Executing Your First Search

Now that you've created an index, let's explore how to search your documents effectively with Oboyu.

Basic Search

The simplest search is just a few keywords:

oboyu search "project deadline"

Oboyu will return the most relevant documents containing information about project deadlines.

Understanding Search Results

A typical search result looks like this:

Searching for: "project deadline"

1. project-plan-2024.md (Score: 0.92)
   Path: ~/Documents/projects/project-plan-2024.md
   Modified: 2024-01-15
   
   ...The project deadline has been set for March 15th, with key milestones 
   scheduled for February 1st and February 20th. All team members should...

2. github-issue-123.md (Score: 0.87)
   Path: ~/Documents/github-issues/github-issue-123.md
   Modified: 2024-01-10
   
   ...discussed the upcoming project deadline and resource allocation. 
   The team agreed that the March deadline is achievable if we...

Found 15 results in 0.23 seconds

Search Modes

Oboyu offers three search modes to match your needs:

1. Hybrid Search (Default)

Combines keyword and semantic search for best results:

oboyu search "quarterly revenue analysis"

2. Vector Search

Understands meaning and context using semantic embeddings:

oboyu search "documents about financial planning" --mode vector

3. BM25 Search

Fast, traditional keyword matching:

oboyu search "budget report 2024" --mode bm25

Refining Your Search

Limit Number of Results

oboyu search "meeting notes" --top-k 5

Enable Reranking

Improve search quality with neural reranking:

oboyu search "architecture design" --rerank

Get Detailed Explanations

See why documents matched your query:

oboyu search "configuration" --explain

Output as JSON

Get structured results for automation:

oboyu search "status update" --format json

Search Examples by Use Case

Finding Meeting Notes

# Meeting about specific topic
oboyu search "budget discussion"

# All meetings with specific person using semantic search
oboyu search "meeting with Sarah" --mode vector

Searching Technical Documentation

# Find API documentation
oboyu search "REST API authentication"

# Find configuration examples with reranking
oboyu search "database connection config" --rerank

Research and Academic Papers

# Find papers on specific topic with limited results
oboyu search "machine learning optimization" --top-k 10

# Find recent research using hybrid search
oboyu search "neural networks 2024" --mode hybrid

Advanced Search Techniques

Phrase Search

Use quotes for exact phrases:

oboyu search '"project deadline march 15"'

Combining Terms

Use natural language:

oboyu search "emails about contract renewal from legal department"

Interactive Search Mode

For exploratory searching, use interactive mode:

oboyu search --interactive

This opens a search session where you can:

• Execute multiple searches in sequence
• Navigate through results easily
• Refine queries based on results

Example session:

Oboyu Interactive Search
Type 'help' for commands, 'quit' to exit

> project roadmap
Found 23 results

[Results displayed...]

> Q2 milestones
Found 8 results

[Results displayed...]

> quit

Japanese Language Search

Oboyu excels at Japanese text search:

# Search in Japanese
oboyu search "会議議事録"

# Mixed language search
oboyu search "プロジェクト deadline"

# Vector search understands context
oboyu search "来週の予定について" --mode vector

Search Performance Tips

1. Use Specific Keywords

Instead of: "document" Try: "Q4 financial report"

2. Leverage Vector Search

For conceptual searches:

oboyu search "documents explaining our pricing strategy" --mode vector

3. Use Available Options

Improve your search with available options:

oboyu search "api documentation" --rerank --top-k 10

Understanding Relevance Scores

Oboyu assigns relevance scores (0.0 to 1.0):

• 0.90-1.00: Excellent match
• 0.70-0.89: Good match
• 0.50-0.69: Fair match
• Below 0.50: Weak match

Advanced Options

Custom Database Path

Search a specific database:

oboyu search "documents" --db-path /path/to/custom.db

Fine-tune Hybrid Search

Adjust the RRF (Reciprocal Rank Fusion) parameter:

oboyu search "documents" --rrf-k 30

Troubleshooting Search Issues

No Results Found

• Check spelling and try variations
• Use semantic mode for conceptual searches
• Verify the index is up-to-date

Too Many Results

• Add more specific keywords
• Use filters (date, file type)
• Try phrase search with quotes

Irrelevant Results

• Switch search modes
• Use more descriptive terms
• Filter by recently modified files

Search Best Practices

1. Start Broad, Then Narrow

   oboyu search "project"  # Too broad
   oboyu search "project alpha milestone 2"  # Better

2. Use Natural Language

   oboyu search "emails about the new product launch"

3. Combine Search Modes Start with hybrid mode, then refine with specific modes

4. Regular Index Updates Keep your search results current:

   oboyu manage diff && oboyu search "latest reports"

Next Steps

Now that you can search effectively:

• Explore Basic Workflows for daily usage patterns
• Learn about Search Patterns for advanced techniques
• Configure Search Optimization for better results