Quick definition
Hybrid search combines keyword and semantic search.
- Category: Retrieval
- Focus: grounded answers and search relevance
- Used in: Question answering over internal docs or knowledge bases.
What it means
It balances exact matches with semantic relevance. In retrieval workflows, hybrid search often shapes grounded answers and search relevance.
How it works
Retrieval pipelines index content into chunks and embeddings, then fetch relevant pieces at query time. The model uses those snippets as context to answer.
Why it matters
Retrieval improves accuracy by grounding responses in your data.
Common use cases
- Question answering over internal docs or knowledge bases.
- Support assistants that cite sources and reduce hallucinations.
- Enterprise search that understands intent beyond keywords.
Example
Filter by product name, then rank by semantic similarity.
Pitfalls and tips
Poor chunking or stale data leads to irrelevant results. Refresh indexes and tune chunk size to keep answers accurate.
In BoltAI
In BoltAI, this appears in search, knowledge, and grounding workflows.
