Qmd

QMD — Vault Semantic Search

Before reading vault files directly, search with QMD first. It returns relevant snippets without burning context on full file reads.

Tool Surfaces — Preference Order

Pick the highest surface available and stop. All three read the same SQLite store (see Named Index), so they return the same results; the choice is about interface ergonomics and context cost.

1. MCP tools (preferred when registered) — mcp__qmd__query, mcp__qmd__get, mcp__qmd__multi_get, mcp__qmd__status. If these appear in your tool menu, the MCP server is live and pre-scoped to this vault. Call them directly — no --index argument needed, no shell involved, typed arguments. This is the intended path during a session.
2. CLI fallback — qmd --index <name> query|search|vsearch|get|multi-get. Use when the MCP server isn't registered (older vault clones, Windows install drift, disabled in .mcp.json), or for one-off shell checks outside a session. Always pass --index <name>.
3. Grep / Glob / Read — last resort, only when QMD is not installed at all. These burn context on full file reads and don't rank by relevance.

Never fall through surfaces without cause — if MCP is registered, calling the CLI in a Bash tool is just a slower path to the same result.

Named Index (This Vault)

This vault uses a named QMD index so queries, updates, and context strings stay scoped to this vault — not blended with any other vault that shares the machine. Every QMD command in this document passes --index <name>.

The name resolves the same way on all three surfaces (CLI, MCP, SessionStart hook), so they always point at the same SQLite store:

1. qmd_index in vault-manifest.json, when set — an explicit pin.
2. Otherwise the vault folder name, slugified. The template ships qmd_index empty so every install gets its own store without being asked a question.

Pin the field if you want a name that survives renaming the vault folder, or want to keep a store you already built.

Read the resolved name before running commands rather than assuming either branch:

INDEX=$(node -e '
  const ok = (s) => typeof s === "string" && /^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9._-]*$/.test(s);
  const m = JSON.parse(require("fs").readFileSync("vault-manifest.json", "utf8"));
  if (m.qmd_index && !ok(m.qmd_index)) {
    process.stderr.write("qmd_index is set to an invalid name: " + JSON.stringify(m.qmd_index) + "\n");
    process.exit(1);
  }
  const slug = require("path").basename(process.cwd()).normalize("NFKD").toLowerCase()
    .replace(/[^a-z0-9._-]+/g, "-").replace(/-{2,}/g, "-").replace(/^[^a-z0-9]+|[-._]+$/g, "");
  const name = [m.qmd_index, slug, m.template].find(ok);
  if (!name) { process.stderr.write("no usable qmd index name — set qmd_index in vault-manifest.json\n"); process.exit(1); }
  process.stdout.write(name);
') || exit 1
qmd --index "$INDEX" query "..."

The value is used as both a CLI argument and a filesystem path (~/.cache/qmd/<name>.sqlite), so an invalid pin must fail here rather than propagate — hence the explicit check instead of m.qmd_index || slug.

In-session, substitute the resolved value directly in your commands — it is stable across the vault's lifetime unless the folder is renamed.

Commands

Each operation lists the MCP call first, then the CLI equivalent. Prefer MCP when available.

Search (pick one per query)

• Hybrid (best quality) — mcp__qmd__query with searches=[{type:"lex", query:"..."}, {type:"vec", query:"..."}] and an intent arg. CLI: qmd --index <name> query "..." --json -n 10. Use for complex or conceptual queries.
• Keyword (fast BM25) — mcp__qmd__query with searches=[{type:"lex", query:"..."}]. CLI: qmd --index <name> search "..." --json -n 10. Use for exact terms, names, ticket numbers, dates.
• Semantic only — mcp__qmd__query with searches=[{type:"vec", query:"..."}]. CLI: qmd --index <name> vsearch "..." --json -n 5. Use for exploratory queries where you don't know the exact words.