docs/archive/SETUP_EMBEDDINGS.md

🚀 Fast Embeddings Setup Guide

Problem

Local Ollama embeddings are VERY slow (30+ minutes for 2,861 chunks).

Solution

Use Google's Gemini API for embeddings - FREE and 100x faster!

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Quick Setup (5 minutes)

1. Get Free Google API Key

1. Visit: https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
2. Click "Create API Key"
3. Copy the key

2. Add to .env file

GOOGLE_API_KEY="your_actual_key_here"

3. Run PDF Processor

python src/pdf_processor.py

Choose option 1 (Google Gemini) when prompted.

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Speed Comparison

Method	Time	Cost
Google Gemini	~2-3 minutes	FREE
Local Ollama	30+ minutes	FREE

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Fallback Options

Option 1: No API Key

If GOOGLE_API_KEY is not set, system automatically falls back to local Ollama.

Option 2: Manual Selection

When running python src/pdf_processor.py, choose:

• Option 1: Google Gemini (fast)
• Option 2: Local Ollama (slow)

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Technical Details

Google Embeddings:

• Model: models/embedding-001
• Dimensions: 768
• Rate Limit: 1500 requests/minute (more than enough)
• Cost: FREE for standard usage

Local Ollama:

• Model: nomic-embed-text
• Dimensions: 768
• Speed: ~1 chunk/second
• Cost: FREE, runs offline

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Usage in Code

from src.pdf_processor import get_embedding_model

# Use Google (recommended)
embeddings = get_embedding_model(provider="google")

# Use Ollama (backup)
embeddings = get_embedding_model(provider="ollama")

# Auto-detect with fallback
embeddings = get_embedding_model()  # defaults to Google

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Already Built Vector Store?

If you already created the vector store with Ollama, you don't need to rebuild it!

To rebuild with faster embeddings:

from src.pdf_processor import setup_knowledge_base, get_embedding_model

embeddings = get_embedding_model(provider="google")
retrievers = setup_knowledge_base(embeddings, force_rebuild=True)

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Troubleshooting

"GOOGLE_API_KEY not found"

• Check .env file exists in project root
• Verify key is set: GOOGLE_API_KEY="AIza..."
• Restart terminal/IDE after adding key

"Google embeddings failed"

• Check internet connection
• Verify API key is valid
• System will auto-fallback to Ollama

Ollama still slow?

• Embeddings are one-time setup
• Once built, retrieval is instant
• Consider using Google for initial build

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Security Note

⚠️ Never commit .env file to Git!

Your .gitignore should include:

.env
*.faiss
*.pkl

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Need help? The system has automatic fallback - it will always work!