diff --git a/src/vs/platform/search/common/search.ts b/src/vs/platform/search/common/search.ts
index ded634a58a4..2e1e6dcab87 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/search/common/search.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/search/common/search.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export interface ISearchService {
 	search(query: ISearchQuery): PPromise<ISearchComplete, ISearchProgressItem>;
 	extendQuery(query: ISearchQuery): void;
 	clearCache(cacheKey: string): TPromise<void>;
-	registerSearchResultProvider(provider: ISearchResultProvider): IDisposable;
+	registerSearchResultProvider(scheme: string, provider: ISearchResultProvider): IDisposable;
 }
 
 export interface ISearchHistoryValues {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadSearch.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadSearch.ts
index 2fc636b81e1..6e692f064b7 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadSearch.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadSearch.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ class RemoteSearchProvider implements ISearchResultProvider {
 		private readonly _handle: number,
 		private readonly _proxy: ExtHostSearchShape
 	) {
-		this._registrations = [searchService.registerSearchResultProvider(this)];
+		this._registrations = [searchService.registerSearchResultProvider(this._scheme, this)];
 	}
 
 	dispose(): void {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/searchService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/searchService.ts
index f9bb3b703fe..e7159cee743 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/searchService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/searchService.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ export class SearchService implements ISearchService {
 
 	private diskSearch: DiskSearch;
 	private readonly searchProviders: ISearchResultProvider[] = [];
+	private fileSearchProvider: ISearchResultProvider;
 	private forwardingTelemetry: PPromise<void, ITelemetryEvent>;
 
 	constructor(
@@ -46,13 +47,22 @@ export class SearchService implements ISearchService {
 		this.diskSearch = new DiskSearch(!environmentService.isBuilt || environmentService.verbose, /*timeout=*/undefined, environmentService.debugSearch);
 	}
 
-	public registerSearchResultProvider(provider: ISearchResultProvider): IDisposable {
-		this.searchProviders.push(provider);
+	public registerSearchResultProvider(scheme: string, provider: ISearchResultProvider): IDisposable {
+		if (scheme === 'file') {
+			this.fileSearchProvider = provider;
+		} else {
+			this.searchProviders.push(provider);
+		}
+
 		return {
 			dispose: () => {
-				const idx = this.searchProviders.indexOf(provider);
-				if (idx >= 0) {
-					this.searchProviders.splice(idx, 1);
+				if (scheme === 'file') {
+					this.fileSearchProvider = null;
+				} else {
+					const idx = this.searchProviders.indexOf(provider);
+					if (idx >= 0) {
+						this.searchProviders.splice(idx, 1);
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		};
@@ -115,32 +125,32 @@ export class SearchService implements ISearchService {
 				});
 
 			const providerPromise = this.extensionService.whenInstalledExtensionsRegistered().then(() => {
-				// If no search providers are registered, fall back on DiskSearch
 				// TODO@roblou this is not properly waiting for search-rg to finish registering itself
-				if (this.searchProviders.length) {
-					return TPromise.join(this.searchProviders.map(p => searchWithProvider(p)))
-						.then(completes => {
-							completes = completes.filter(c => !!c);
-							if (!completes.length) {
-								return null;
-							}
+				// If no search provider has been registered for the 'file' schema, fall back on DiskSearch
+				const providers = [
+					this.fileSearchProvider || this.diskSearch,
+					...this.searchProviders
+				];
+				return TPromise.join(providers.map(p => searchWithProvider(p)))
+					.then(completes => {
+						completes = completes.filter(c => !!c);
+						if (!completes.length) {
+							return null;
+						}
 
-							return <ISearchComplete>{
-								limitHit: completes[0] && completes[0].limitHit,
-								stats: completes[0].stats,
-								results: arrays.flatten(completes.map(c => c.results))
-							};
-						}, errs => {
-							if (!Array.isArray(errs)) {
-								errs = [errs];
-							}
+						return <ISearchComplete>{
+							limitHit: completes[0] && completes[0].limitHit,
+							stats: completes[0].stats,
+							results: arrays.flatten(completes.map(c => c.results))
+						};
+					}, errs => {
+						if (!Array.isArray(errs)) {
+							errs = [errs];
+						}
 
-							errs = errs.filter(e => !!e);
-							return TPromise.wrapError(errs[0]);
-						});
-				} else {
-					return searchWithProvider(this.diskSearch);
-				}
+						errs = errs.filter(e => !!e);
+						return TPromise.wrapError(errs[0]);
+					});
 			});
 
 			combinedPromise = providerPromise.then(value => {