.items.map((item) => item.name)).toEqual(["button"])
+
+    mockGetRegistry.mockRestore()
+  })
+
   it("should return empty items when search has no matches", async () => {
     vi.mock("./api", () => ({
       getRegistry: vi.fn(),
@@ -653,3 +835,255 @@ describe("buildRegistryItemNameFromRegistry", () => {
     expect(result).toBe(expected)
   })
 })
+
+describe("formatSearchResultType", () => {
+  it("strips the registry prefix", () => {
+    expect(formatSearchResultType("registry:ui")).toBe("ui")
+    expect(formatSearchResultType("registry:block")).toBe("block")
+  })
+
+  it("returns other types unchanged", () => {
+    expect(formatSearchResultType("custom:type")).toBe("custom:type")
+    expect(formatSearchResultType(undefined)).toBe("")
+  })
+})
+
+describe("formatSearchResultDescription", () => {
+  it("returns short descriptions unchanged", () => {
+    expect(formatSearchResultDescription("A simple login form.")).toBe(
+      "A simple login form."
+    )
+  })
+
+  it("truncates long descriptions with an ellipsis", () => {
+    const description =
+      "A dashboard with sidebar, charts, data table, filters, and many other widgets for managing your application."
+
+    const formatted = formatSearchResultDescription(description)
+
+    expect(formatted.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(
+      SEARCH_RESULT_DESCRIPTION_MAX_LENGTH
+    )
+    expect(formatted.endsWith("...")).toBe(true)
+    expect(formatted).not.toBe(description)
+  })
+})
+
+describe("printSearchResults", () => {
+  it("prints type and description inline", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+    printSearchResults(
+      {
+        pagination: {
+          total: 2,
+          offset: 0,
+          limit: 100,
+          hasMore: false,
+        },
+        items: [
+          {
+            name: "button",
+            type: "registry:ui",
+            description: "A button component",
+            registry: "@shadcn",
+            addCommandArgument: "@shadcn/button",
+          },
+          {
+            name: "card",
+            type: "registry:ui",
+            registry: "@shadcn",
+            addCommandArgument: "@shadcn/card",
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        query: "button",
+        registries: ["@shadcn"],
+      }
+    )
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining('Found 2 items matching "button" in @shadcn')
+    )
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining("Showing 1-2 of 2")
+    )
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringMatching(
+        /- @shadcn\/button \(ui\) — A button component\n- @shadcn\/card \(ui\)$/
+      )
+    )
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("includes the type filter in the header (normalized for display)", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+    printSearchResults(
+      {
+        pagination: { total: 1, offset: 0, limit: 100, hasMore: false },
+        items: [
+          {
+            name: "button",
+            type: "registry:ui",
+            registry: "@shadcn",
+            addCommandArgument: "@shadcn/button",
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        // Full namespaced form on input is shown as the shorthand.
+        types: ["registry:ui"],
+        registries: ["@shadcn"],
+      }
+    )
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining("Found 1 item of type ui in @shadcn")
+    )
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("prints registry when searching multiple registries", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+    printSearchResults(
+      {
+        pagination: {
+          total: 1,
+          offset: 0,
+          limit: 100,
+          hasMore: false,
+        },
+        items: [
+          {
+            name: "header",
+            type: "registry:component",
+            description: "A header component",
+            registry: "@custom",
+            addCommandArgument: "@custom/header",
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        registries: ["@shadcn", "@custom"],
+      }
+    )
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringMatching(
+        /- @custom\/header \(component\) · @custom — A header component/
+      )
+    )
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("prints a warning for each skipped registry", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+    printSearchResults(
+      {
+        pagination: {
+          total: 1,
+          offset: 0,
+          limit: 100,
+          hasMore: false,
+        },
+        items: [
+          {
+            name: "button",
+            type: "registry:ui",
+            registry: "@ok",
+            addCommandArgument: "@ok/button",
+          },
+        ],
+        errors: [{ registry: "@broken", message: "Not found" }],
+      },
+      {
+        registries: ["@ok", "@broken"],
+      }
+    )
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining("Skipped @broken: Not found")
+    )
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it("prints a warning when no items are found", async () => {
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+    printSearchResults(
+      {
+        pagination: {
+          total: 0,
+          offset: 0,
+          limit: 100,
+          hasMore: false,
+        },
+        items: [],
+      },
+      {
+        query: "missing",
+        registries: ["@shadcn"],
+      }
+    )
+
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining('No items found matching "missing" in @shadcn')
+    )
+
+    log.mockRestore()
+  })
+})
+
+describe("resolveSearchRegistries", () => {
+  it("returns explicitly provided registries unchanged", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveSearchRegistries(["@one", "@two"], {
+        registries: { "@shadcn": "x/{name}.json", "@one": "y/{name}.json" },
+      })
+    ).toEqual(["@one", "@two"])
+  })
+
+  it("returns all configured registries (excluding builtins) when none given", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveSearchRegistries([], {
+        registries: {
+          "@shadcn": "x/{name}.json",
+          "@one": "y/{name}.json",
+          "@two": "z/{name}.json",
+        },
+      })
+    ).toEqual(["@one", "@two"])
+  })
+
+  it("returns empty when none given and nothing is configured", () => {
+    expect(resolveSearchRegistries([], { registries: {} })).toEqual([])
+    expect(resolveSearchRegistries([], undefined)).toEqual([])
+  })
+})
+
+describe("findUnknownSearchTypes", () => {
+  it("accepts known types in shorthand and full form", () => {
+    expect(findUnknownSearchTypes(["ui", "registry:block", "HOOK"])).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it("returns the unknown types", () => {
+    expect(findUnknownSearchTypes(["ui", "bogus", "blok"])).toEqual([
+      "bogus",
+      "blok",
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it("does not offer internal-only types", () => {
+    expect(SEARCHABLE_TYPES).not.toContain("example")
+    expect(SEARCHABLE_TYPES).not.toContain("internal")
+    expect(findUnknownSearchTypes(["internal"])).toEqual(["internal"])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.ts b/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.ts
index cc2ac12dd1..fc17a6c4a9 100644
--- a/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.ts
+++ b/packages/shadcn/src/registry/search.ts
@@ -1,33 +1,136 @@
-import { searchResultItemSchema, searchResultsSchema } from "@/src/schema"
+import {
+  registryItemTypeSchema,
+  searchResultErrorSchema,
+  searchResultItemSchema,
+  searchResultsSchema,
+} from "@/src/schema"
 import { Config } from "@/src/utils/get-config"
+import { highlighter } from "@/src/utils/highlighter"
+import { logger } from "@/src/utils/logger"
 import fuzzysort from "fuzzysort"
 import { z } from "zod"
 
