Why it matters
Metadata filtering narrows retrieval before similarity runs wild. Audience, status, region, and product line tags keep wrong-eligible chunks out of context entirely.
How it works
Define required filters per app policy. Enforce at query time in the vector DB or search layer. Log suppressed counts for audit.
Example
Nintendo customer bot applies public-safe=true, status=verified, region=US filters before searching Help Center vectors. Internal runbooks never enter the candidate set.
Common mistakes
- 1Optional filters teams forget to set in new apps
- 2Metadata drift when CMS fields rename
- 3Filtering after top-k retrieval when pre-filter is required
Definitions are useful. Governed knowledge is better.
Wiki helps you turn these concepts into a real system for the knowledge behind your AI.
See Wiki in action