diff --git a/swh/web/assets/src/bundles/browse/origin-search.js b/swh/web/assets/src/bundles/browse/origin-search.js
index f4ad89444..e3fdbf370 100644
--- a/swh/web/assets/src/bundles/browse/origin-search.js
+++ b/swh/web/assets/src/bundles/browse/origin-search.js
@@ -1,164 +1,193 @@
 /**
  * Copyright (C) 2018  The Software Heritage developers
  * See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
  * License: GNU Affero General Public License version 3, or any later version
  * See top-level LICENSE file for more information
  */
 
 import {heapsPermute} from 'utils/heaps-permute';
 import {handleFetchError} from 'utils/functions';
 
 let originPatterns;
 let perPage = 20;
 let limit = perPage * 10;
 let offset = 0;
 let currentData = null;
 let inSearch = false;
 
 function fixTableRowsStyle() {
   setTimeout(() => {
     $('#origin-search-results tbody tr').removeAttr('style');
   });
 }
 
 function clearOriginSearchResultsTable() {
   $('#origin-search-results tbody tr').remove();
 }
 
 function populateOriginSearchResultsTable(data, offset) {
   let localOffset = offset % limit;
   if (data.length > 0) {
     $('#swh-origin-search-results').show();
-    $('#swh-no-origins-found').hide();
+    $('#swh-no-result').hide();
     clearOriginSearchResultsTable();
     let table = $('#origin-search-results tbody');
     for (let i = localOffset; i < localOffset + perPage && i < data.length; ++i) {
       let elem = data[i];
       let tableRow = '<tr>';
       tableRow += '<td style="width: 120px;">' + elem.type + '</td>';
       let browseUrl = Urls.browse_origin(elem.url);
       tableRow += '<td style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="' + browseUrl + '">' + browseUrl + '</a></td>';
       tableRow += '<td id="visit-status-origin-' + elem.id + '"><i title="Checking visit status" class="fa fa-refresh fa-spin"></i></td>';
       tableRow += '</tr>';
       table.append(tableRow);
       // get async latest visit snapshot and update visit status icon
       let latestSnapshotUrl = Urls.browse_origin_latest_snapshot(elem.id);
       fetch(latestSnapshotUrl, {credentials: 'same-origin'})
         .then(response => response.json())
         .then(data => {
           let originId = elem.id;
           $('#visit-status-origin-' + originId).children().remove();
           if (data) {
             $('#visit-status-origin-' + originId).append('<i title="Origin has at least one full visit by Software Heritage" class="fa fa-check"></i>');
           } else {
             $('#visit-status-origin-' + originId).append('<i title="Origin has not yet been visited by Software Heritage or does not have at least one full visit" class="fa fa-times"></i>');
           }
         });
     }
     fixTableRowsStyle();
   } else {
     $('#swh-origin-search-results').hide();
-    $('#swh-no-origins-found').show();
+    $('#swh-no-result').text('No origins matching the search criteria were found.');
+    $('#swh-no-result').show();
   }
   if (data.length - localOffset < perPage ||
       (data.length < limit && (localOffset + perPage) === data.length)) {
     $('#origins-next-results-button').addClass('disabled');
   } else {
     $('#origins-next-results-button').removeClass('disabled');
   }
   if (offset > 0) {
     $('#origins-prev-results-button').removeClass('disabled');
   } else {
     $('#origins-prev-results-button').addClass('disabled');
   }
   inSearch = false;
   setTimeout(() => {
     window.scrollTo(0, 0);
   });
 }
 
 function searchOrigins(patterns, limit, searchOffset, offset) {
   originPatterns = patterns;
   let patternsArray = patterns.trim().replace(/\s+/g, ' ').split(' ');
   let patternsPermut = [];
   heapsPermute(patternsArray, p => patternsPermut.push(p.join('.*')));
   let regex = patternsPermut.join('|');
   let searchUrl = Urls.browse_origin_search(regex) + `?limit=${limit}&offset=${searchOffset}&regexp=true`;
 
   clearOriginSearchResultsTable();
   $('.swh-loading').addClass('show');
   fetch(searchUrl, {credentials: 'same-origin'})
     .then(handleFetchError)
     .then(response => response.json())
     .then(data => {
       currentData = data;
       if (typeof Storage !== 'undefined') {
         sessionStorage.setItem('last-swh-origin-url-patterns', patterns);
         sessionStorage.setItem('last-swh-origin-search-results', JSON.stringify(data));
         sessionStorage.setItem('last-swh-origin-search-offset', offset);
       }
       $('.swh-loading').removeClass('show');
       populateOriginSearchResultsTable(data, offset);
     })
     .catch(() => {
       $('.swh-loading').removeClass('show');
       inSearch = false;
     });
 }
 
 export function initOriginSearch() {
   $(document).ready(() => {
     if (typeof Storage !== 'undefined') {
       originPatterns = sessionStorage.getItem('last-swh-origin-url-patterns');
       let data = sessionStorage.getItem('last-swh-origin-search-results');
       offset = sessionStorage.getItem('last-swh-origin-search-offset');
       if (data) {
         $('#origins-url-patterns').val(originPatterns);
         offset = parseInt(offset);
         populateOriginSearchResultsTable(JSON.parse(data), offset);
       }
     }
 