 import { resolveGitHubRegistrySource } from "./address"
 import { getRegistry } from "./api"
+import { BUILTIN_REGISTRIES } from "./constants"
+import { clearRegistryContext } from "./context"
+
+// Resolves which registries a search should target. When none are provided
+// explicitly, returns every registry configured in the project, excluding
+// builtin registries (e.g. @shadcn) — "search all" means the registries the
+// user actually configured. Shared by the CLI command and the MCP server so
+// both resolve "search all" the same way.
+export function resolveSearchRegistries(
+  registries: string[],
+  config?: Partial<Config>
+): string[] {
+  if (registries.length > 0) {
+    return registries
+  }
+
+  return Object.keys(config?.registries ?? {}).filter(
+    (registry) => !(registry in BUILTIN_REGISTRIES)
+  )
+}
+
+// Cap how many registries we fetch at once so searching many configured
+// registries does not open an unbounded number of connections.
+export const SEARCH_CONCURRENCY = 8
+
+// Like Promise.allSettled, but runs at most `limit` tasks at a time and
+// preserves input order in the returned results.
+async function mapSettledWithConcurrency<T, R>(
+  items: T[],
+  limit: number,
+  fn: (item: T) => Promise<R>
+): Promise<PromiseSettledResult<R>[]> {
+  const results: PromiseSettledResult<R>[] = new Array(items.length)
+  let cursor = 0
+
+  async function worker() {
+    while (cursor < items.length) {
+      const index = cursor++
+      try {
+        results[index] = { status: "fulfilled", value: await fn(items[index]) }
+      } catch (reason) {
+        results[index] = { status: "rejected", reason }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  const workers = Array.from({ length: Math.min(limit, items.length) }, () =>
+    worker()
+  )
+  await Promise.all(workers)
+
+  return results
+}
 
