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[WHAT] Context retrieval backend for `lev get` (legacy name: lev-find).
[HOW] RRF fusion across indexes (codebase, docs, sessions, tasks, memory) plus optional research backends.
[WHEN] Use for context gathering, prior art, and memory recall.
[WHY] Keeps one root primitive (`get`) while preserving `find/search` aliases.
Triggers: "find", "search", "lookup", "where is", "locate", "discover", "what do we have on",
"related work", "prior art", "recall", "remember", "what did we discuss",
"search memory", "find in history", "conversation history"
Category: GET (context gathering, memory recall, semantic search)
Indexes: codebase, documentation, ideas, sessions, tasks, skills, memory
skill_type
tool
category
process-get
primary_primitive
get
legacy_aliases
["find","search","lookup"]
lifecycle_integration
{"stage":"all stages (GET operation)","input_artifact":"query string","output_artifact":"ranked search results with RRF fusion"}
lev-find (Backend for lev get)
lev find remains a compatibility alias. Prefer lev get.
Overview
lev get orchestrates semantic search across multiple indexes (codebase, docs, ideas, sessions, tasks) and fuses results using Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF) for comprehensive discovery.
When to Use
Use lev get when:
Cross-domain search - Finding related code, docs, and discussions
Architecture discovery - Locating design decisions and patterns
Context gathering - Understanding how something works across the codebase
Task awareness - Finding related work and TODOs
Use Grep/Glob when:
Exact matches - Searching for specific strings or patterns
Known locations - You know approximately where to look
File listing - Just need to find files by name
Basic Usage
# Search everywhere (auto-selects relevant indexes)
lev get "error handling"# Search with explicit indexes
lev get "auth" --indexes codebase,documentation
# Include tasks in search
lev get "TODO authentication" --indexes codebase,tasks
External Search Backends
MANDATE: All research/find queries MUST load and use exa + deep-research + valyu for comprehensive discovery.
Exa (Neural Web + GitHub Search)
Exa provides semantic web search and GitHub code discovery.
Setup:
export EXA_API_KEY="your-key-here"
Usage:
# Search web for docs/examples
lev get "react authentication patterns" --scope=web
# Search GitHub repos
lev get "voice assistant typescript" --scope=github
lev get --scope=code,web
# Combined: local code + web
"deployment strategies"
Valyu (Recursive Deep Research)
Valyu provides turn-based iterative refinement with confidence scoring (1-10 turns).
Usage:
# Recursive research with automatic refinement
valyu research "authentication best practices 2026" \
--turns 5 \
--threshold 0.85 \
--strategy balanced
# Research strategies:# - breadth: 20 sources, broad coverage# - depth: 10 sources, comprehensive understanding# - balanced: 15 sources, general-purpose (default)# Deep research (mandate exa + deep-research + valyu)
lev get "authentication patterns" --scope=research
How it works:
Turn 1: Initial search + AI answer with confidence scoring
AI suggests refined query based on knowledge gaps
Turns 2-N: Iterative deepening until confidence >= threshold
Final synthesis across all turns
Mandatory Loading:
--scope=research → MUST load exa + deep-research + valyu
Any deep research → Use valyu for iterative refinement
Any find/research skill invocation → Load all backends
See:skill://valyu for complete recursive research documentation.
Index Types
Index
Content
Tool
codebase
Source code (agent, core, plugins)
ck
documentation
Docs, ADRs, architecture
leann
ideas
Ideas, brainstorming, vision docs
leann
sessions
Session notes, discussions
leann
tasks
bd issues and TODOs
bd
skills
POC skills from ~/lev/workshop/poc/lookup
lookup CLI
memory
AutoMem stored memories (decisions, context)
memory_search
web
External web search via Exa neural search
exa-plus skill
Memory Index (AutoMem Integration)
The memory index connects to Clawdbot's AutoMem extension:
# Search memories
lev get "authentication decision" --indexes memory
# Combined search (code + memory)
lev get "why did we choose JWT" --indexes codebase,documentation,memory
Direct AutoMem tools (available via clawdbot skill):
memory_search - Semantic search across stored memories
memory_get - Retrieve specific memory by ID
memory_store - Store new memory
memory_forget - Delete memory
Bash fallback (when MCP unavailable):
# Direct AutoMem API query
curl -s "http://localhost:8001/search?q=authentication&limit=5" | jq '.results'# Store a memory
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8001/store" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"content": "We chose JWT for stateless auth", "tags": ["decision", "auth"]}'
lev get "authentication middleware implementation"
lev get "how to handle errors" --indexes codebase
Finding Architectural Decisions
lev get "why hexagonal architecture" --indexes documentation
lev get "ADR memory system" --indexes documentation
Finding Related Work
lev get "what exists for caching" --indexes codebase,documentation,tasks
lev get "previous discussion about X" --indexes sessions
Finding Tasks
lev get "blocked on oauth" --indexes tasks
lev get "TODO refactor" --indexes codebase,tasks
Finding Skills (Decision Frameworks, Patterns)
lev get "decision making" --indexes skills
lev get "how to handle complexity" --indexes skills,documentation
lev get "debugging patterns" --indexes skills,codebase
Understanding Results
Results are fused using RRF (Reciprocal Rank Fusion):
Results from multiple sources are merged
Duplicate paths are deduplicated
Final ranking reflects consensus across indexes
Output includes:
path - File or issue location
score - RRF fusion score (higher = more relevant)
source - Which index matched
snippet - Relevant text excerpt
Routing Rules
The manifest auto-routes queries:
TODO|FIXME|task → tasks index
idea|vision → ideas + _global
Default → codebase + documentation + _global
Override with --indexes for explicit control.
