diff --git a/apps/roam/src/components/DiscourseNodeSearchMenu.tsx b/apps/roam/src/components/DiscourseNodeSearchMenu.tsx
index b5acc8ab0..89905dabc 100644
--- a/apps/roam/src/components/DiscourseNodeSearchMenu.tsx
+++ b/apps/roam/src/components/DiscourseNodeSearchMenu.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   Position,
   Checkbox,
   Button,
+  InputGroup,
 } from "@blueprintjs/core";
 import ReactDOM from "react-dom";
 import getUids from "roamjs-components/dom/getUids";
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ import getTextByBlockUid from "roamjs-components/queries/getTextByBlockUid";
 import updateBlock from "roamjs-components/writes/updateBlock";
 import posthog from "posthog-js";
 import { getCoordsFromTextarea } from "roamjs-components/components/CursorMenu";
+import { OnloadArgs } from "roamjs-components/types";
 import getDiscourseNodes, { DiscourseNode } from "~/utils/getDiscourseNodes";
 import getDiscourseNodeFormatExpression from "~/utils/getDiscourseNodeFormatExpression";
 import { escapeCljString } from "~/utils/formatUtils";
@@ -28,6 +30,7 @@ type Props = {
   textarea: HTMLTextAreaElement;
   triggerPosition: number;
   onClose: () => void;
+  triggerText: string;
 };
 
 const waitForBlock = (
@@ -51,6 +54,7 @@ const NodeSearchMenu = ({
   onClose,
   textarea,
   triggerPosition,
+  triggerText,
 }: { onClose: () => void } & Props) => {
   const [activeIndex, setActiveIndex] = useState(0);
   const [searchTerm, setSearchTerm] = useState("");
@@ -236,19 +240,21 @@ const NodeSearchMenu = ({
   );
 
   const handleTextAreaInput = useCallback(() => {
-    const atTriggerRegex = /@(.*)$/;
+    const triggerRegex = new RegExp(
+      `${triggerText.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, "\\$&")}(.*)$`,
+    );
     const textBeforeCursor = textarea.value.substring(
       triggerPosition,
       textarea.selectionStart,
     );
-    const match = atTriggerRegex.exec(textBeforeCursor);
+    const match = triggerRegex.exec(textBeforeCursor);
     if (match) {
       debouncedSearchTerm(match[1]);
     } else {
       onClose();
       return;
     }
-  }, [textarea, onClose, debouncedSearchTerm, triggerPosition]);
+  }, [textarea, onClose, debouncedSearchTerm, triggerPosition, triggerText]);
 
   const keydownListener = useCallback(
     (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
@@ -274,7 +280,7 @@ const NodeSearchMenu = ({
         e.stopPropagation();
       }
     },
-    [allItems, setActiveIndex, onSelect, onClose],
+    [allItems, activeIndex, setActiveIndex, onSelect, onClose],
   );
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -520,4 +526,38 @@ export const renderDiscourseNodeSearchMenu = (props: Props) => {
   );
 };
 
+export const NodeSearchMenuTriggerSetting = ({
+  onloadArgs,
+}: {
+  onloadArgs: OnloadArgs;
+}) => {
+  const extensionAPI = onloadArgs.extensionAPI;
+  const [nodeSearchTrigger, setNodeSearchTrigger] = useState<string>(
+    extensionAPI.settings.get("node-search-trigger") as string,
+  );
+
+  const handleNodeSearchTriggerChange = (
+    e: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>,
+  ) => {
+    const value = e.target.value.trim();
+    const trigger = value
+      .replace(/"/g, "")
+      .replace(/\\/g, "\\\\")
+      .replace(/\+/g, "\\+")
+      .trim();
+
+    setNodeSearchTrigger(trigger);
+    extensionAPI.settings.set("node-search-trigger", trigger);
+  };
+  return (
+    <InputGroup
+      value={nodeSearchTrigger}
+      onChange={handleNodeSearchTriggerChange}
+      placeholder="Click to set trigger"
+      maxLength={5}
+    />
+  );
+};
+
+
 export default NodeSearchMenu;
diff --git a/apps/roam/src/components/settings/HomePersonalSettings.tsx b/apps/roam/src/components/settings/HomePersonalSettings.tsx
index de30859cb..f277bb263 100644
--- a/apps/roam/src/components/settings/HomePersonalSettings.tsx
+++ b/apps/roam/src/components/settings/HomePersonalSettings.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   hideFeedbackButton,
   showFeedbackButton,
 } from "~/components/BirdEatsBugs";
+import { NodeSearchMenuTriggerSetting } from "../DiscourseNodeSearchMenu";
 