 export async function searchRegistries(
   registries: string[],
   options?: {
     query?: string
+    types?: string[]
     limit?: number
     offset?: number
     config?: Partial<Config>
     useCache?: boolean
+    // When true, a registry that fails to load is skipped (and recorded in the
+    // returned `errors`) instead of throwing. Use this when searching across
+    // many registries (e.g. all configured registries) so one broken registry
+    // does not abort the entire search.
+    continueOnError?: boolean
   }
 ) {
-  const { query, limit, offset, config, useCache } = options || {}
+  const {
+    query,
+    types,
+    limit,
+    offset,
+    config,
+    useCache = false,
+    continueOnError,
+  } = options || {}
+
+  // Start from a clean slate so this call does not inherit registry header
+  // context from a previous operation. Matches getRegistryItems/resolve.
+  clearRegistryContext()
 
   let allItems: z.infer<typeof searchResultItemSchema>[] = []
+  const errors: z.infer<typeof searchResultErrorSchema>[] = []
 
-  for (const registry of registries) {
-    const registryData = await getRegistry(registry, { config, useCache })
+  // Fetch registries concurrently (capped), then process the results in the
+  // original order so the output is deterministic regardless of which
+  // responses land first. This matters most when searching many registries.
+  const outcomes = await mapSettledWithConcurrency(
+    registries,
+    SEARCH_CONCURRENCY,
+    (registry) => getRegistry(registry, { config, useCache })
+  )
 
-    const itemsWithRegistry = (registryData.items || []).map((item) => ({
+  for (let index = 0; index < registries.length; index++) {
+    const registry = registries[index]
+    const outcome = outcomes[index]
+
+    if (outcome.status === "rejected") {
+      if (!continueOnError) {
+        throw outcome.reason
+      }
+      errors.push({
+        registry,
+        message:
+          outcome.reason instanceof Error
+            ? outcome.reason.message
+            : String(outcome.reason),
+      })
+      continue
+    }
+
+    const itemsWithRegistry = (outcome.value.items || []).map((item) => ({
       name: item.name,
       type: item.type,
       description: item.description,
-      registry: registry,
+      registry,
       addCommandArgument: buildRegistryItemNameFromRegistry(
         item.name,
         registry
@@ -37,6 +140,19 @@ export async function searchRegistries(
     allItems = allItems.concat(itemsWithRegistry)
   }
 
+  // Filter by type before the fuzzy query. Accepts both shorthand ("ui") and
+  // the full namespaced form ("registry:ui"), case-insensitively.
+  if (types?.length) {
+    const wantedTypes = new Set(
+      types.map((type) => formatSearchResultType(type).toLowerCase())
+    )
+    allItems = allItems.filter(
+      (item) =>
+        item.type &&
+        wantedTypes.has(formatSearchResultType(item.type).toLowerCase())
+    )
+  }
+
   if (query) {
     allItems = searchItems(allItems, {
       query,
@@ -57,6 +173,9 @@ export async function searchRegistries(
       hasMore: paginationOffset + paginationLimit < totalItems,
     },
     items: allItems.slice(paginationOffset, paginationOffset + paginationLimit),
+    // Only surface errors when present so consumers parsing successful
+    // searches see the same shape as before.
+    ...(errors.length > 0 ? { errors } : {}),
   }
 
   return searchResultsSchema.parse(result)
@@ -179,3 +298,144 @@ export function buildRegistryItemNameFromRegistry(
 
