---
title: Collections
description: Group files into the boundary that Search and Query address.
doc_version: 0.1.0-preview
last_updated: 2026-09-14
---

# Collections

A collection groups the files that Search and Query use together. It also defines processing choices and whether per-reader access rules apply.

## Choose the retrieval boundary

*Illustration: The incident-logs collection holds related reports and recordings. Search and Query address this collection. A separate policies collection has its own files and retrieval boundary.*

Put files together when an answer should use them together. Split unrelated content into separate collections when it needs separate retrieval or key access. Each Search or Query request names exactly one collection.

Add a file directly to the collection. No separate attachment request is required. The same source URI can appear in two collections, but each collection has its own file resource.

## Processing profile

| Flag | Type and default | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `keyword` | boolean · true | Allows lexical Search based on words in the content. |
| `semantic` | boolean · true | Allows Search based on meaning. |
| `graph` | boolean · true | Enables graph processing for the collection. |

All three flags default to `true`. At least one must stay enabled. On a collection update, an omitted flag keeps its existing value. Enabling processing can return a reindex job. Wait for that job before relying on the new capability.

Disabling a Search mode makes requests for that mode invalid. Discover available cluster modes through `/info`, then check the collection’s processing flags.

## Read the collection state

| Status | What it means for your application |
| --- | --- |
| `empty` | No living files. Search returns no results. Query returns collection_empty. |
| `indexing` | Files are processing and none is ready. Retrieval returns collection_not_ready. |
| `ready` | At least one file is ready for retrieval. |
| `degraded` | Some files are ready and some failed. Retrieval can use ready files. |
| `failed` | Files exist but none is ready. Search returns no results and a warning. Query returns collection_not_ready. |
| `deleting` | Deletion is in progress. Search and Query cannot use the collection. |

Read `file_counts` to distinguish pending, indexing, ready, and failed files. The collection status summarizes the set; a ready collection does not imply that every file finished.

`index_generation` is an opaque identifier for the indexed content used by retrieval. Treat it as a string. Do not parse it or construct one.

## Collection access and lifecycle

`access_control` defaults to `off`. Set it to `enforced` when Search and Query must apply per-reader rules. An enforced collection starts with an empty reader list at its root, so no content is visible until you grant access.

Ordinary file additions and removals update retrieval automatically. Use [Reindex collection](/engine/reference/reindex-collection) when you explicitly need to rebuild. [Delete collection](/engine/reference/delete-collection) returns a job and removes its availability to Search and Query.

See [Create collection](/engine/reference/create-collection) for the full contract and [Apply access rules](/engine/guides/access-rules) for an enforced collection.
## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.