Codebase intelligence
EditVolt understands your repo through a local semantic index — built, stored, and queried entirely on your machine.
How indexing works
- On first open, files are embedded with a bundled on-device embedding model (MiniLM-L6-v2) — the model ships inside the app and never touches the network
- Vectors are stored in an on-disk vector database, per workspace, under
.editvolt/index - A separate fast text index (
.editvolt/grep-index) backs instant literal search - Retrieval is hybrid: semantic similarity plus fast text search
- The index powers
@Workspaceanswers, the agent's semantic search tool, and code discovery
Maintenance is automatic: the index compacts itself as you work and reconciles on a schedule.
Settings
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
product.context.proactiveIndex | true | Build the index in the background when a workspace opens |
product.context.autoSearch | true | Retrieve workspace context automatically for a turn |
product.context.smartGate | true | Skip retrieval when the question doesn't need it |
product.context.hybridSearchBudgetMs | 2500 | Time budget for a hybrid retrieval pass |
product.context.indexExcludePatterns | [] | Extra glob patterns to keep out of the index |
product.context.indexReconcileIntervalDays | 7 | How often the index is reconciled against disk |
product.context.indexAcceleration | auto | Hardware acceleration for indexing |
product.embedding.provider | auto | local-embed, ollama-embed, gemini-embed, byok-embed |
product.tools.maxReadFileBytes | — | Cap on bytes the agent reads per file |
Two palette commands manage it directly: EditVolt: Clear Workspace Index and EditVolt: Clear All Workspace Indexes (every project).
What stays out of the index
Paths matched by your .editvoltignore file are never indexed and never enter AI context. Secret-shaped files (.env*, private keys, SSH and cloud credentials) are excluded by default, and under strict privacy they are hard-blocked with no override.
Memory (optional)
EditVolt can keep a local memory of facts, decisions, and conventions it learns while working with you.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
product.memory.recall.enabled | true | Surface relevant remembered facts in a turn |
product.memory.recall.maxCards | 2 | How many memory cards a turn may surface |
product.memory.autoCapture | false | Offer to save durable facts detected in your messages |
product.memory.vector.enabled | false | Semantic (rather than keyword) memory recall |
Workspace memory lives in .editvolt/memory.db; user-scope memory lives in ~/.editvolt/user-memory.db. Configure it under EditVolt Settings → Memory & Context.
Where the data lives
Everything sits in the workspace's .editvolt/ folder (index, grep index, memory, checkpoints) plus ~/.editvolt/ for user-scope data and downloaded models. Delete the folder and it's gone — nothing is synced anywhere.