tomevault-io MCP Local RAG Skills
Tools
| MCP Tool | CLI Equivalent | Use When |
|---|---|---|
ingest_file |
npx mcp-local-rag ingest <path> |
Local files (PDF, DOCX, TXT, MD). CLI for bulk/directory. |
ingest_data |
— | Raw content (HTML, text) with source URL |
query_documents |
npx mcp-local-rag query <text> |
Semantic + keyword hybrid search |
delete_file |
npx mcp-local-rag delete <path> |
Remove ingested content |
list_files |
npx mcp-local-rag list |
File ingestion status |
status |
npx mcp-local-rag status |
Database stats |
Search: Core Rules
Hybrid search combines vector (semantic) and keyword (BM25).
Score Interpretation
Lower = better match. Use this to filter noise.
| Score | Action |
|---|---|
| < 0.3 | Use directly |
| 0.3-0.5 | Include if mentions same concept/entity |
| 0.5-0.7 | Include only if directly relevant to the question |
| > 0.7 | Skip unless no better results |
Limit Selection
| Intent | Limit |
|---|---|
| Specific answer (function, error) | 5 |
| General understanding | 10 |
| Comprehensive survey | 20 |
Query Formulation
| Situation | Why Transform | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Specific term mentioned | Keyword search needs exact match | KEEP term |
| Vague query | Vector search needs semantic signal | ADD context |
| Error stack or code block | Long text dilutes relevance | EXTRACT core keywords |
| Multiple distinct topics | Single query conflates results | SPLIT queries |
| Few/poor results | Term mismatch | EXPAND (see below) |
Query Expansion
When results are few or all score > 0.5, expand query terms:
- Keep original term first, add 2-4 variants
- Types: synonyms, abbreviations, related terms, word forms
- Example:
"config"→"config configuration settings configure"
Avoid over-expansion (causes topic drift).
Result Selection
When to include vs skip—based on answer quality, not just score.
INCLUDE if:
- Directly answers the question
- Provides necessary context
- Score < 0.5
SKIP if:
- Same keyword, unrelated context
- Score > 0.7
- Mentions term without explanation
fileTitle
Each result includes fileTitle (document title extracted from content). Null when extraction fails.
| Use | How |
|---|---|
| Disambiguate chunks | Use fileTitle to identify which document the chunk belongs to |
| Group related chunks | Same fileTitle = same document context |
| Deprioritize mismatches | fileTitle unrelated to query AND score > 0.5 → rank lower |
Ingestion
ingest_file
ingest_file({ filePath: "/absolute/path/to/document.pdf" })
ingest_data
ingest_data({
content: "<html>...</html>",
metadata: { source: "https://example.com/page", format: "html" }
})
Format selection — match the data you have:
- HTML string →
format: "html" - Markdown string →
format: "markdown" - Other →
format: "text"
Source format:
- Web page → Use URL:
https://example.com/page - Other content → Use scheme:
{type}://{date}or{type}://{date}/{detail}where{type}is a short identifier for the content origin (e.g., clipboard, chat, note, meeting)
HTML source options:
- Static page → HTTP fetch
- SPA/JS-rendered → Browser/web tool with DOM rendering
- Auth required → Manual paste
If HTTP fetch returns empty or minimal content, retry with a browser/web tool.
Source URLs are normalized: query strings and fragments are stripped. See html-ingestion.md for cases where this matters.
Re-ingest same source to update. Use same source in delete_file to remove.
CLI commands
CLI subcommands mirror MCP tools. Useful for bulk operations, scripting, and environments without MCP.
query,list,status,deleteoutput JSON to stdoutingestoutputs progress to stderr- Use
--helpon any command for options - See cli-reference.md for options and config matching
References
For edge cases and examples:
- html-ingestion.md - URL normalization, SPA handling
- query-optimization.md - Query patterns by intent
- result-refinement.md - Synthesis vs filter strategy, contradiction resolution, chunking
- cli-reference.md - CLI command options, config matching, output conventions
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