# Welcome

[Almanac](https://github.com/tryprotege/almanac) is a lightning-fast data access platform designed specifically for AI agents. It combines graph-enhanced retrieval (LightRAG) with zero-config indexing to make any data source instantly accessible to your AI applications.

## What Makes Almanac Different?

* **🚀 Lightning Fast** - Entity-based retrieval reduces tokens by 10x while improving accuracy
* **🔌 Zero Config** - Automatically generates indexing configurations for any MCP server
* **🧠 Smart Retrieval** - 5 query modes adapt to different use cases (naive, local, global, hybrid, mix)
* **📊 Graph-Enhanced** - Understands relationships between entities, not just keywords
* **⚡ Production Ready** - Parallel processing, multi-database architecture, built to scale

## How It Works

Think of Almanac like a librarian who doesn't just know where books are, but understands how they relate to each other. When you ask a question:

1. **Syncing** - Almanac fetches data from your sources (Slack, GitHub, Notion, etc.)
2. **Indexing** - Creates both vector embeddings and knowledge graphs
3. **Query** - Chooses the best retrieval strategy based on your needs
4. **Results** - Returns relevant information with relationships and context

## Quick Example

```bash
# Install and start (one command)
pnpm start

# Query your data
curl http://localhost:3000/api/query \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "What did we discuss about the API refactor?",
    "mode": "mix"
  }'
```

## Get Started in 5 Minutes

Ready to dive in? Follow our [Quick Start Guide](/almanac/getting-started/quickstart.md) to:

* Install Almanac with Docker
* Connect your first data source
* Run your first query
* Understand the different query modes

## Key Concepts

New to RAG or knowledge graphs? Start here:

* [**LightRAG Explained**](/almanac/core-concepts/lightrag.md) - Understanding the 5 query modes
* [**Architecture**](/almanac/core-concepts/architecture.md) - How Almanac works under the hood
* [**Data Flow**](https://github.com/tryprotege/almanac/blob/develop/docs/core-concepts/data-flow.md) - From API to search results

## Common Use Cases

See Almanac in action:

* 💬 [Customer Support Agent](https://github.com/tryprotege/almanac/blob/develop/docs/examples/customer-support.md) - Search Slack conversations
* 📝 [Code Documentation](https://github.com/tryprotege/almanac/blob/develop/docs/examples/code-docs.md) - Index GitHub repositories
* 🧠 [Personal Knowledge Base](https://github.com/tryprotege/almanac/blob/develop/docs/examples/knowledge-base.md) - Connect Notion, emails, docs

## Why Developers Choose Almanac

> "We tried building RAG from scratch. Almanac gave us better results in an afternoon than we achieved in 3 weeks."
>
> — Dev team building AI code assistant

**For Developers Building AI Agents:**

* No AI/ML expertise required
* Works with any LLM (OpenAI, Anthropic, local models)
* REST API - integrate with any stack
* Full TypeScript codebase

**For Data-Heavy Applications:**

* Handles millions of documents
* 32 concurrent operations by default
* Smart caching and batching
* Vector + Graph + Document storage

## Architecture at a Glance

```
External APIs → MCP Servers → Almanac
                                ↓
                    [Syncing & Transformation]
                                ↓
                    ┌─────────────────────┐
                    │     Databases       │
                    │  - MongoDB (docs)   │
                    │  - Qdrant (vectors) │
                    │  - Memgraph (graph) │
                    │  - Redis (cache)    │
                    └─────────────────────┘
                                ↓
                    [LightRAG Query Engine]
                                ↓
                            Results
```

## Next Steps

* **New to Almanac?** → [Quick Start](/almanac/getting-started/quickstart.md)
* **Want to see it in action?** → [Examples & Tutorials](/almanac/examples-and-tutorials/examples.md)
* **Building custom integrations?** → [Custom MCP Servers](/almanac/custom-mcp-servers/custom-mcp-servers.md)
* **Ready to deploy?** → [Installation Guide](/almanac/getting-started/installation.md)

***

## Community & Support

* **GitHub**: [github.com/tryprotege/almanac](https://github.com/tryprotege/almanac)
* **Issues**: Report bugs and request features
* **Discussions**: Ask questions and share ideas

LLM? Read [llms.txt](http://docs.tryprotege.com/llms.txt).

***

*Built for developers, by developers. Open source and production-ready.*


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.tryprotege.com/almanac/readme.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.