diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchFooter.tsx b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchFooter.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2778c840f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchFooter.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+import { type ReactElement } from "react";
+import { getHintKeys, type HintKey } from "~/utils/keyboardHints";
+
+type NodeSearchFooterProps = {
+  canAct: boolean;
+  onClose: () => void;
+  onOpenInNewTab: () => void;
+  onOpenInSplit: () => void;
+};
+
+type FooterActionProps = {
+  disabled?: boolean;
+  keys: HintKey[];
+  label: string;
+  onClick: () => void;
+};
+
+const KeyHints = ({ keys }: { keys: HintKey[] }): ReactElement => (
+  <>
+    {getHintKeys(keys).map((symbol) => (
+      <kbd className="dg-search-footer-key" key={symbol}>
+        {symbol}
+      </kbd>
+    ))}
+  </>
+);
+
+const FooterAction = ({
+  disabled = false,
+  keys,
+  label,
+  onClick,
+}: FooterActionProps): ReactElement => (
+  <button
+    type="button"
+    className="prompt-instruction dg-search-footer-action inline-flex h-auto cursor-pointer items-center gap-1 rounded-none border-0 p-0 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50"
+    disabled={disabled}
+    onClick={onClick}
+    // Clicking must not move focus out of the query input, or the arrow keys stop
+    // reaching the result list.
+    onMouseDown={(event) => event.preventDefault()}
+  >
+    <KeyHints keys={keys} />
+    <span className="ms-1">{label}</span>
+  </button>
+);
+
+// Sits in Obsidian's `prompt-instructions` container for its type and spacing.
+// Obsidian centres that row for the narrow quick switcher; this footer spans a
+// full-width result list, so the actions start at its left edge instead.
+export const NodeSearchFooter = ({
+  canAct,
+  onClose,
+  onOpenInNewTab,
+  onOpenInSplit,
+}: NodeSearchFooterProps): ReactElement => (
+  <div className="prompt-instructions dg-search-footer shrink-0 justify-start px-0 pb-0 text-left">
+    <FooterAction
+      disabled={!canAct}
+      keys={["Enter"]}
+      label="open in new tab"
+      onClick={onOpenInNewTab}
+    />
+    <FooterAction
+      disabled={!canAct}
+      keys={["Shift", "Enter"]}
+      label="open in split"
+      onClick={onOpenInSplit}
+    />
+    {/* The Escape key itself is handled by Obsidian's modal scope; this button
+        is the pointer equivalent, so every footer item responds to a click. */}
+    <FooterAction keys={["Escape"]} label="close" onClick={onClose} />
+  </div>
+);
diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx
index 4735ea142..6bbf4dfa4 100644
--- a/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ import {
 } from "react";
 import { createRoot, Root } from "react-dom/client";
 import type DiscourseGraphPlugin from "~/index";
+import { NodeSearchFooter } from "~/components/NodeSearchFooter";
+import {
+  openFileInNewLeaf,
+  openFileInNewTab,
+} from "~/components/canvas/utils/openFileUtils";
 import {
   QueryEngine,
   rankDiscourseNodesByTitle,
@@ -256,10 +261,11 @@ const ResultList = ({
   }, [activeIndex]);
 
   return (
+    // No `aria-label` here: Obsidian renders one as a hover tooltip, which
+    // covers the results the moment the pointer enters the list.
     <div
       ref={listRef}
       role="listbox"
-      aria-label="Discourse node search results"
       onMouseMove={() => (pointerMovedRef.current = true)}
       className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto"
     >
@@ -279,7 +285,6 @@ const ResultList = ({
         >
           {result.nodeType.badge && (
             <span
-              title={result.nodeType.name}
               aria-label={result.nodeType.name}
               style={{
                 backgroundColor: result.nodeType.badge.backgroundColor,
@@ -299,8 +304,10 @@ const ResultList = ({
 
 const NodeSearch = ({
   plugin,
+  onClose,
 }: {
   plugin: DiscourseGraphPlugin;
+  onClose: () => void;
 }): ReactElement => {
   const { app } = plugin;
   const [candidateState, setCandidateState] = useState<CandidateState>({
@@ -395,11 +402,44 @@ const NodeSearch = ({
     });
   };
 