Integration with bd
Search creates trackable jobs:
# View search history
bd list --label find-job
# Resume interrupted search
lev get --resume job-a3f8e9
Tips
Narrow Results
# Too many results? Add specificity
lev get "JWT token refresh" --indexes codebase
# Or filter by path patterns
lev get "auth" | grep middleware
Broaden Results
# Missing results? Search more indexes
lev get "caching" --indexes codebase,documentation,ideas,tasks
Domain Expansion Ladder (When Stuck)
If initial search fails, climb the abstraction ladder:
Usage: Start at your certainty level, climb UP when results sparse:
# Level 1 failed? → Expand to Level 2
lev get "bd-daemon" --indexes codebase # 0 results
lev get "daemon sync module" --indexes codebase,documentation # 29 results# Level 2 too specific? → Climb to Level 3
lev get "auto-sync patterns" --indexes codebase,ideas,sessions
# Unfamiliar domain? → Jump to Level 5-6
lev get "what problem does caching solve" --indexes ideas,sessions
Rule: Level 2 (component) is typically the sweet spot for codebase searches.
Combine with Other Tools
# Find then read
lev get "error handling" | head -5 # Get top results# Then use Read tool on specific files# Find then grep for specific lines
lev get "auth middleware" --indexes codebase
# Then grep -n "function" in the matched files
Query Expansion Features
Empty Query: Random Skill Discovery
When searching the skills index without a query, get 5 random skills for exploration:
lev get "" --indexes skills
# Returns 5 random skills from the POC catalog
Use case: Discover new decision frameworks and patterns you didn't know existed.
Related Query Suggestions
After search results, lev-find suggests 2-3 related queries to explore:
lev get "authentication patterns" --indexes skills
# Results shown...
💡 Related searches you might find useful:
- "authorization access control"
- "session management security"
- "identity verification methods"
Skill Categories for Exploration
Browse skills by category to understand the landscape:
# Categories available:
- dev (Software engineering, patterns, architecture)
- strategy (Business strategy, competitive analysis)
- cognitive (Mental models, biases, heuristics)
- decision (Decision-making frameworks)
- systems (Systems thinking, complexity)
- design (UI/UX, product design)
# Example: Explore all decision-making skills
lev get "decision" --indexes skills
# Then use category filter if integrated with lookup CLI
Related Search Tools
lev-find is the unified orchestrator. For specialized searches, use:
Tool
Specialty
Use When
lev-find (this)
Unified local + external search
Default choice, cross-domain discovery
lev-research
Multi-perspective orchestration
Architecture analysis, research workflows
deep-research
Tavily multi-query synthesis
Complex research, iterative refinement
valyu
Recursive turn-based research
Confidence-driven, automatic query expansion
brave-search
Quick web search
Fast lookups, documentation
tavily-search
AI-optimized single search
Clean snippets, current info
exa-plus
Neural web search
GitHub, LinkedIn, research papers
grok-research
X/Twitter, real-time
Social sentiment, trending topics
firecrawl
Web scraping
Content extraction, site mapping
qmd
Local markdown/JSONL search
Session history, conversation search
agent-browser
Interactive web automation
Form filling, testing, screenshots
Decision tree:
Need to search? → Start here:
├─ Local (code/docs/sessions) → lev get
├─ External web (quick) → brave-search or tavily-search
├─ External web (deep) → deep-research or valyu
├─ Social/real-time → grok-research
├─ Structured scraping → firecrawl
├─ Interactive browser → agent-browser
└─ Multi-perspective → lev-research
See also:
skill://lev-research - Main research orchestrator
skill://deep-research - Tavily deep research
skill://valyu - Recursive research
Quick Reference
Command
Purpose
lev get "query"
Search all default indexes
lev get "query" --indexes X,Y
Search specific indexes
lev get "" --indexes skills
Random skill discovery (5 samples)
lev get --resume ID
Resume interrupted search
bd list --label find-job
Search history
Integration with lookup CLI
The skills index is powered by ~/lev/workshop/poc/lookup CLI:
# Direct CLI usage (alternative to lev get)cd ~/lev/workshop/poc/lookup
./cli.js find "decision making"
./cli.js list --tag=decision
./cli.js load <skill-id>
See lookup CLI documentation for advanced features like hybrid search, tag filtering, and skill loading.
Relates
Master Router
Lev Master Router (lev/SKILL.md) - Routes all lev-* skills
Parent skill that dispatches to this skill based on keywords/context
Technique Map
Role definition - Clarifies operating scope and prevents ambiguous execution.
Context enrichment - Captures required inputs before actions.
Output structuring - Standardizes deliverables for consistent reuse.
Step-by-step workflow - Reduces errors by making execution order explicit.
Edge-case handling - Documents safe fallbacks when assumptions fail.
Technique Notes
These techniques improve reliability by making intent, inputs, outputs, and fallback paths explicit. Keep this section concise and additive so existing domain guidance remains primary.
Prompt Architect Overlay
Role Definition
You are the prompt-architect-enhanced specialist for lev-find, responsible for deterministic execution of this skill's guidance while preserving existing workflow and constraints.
Input Contract
Required: clear user intent and relevant context for this skill.
Preferred: repository/project constraints, existing artifacts, and success criteria.
If context is missing, ask focused questions before proceeding.
Output Contract
Provide structured, actionable outputs aligned to this skill's existing format.
Include assumptions and next steps when appropriate.
Preserve compatibility with existing sections and related skills.
Edge Cases & Fallbacks
If prerequisites are missing, provide a minimal safe path and request missing inputs.
If scope is ambiguous, narrow to the highest-confidence sub-task.
If a requested action conflicts with existing constraints, explain and offer compliant alternatives.
