How do I install the Vector DB Launch skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add richfrem/vector-db-launch-3 in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Vector DB Launch safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Vector DB Launch?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Vector DB Launch free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Vector DB Launch?

richfrem (@richfrem) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Vector DB Launch by richfrem — Agent Skill

Name: Vector DB Launch
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: richfrem

File contents

Vector DB Launch (Python Native Server)

ChromaDB provides the vector database backend for semantic search. If configured for Option C (Native Server) in vector_profiles.json, the database must be running as a background HTTP service to be accessed by operations.py.

When You Need This

RAG ingest fails with connection refused to 127.0.0.1:8110
Semantic search hangs or fails to connect
The user has explicitly selected Option 2 (Python Native Server) during vector-db-init

Pre-Flight Check

# Check if ChromaDB is already running
curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:8110/api/v1/heartbeat > /dev/null && echo "✅ ChromaDB running" || echo "❌ ChromaDB not running"

If it prints "✅ ChromaDB running", you're done. If not, proceed.

Launching the Server (Native Python)

The ChromaDB server runs as a background Python process.

It binds to the ${chroma_host}:${chroma_port} defined in your active profile inside .agent/learning/vector_profiles.json (defaults to 127.0.0.1:8110). Its data volume is mounted from the path defined by the profile's ${chroma_data_path}.

Step 1: Start the Service via CLI

Instruct the user to start the server as a background process using nohup or & so it does not block their terminal. Example:

chroma run --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8110 --path .vector_data &

Step 2: Verify Connection

After the user confirms the server is running, verify it via API:

curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:8110/api/v1/heartbeat

It should return a JSON response containing a timestamp {"nanosecond heartbeat": ...}.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
`chroma: command not found`	The user hasn't run the `vector-db-init` skill yet. Run it to `pip install chromadb`.
Port 8110 already in use	Another process (or zombie chroma process) is using the port. `lsof -i :8110` to find and kill it.
Permission Denied for data directory	Ensure the user has write access to the `.vector_data` directory.

Alternative: In-Process Mode

If the user decides they do not want to run a background server, you can instruct them to set chroma_host to an empty string "" in their profile in .agent/learning/vector_profiles.json.

The operations.py library will automatically fallback to "Option A" (PersistentClient) and initialize the database locally inside the python process without needing this skill.

---name: vector-db-launch-3description: Start the Native Python ChromaDB background server. Use when semantic search returns connection refused on port 8110, or when the user wants to enable concurrent agent read/writes.---# Vector DB Launch (Python Native Server)ChromaDB provides the vector database backend for semantic search. If configured for Option C (Native Server) in `vector_profiles.json`, the database must be running as a background HTTP service to be accessed by `operations.py`.## When You Need This- **RAG ingest fails** with connection refused to `127.0.0.1:8110`- **Semantic search** hangs or fails to connect- The user has explicitly selected **Option 2 (Python Native Server)** during `vector-db-init`## Pre-Flight Check```bash# Check if ChromaDB is already runningcurl -sf http://127.0.0.1:8110/api/v1/heartbeat > /dev/null && echo "✅ ChromaDB running" || echo "❌ ChromaDB not running"```If it prints "✅ ChromaDB running", you're done. If not, proceed.## Launching the Server (Native Python)The ChromaDB server runs as a background Python process. It binds to the `${chroma_host}:${chroma_port}` defined in your active profile inside `.agent/learning/vector_profiles.json` (defaults to `127.0.0.1:8110`). Its data volume is mounted from the path defined by the profile's `${chroma_data_path}`.### Step 1: Start the Service via CLIInstruct the user to start the server as a background process using `nohup` or `&` so it does not block their terminal. Example:```bashchroma run --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8110 --path .vector_data &```### Step 2: Verify ConnectionAfter the user confirms the server is running, verify it via API:```bashcurl -sf http://127.0.0.1:8110/api/v1/heartbeat```It should return a JSON response containing a timestamp `{"nanosecond heartbeat": ...}`.---## Troubleshooting| Symptom | Fix ||---------|-----|| `chroma: command not found` | The user hasn't run the `vector-db-init` skill yet. Run it to `pip install chromadb`. || Port 8110 already in use | Another process (or zombie chroma process) is using the port. `lsof -i :8110` to find and kill it. || Permission Denied for data directory | Ensure the user has write access to the `.vector_data` directory. |## Alternative: In-Process ModeIf the user decides they do not want to run a background server, you can instruct them to set `chroma_host` to an empty string `""` in their profile in `.agent/learning/vector_profiles.json`. The `operations.py` library will automatically fallback to "Option A" (`PersistentClient`) and initialize the database locally inside the python process without needing this skill.

Frequently asked questions

Vector DB Launch