# Pageindex RAG > Use this skill whenever the user wants high-quality semantic retrieval, cross-textbook synthesis, reference verification, or authority-ranked question answering over the PageIndex corpus. Trigger on requests like "find which texts cover X", "compare sources", "retrieve semantically", "verify this claim from my textbooks", "build a reading list from the corpus", "cluster by topic", or any PageIndex question where naïve filename search would miss relevant material. This skill teaches a state-of-the-art hybrid retrieval workflow over the PageIndex catalog and live MCP extraction surface. - Skill: `zpankz/pageindex-rag` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 23 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add zpankz/pageindex-rag` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/zpankz/pageindex-rag/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: Zpankz (https://skillmd.com/u/zpankz) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/zpankz/pageindex-rag --- ## Enforcement scripts This skill includes programmatic enforcement of the catalog-first retrieval invariant: - `scripts/retrieve.py` — CSV-based semantic retrieval with authority ranking - `scripts/verify.py` — PageIndex MCP tool call plan generator - `scripts/pipeline.py` — End-to-end: semantic query → catalog → rerank → verification plan See `scripts/README.md` for full usage. # PageIndex Semantic Retrieval Best Practices Use this skill to answer corpus-grounded questions over the PageIndex library with high recall and high precision. It is a **retrieval-and-verification** skill, not a raw indexing skill. This skill is designed to be **standalone**. It ships with a bundled catalog snapshot under: - `data/current/` So it can be used remotely in Claude.ai without depending on another local skill installation. If the user needs a fresher live crawl than the bundled snapshot, then refresh separately with: - `pageindex-reference-index` ## What "best practice" means here Use a hybrid workflow: 1. **catalog-first retrieval** for breadth 2. **authority-aware reranking** for trustworthiness 3. **work / section / topic clustering** for semantic coverage 4. **live PageIndex page extraction** for exact verification 5. **citation-rich synthesis** in the final answer Do not jump straight to `get_page_content` across random PDFs. Do not rely on filenames alone when the catalog already has `work_title`, `topic_category`, tags, and relations. ## Primary retrieval workflow ### 1. Check whether the catalog is current enough Use the bundled snapshot in: - `data/current/` Inspect at least: - `data/current/pageindex_summary.json` - `data/current/pageindex_diff.md` - `data/current/pageindex_enrichment.md` - `data/current/pageindex_work_index.csv` - `data/current/pageindex_topic_index.csv` - `data/current/pageindex_verification_index.csv` If the user's request depends on the newest live library state and the bundle is stale, note that limitation explicitly and, if available, refresh separately with `pageindex-reference-index`. ### 2. Generate candidates from the catalog Prefer hybrid candidate generation: - `topic` - `topic_category` - `specific_topic` - `work_title` - `work_section_title` - `source_family` - `document_type` - `authority` - `exam_domain` - hierarchical tags Remote-first use: - `data/current/pageindex_work_index.csv` - `data/current/pageindex_topic_index.csv` - `data/current/pageindex_verification_index.csv` - `data/current/pageindex_catalog.csv` If you have an execution environment, you may also use bundled query helpers or SQL mirrors, but the skill should remain effective even without them. ### 3. Rerank by authority and coverage Default ranking order: 1. `official` syllabi / examiner reports / guidelines 2. `textbook` 3. `journal` 4. `reference` 5. `notes` / community-style material Then balance for breadth: - prefer multiple `source_family` values over many hits from one work - prefer section diversity when synthesizing a topic - include both full-book anchors and chapter-level hits when useful ### 4. Verify with live PageIndex only after narrowing the set Once you have the best candidate documents: - use `get_document` to confirm readiness - for docs >20 pages, use `get_document_structure` first - then use `get_page_content` for tight ranges only Always preserve exact document / page provenance in your notes. ### 5. Answer with explicit grounding Your answer should distinguish: - metadata-level retrieval - live page-verified retrieval When verified, cite: - document name - folder path - page range - why that source was chosen ## Retrieval patterns ### Pattern A — "Which texts cover X?" 1. search `topic`, `topic_category`, `specific_topic`, and FTS text 2. cluster by `source_family` 3. surface 5–10 best works 4. optionally verify the top 2–3 ### Pattern B — "Compare what different sources say about X" 1. retrieve from at least 3 distinct `source_family` values 2. prioritize textbooks + official sources 3. verify representative passages live 4. synthesize agreements, disagreements, and level of specificity ### Pattern C — "Find the best source to answer X" 1. use `verification_index` 2. filter by likely `topic_category` 3. rank by `authority`, `work_title`, `work_section_title` 4. verify the best 1–3 sources live ### Pattern D — "Build a reading stack for X" 1. official syllabus / examiner reports first 2. core textbook chapters next 3. supplementary texts after 4. BJA / notes only as adjuncts ## Important heuristics - Prefer `work_title` and `work_section_title` over bare filenames. - Prefer `topic_category` for recall and `specific_topic` for precision. - Use `material_kind` to separate full books from chapters, front matter, back matter, and problem sets. - Use `source_family` to avoid overcounting multiple chapter hits from the same work. - Use `exam_domain` to keep ANZCA / CICM filtering intentional. - Treat `pageindex_discrepancies.md` as a warning surface, not a footnote. ## Rich semantic retrieval checklist Before finalizing an answer, ask yourself: - Did I retrieve from the catalog first? - Did I include the highest-authority sources available? - Did I avoid collapsing everything into one work? - Did I verify exact pages when making strong claims? - Did I cite folder path + page range? - Did I mention uncertainty if the result is metadata-only? ## Recommended references Read as needed: - `references/retrieval-playbook.md` - `references/query-recipes.md` - `references/citation-template.md` - `references/remote-usage.md` - `data/current/README.md` ## Output contract For retrieval tasks, usually return: 1. best candidate works 2. best candidate documents 3. verified page-backed evidence where available 4. a brief synthesis 5. suggested next retrieval moves if confidence is partial