 const HomePersonalSettings = ({ onloadArgs }: { onloadArgs: OnloadArgs }) => {
   const extensionAPI = onloadArgs.extensionAPI;
@@ -28,6 +29,15 @@ const HomePersonalSettings = ({ onloadArgs }: { onloadArgs: OnloadArgs }) => {
         />
         <NodeMenuTriggerComponent extensionAPI={extensionAPI} />
       </Label>
+      <Label>
+        Node Search Menu Trigger
+        <Description
+          description={
+            "Set the trigger character for the Node Search Menu. Must refresh after editing."
+          }
+        />
+        <NodeSearchMenuTriggerSetting onloadArgs={onloadArgs} />
+      </Label>
       <Checkbox
         defaultChecked={
           extensionAPI.settings.get("discourse-context-overlay") as boolean
diff --git a/apps/roam/src/index.ts b/apps/roam/src/index.ts
index d25c39bf6..f0a3080d8 100644
--- a/apps/roam/src/index.ts
+++ b/apps/roam/src/index.ts
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ export default runExtension(async (onloadArgs) => {
   document.addEventListener("roamjs:query-builder:action", pageActionListener);
   window.addEventListener("hashchange", hashChangeListener);
   document.addEventListener("keydown", nodeMenuTriggerListener);
-  document.addEventListener("keydown", discourseNodeSearchTriggerListener);
+  document.addEventListener("input", discourseNodeSearchTriggerListener);
 
   const { extensionAPI } = onloadArgs;
   window.roamjs.extension.queryBuilder = {
@@ -138,10 +138,7 @@ export default runExtension(async (onloadArgs) => {
       );
       window.removeEventListener("hashchange", hashChangeListener);
       document.removeEventListener("keydown", nodeMenuTriggerListener);
-      document.removeEventListener(
-        "keydown",
-        discourseNodeSearchTriggerListener,
-      );
+      document.removeEventListener("input", discourseNodeSearchTriggerListener);
       window.roamAlphaAPI.ui.graphView.wholeGraph.removeCallback({
         label: "discourse-node-styling",
       });
diff --git a/apps/roam/src/utils/initializeObserversAndListeners.ts b/apps/roam/src/utils/initializeObserversAndListeners.ts
index 9c2479116..ec0423936 100644
--- a/apps/roam/src/utils/initializeObserversAndListeners.ts
+++ b/apps/roam/src/utils/initializeObserversAndListeners.ts
@@ -186,30 +186,54 @@ export const initObservers = async ({
     }
   };
 
+  const customTrigger = onloadArgs.extensionAPI.settings.get(
+    "node-search-trigger",
+  ) as string;
+
   const discourseNodeSearchTriggerListener = (e: Event) => {
     const evt = e as KeyboardEvent;
     const target = evt.target as HTMLElement;
+
     if (document.querySelector(".discourse-node-search-menu")) return;
 
-    if (evt.key === "@" || (evt.key === "2" && evt.shiftKey)) {
-      if (
-        target.tagName === "TEXTAREA" &&
-        target.classList.contains("rm-block-input")
-      ) {
-        const textarea = target as HTMLTextAreaElement;
-        const location = window.roamAlphaAPI.ui.getFocusedBlock();
-        if (!location) return;
-
-        const cursorPos = textarea.selectionStart;
-        const isBeginningOrAfterSpace =
-          cursorPos === 0 ||
-          textarea.value.charAt(cursorPos - 1) === " " ||
-          textarea.value.charAt(cursorPos - 1) === "\n";
-        if (isBeginningOrAfterSpace) {
+    if (
+      target.tagName === "TEXTAREA" &&
+      target.classList.contains("rm-block-input")
+    ) {
+      const textarea = target as HTMLTextAreaElement;
+
+      if (!customTrigger) return;
+
+      const cursorPos = textarea.selectionStart;
+      const textBeforeCursor = textarea.value.substring(0, cursorPos);
+
+      const lastTriggerPos = textBeforeCursor.lastIndexOf(customTrigger);
+
+      if (lastTriggerPos >= 0) {
+        const charBeforeTrigger =
+          lastTriggerPos > 0
+            ? textBeforeCursor.charAt(lastTriggerPos - 1)
+            : null;
+
+        const isValidTriggerPosition =
+          lastTriggerPos === 0 ||
+          charBeforeTrigger === " " ||
+          charBeforeTrigger === "\n";
+
+        const isCursorAfterTrigger =
+          cursorPos === lastTriggerPos + customTrigger.length;
+
+        if (isValidTriggerPosition && isCursorAfterTrigger) {
+          // Double-check we have an active block context via Roam's API
+          // This guards against edge cases where the DOM shows an input but Roam's internal state disagrees
+          const isEditingBlock = !!window.roamAlphaAPI.ui.getFocusedBlock();
+          if (!isEditingBlock) return;
+
           renderDiscourseNodeSearchMenu({
             onClose: () => {},
             textarea: textarea,
-            triggerPosition: cursorPos,
+            triggerPosition: lastTriggerPos,
+            triggerText: customTrigger,
           });
         }
       }