+  // Closes before opening: `close()` unmounts this React root, so the file and
+  // app are read first and nothing touches state afterwards.
+  const openActiveResult = (
+    open: (app: App, file: TFile) => Promise<void>,
+  ): void => {
+    if (!activeResult) return;
+    const { file } = activeResult;
+    onClose();
+    void open(app, file).catch((error: unknown) => {
+      const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+      new Notice(`Could not open ${file.basename}: ${message}`);
+    });
+  };
+
   const handleKeyDown = (event: KeyboardEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
-    if (event.key !== "ArrowDown" && event.key !== "ArrowUp") return;
-    // Otherwise the caret jumps to the start or end of the query.
+    if (event.key === "ArrowDown" || event.key === "ArrowUp") {
+      // Otherwise the caret jumps to the start or end of the query.
+      event.preventDefault();
+      moveActiveIndex(event.key === "ArrowDown" ? 1 : -1);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (event.key !== "Enter") return;
+    // Enter also commits an IME candidate, which must not open a file.
+    if (event.nativeEvent.isComposing) return;
+    // Mod+Enter and Alt+Enter are left alone for the insert and dock actions.
+    if (event.metaKey || event.ctrlKey || event.altKey) return;
+    // A footer button reached by Tab runs its own action on Enter. Preventing the
+    // default here would suppress that click and open a new tab instead.
+    if (
+      event.target instanceof HTMLElement &&
+      event.target.closest("button") !== null
+    ) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     event.preventDefault();
-    moveActiveIndex(event.key === "ArrowDown" ? 1 : -1);
+    openActiveResult(event.shiftKey ? openFileInNewLeaf : openFileInNewTab);
   };
 
   return (
@@ -437,6 +477,12 @@ const NodeSearch = ({
         </div>
         <PreviewPane app={app} result={activeResult} authorName={authorName} />
       </div>
+      <NodeSearchFooter
+        canAct={candidateState.status === "ready" && !!activeResult}
+        onClose={onClose}
+        onOpenInNewTab={() => openActiveResult(openFileInNewTab)}
+        onOpenInSplit={() => openActiveResult(openFileInNewLeaf)}
+      />
     </div>
   );
 };
@@ -457,7 +503,7 @@ export class NodeSearchModal extends Modal {
     this.root = createRoot(contentEl);
     this.root.render(
       <StrictMode>
-        <NodeSearch plugin={this.plugin} />
+        <NodeSearch plugin={this.plugin} onClose={() => this.close()} />
       </StrictMode>,
     );
   }
diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/styles/style.css b/apps/obsidian/src/styles/style.css
index 63949fec5..f5be6226e 100644
--- a/apps/obsidian/src/styles/style.css
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/styles/style.css
@@ -3921,3 +3921,45 @@ kbd.tlui-kbd {
   border-radius: var(--radius-s);
   padding: 0 1px;
 }
+
+/* Only the properties Tailwind utilities cannot win here; the rest of this
+   footer's layout is utilities on the elements themselves. Obsidian sets
+   `color`, `background-color`, and `box-shadow` in `button:not(.clickable-icon)`
+   and `button:hover` — both (0,1,1), which outrank a single utility class — so a
+   utility would leave the label in `--text-normal` on an interactive-grey pill.
+   `font-size` has no inherit utility, and without it the button takes
+   `--font-ui-small` rather than the smaller type of the row it sits in. */
+.dg-node-search-modal .dg-search-footer-action,
+.dg-node-search-modal .dg-search-footer-action:hover {
+  color: inherit;
+  background-color: transparent;
+  box-shadow: none;
+  font-size: inherit;
+}
+
+/* Each key is a bordered cap, so `esc` reads as one of the set rather than as
+   emphasised text. Kept in CSS for the inherited font and em-based sizing. */
+.dg-node-search-modal .dg-search-footer-key {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  min-width: 1.5em;
+  padding: 0 var(--size-2-1);
+  border: 1px solid var(--background-modifier-border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-s);
+  background-color: var(--background-primary);
+  color: var(--text-muted);
+  font-family: inherit;
+  font-size: inherit;
+  font-weight: inherit;
+  line-height: 1.6;
+}
+
+.dg-node-search-modal .dg-search-footer-action:hover:not(:disabled) {
+  color: var(--text-normal);
+}
+
+.dg-node-search-modal .dg-search-footer-action:disabled {
+  cursor: not-allowed;
+  opacity: 0.5;
+}
diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/utils/keyboardHints.ts b/apps/obsidian/src/utils/keyboardHints.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a14586ab3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/utils/keyboardHints.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import { Platform } from "obsidian";
+
+export type HintKey = "Mod" | "Alt" | "Shift" | "Enter" | "Escape";
+
+// Obsidian shows glyphs on macOS and spelled-out words everywhere else.
+const MAC_SYMBOLS: Record<HintKey, string> = {
+  Mod: "⌘",
+  Alt: "⌥",
+  Shift: "⇧",
+  Enter: "↵",
+  Escape: "esc",
+};
+
+const NON_MAC_SYMBOLS: Record<HintKey, string> = {
+  Mod: "Ctrl",
+  Alt: "Alt",
+  Shift: "Shift",
+  Enter: "Enter",
+  Escape: "Esc",
+};
+
+/** Takes `isMacOS` so the non-mac branch can be checked without that platform. */
+export const formatHintKeys = ({
+  keys,
+  isMacOS,
+}: {
+  keys: HintKey[];
+  isMacOS: boolean;
+}): string[] =>
+  keys.map((key) => (isMacOS ? MAC_SYMBOLS : NON_MAC_SYMBOLS)[key]);
+
+export const getHintKeys = (keys: HintKey[]): string[] =>
+  formatHintKeys({ keys, isMacOS: Platform.isMacOS });