hybrid-search-implementation

# Hybrid Search Implementation

Patterns for combining vector similarity and keyword-based search.

## When to Use This Skill

- Building RAG systems with improved recall
- Combining semantic understanding with exact matching
- Handling queries with specific terms (names, codes)
- Improving search for domain-specific vocabulary
- When pure vector search misses keyword matches

## Core Concepts

### 1. Hybrid Search Architecture

```
Query → ┬─► Vector Search ──► Candidates ─┐
        │                                  │
        └─► Keyword Search ─► Candidates ─┴─► Fusion ─► Results
```

### 2. Fusion Methods

| Method | Description | Best For |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| **RRF** | Reciprocal Rank Fusion | General purpose |
| **Linear** | Weighted sum of scores | Tunable balance |
| **Cross-encoder** | Rerank with neural model | Highest quality |
| **Cascade** | Filter then rerank | Efficiency |

## Templates

### Template 1: Reciprocal Rank Fusion

```python
from typing import List, Dict, Tuple
from collections import defaultdict

def reciprocal_rank_fusion(
    result_lists: List[List[Tuple[str, float]]],
    k: int = 60,
    weights: List[float] = None
) -> List[Tuple[str, float]]:
    """
    Combine multiple ranked lists using RRF.

    Args:
        result_lists: List of (doc_id, score) tuples per search method
        k: RRF constant (higher = more weight to lower ranks)
        weights: Optional weights per result list

    Returns:
        Fused ranking as (doc_id, score) tuples
    """
    if weights is None:
        weights = [1.0] * len(result_lists)

    scores = defaultdict(float)

    for result_list, weight in zip(result_lists, weights):
        for rank, (doc_id, _) in enumerate(result_list):
            # RRF formula: 1 / (k + rank)
            scores[doc_id] += weight * (1.0 / (k + rank + 1))

    # Sort by fused score
    return sorted(scores.items(), key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True)


def linear_combination(
    vector_results: List[