   return hostPart + updatedPath + updatedQuery
 }
+
+export const SEARCH_RESULT_DESCRIPTION_MAX_LENGTH = 80
+
+export function formatSearchResultType(type?: string) {
+  if (!type) {
+    return ""
+  }
+
+  return type.startsWith("registry:") ? type.slice("registry:".length) : type
+}
+
+// Internal-only types that should not be offered as a --type filter.
+const INTERNAL_TYPES = ["registry:example", "registry:internal"]
+
+// The item types accepted by the --type filter, in shorthand form (e.g. "ui").
+export const SEARCHABLE_TYPES = registryItemTypeSchema.options
+  .filter((type) => !INTERNAL_TYPES.includes(type))
+  .map((type) => formatSearchResultType(type))
+
+// Returns the provided types that are not valid searchable types. Accepts both
+// shorthand ("ui") and the full namespaced form ("registry:ui").
+export function findUnknownSearchTypes(types: string[]): string[] {
+  const valid = new Set(SEARCHABLE_TYPES.map((type) => type.toLowerCase()))
+  return types.filter(
+    (type) => !valid.has(formatSearchResultType(type).toLowerCase())
+  )
+}
+
+export function formatSearchResultDescription(
+  description: string,
+  maxLength = SEARCH_RESULT_DESCRIPTION_MAX_LENGTH
+) {
+  const normalized = description.trim().replace(/\s+/g, " ")
+
+  if (normalized.length <= maxLength) {
+    return normalized
+  }
+
+  const truncated = normalized.slice(0, maxLength - 3).trimEnd()
+  const lastSpace = truncated.lastIndexOf(" ")
+  const base =
+    lastSpace > maxLength * 0.6 ? truncated.slice(0, lastSpace) : truncated
+
+  return `${base.trimEnd()}...`
+}
+
+function formatSearchResultItem(
+  item: z.infer<typeof searchResultsSchema>["items"][number],
+  options: {
+    showRegistry: boolean
+  }
+) {
+  const name = item.addCommandArgument ?? item.name
+  const type = formatSearchResultType(item.type)
+  const typeSuffix = type ? ` (${type})` : ""
+  const registrySuffix =
+    options.showRegistry && item.registry ? ` · ${item.registry}` : ""
+  const descriptionSuffix = item.description
+    ? ` — ${formatSearchResultDescription(item.description)}`
+    : ""
+
+  return `- ${highlighter.info(name)}${typeSuffix}${registrySuffix}${descriptionSuffix}`
+}
+
+// Describes what was searched, e.g. ` of type ui matching "button" in @one`.
+// Shared by the results header and the empty-state message so they stay in
+// sync. Types are normalized for display ("registry:ui" → "ui") to match how
+// types are shown in the results themselves.
+function formatSearchScope(options: {
+  query?: string
+  types?: string[]
+  registries: string[]
+}) {
+  const { query, types, registries } = options
+
+  let scope = ""
+  if (types?.length) {
+    scope += ` of type ${types
+      .map((type) => formatSearchResultType(type))
+      .join(", ")}`
+  }
+  if (query) {
+    scope += ` matching ${highlighter.info(`"${query}"`)}`
+  }
+  if (registries.length > 0) {
+    scope += ` in ${registries.join(", ")}`
+  }
+
+  return scope
+}
+
+export function printSearchResults(
+  results: z.infer<typeof searchResultsSchema>,
+  options: {
+    query?: string
+    types?: string[]
+    registries: string[]
+  }
+) {
+  const { pagination, items, errors } = results
+  const showRegistry = options.registries.length > 1
+
+  // Surface any registries that were skipped during the search so users know
+  // the results may be incomplete.
+  if (errors?.length) {
+    for (const { registry, message } of errors) {
+      logger.warn(`Skipped ${registry}: ${message}`)
+    }
+    logger.break()
+  }
+
+  if (items.length === 0) {
+    logger.warn(`No items found${formatSearchScope(options)}.`)
+    return
+  }
+
+  const itemCount = `${pagination.total} item${
+    pagination.total === 1 ? "" : "s"
+  }`
+  logger.info(`Found ${itemCount}${formatSearchScope(options)}`)
+
+  const start = pagination.offset + 1
+  const end = Math.min(pagination.offset + pagination.limit, pagination.total)
+  logger.log(`Showing ${start}-${end} of ${pagination.total}`)
+  logger.break()
+
+  logger.log(
+    items
+      .map((item) => formatSearchResultItem(item, { showRegistry }))
+      .join("\n")
+  )
+
+  if (pagination.hasMore) {
+    logger.break()
+    logger.log(
+      `More items available. Use ${highlighter.info(
+        `--offset ${pagination.offset + pagination.limit}`
+      )} to see the next page.`
+    )
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/tests/src/tests/search.test.ts b/packages/tests/src/tests/search.test.ts
index f92f2934de..02ad10cb4e 100644
--- a/packages/tests/src/tests/search.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tests/src/tests/search.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest"
 import { createFixtureTestDirectory, npxShadcn } from "../utils/helpers"
 import { configureRegistries, createRegistryServer } from "../utils/registry"
 
