diff --git a/kittens/choose_files/collection.go b/kittens/choose_files/collection.go
index 7247c6ec3..0258db682 100644
--- a/kittens/choose_files/collection.go
+++ b/kittens/choose_files/collection.go
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package choose_files
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io/fs"
+	"slices"
+	"sync"
 )
 
 var _ = fmt.Print
@@ -18,6 +20,11 @@ func (c CollectionIndex) Compare(o CollectionIndex) int {
 	return c.Slice - o.Slice
 }
 
+func (c *CollectionIndex) NextSlice() {
+	c.Slice++
+	c.Pos = 0
+}
+
 type ResultCollection struct {
 	slices     [][]ResultItem
 	append_idx CollectionIndex
@@ -42,12 +49,10 @@ func (c *ResultCollection) NextAppendPointer() (ans *ResultItem) {
 	if c.append_idx.Pos+1 < len(s) {
 		c.append_idx.Pos++
 	} else if c.append_idx.Slice+1 < len(c.slices) {
-		c.append_idx.Slice++
-		c.append_idx.Pos = 0
+		c.append_idx.NextSlice()
 	} else {
 		c.slices = append(c.slices, make([]ResultItem, 4096))
-		c.append_idx.Slice++
-		c.append_idx.Pos = 0
+		c.append_idx.NextSlice()
 	}
 	return
 }
@@ -60,8 +65,7 @@ func (c *ResultCollection) Batch(offset *CollectionIndex) (ans []ResultItem) {
 		}
 	} else if offset.Slice < c.append_idx.Slice {
 		ans = c.slices[offset.Slice][offset.Pos:]
-		offset.Slice++
-		offset.Pos = 0
+		offset.NextSlice()
 	}
 	return
 }
@@ -73,9 +77,121 @@ func (c *ResultCollection) NextDir(offset *CollectionIndex) (ans string) {
 		}
 		offset.Pos++
 		if offset.Pos >= len(c.slices[offset.Slice]) {
-			offset.Slice++
-			offset.Pos = 0
+			offset.NextSlice()
 		}
 	}
 	return
 }
+
+type SortedResults struct {
+	slices [][]*ResultItem
+	mutex  sync.Mutex
+	len    int
+}
+
+func NewSortedResults() *SortedResults { return &SortedResults{} }
+func (s *SortedResults) lock()         { s.mutex.Lock() }
+func (s *SortedResults) unlock()       { s.mutex.Unlock() }
+
+func (s *SortedResults) Len() int {
+	s.lock()
+	defer s.unlock()
+	return s.len
+}
+
+func (s *SortedResults) At(pos CollectionIndex) (ans *ResultItem) {
+	s.lock()
+	defer s.unlock()
+	if pos.Slice < len(s.slices) {
+		s := s.slices[pos.Slice]
+		if pos.Pos < len(s) {
+			ans = s[pos.Pos]
+		}
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+func (s *SortedResults) RenderedMatches(pos CollectionIndex, max_num int) (ans []*ResultItem) {
+	s.lock()
+	defer s.unlock()
+	if pos.Slice >= len(s.slices) {
+		return
+	}
+	ans = make([]*ResultItem, 0, max_num)
+	for ; pos.Slice < len(s.slices) && max_num > 0; pos.NextSlice() {
+		sl := s.slices[pos.Slice]
+		if pos.Pos >= len(sl) {
+			continue
+		}
+		sl = sl[pos.Pos:min(len(sl), pos.Pos+max_num)]
+		ans = append(ans, sl...)
+		max_num -= len(sl)
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+func (s *SortedResults) merge_slice(idx int, sl []*ResultItem) {
+	sz := len(s.slices[idx])
+	maxs := sl[len(sl)-1].score
+	limit := idx + 1
+	for limit < len(s.slices) {
+		q := s.slices[limit]
+		if q[0].score > maxs {
+			break
+		}
+		sz += len(q)
+		limit++
+	}
+	ans := make([]*ResultItem, 0, sz)
+	a := 0
+	b := CollectionIndex{Slice: idx}
+	ss := s.slices[b.Slice]
+	for a < len(sl) {
+		if sl[a].score <= ss[b.Pos].score {
+			ans = append(ans, sl[a])
+			a++
+		} else {
+			ans = append(ans, ss[b.Pos])
+			b.Pos++
+			if b.Pos >= len(ss) {
+				b.NextSlice()
+				if b.Slice >= limit {
+					break
+				}
+				ss = s.slices[b.Slice]
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	ans = append(ans, sl[a:]...)
+	for ; b.Slice < limit; b.NextSlice() {
+		ans = append(ans, s.slices[b.Slice][b.Pos:]...)
+	}
+	s.slices = slices.Replace(s.slices, idx, limit, ans)
+}
+
+func (s *SortedResults) AddSortedSlice(sl []*ResultItem) {
+	if len(sl) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	s.lock()
+	defer s.unlock()
+	s.len += len(sl)
+	if len(s.slices) == 0 {
+		s.slices = append(s.slices, sl)
+		return
+	}
+	sl_min, sl_max := sl[0].score, sl[len(sl)-1].score
+	for i, q := range s.slices {
+		switch {
+		case sl_max <= q[0].score:
+			s.slices = slices.Insert(s.slices, i, sl)
+			return
+		case sl_min >= q[len(q)-1].score:
+			continue
+		default:
+			s.merge_slice(i, sl)
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	s.slices = append(s.slices, sl)
+}
diff --git a/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go b/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go
index 4cd8f6728..b91f28df3 100644
--- a/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go
+++ b/kittens/choose_files/scan_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"io/fs"
 	"math/rand"
 	"os"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
@@ -156,6 +157,39 @@ func TestChooseFilesScoring(t *testing.T) {
 	ae("sn", "x/s/n")
 }
 
+func TestSortedResults(t *testing.T) {
+	r := NewSortedResults()
+	m := func(items ...int) []*ResultItem {
+		ans := make([]*ResultItem, len(items))
+		for i, x := range items {
+			ans[i] = &ResultItem{text: strconv.Itoa(x), score: CombinedScore(x)}
+		}
+		return ans
+	}
+	v := func(slice, pos, num int) []int {
+		if num == 0 {
+			num = r.Len()
+		}
+		return utils.Map(func(r *ResultItem) int { return int(r.score) }, r.RenderedMatches(CollectionIndex{slice, pos}, num))
+	}
+	tv := func(slice, pos, num int, expected ...int) {
+		if diff := cmp.Diff(expected, v(slice, pos, num)); diff != "" {
+			t.Fatalf("view failed for %v num:%d\n%s", CollectionIndex{slice, pos}, num, diff)
+		}
+	}
+	r.AddSortedSlice(m(10, 20, 30))
+	r.AddSortedSlice(m(40, 50, 60))
+	r.AddSortedSlice(m(70, 80, 90))
+	tv(0, 0, 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90)
+	tv(0, 2, 3, 30, 40, 50)
+	tv(0, 3, 3, 40, 50, 60)
+	tv(1, 0, 4, 40, 50, 60, 70)
+
+	r.AddSortedSlice(m(100, 110, 120))
+	r.AddSortedSlice(m(41, 61, 71, 99))
+	tv(0, 0, 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 41, 50, 60, 61, 70, 71, 80, 90, 99, 100, 110, 120)
+}
+
 func run_scoring(b *testing.B, depth, breadth int, query string) {
 	b.StopTimer()
 	root := node{name: string(os.PathSeparator)}