diff --git a/kittens/choose_files/scan.go b/kittens/choose_files/scan.go
index 9993779d3..21a788ecf 100644
--- a/kittens/choose_files/scan.go
+++ b/kittens/choose_files/scan.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"slices"
 	"sort"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"time"
@@ -55,7 +56,7 @@ func (r *ResultItem) sorted_positions() []int {
 }
 
 type FileSystemScanner struct {
-	listeners               []chan int
+	listeners               []chan bool
 	in_progress, keep_going atomic.Bool
 	root_dir                string
 	mutex                   sync.Mutex
@@ -64,8 +65,8 @@ type FileSystemScanner struct {
 	err                     error
 }
 
-func NewFileSystemScanner(root_dir string, notify chan int) (fss *FileSystemScanner) {
-	ans := &FileSystemScanner{root_dir: root_dir, listeners: []chan int{notify}, results: make([]ResultItem, 0, 1024)}
+func NewFileSystemScanner(root_dir string, notify chan bool) (fss *FileSystemScanner) {
+	ans := &FileSystemScanner{root_dir: root_dir, listeners: []chan bool{notify}, results: make([]ResultItem, 0, 1024)}
 	ans.in_progress.Store(true)
 	ans.keep_going.Store(true)
 	ans.dir_reader = os.ReadDir
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ func NewFileSystemScanner(root_dir string, notify chan int) (fss *FileSystemScan
 type Scanner interface {
 	Start()
 	Cancel()
-	AddListener(chan int)
+	AddListener(chan bool)
 	Len() int
 	Batch(offset int) []ResultItem
 	Finished() bool
@@ -99,7 +100,7 @@ func (fss *FileSystemScanner) Cancel() {
 	fss.keep_going.Store(false)
 }
 
-func (fss *FileSystemScanner) AddListener(x chan int) {
+func (fss *FileSystemScanner) AddListener(x chan bool) {
 	fss.lock()
 	defer fss.unlock()
 	if !fss.in_progress.Load() {
@@ -200,7 +201,10 @@ func (fss *FileSystemScanner) worker() {
 	seen_dirs := make(map[string]bool)
 	symlink_dir_map := make(map[string]string)
 	root_dir, _ := filepath.Abs(fss.root_dir)
-	dir := root_dir + string(os.PathSeparator)
+	dir := root_dir
+	if !strings.HasSuffix(dir, string(os.PathSeparator)) {
+		dir += string(os.PathSeparator)
+	}
 	base := ""
 	pos := 0
 	var arena []sortable_dir_entry
@@ -252,7 +256,7 @@ func (fss *FileSystemScanner) worker() {
 			ns := fss.results
 			new_sz := len(ns) + len(entries)
 			if cap(ns) < new_sz {
-				ns = make([]ResultItem, len(ns), max(16*1024, new_sz, cap(ns)*2))
+				ns = make([]ResultItem, len(ns), max(1024, new_sz, cap(ns)*2))
 				copy(ns, fss.results)
 			}
 			new_items := ns[len(ns):new_sz]
@@ -267,11 +271,10 @@ func (fss *FileSystemScanner) worker() {
 			fss.lock()
 			fss.results = ns
 			listeners := fss.listeners
-			num := len(fss.results)
 			fss.unlock()
 			for _, l := range listeners {
 				select {
-				case l <- num:
+				case l <- true:
 				default:
 				}
 			}
@@ -309,7 +312,7 @@ func (fss *FileSystemScorer) lock()   { fss.mutex.Lock() }
 func (fss *FileSystemScorer) unlock() { fss.mutex.Unlock() }
 
 func (fss *FileSystemScorer) Start() {
-	on_results := make(chan int)
+	on_results := make(chan bool)
 	fss.is_complete.Store(false)
 	fss.keep_going.Store(true)
 	if fss.scanner == nil {
@@ -338,7 +341,7 @@ func (fss *FileSystemScorer) Change_query(query string) {
 	fss.Start()
 }
 
