diff --git a/src/webviews/apps/shared/components/search/search-input.ts b/src/webviews/apps/shared/components/search/search-input.ts
index 2ea0b32..58c5a86 100644
--- a/src/webviews/apps/shared/components/search/search-input.ts
+++ b/src/webviews/apps/shared/components/search/search-input.ts
@@ -5,8 +5,13 @@ import '../codicon';
 // match case is disabled unless regex is true
 const template = html<SearchInput>`
 	<template role="search">
-		<label htmlFor="search">
+		<label
+			for="search"
+			class="${x => (x.showHelp ? 'has-helper' : '')}"
+			@click="${(x, c) => x.handleShowHelper(c.event)}"
+		>
 			<code-icon icon="search" aria-label="${x => x.label}" title="${x => x.label}"></code-icon>
+			<code-icon class="icon-small" icon="chevron-down" aria-hidden="true"></code-icon>
 		</label>
 		<div class="field">
 			<input
@@ -21,31 +26,36 @@ const template = html<SearchInput>`
 				aria-describedby="${x => (!x.errorMessage ? '' : 'error')}"
 				@input="${(x, c) => x.handleInput(c.event)}"
 				@keydown="${(x, c) => x.handleShortcutKeys(c.event as KeyboardEvent)}"
+				@focus="${(x, c) => x.handleFocus(c.event)}"
 			/>
 			<div class="message" id="error" aria-live="polite">${x => x.errorMessage}</div>
 		</div>
 		<div class="controls">
 			<button
-				class="clear-button${x => (x.value ? '' : ' clear-button__hidden')}"
+				class="control${x => (x.value ? '' : ' is-hidden')}"
 				type="button"
 				role="button"
 				aria-label="Clear"
 				title="Clear"
 				@click="${(x, c) => x.handleClear(c.event)}"
+				@focus="${(x, c) => x.handleFocus(c.event)}"
 			>
 				<code-icon icon="close"></code-icon>
 			</button>
 			<button
+				class="control"
 				type="button"
 				role="checkbox"
 				aria-label="Match All"
 				title="Match All"
 				aria-checked="${x => x.matchAll}"
 				@click="${(x, c) => x.handleMatchAll(c.event)}"
+				@focus="${(x, c) => x.handleFocus(c.event)}"
 			>
 				<code-icon icon="whole-word"></code-icon>
 			</button>
 			<button
+				class="control"
 				type="button"
 				role="checkbox"
 				aria-label="Match Case${x =>
@@ -55,20 +65,40 @@ const template = html<SearchInput>`
 				?disabled="${x => !x.matchRegex}"
 				aria-checked="${x => x.matchCaseOverride}"
 				@click="${(x, c) => x.handleMatchCase(c.event)}"
+				@focus="${(x, c) => x.handleFocus(c.event)}"
 			>
 				<code-icon icon="case-sensitive"></code-icon>
 			</button>
 			<button
+				class="control"
 				type="button"
 				role="checkbox"
 				aria-label="Use Regular Expression"
 				title="Use Regular Expression"
 				aria-checked="${x => x.matchRegex}"
 				@click="${(x, c) => x.handleMatchRegex(c.event)}"
+				@focus="${(x, c) => x.handleFocus(c.event)}"
 			>
 				<code-icon icon="regex"></code-icon>
 			</button>
 		</div>
+		<div class="helper" tabindex="-1" ${ref('helper')}>
+			<button class="helper-button" type="button" @click="${(x, c) => x.handleInsertToken('message:')}">
+				Search by Message <small>message: or =:</small>
+			</button>
+			<button class="helper-button" type="button" @click="${(x, c) => x.handleInsertToken('author:')}">
+				Search by Author <small>author: or @:</small>
+			</button>
+			<button class="helper-button" type="button" @click="${(x, c) => x.handleInsertToken('sha:')}">
+				Search by Commit SHA <small>sha: or #:</small>
+			</button>
+			<button class="helper-button" type="button" @click="${(x, c) => x.handleInsertToken('file:')}">
+				Search by File <small>file: or ?:</small>
+			</button>
+			<button class="helper-button" type="button" @click="${(x, c) => x.handleInsertToken('change:')}">
+				Search by Changes <small>change: or ~:</small>
+			</button>
+		</div>
 	</template>
 `;
 
@@ -81,14 +111,25 @@ const styles = css`
 		display: inline-flex;
 		flex-direction: row;
 		align-items: center;
-		gap: 0.8rem;
+		gap: 0.4rem;
 		position: relative;
 
 		flex: auto 1 1;
 	}
 
 	label {
+		display: flex;
+		justify-content: center;
+		align-items: center;
+		gap: 0.2rem;
+		width: 3.2rem;
+		height: 2.4rem;
 		color: var(--vscode-input-foreground);
+		cursor: pointer;
+	}
+
+	.icon-small {
+		font-size: 1rem;
 	}
 
