diff --git a/changelog/unreleased/enhancement-search-optimize-command.md b/changelog/unreleased/enhancement-search-optimize-command.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..87a4afaacc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/unreleased/enhancement-search-optimize-command.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+Enhancement: Add `ocis search optimize` CLI command
+
+Added a new `ocis search optimize` command that compacts the search index
+by merging Bleve segments, without re-indexing content. The command opens
+the index directly (without requiring the search service to be running),
+making it safe to run during maintenance windows without blocking search
+queries.
+
+This is useful after bulk reindexing operations that create many small
+index segments, which can degrade search performance over time.
+
+https://github.com/owncloud/ocis/pull/12136
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/command/optimize.go b/services/search/pkg/command/optimize.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..af8d0ae3f66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/search/pkg/command/optimize.go
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package command
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+
+	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/ocis-pkg/config/configlog"
+	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/config"
+	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/config/parser"
+	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/engine"
+)
+
+// Optimize is the entrypoint for the optimize command.
+func Optimize(cfg *config.Config) *cli.Command {
+	return &cli.Command{
+		Name:     "optimize",
+		Usage:    "compact the search index by merging segments, without re-indexing content",
+		Category: "index management",
+		Before: func(_ *cli.Context) error {
+			return configlog.ReturnFatal(parser.ParseConfig(cfg))
+		},
+		Action: func(_ *cli.Context) error {
+			eng, closer, err := engine.NewEngineFromConfig(cfg)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			defer closer.Close()
+
+			fmt.Println("optimizing search index...")
+			if err := eng.Optimize(context.Background()); err != nil {
+				fmt.Println("failed to optimize index: " + err.Error())
+				return err
+			}
+			fmt.Println("index optimization complete")
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+}
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/command/root.go b/services/search/pkg/command/root.go
index f0f9d05b713..54f18281359 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/command/root.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/command/root.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ func GetCommands(cfg *config.Config) cli.Commands {
 
 		// interaction with this service
 		Index(cfg),
+		Optimize(cfg),
 
 		// infos about this service
 		Health(cfg),
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/engine/engine.go b/services/search/pkg/engine/engine.go
index 9c137e78b95..55c79b27ad8 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/engine/engine.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/engine/engine.go
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package engine
 import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"regexp"
 
 	"github.com/blevesearch/bleve/v2/search"
@@ -10,7 +12,10 @@ import (
 
 	searchMessage "github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/protogen/gen/ocis/messages/search/v0"
 	searchService "github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/protogen/gen/ocis/services/search/v0"
+	bleveEngine "github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/engine/bleve"
+	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/config"
 	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/content"
+	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/query/bleve"
 )
 
 // ErrResourceNotFound is returned when a resource is not present in the index.
@@ -29,12 +34,33 @@ type Engine interface {
 	Restore(id string) error
 	Purge(id string) error
 	DocCount() (uint64, error)
+	Optimize(ctx context.Context) error
 }
 
-// Optimizer is an optional interface that Engine implementations may support
-// to trigger index compaction. Callers should type-assert before use.
-type Optimizer interface {
-	Optimize(ctx context.Context) error
+// NewEngineFromConfig creates an Engine from the search service configuration.
+// The returned io.Closer must be called to release the underlying index
+// resources. This factory is used by CLI commands that need direct engine
+// access without starting the full gRPC service.
+func NewEngineFromConfig(cfg *config.Config) (Engine, io.Closer, error) {
+	switch cfg.Engine.Type {
+	case "bleve":
+		bleveMapping, err := BuildBleveMapping()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+
+		var indexGetter bleveEngine.IndexGetter
+		indexGetter = bleveEngine.NewIndexGetterPersistent(cfg.Engine.Bleve.Datapath, bleveMapping)
+		if cfg.Engine.Bleve.Scale {
+			indexGetter = bleveEngine.NewIndexGetterPersistentScale(cfg.Engine.Bleve.Datapath, bleveMapping)
+		}
+
+		eng := NewBleveEngine(indexGetter, bleve.DefaultCreator)
+		return eng, eng, nil
+
+	default:
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown search engine: %s", cfg.Engine.Type)
+	}
 }
 
 // Resource is the entity that is stored in the index.
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/engine/mocks/engine.go b/services/search/pkg/engine/mocks/engine.go
index 0efee0b217d..6b5f5f041e6 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/engine/mocks/engine.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/engine/mocks/engine.go
@@ -125,6 +125,52 @@ func (_c *Engine_DocCount_Call) RunAndReturn(run func() (uint64, error)) *Engine
 	return _c
 }
 
