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Vector hybrid conventions

liel keeps vectors and ANN search out of the Rust core by design (see product trade-offs). Teams that use an external vector database should store references on nodes as ordinary properties and keep embeddings in the external system.

Pick stable names your tools agree on; these are conventions, not enforced schema:

Property Meaning
embedding_model Model id or version string used for the stored reference
embedding_ref Opaque id or URI in the vector store for this node (or chunk)
embedding_space Logical namespace / collection name in the provider

For chunked documents, either reference multiple external ids or use separate nodes per chunk linked by edges.

Operational rules

  1. Single writer — Respect liel’s single-writer guard; update vector refs in the same workflow that updates graph structure when possible.
  2. No automatic sync — The core does not push/pull embeddings; your jobs reconcile graph and vector store.
  3. Privacy — Treat embedding_ref like any other sensitive property if it leaks retrieval scope.