qmd – Local Document Search

Semantic + full-text search across local markdown docs using local LLMs.

When to Use

Use qmd when the user wants to search their personal notes, documentation, or knowledge base. This includes Obsidian vaults, markdown notes directories, and any indexed collections.

Search Commands

qmd search "query"    # BM25 full-text search
qmd vsearch "query"   # Semantic vector search
qmd query "query"     # Hybrid search with LLM reranking (best quality)

Search Flags

Output Formats

Document Retrieval

qmd get "path/to/doc.md"      # Get specific document
qmd get "#abc123"             # Get by document ID
qmd multi-get "journals/*.md" # Get multiple docs by glob

Collection Management

qmd collection list           # View all collections
qmd collection add ~/notes --name notes
qmd ls notes                  # List files in collection
qmd status                    # Index health

Examples

# High-quality search with reranking
qmd query -n 10 "API design patterns"

# Full document content for LLM context
qmd search --md --full "error handling"

# Search specific collection
qmd search "meeting notes" -c work

Workflow

1. Use qmd collection list to see available collections
2. Use qmd query for best search quality (uses LLM reranking)
3. Use --full when you need complete document content
4. Use qmd get to retrieve specific documents by path or ID

Quick Start for Common Requests