diff --git a/src/Storage/Repository.php b/src/Storage/Repository.php
index b1614b1..4689926 100644
--- a/src/Storage/Repository.php
+++ b/src/Storage/Repository.php
@@ -171,6 +171,11 @@ class Repository
 
     public function searchLogEntries(string $query, int $limit = 200, int $offset = 0): array
     {
+        $query = trim($query);
+        if ($query === '') {
+            return [];
+        }
+
         try {
             $stmt = $this->db->pdo()->prepare(
                 "SELECT e.* FROM log_entries e
@@ -182,10 +187,7 @@ class Repository
             $stmt->execute([$query, $limit, $offset]);
             return $stmt->fetchAll();
         } catch (\PDOException $e) {
-            if (str_contains($e->getMessage(), 'fts5: syntax error')) {
-                return $this->searchLogEntriesLike($query, $limit, $offset);
-            }
-            throw $e;
+            return $this->searchLogEntriesLike($query, $limit, $offset);
         }
     }