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Search effectively

Start with the default search, then switch modes only when the query needs it.

Start with the default mode

kbolt search "rust error handling"

The default mode combines keyword and semantic retrieval without reranking. It is the right first pass for most searches.

Use exact matching for identifiers

Use keyword search when exact text matters:

kbolt search "E0502" --keyword
kbolt search "rerank_candidates_max" --keyword

Good fits include compiler errors, function names, config keys, file names, and CLI flags.

Use semantic search for concepts

Use semantic search when the query is a paraphrase or a natural-language description:

kbolt search "how does kbolt recover from partial indexing failures" --semantic

Semantic search depends on embeddings, so newly edited files may lag until semantic indexing has refreshed.

Add reranking when ordering matters

If the default search finds plausible results but the order is weak, add reranking:

kbolt search "rust error handling" --rerank

Reranking improves ordering but adds latency.

Use deep search as a second pass

Use deep search when the first pass misses useful material:

kbolt search "index corruption recovery" --deep

Deep search expands the query and runs a broader retrieval path. It is slower than the default mode.

Diagnose search behavior

Use debug output when you need to inspect the retrieval pipeline:

kbolt search "rust error handling" --debug

Next steps