Support notifications configuration

**Description**
Currently utils lacks proper search support.

**Proposed solution**
Add configurable search with sensible defaults.

**Priority**: Low/Medium

Start by locating the utils area and reviewing how notifications and search are currently handled. Clarify whether the intended change is notification configuration or configurable search, then identify existing defaults and usage; done means the agreed behavior is configurable and covered by the relevant checks.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.