documentation-search

name: documentation-search description: Search the internal knowledge base for runbooks, architecture documentation, ADRs, best practices, and troubleshooting guides using RAG. Use when looking for internal documentation, deployment procedures, architecture decisions, or operational runbooks.

Documentation Search

Search the internal knowledge base using RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) to find relevant runbooks, architecture docs, ADRs, and best practices.

Instructions

Phase 1: Query Understanding

1. Parse the user's intent:
   • Are they looking for a specific document (e.g., "deployment runbook")?
   • Are they asking a question the docs can answer (e.g., "how do we handle rollbacks?")?
   • Are they exploring a topic (e.g., "what do we know about A2A protocol?")?
2. Formulate search queries:
   • Extract key terms from the user's question
   • Generate 2-3 variant queries to improve recall
   • Include relevant synonyms (e.g., "deploy" = "release" = "ship")

Phase 2: Knowledge Base Search (RAG Agent)

1. Search across document sources:
   • Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) in docs/docs/changes/
   • Spec Kit documents in .specify/specs/
   • Runbooks and operational guides
   • README files and inline documentation
   • Confluence pages (if Confluence agent available)
   • Backstage TechDocs (if Backstage agent available)
2. Rank results by relevance:
   • Exact keyword matches ranked highest
   • Semantic similarity for conceptual matches
   • Recency as a tiebreaker (newer docs preferred)

Phase 3: Answer Synthesis

1. Direct answer: If the docs contain a clear answer, provide it directly
2. Compiled answer: If information is spread across multiple docs, synthesize
3. Source attribution: Always cite which document(s) the answer came from
4. Gaps identified: Note if the question is only partially answered

Output Format

## Documentation Search Results

**Query**: "How do we handle database migrations?"

### Answer
Based on the internal documentation, database migrations follow this process:

1. Create a migration script using Alembic (see Runbook RB-023)
2. Test in staging environment first (required per ADR-008)
3. Run during the maintenance window defined in the on-call calendar
4. Verify with rollback script before marking complete

### Sources
| Document | Type | Relevance | Last Updated |
|----------|------|-----------|--------------|
| RB-023: Database Migration Runbook | Runbook | High | 2026-01-15 |
| ADR-008: Database Schema Changes | ADR | Medium | 2025-11-20 |
| .specify/specs/db-migration-v2.md | Spec | Medium | 2026-02-01 |

### Key Excerpts
> From **RB-023**: "Always run `alembic upgrade head --sql` first to preview
> the migration SQL before applying. Never run migrations during peak hours."

> From **ADR-008**: "We chose Alembic over Django migrations because our
> services are not Django-based and Alembic provides better raw SQL support."

### Related Topics
- Rollback procedures (see RB-024)
- Schema versioning strategy (see ADR-008)
- Testing database changes (see .specify/specs/db-testing.md)

Examples

• "Search our knowledge base for deployment best practices"
• "How do we handle rollbacks?"
• "Find the runbook for EKS cluster upgrades"
• "What ADRs do we have about streaming?"
• "Show me the architecture documentation for the multi-agent system"
• "What's our convention for Helm chart versioning?"

Guidelines

• Always cite sources - never present information without attribution
• If no relevant documents are found, say so clearly and suggest:
  • Creating the missing documentation
  • Which team might have the tribal knowledge
  • Alternative search terms to try
• Prefer internal documentation over general knowledge when both exist
• For runbooks, include the full procedure steps rather than just linking
• For ADRs, include the decision context and alternatives considered
• Flag outdated documentation (>6 months old) with a freshness warning
• If Confluence or Backstage agents are available, search those sources too
• Distinguish between authoritative docs (ADRs, runbooks) and informal docs (notes, comments)