 	.field {
@@ -158,43 +199,86 @@ const styles = css`
 	}
 
 	button {
-		display: inline-flex;
-		justify-content: center;
-		align-items: center;
-		width: 2rem;
-		height: 2rem;
 		padding: 0;
 		color: var(--vscode-input-foreground);
 		border: 1px solid transparent;
 		background: none;
-		text-align: center;
-		border-radius: 0.25rem;
 	}
-	button[role='checkbox']:focus:not([disabled]) {
+	button:focus:not([disabled]) {
 		outline: 1px solid var(--vscode-focusBorder);
 		outline-offset: -1px;
 	}
 	button:not([disabled]) {
 		cursor: pointer;
 	}
-	button:hover:not([disabled]):not([aria-checked='true']) {
+
+	.control {
+		display: inline-flex;
+		justify-content: center;
+		align-items: center;
+		width: 2rem;
+		height: 2rem;
+		text-align: center;
+		border-radius: 0.25rem;
+	}
+	.control:hover:not([disabled]):not([aria-checked='true']) {
 		background-color: var(--vscode-inputOption-hoverBackground);
 	}
-	button[disabled] {
+	.control[disabled] {
 		opacity: 0.5;
 	}
-	button[disabled][aria-checked='true'] {
+	.control[disabled][aria-checked='true'] {
 		opacity: 0.8;
 	}
-	button[aria-checked='true'] {
+	.control[aria-checked='true'] {
 		background-color: var(--vscode-inputOption-activeBackground);
 		color: var(--vscode-inputOption-activeForeground);
 		border-color: var(--vscode-inputOption-activeBorder);
 	}
 
-	.clear-button__hidden {
+	.control.is-hidden {
 		display: none;
 	}
+
+	.has-helper {
+		background-color: var(--vscode-input-background);
+		border-radius: 0.3rem 0.3rem 0 0;
+	}
+
+	.helper {
+		display: none;
+		position: absolute;
+		top: 100%;
+		left: 0;
+		z-index: 5000;
+		width: fit-content;
+		background-color: var(--vscode-input-background);
+		border-radius: 0 0.3rem 0.3rem 0.3rem;
+		outline: none;
+	}
+	.has-helper ~ .helper {
+		display: block;
+	}
+
+	.helper-button {
+		display: block;
+		width: 100%;
+		padding: 0.3rem 0.6rem;
+		text-align: left;
+	}
+	.helper-button:hover {
+		background-color: var(--vscode-inputOption-hoverBackground);
+	}
+	.helper-button:first-child {
+		border-top-right-radius: 0.3rem;
+	}
+	.helper-button:last-child {
+		border-bottom-left-radius: 0.3rem;
+		border-bottom-right-radius: 0.3rem;
+	}
+	.helper-button small {
+		opacity: 0.5;
+	}
 `;
 
 @customElement({
@@ -204,6 +288,9 @@ const styles = css`
 })
 export class SearchInput extends FASTElement {
 	@observable
+	showHelp = false;
+
+	@observable
 	errorMessage = '';
 
 	@attr
@@ -230,11 +317,35 @@ export class SearchInput extends FASTElement {
 	}
 
 	input!: HTMLInputElement;
+	helper!: HTMLElement;
+
+	override connectedCallback() {
+		super.connectedCallback();
+		document.addEventListener('click', this.handleDocumentClick.bind(this));
+	}
+
+	override disconnectedCallback() {
+		super.disconnectedCallback();
+		document.removeEventListener('click', this.handleDocumentClick.bind(this));
+	}
 
 	override focus(options?: FocusOptions): void {
 		this.input.focus(options);
 	}
 
+	handleDocumentClick(e: MouseEvent) {
+		if (this.showHelp === false) return;
+
+		const composedPath = e.composedPath();
+		if (!composedPath.includes(this)) {
+			this.showHelp = false;
+		}
+	}
+
+	handleFocus(_e: Event) {
+		this.showHelp = false;
+	}
+
 	handleClear(_e: Event) {
 		this.value = '';
 		this.emitSearch();
@@ -273,6 +384,20 @@ export class SearchInput extends FASTElement {
 		return false;
 	}
 
+	handleShowHelper(_e: Event) {
+		this.showHelp = !this.showHelp;
+		if (this.showHelp) {
+			window.requestAnimationFrame(() => {
+				this.helper.focus();
+			});
+		}
+	}
+
+	handleInsertToken(token: string) {
+		this.value += `${this.value.length > 0 ? ' ' : ''}${token}`;
+		this.input.focus();
+	}
+
 	private emitSearch() {
 		const search: SearchQuery = {
 			query: this.value,