Prevent API Calls with Empty Query Parameter in Search API

[dhirenmathur]

Description

Currently, the search API (app/modules/search/search_router.py) allows empty search queries, which leads to unnecessary database operations and API calls. When a user submits a search with an empty query string, the system still processes the request and returns results.

Current Behavior

• Empty search query strings are accepted
• The system performs database operations even with empty queries
• Resources are wasted on meaningless search operations

Expected Behavior

• Validate the query parameter in SearchRequest
• Return a 400 Bad Request response when the query is empty or contains only whitespace
• Include a clear error message explaining that search queries cannot be empty

Code Location

• app/modules/search/search_router.py
• app/modules/search/search_schema.py