+// Optimize provides a mock function with given fields: ctx
+func (_m *Engine) Optimize(ctx context.Context) error {
+	ret := _m.Called(ctx)
+
+	if len(ret) == 0 {
+		panic("no return value specified for Optimize")
+	}
+
+	var r0 error
+	if rf, ok := ret.Get(0).(func(context.Context) error); ok {
+		r0 = rf(ctx)
+	} else {
+		r0 = ret.Error(0)
+	}
+
+	return r0
+}
+
+// Engine_Optimize_Call is a *mock.Call that shadows Run/Return methods with type explicit version for method 'Optimize'
+type Engine_Optimize_Call struct {
+	*mock.Call
+}
+
+// Optimize is a helper method to define mock.On call
+//   - ctx context.Context
+func (_e *Engine_Expecter) Optimize(ctx interface{}) *Engine_Optimize_Call {
+	return &Engine_Optimize_Call{Call: _e.mock.On("Optimize", ctx)}
+}
+
+func (_c *Engine_Optimize_Call) Run(run func(ctx context.Context)) *Engine_Optimize_Call {
+	_c.Call.Run(func(args mock.Arguments) {
+		run(args[0].(context.Context))
+	})
+	return _c
+}
+
+func (_c *Engine_Optimize_Call) Return(_a0 error) *Engine_Optimize_Call {
+	_c.Call.Return(_a0)
+	return _c
+}
+
+func (_c *Engine_Optimize_Call) RunAndReturn(run func(context.Context) error) *Engine_Optimize_Call {
+	_c.Call.Return(run)
+	return _c
+}
+
 // Lookup provides a mock function with given fields: id
 func (_m *Engine) Lookup(id string) (*engine.Resource, error) {
 	ret := _m.Called(id)
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/search/service.go b/services/search/pkg/search/service.go
index 0161dce1392..bee90688cbe 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/search/service.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/search/service.go
@@ -491,13 +491,6 @@ func (s *Service) IndexSpace(spaceID *provider.StorageSpaceId) error {
 
 	logDocCount(s.engine, s.logger)
 
-	if opt, ok := s.engine.(engine.Optimizer); ok {
-		s.logger.Info().Msg("optimizing search index after space walk")
-		if err := opt.Optimize(ownerCtx); err != nil {
-			s.logger.Warn().Err(err).Msg("index optimization failed")
-		}
-	}
-
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/search/service_test.go b/services/search/pkg/search/service_test.go
index 5e0c24fcd51..1c6b0679201 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/search/service_test.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/search/service_test.go
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Searchprovider", func() {
 			Status: status.NewOK(ctx),
 		}, nil)
 		indexClient.On("DocCount").Return(uint64(1), nil)
+		indexClient.On("Optimize", mock.Anything).Return(nil)
 	})
 
 	Describe("New", func() {
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/service/grpc/v0/service.go b/services/search/pkg/service/grpc/v0/service.go
index e2f901d1b93..295ce4601c3 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/service/grpc/v0/service.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/service/grpc/v0/service.go
@@ -30,8 +30,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/config"
 	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/content"
 	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/engine"
-	bleveEngine "github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/engine/bleve"
-	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/query/bleve"
 	"github.com/owncloud/ocis/v2/services/search/pkg/search"
 )
 
@@ -43,29 +41,12 @@ func NewHandler(opts ...Option) (searchsvc.SearchProviderHandler, func(), error)
 	cfg := options.Config
 
 	// initialize search engine
-	var eng engine.Engine
-	switch cfg.Engine.Type {
-	case "bleve":
-		bleveMapping, err := engine.BuildBleveMapping()
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, teardown, err
-		}
-
-		var indexGetter bleveEngine.IndexGetter
-		indexGetter = bleveEngine.NewIndexGetterPersistent(cfg.Engine.Bleve.Datapath, bleveMapping)
-		if cfg.Engine.Bleve.Scale {
-			indexGetter = bleveEngine.NewIndexGetterPersistentScale(cfg.Engine.Bleve.Datapath, bleveMapping)
-		}
-
-		bleveEngine := engine.NewBleveEngine(indexGetter, bleve.DefaultCreator)
-
-		teardown = func() {
-			_ = bleveEngine.Close()
-		}
-		eng = bleveEngine
-
-	default:
-		return nil, teardown, fmt.Errorf("unknown search engine: %s", cfg.Engine.Type)
+	eng, engCloser, err := engine.NewEngineFromConfig(cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, teardown, err
+	}
+	teardown = func() {
+		_ = engCloser.Close()
 	}
 
 	// initialize gateway