> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.onyx.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# RAG and Search

> Managing RAG and Search settings

Onyx answers questions from your connected sources with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
When a user asks a question, Onyx searches the OpenSearch document index,
selects the most relevant documents with a model, and streams an answer with numbered citations.
Each user sees only documents they are allowed to see.

## Settings that shape search

| Setting | Where | What it does |
| - | - | - |
| Connectors | **Admin Panel → Connectors** | Decide which sources Onyx indexes. See [Connectors](https://docs.onyx.app/admins/managing_features/connectors_link.md). |
| Document Sets | **Admin Panel → Document Sets** | Group connectors into filters for users and Agents. See [Document Sets](https://docs.onyx.app/admins/managing_features/document_sets.md). |
| Index Settings | **Admin Panel → Index Settings** | Choose the embedding model and options such as **Contextual Retrieval**, **Multipass Indexing**, **Extract & Caption Images**, and **Vector Quantization**. Not shown on Onyx Cloud, where Onyx manages the index. See [Search Configs](https://docs.onyx.app/admins/advanced_configs/search_configs.md). |
| Search Selection Model | **Admin Panel → Chat Preferences** | The model that selects and checks retrieved documents. |
| Search Mode | **Admin Panel → Chat Preferences** | A quick document search view. Needs a Business or Enterprise plan, or Onyx Cloud. |
| Auto-Detect Search Filters | **Admin Panel → Chat Preferences** | Applies source and time filters that Onyx infers from the query. |

See [Chat Preferences](https://docs.onyx.app/admins/managing_features/chat.md) for the chat-level settings.

## Search types

* **Internal Search** searches documents that connectors indexed.
* **Federated search** queries a source live at question time, for example federated Slack,
  and merges the results with indexed documents.
* **Web Search** searches the public web through the provider you configure under **Admin Panel → Web Search**.
  See [Web Search](https://docs.onyx.app/admins/actions/web_search.md).

Users can narrow a search by source, Document Set, and date range in chat.
Users can explore what Onyx indexed with [Internal Search](https://docs.onyx.app/overview/core_features/internal_search.md).


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