+async function runSearch(fixturePath: string, args: string[]) {
+  return npxShadcn(fixturePath, [...args, "--json"])
+}
+
 const registryShadcn = await createRegistryServer(
   [
     {
@@ -186,7 +190,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     await configureRegistries(fixturePath, {
       "@shadcn": "http://localhost:9180/r/{name}",
     })
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@shadcn"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@shadcn"])
 
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -225,7 +229,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       "@two": "http://localhost:9182/registry/{name}",
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "@one",
@@ -249,7 +253,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       "@one": "http://localhost:9181/r/{name}",
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@one"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@one"])
 
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -290,7 +294,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       },
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@two"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@two"])
 
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -337,7 +341,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     try {
       process.env.BEARER_TOKEN = "EXAMPLE_BEARER_TOKEN"
 
-      const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@two"])
+      const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@two"])
 
       const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
       expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -379,7 +383,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     await configureRegistries(fixturePath, {
       "@shadcn": "http://localhost:9180/r/{name}",
     })
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@shadcn"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@shadcn"])
 
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -419,7 +423,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       "@one": "http://localhost:9181/r/{name}",
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@one"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@one"])
 
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -522,7 +526,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       "@two": "http://localhost:9182/registry/{name}",
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@one", "@two"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@one", "@two"])
 
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -549,7 +553,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // List from both registries
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@one", "@two"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@one", "@two"])
 
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty("items")
@@ -577,7 +581,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Search for "button" with pagination
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -605,7 +609,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       "@shadcn": "http://localhost:9180/r/{name}",
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -644,7 +648,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
 
     // Test button typos
     for (const typo of typos.slice(0, 4)) {
-      const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+      const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
         "search",
         "@shadcn",
         "--query",
@@ -658,7 +662,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     }
 
     // Test dialog typo
-    const dialogOutput = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const dialogOutput = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -671,7 +675,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     ).toBe(true)
 
     // Test alert typo
-    const alertOutput = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const alertOutput = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -699,7 +703,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     ]
 
     for (const { query, expected } of partialQueries) {
-      const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+      const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
         "search",
         "@shadcn",
         "--query",
@@ -720,19 +724,19 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Search with different cases
-    const output1 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output1 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
       "BUTTON",
     ])
-    const output2 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output2 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
       "button",
     ])
-    const output3 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output3 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -757,7 +761,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Test searching for components with hyphens
-    const output1 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output1 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -769,7 +773,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     ).toBe(true)
 
     // Test searching with just the hyphen part
-    const output2 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output2 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -781,7 +785,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     ).toBe(true)
 
     // Test with spaces (should still work)
-    const output3 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output3 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -800,7 +804,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Search for "bar" which should match "bar" exactly
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@one",
       "--query",
@@ -821,7 +825,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Use 'search' instead of 'list'
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--query",
@@ -846,7 +850,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Test with limit 0 - should return all items
-    const output1 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output1 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--limit",
@@ -856,7 +860,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     expect(parsed1.items.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
 
     // Test with very large limit
-    const output2 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output2 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "--limit",
@@ -875,7 +879,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Search across multiple registries with pagination
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@shadcn",
       "@one",
@@ -900,7 +904,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // First page
-    const output1 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output1 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@large",
       "--limit",
@@ -920,7 +924,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     })
 
     // Middle page
-    const output2 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output2 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@large",
       "--limit",
@@ -935,7 +939,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     expect(parsed2.pagination.hasMore).toBe(true)
 
     // Last page (partial)
-    const output3 = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+    const output3 = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
       "search",
       "@large",
       "--limit",
@@ -957,7 +961,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       "@one": "http://localhost:9181/r/{name}",
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@one"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@one"])
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
 
     // Check that we only get name, type, description, registry, and addCommand fields
@@ -986,7 +990,7 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
       "@two": "http://localhost:9182/registry/{name}",
     })
 
-    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, ["search", "@one", "@two"])
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search", "@one", "@two"])
     const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
 
