Bug 512344

Summary: KRunner frequency-ordering feature broken
Product: [Plasma] krunner Reporter: junkblocker
Component: generalAssignee: Plasma Bugs List <plasma-bugs-null>
Status: CLOSED INTENTIONAL    
Severity: major CC: alexander.lohnau, asturm, eugene.shalygin+bugzilla.kde, natalie_clarius, nate, shortcipher, sitter
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 6.5.1   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Fedora RPMs   
OS: Linux   
See Also: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=511078
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description junkblocker 2025-11-19 14:30:36 UTC 
Krunner has lost the frecency feature (Fedora 43 / plasmashell 6.5.2)

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Type to to search for Tor browser. Tor browser is below plenty of other items.
2. Pick the Tor Browser entry. 
3. Repeat above a few times.

OBSERVED RESULT

Tor browser never becomes the first or even a higher entry in Krunner results.

EXPECTED RESULT

Tor browser should become higher in the results with repeated use.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS 
Windows: 
macOS: 
(available in the Info Center app, or by running `kinfo` in a terminal window)
Linux/KDE Plasma: Fedora 42 / Plasma 6.5.2
KDE Plasma Version: 6.5.2
KDE Frameworks Version:  6.20.0
Qt Version: 6.10.0

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Comment 1 Nate Graham 2025-12-09 19:02:16 UTC 
I'm afraid the frequency ranking feature was removed, as it made it impossible to provide good default ordering. It also made it impossible to debug issues and thus improve the default ordering.
Comment 2 junkblocker 2025-12-10 01:01:06 UTC 
Well, that's a terribly unfortunate decision. To me the whole point of search driven launchers since their creation has been to make frequent actions the easiest while keeping discovery possible. Otherwise one can just dig through the start menus and such. 

And I don't understand how this decision has actually improved any default ordering as you claim. It's as broken it has been recently, just in a different way.
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2025-12-10 01:11:21 UTC 
Indeed, I can definitely see how it would be frustrating for people whose workflows benefited from it. The removal was controversial FWIW, and there's a chance the feature will return. Nothing has yet been written. :)
Comment 4 junkblocker 2025-12-10 01:23:29 UTC 
Well then I hope you won't mind me reopening this bug. 

My (superficial) understanding of the result sorting issues was that some months back sections themselves weren't in the same order as user's wanted them to be. Frecency would only apply within a section.  Even prefix sorting isn't being done (Plasma 6.5.3/Framworks 6.20.0). So the current overall experience is way worse than what it was say an year ago.
Comment 5 Nate Graham 2025-12-10 01:26:53 UTC 
Re-opening the bug report won't change the decision. It will be re-opened if and when the decision is revisited and reversed.
Comment 6 junkblocker 2025-12-10 01:29:35 UTC 
Where was this decision made? How do I participate in that and/or provide feedback? How do you track something has to be decide if there is no bug/task open on it somewhere?
Comment 7 Nate Graham 2025-12-10 16:56:34 UTC 
*** Bug 513163 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 8 Harald Sitter 2025-12-10 17:00:46 UTC 
The feature was removed because its implementation was nonesense. I don't think anyone has a problem with a well implemented variant that possibly is opt-in.