Papi Ask
- 1 installs
- 35 repo stars
- Updated August 1, 2026
- hummat/paperpipe
Query papers with RAG (PaperQA2 or LEANN) for synthesized, cited answers, after exhausting cheaper exact-match, BM25, and direct-read alternatives.
About
Runs RAG queries over a paper database using PaperQA2 or LEANN when synthesis across papers or cited answers is needed. A developer uses it for questions that exact match, ranked search, or direct reads cannot answer.
- Cost-aware retrieval favoring search/show before RAG
- PaperQA2 default with LEANN option for cited synthesis
Papi Ask by the numbers
- 1 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- Ranked #2,479 of 3,282 Productivity & Planning skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Aug 2, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 1 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 35 |
| Last updated | August 1, 2026 |
| Repository | hummat/paperpipe ↗ |
What it does
Query papers with RAG (PaperQA2 or LEANN) for synthesized, cited answers, after exhausting cheaper exact-match, BM25, and direct-read alternatives.
Files
Query Papers via RAG
Use papi ask for questions requiring synthesis across papers or cited answers.
Cost-Aware Retrieval
Before using RAG, consider cheaper alternatives:
1. Exact match: papi search --rg "query" — fast, no LLM 2. Ranked search: papi search "query" — BM25 ranking 3. Direct read: papi show <paper> -l eq|tex|summary — if you know the paper
Use papi ask only when:
- User explicitly requests RAG/synthesis
- Question spans multiple papers
- Search/show cannot answer
Commands
# PaperQA2 (default) — full RAG with citations
papi ask "question"
# LEANN — faster semantic search + LLM
papi ask "question" --backend leann
# Structured output for programmatic use
papi ask "question" --format evidence-blocksMCP Tools (if available)
For quick retrieval without full RAG:
leann_search(index_name, query, top_k)— fast semantic searchretrieve_chunks(query, index_name, k)— PaperQA2 chunks with citations
Check available indexes: leann_list() or list_pqa_indexes()
Output
RAG answers include:
- Synthesized response
- Citations with page/section references
- Confidence indicators
For general CLI commands, see /papi.
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