     // Check @one registry items have correct addCommand
@@ -1001,4 +1005,115 @@ describe("shadcn search", () => {
     )
     expect(itemItem.addCommandArgument).toBe("@two/item")
   })
+
+  it("filters results by type (shorthand and full namespace)", async () => {
+    const fixturePath = await createFixtureTestDirectory("next-app-init")
+    await configureRegistries(fixturePath, {
+      "@shadcn": "http://localhost:9180/r/{name}",
+      "@one": "http://localhost:9181/r/{name}",
+    })
+
+    // @shadcn items are registry:ui, @one items are registry:component.
+    const uiOutput = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
+      "search",
+      "@shadcn",
+      "@one",
+      "--type",
+      "ui",
+    ])
+    const ui = JSON.parse(uiOutput.stdout)
+    expect(ui.items.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    expect(ui.items.every((item: any) => item.type === "registry:ui")).toBe(
+      true
+    )
+
+    // Full namespaced form is accepted too.
+    const componentOutput = await runSearch(fixturePath, [
+      "search",
+      "@shadcn",
+      "@one",
+      "--type",
+      "registry:component",
+    ])
+    const component = JSON.parse(componentOutput.stdout)
+    expect(component.items.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    expect(
+      component.items.every((item: any) => item.type === "registry:component")
+    ).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it("errors on an unknown --type", async () => {
+    const fixturePath = await createFixtureTestDirectory("next-app-init")
+    await configureRegistries(fixturePath, {
+      "@shadcn": "http://localhost:9180/r/{name}",
+    })
+
+    const output = await npxShadcn(fixturePath, [
+      "search",
+      "@shadcn",
+      "--type",
+      "bogus",
+    ])
+
+    expect(output.stdout).toContain("Unknown type")
+    expect(output.stdout).toContain("bogus")
+  })
+
+  it("searches all configured registries when no registry is provided", async () => {
+    const fixturePath = await createFixtureTestDirectory("next-app-init")
+    await configureRegistries(fixturePath, {
+      "@shadcn": "http://localhost:9180/r/{name}",
+      "@one": "http://localhost:9181/r/{name}",
+      "@two": "http://localhost:9182/registry/{name}",
+    })
+
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search"])
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
+
+    const registries = parsed.items.map((item: any) => item.registry)
+    // Configured registries are searched...
+    expect(registries).toContain("@one")
+    expect(registries).toContain("@two")
+    // ...but the builtin @shadcn is excluded from "search all".
+    expect(registries).not.toContain("@shadcn")
+  })
+
+  it("exits non-zero when every registry fails under search-all", async () => {
+    const fixturePath = await createFixtureTestDirectory("next-app-init")
+    // Both registries point at an auth-protected endpoint with no credentials,
+    // so every registry deterministically fails to load (401). Using a running
+    // server avoids depending on a port being free, which races with other
+    // test files under vitest's concurrent file execution.
+    await configureRegistries(fixturePath, {
+      "@locked1": "http://localhost:9182/registry/bearer/{name}",
+      "@locked2": "http://localhost:9182/registry/bearer/{name}",
+    })
+
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search"])
+
+    expect(output.exitCode).not.toBe(0)
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
+    expect(parsed.items).toHaveLength(0)
+    expect(parsed.errors).toHaveLength(2)
+  })
+
+  it("skips registries that fail to load when searching all and reports them", async () => {
+    const fixturePath = await createFixtureTestDirectory("next-app-init")
+    await configureRegistries(fixturePath, {
+      "@one": "http://localhost:9181/r/{name}", // works
+      "@locked": "http://localhost:9182/registry/bearer/{name}", // 401, no creds
+    })
+
+    const output = await runSearch(fixturePath, ["search"])
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output.stdout)
+
+    // The working registry still returns items.
+    expect(parsed.items.some((item: any) => item.registry === "@one")).toBe(
+      true
+    )
+    // The failing registry is reported in errors instead of aborting.
+    expect(parsed.errors).toEqual(
+      expect.arrayContaining([expect.objectContaining({ registry: "@locked" })])
+    )
+  })
 })
diff --git a/skills/shadcn/SKILL.md b/skills/shadcn/SKILL.md
index 7d0014bb84..dcdb754588 100644
--- a/skills/shadcn/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/shadcn/SKILL.md
@@ -240,6 +240,8 @@ npx shadcn@latest add owner/repo/item --dry-run
 npx shadcn@latest search @shadcn -q "sidebar"
 npx shadcn@latest search @tailark -q "stats"
 npx shadcn@latest search owner/repo -q "login"
+npx shadcn@latest search                          # all configured registries
+npx shadcn@latest search @shadcn -q "menu" -t ui  # filter by item type
 
