using-infino

Using Infino for retrieval

Infino is an embedded retrieval engine over data on object storage: it runs full-text (BM25), vector, hybrid, and SQL search over one copy of the data, in-process, with no separate server. These tools (from the Infino MCP server) operate on a connected catalog of tables.

1. Discover before you search

• infino_list_tables — list the tables in the catalog. Start here when you don't already know the table name.
• infino_describe_table — get a table's columns and types, so you know which column to target and what each result row carries.

2. Pick the right search tool by the question shape

• infino_keyword_search — literal terms: identifiers, error codes, product names, exact phrases. Ranked BM25. Use when the wording is known.
• infino_semantic_search — meaning/paraphrase when the exact wording is unknown. Pass filter ({column, query}) to first restrict to rows whose keyword column matches, then rank semantically within them.
• infino_hybrid_search — the query has both specific terms and an intent. Fuses keyword + vector in one ranking pass. A good default when unsure between keyword and semantic.
• infino_sql — structural/analytical questions: counts, GROUP BY, joins, aggregates, filtering by exact column value. Not for ranked relevance.
• infino_token_match / infino_exact_match — unranked filters: the set of rows containing a token, or rows where a column exactly equals a value.

Prefer the dedicated search tools over hand-writing SQL for retrieval — they embed the query and project results for you.

3. Writes (only when the server has writes enabled)

If INFINO_MCP_ENABLE_WRITES is set, three more tools appear: infino_add_documents, infino_update_documents (replace rows matching a SQL predicate, 1:1), and infino_delete_documents. Missing vectors are embedded from the text column automatically. Confirm intent with the user before writing.

Tips

• Vectors are embedded locally (no API key); the table's vector index dimension must match the embedding model.
• _id comes back as a string; use it to fetch or mutate specific rows.
• If a tool reports "no vector column" or "no text column", call infino_describe_table first and pass the column explicitly.