> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ragrails.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Query

> Search stored chunks and answer with the CLI.

The query side has two CLI entry points.

`ragrails query` embeds a query and prints matching chunks. `ragrails chat` retrieves context and generates an answer.

## Search with `query`

```bash theme={null}
ragrails query "How long do I have to request a refund?" \
  --vector-db qdrant \
  --collection support \
  --url http://localhost:6333 \
  --provider voyage \
  --model voyage-3 \
  --top-k 5
```

Output:

```text theme={null}
Query  : How long do I have to request a refund?
Results: 1

[1] score=0.8400 id=refund-policy-0
    text : Customers can request a refund within 30 days of purchase...
```

## Rerank Results

```bash theme={null}
ragrails query "How long do refunds take?" \
  --vector-db qdrant --collection support --url http://localhost:6333 \
  --top-k 20 \
  --rerank \
  --reranker voyage \
  --reranker-model rerank-2-lite \
  --rerank-top-k 5
```

## Generate an Answer with `chat`

```bash theme={null}
ragrails chat "How long do I have to request a refund?" \
  --vector-db qdrant \
  --collection support \
  --url http://localhost:6333 \
  --embedder-provider voyage \
  --embedder-model voyage-3 \
  --llm-provider openai \
  --llm-model gpt-4o-mini
```

Use `--history-file` to persist multi-turn history:

```bash theme={null}
ragrails chat "How long do I have to request a refund?" \
  --history-file files/chat/history.json \
  --vector-db qdrant --collection support --url http://localhost:6333

ragrails chat "What about the payment method?" \
  --history-file files/chat/history.json \
  --rewrite-query
```

## Interactive Chat

```bash theme={null}
ragrails chat
```

The interactive REPL keeps session history, can stream answers, and exposes `/tools`, `/model`, `/stream`, and `/debug` commands.

## Choose the Command

| Need                              | Use                                     |
| --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Raw matching chunks               | `ragrails query` or `ragrails retrieve` |
| Reranked search results           | `ragrails query --rerank`               |
| One-shot answer with sources      | `ragrails chat "..."`                   |
| Multi-turn terminal session       | `ragrails chat`                         |
| Tool-assisted interactive session | `ragrails chat` then `/tools`           |

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Retrieval" icon="search" href="/usage/cli/retrieval">Tune lower-level retrieval.</Card>
  <Card title="Chat" icon="messages-square" href="/usage/cli/chat">Use one-shot and interactive chat.</Card>
</CardGroup>