Resolve terminology

Resolve retrieval terminology to stable Searchplex ID concept identifiers.

Use /resolve/{term} for a single term. Identity matches redirect to the canonical concept. Observed or community terminology may return suggestions instead of an automatic redirect.

Resolution workflow

1. Normalize the term: Unicode normalize, lowercase, trim, replace hyphens with spaces, and collapse whitespace.
2. Look up the normalized key in identity. These matches come from concept IDs, preferred labels, alternative labels, and slug aliases.
3. If there is no identity match, inspect suggestions. Suggestions come from observed or community terms and are not guaranteed synonyms.
4. Fetch the full concept record at /{id}.json or inspect the canonical page at /{id}/.
5. Use distinctions[], relations, and derivedRelations to understand nearby concepts and explicit non-equivalence.

Identity vs suggestion

• Identity
  An exact Searchplex ID match. Safe to use as the canonical concept identity.
• Suggestion
  A possible terminology match from observed usage. Show it as a candidate match with its usage and community, not as an exact alias.

Example: RRF

/resolve/RRF resolves as an identity match for Reciprocal Rank Fusion. The concept page and JSON clarify that RRF is one rank-fusion method and is not equivalent to hybrid retrieval.

Example: candidate generation

candidate generation appears as a suggestion for Candidate Retrieval. It should be treated as community terminology, not as an automatic exact alias.

Machine entry points

• Resolver index
  Term-to-ID identity matches and suggestions.
• Search index
  Lightweight concept lookup across labels, observed terms, definitions, and scope notes.
• Bulk JSON
  All public concept records in one JSON file.
• llms.txt
  Agent-oriented usage guide.