 # Get component docs and example URLs.
 npx shadcn@latest docs button dialog select
diff --git a/skills/shadcn/cli.md b/skills/shadcn/cli.md
index 742b01b1bb..8a1d195871 100644
--- a/skills/shadcn/cli.md
+++ b/skills/shadcn/cli.md
@@ -130,19 +130,22 @@ See [Updating Components in SKILL.md](./SKILL.md#updating-components) for the fu
 ### `search` — Search registries
 
 ```bash
-npx shadcn@latest search <registries...> [options]
+npx shadcn@latest search [registries...] [options]
 ```
 
 Fuzzy search across registries. Also aliased as `npx shadcn@latest list`.
 Supports namespaces (`@acme`), public GitHub registry sources (`owner/repo`),
-and registry catalog URLs. Without `-q`, lists all items.
+and registry catalog URLs. Without `-q`, lists all items. When no registries are
+passed, searches every registry configured in `components.json`.
 
-| Flag                | Short | Description            | Default |
-| ------------------- | ----- | ---------------------- | ------- |
-| `--query <query>`   | `-q`  | Search query           | —       |
-| `--limit <number>`  | `-l`  | Max items per registry | `100`   |
-| `--offset <number>` | `-o`  | Items to skip          | `0`     |
-| `--cwd <cwd>`       | `-c`  | Working directory      | current |
+| Flag                | Short | Description                                       | Default |
+| ------------------- | ----- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------- |
+| `--query <query>`   | `-q`  | Search query                                      | —       |
+| `--type <type>`     | `-t`  | Filter by item type (e.g. `ui`, `block`, `hook`); comma-separated | —       |
+| `--limit <number>`  | `-l`  | Max items to display                              | `100`   |
+| `--offset <number>` | `-o`  | Items to skip                                     | `0`     |
+| `--json`            |       | Output as JSON                                    | `false` |
+| `--cwd <cwd>`       | `-c`  | Working directory                                 | current |
 
 ### `view` — View item details
 
diff --git a/skills/shadcn/mcp.md b/skills/shadcn/mcp.md
index 814604f56c..6539ddaa2d 100644
--- a/skills/shadcn/mcp.md
+++ b/skills/shadcn/mcp.md
@@ -37,16 +37,19 @@ Returns registry names from `components.json`. Errors if no `components.json` ex
 
 Lists all items from one or more registries. Registries can be configured
 namespaces such as `@acme`, public GitHub sources such as `owner/repo`, or
-registry catalog URLs.
+registry catalog URLs. Omit `registries` to list from every registry configured
+in `components.json`.
 
-**Input:** `registries` (string[]), `limit` (number, optional), `offset` (number, optional)
+**Input:** `registries` (string[], optional — omit for all configured), `types` (string[], optional — e.g. `["ui", "block"]`), `limit` (number, optional, defaults to 100), `offset` (number, optional)
 
 ### `shadcn:search_items_in_registries`
 
 Fuzzy search across registries. Registries can be configured namespaces, public
-GitHub sources, or registry catalog URLs.
+GitHub sources, or registry catalog URLs. Omit `registries` to search every
+registry configured in `components.json` — e.g. "find me a hero" across all
+configured registries.
 
-**Input:** `registries` (string[]), `query` (string), `limit` (number, optional), `offset` (number, optional)
+**Input:** `registries` (string[], optional — omit for all configured), `query` (string), `types` (string[], optional — e.g. `["ui", "block"]`), `limit` (number, optional, defaults to 100), `offset` (number, optional)
 
 ### `shadcn:view_items_in_registries`
 
@@ -57,9 +60,10 @@ View item details including full file contents.
 
 ### `shadcn:get_item_examples_from_registries`
 
-Find usage examples and demos with source code.
+Find usage examples and demos with source code. Omit `registries` to search
+every registry configured in `components.json`.
 
-**Input:** `registries` (string[]), `query` (string) — e.g. `"accordion-demo"`, `"button example"`
+**Input:** `registries` (string[], optional — omit for all configured), `query` (string) — e.g. `"accordion-demo"`, `"button example"`
 
 ### `shadcn:get_add_command_for_items`