     $('#search_origins').submit(event => {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      $('#swh-no-result').hide();
       let patterns = $('#origins-url-patterns').val();
       offset = 0;
       inSearch = true;
-      searchOrigins(patterns, limit, offset, offset);
-      event.preventDefault();
+      // first try to resolve a swh persistent identifier
+      let resolvePidUrl = Urls.resolve_swh_pid(patterns);
+      fetch(resolvePidUrl, {credentials: 'same-origin'})
+        .then(handleFetchError)
+        .then(response => response.json())
+        .then(data => {
+          // pid has been successfully resolved,
+          // so redirect to browse page
+          window.location = data.browse_url;
+        })
+        .catch(response => {
+          // pid resolving failed
+          if (patterns.startsWith('swh:')) {
+            // display a useful error message if the input
+            // looks like a swh pid
+            response.json().then(data => {
+              $('#swh-origin-search-results').hide();
+              $('.swh-search-pagination').hide();
+              $('#swh-no-result').text(data.reason);
+              $('#swh-no-result').show();
+            });
+          } else {
+            // otherwise, proceed with origins search
+            $('#swh-origin-search-results').show();
+            $('.swh-search-pagination').show();
+            searchOrigins(patterns, limit, offset, offset);
+          }
+        });
     });
 
     $('#origins-next-results-button').click(event => {
       if ($('#origins-next-results-button').hasClass('disabled') || inSearch) {
         return;
       }
       inSearch = true;
       offset += perPage;
       if (!currentData || offset % limit === 0) {
         searchOrigins(originPatterns, limit, offset, offset);
       } else {
         populateOriginSearchResultsTable(currentData, offset);
       }
       event.preventDefault();
     });
 
     $('#origins-prev-results-button').click(event => {
       if ($('#origins-prev-results-button').hasClass('disabled') || inSearch) {
         return;
       }
       inSearch = true;
       offset -= perPage;
       if (!currentData || (offset > 0 && (offset + perPage) % limit === 0)) {
         searchOrigins(originPatterns, limit, (offset + perPage) - limit, offset);
       } else {
         populateOriginSearchResultsTable(currentData, offset);
       }
       event.preventDefault();
     });
 
     $(document).on('shown.bs.tab', 'a[data-toggle="tab"]', e => {
       if (e.currentTarget.text.trim() === 'Search') {
         fixTableRowsStyle();
       }
     });
   });
 }
diff --git a/swh/web/assets/src/utils/functions.js b/swh/web/assets/src/utils/functions.js
index 79d92a70a..a56a91dae 100644
--- a/swh/web/assets/src/utils/functions.js
+++ b/swh/web/assets/src/utils/functions.js
@@ -1,28 +1,28 @@
 /**
  * Copyright (C) 2018  The Software Heritage developers
  * See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
  * License: GNU Affero General Public License version 3, or any later version
  * See top-level LICENSE file for more information
  */
 
 // utility functions
 
 export function handleFetchError(response) {
   if (!response.ok) {
-    throw Error(response.statusText);
+    throw response;
   }
   return response;
 }
 
 export function handleFetchErrors(responses) {
   for (let i = 0; i < responses.length; ++i) {
     if (!responses[i].ok) {
-      throw Error(responses[i].statusText);
+      throw responses[i];
     }
   }
   return responses;
 }
 
 export function staticAsset(asset) {
   return `${__STATIC__}${asset}`;
 }
diff --git a/swh/web/templates/browse-search.html b/swh/web/templates/browse-search.html
index 4053adcc3..fc6b52ce3 100644
--- a/swh/web/templates/browse-search.html
+++ b/swh/web/templates/browse-search.html
@@ -1,61 +1,61 @@
 {% extends "browse-layout.html" %}
 
 {% comment %}
 Copyright (C) 2017-2018  The Software Heritage developers
 See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
 License: GNU Affero General Public License version 3, or any later version
 See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 {% endcomment %}
 
 {% load static %}
 
 {% block navbar-content %}
 <h4>Search software origins to browse</h4>
 {% endblock %}
 
 {% block browse-content %}
 
 <form class="form-horizontal" id="search_origins">
   <div class="input-group">
-    <input class="form-control" placeholder="Enter string pattern(s) to search for in origin urls" type="text" id="origins-url-patterns"/>
+    <input class="form-control" placeholder="Enter a persistent id to resolve or string pattern(s) to search for in origin urls" type="text" id="origins-url-patterns"/>
     <div class="input-group-append">
       <button class="btn btn-default" type="submit"><i class="swh-search-icon fa fa-search"></i></button>
     </div>
   </div>
 </form>
 
 <div id="swh-origin-search-results" style="display: none;">
   <div class="table-responsive">
     <table class="table swh-table-even-odd" id="origin-search-results">
       <thead>
         <tr>
           <th>Origin type</th>
           <th>Origin browse url</th>
           <th>Visit status</th>
         </tr>
       </thead>
       <tbody>
       </tbody>
     </table>
   </div>
 </div>
 <div class="swh-loading">
   <img src="{% static 'img/swh-spinner.gif' %}"></img>
   <p>Searching origins ...</p>
 </div>
-<p id="swh-no-origins-found" style="display: none;">
+<p id="swh-no-result" style="display: none;">
   <br/>
-  No origins matching the search criteria were found
+  No origins matching the search criteria were found.
 </p>
 
 
 <ul class="pagination justify-content-center swh-search-pagination">
   <li class="disabled page-item" id="origins-prev-results-button"><a class="page-link" tabindex="-1">Previous</a></li>
   <li class="disabled page-item" id="origins-next-results-button"><a class="page-link" tabindex="-1">Next</a></li>
 </ul>
 
 <script>
   swh.webapp.initPage('search');
   swh.browse.initOriginSearch();
 </script>
 {% endblock %}
\ No newline at end of file