diff --git a/lib/actions.ts b/lib/actions.ts
index c56c24b..e8f958e 100644
--- a/lib/actions.ts
+++ b/lib/actions.ts
@@ -118,4 +118,76 @@ export async function updateList(
   revalidatePath('/')
   revalidatePath(`/list/${listId}`)
   return updated
+}
+
+export async function searchItems(query: string, listId?: string) {
+  if (!query.trim()) {
+    return []
+  }
+
+  const searchTerm = query.toLowerCase()
+
+  // Build the where clause
+  const whereClause: any = {
+    OR: [
+      {
+        title: {
+          contains: query,
+          mode: 'insensitive' as const,
+        },
+      },
+      {
+        description: {
+          contains: query,
+          mode: 'insensitive' as const,
+        },
+      },
+      {
+        notes: {
+          contains: query,
+          mode: 'insensitive' as const,
+        },
+      },
+    ],
+  }
+
+  // Add list scope if specified
+  if (listId) {
+    whereClause.listId = listId
+  }
+
+  const items = await prisma.item.findMany({
+    where: whereClause,
+    include: {
+      list: true,
+    },
+    orderBy: {
+      updatedAt: 'desc',
+    },
+  })
+
+  // Also search in tags (stored as JSON)
+  const allItems = listId
+    ? await prisma.item.findMany({
+        where: { listId },
+        include: { list: true },
+      })
+    : await prisma.item.findMany({
+        include: { list: true },
+      })
+
+  const tagMatches = allItems.filter((item) => {
+    const tags = Array.isArray(item.tags) ? item.tags : []
+    return tags.some((tag: string) =>
+      tag.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm)
+    )
+  })
+
+  // Combine results and remove duplicates
+  const combinedResults = [...items, ...tagMatches]
+  const uniqueResults = Array.from(
+    new Map(combinedResults.map((item) => [item.id, item])).values()
+  )
+
+  return uniqueResults
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/utils.ts b/lib/utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b2eee6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/**
+ * Highlights matching text in a string by wrapping matches with a marker
+ * @param text - The text to search in
+ * @param query - The search query to highlight
+ * @returns The text with highlighted matches wrapped in <mark> tags
+ */
+export function highlightText(text: string, query: string): string {
+  if (!query.trim() || !text) {
+    return text
+  }
+
+  const regex = new RegExp(`(${escapeRegExp(query)})`, 'gi')
+  return text.replace(regex, '<mark>$1</mark>')
+}
+
+/**
+ * Escapes special regex characters in a string
+ * @param string - The string to escape
+ * @returns The escaped string safe for use in RegExp
+ */
+function escapeRegExp(string: string): string {
+  return string.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')
+}