-func (fss *FileSystemScorer) worker(on_results chan int, worker_wait *sync.WaitGroup) {
+func (fss *FileSystemScorer) worker(on_results chan bool, worker_wait *sync.WaitGroup) {
 	defer func() {
 		fss.is_complete.Store(true)
 		defer worker_wait.Done()
diff --git a/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go b/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go
index 26c522121..be37d2013 100644
--- a/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go
+++ b/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go
@@ -2,7 +2,11 @@ package choose_files
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"io/fs"
+	"math/rand"
+	"os"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
@@ -23,3 +27,114 @@ func TestAsLower(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+type node struct {
+	name     string
+	children map[string]*node
+}
+
+func (n node) Name() string {
+	return n.name
+}
+
+func (n node) IsDir() bool {
+	return n.children != nil
+}
+
+func (n node) String() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("{name: %s num_children: %d}", n.name, len(n.children))
+}
+
+func (n node) Type() fs.FileMode {
+	if n.children == nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return fs.ModeDir
+}
+
+func (n node) Info() (fs.FileInfo, error) {
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("Info() not implemented")
+}
+
+func random_name() string {
+	length := 3 + rand.Intn(23)
+	bytes := make([]byte, length)
+	for i := range length {
+		// Printable ASCII range: 32 (space) to 126 (~)
+		bytes[i] = byte(rand.Intn(26) + 'a')
+	}
+	return string(bytes)
+}
+
+func (n *node) generate_random_tree(depth, breadth int) {
+	n.children = make(map[string]*node)
+	for range breadth {
+		c := &node{name: random_name()}
+		n.children[c.name] = c
+		if depth > 0 && rand.Intn(10) < 3 {
+			c.generate_random_tree(depth-1, breadth)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (n node) dir_entries() []fs.DirEntry {
+	entries := make([]fs.DirEntry, 0, len(n.children))
+	for _, v := range n.children {
+		entries = append(entries, v)
+	}
+	return entries
+}
+
+func (n node) ReadDir(name string) ([]fs.DirEntry, error) {
+	if name == string(os.PathSeparator) {
+		return n.dir_entries(), nil
+	}
+	p := &n
+	for _, x := range strings.Split(strings.Trim(name, string(os.PathSeparator)), string(os.PathSeparator)) {
+		c, found := p.children[x]
+		if !found {
+			return nil, fs.ErrNotExist
+		}
+		if !c.IsDir() {
+			return nil, fs.ErrExist
+		}
+		p = c
+	}
+	return p.dir_entries(), nil
+}
+
+func run_scoring(b *testing.B, depth, breadth int, query string) {
+	b.StopTimer()
+	root := node{name: string(os.PathSeparator)}
+	root.generate_random_tree(depth, breadth)
+	b.StartTimer()
+	for range b.N {
+		b.StopTimer()
+		wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+		wg.Add(1)
+		s := NewFileSystemScorer(string(os.PathSeparator), query, false, func(err error, is_complete bool) {
+			if is_complete {
+				wg.Done()
+			}
+		})
+		sc := NewFileSystemScanner(s.root_dir, make(chan bool))
+		s.scanner = sc
+		sc.dir_reader = root.ReadDir
+		b.StartTimer()
+		s.scanner.Start()
+		s.Start()
+		wg.Wait()
+	}
+}
+
+// To run this benchmark with profiling use:
+// go test -bench=FileNameScoringWithoutQuery -benchmem -cpuprofile=/tmp/cpu.prof -memprofile=/tmp/mem.prof github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/kittens/choose_files -o /tmp/cfexe
+func BenchmarkFileNameScoringWithoutQuery(b *testing.B) {
+	run_scoring(b, 5, 20, "")
+}
+
+// To run this benchmark with profiling use:
+// go test -bench=FileNameScoringWithQuery -benchmem -cpuprofile=/tmp/cpu.prof -memprofile=/tmp/mem.prof github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/kittens/choose_files -o /tmp/cfexe
+func BenchmarkFileNameScoringWithQuery(b *testing.B) {
+	run_scoring(b, 5, 30, "abc")
+}