diff --git a/docs/reference/default-theme-search.md b/docs/reference/default-theme-search.md
index 6f5925ca..2348b949 100644
--- a/docs/reference/default-theme-search.md
+++ b/docs/reference/default-theme-search.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## Local Search
 
+::: info
+You need to build and preview/deploy your site for local search to work.
+:::
+
 VitePress supports fuzzy full-text search using a in-browser index thanks to [minisearch](https://github.com/lucaong/minisearch/). To enable this feature, simply set the `themeConfig.search.provider` option to `'local'` in your `.vitepress/config.ts` file:
 
 ```ts