Create Stores
Stores are AI-powered search indexes that organize your files for semantic search. Choose the right configuration for your use case, from temporary development environments to public knowledge bases.
Basic CreationLink to section
Create a new Store with default settings:
from mixedbread import Mixedbread
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(name="my-knowledge-base")
print(store)When you create a Store, you get a Store object with a unique ID (UUID). You can use either the ID or the name you provide as Store identifiers in all operations.
For complete details on the Store object structure, see Data Models.
Configuration OptionsLink to section
NameLink to section
Names and IDs are interchangeable identifiers for all operations.
from mixedbread import Mixedbread
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(
name="product-documentation",
description="Product documentation and FAQs for customer support",
)
print(store)Naming Rules:
- Can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, periods (
.), and hyphens (-) - Must be unique within your organization
- Can be updated at any time
Expiration PoliciesLink to section
Set automatic cleanup policies to manage Store lifecycle based on activity:
from mixedbread import Mixedbread
from mixedbread.types import ExpiresAfterParam
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(
name="development-tests",
expires_after=ExpiresAfterParam(anchor="last_active_at", days=7),
)
print(store)The last_active_at anchor resets the expiration timer whenever you add files, delete files, or perform searches. Stores never expire unless explicitly configured.
Public AccessLink to section
Control read access to your Store:
from mixedbread import Mixedbread
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(
name="public-documentation",
description="Public API documentation and tutorials",
is_public=True,
)
print(store)Private (default): Only your organization can access. You pay all costs.
Public: Anyone with an API key can search. They pay for their own searches.
File contextualizationLink to section
Improve retrieval for long documents by adding global context to individual chunks. When enabled, Mixedbread automatically generates chunk-specific explanatory context from the original file and prepends it to each chunk before embedding.
from mixedbread import Mixedbread
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(
name="docs-store",
config={
"contextualization": {
"with_file_context": True,
}
},
)
print(store)Metadata contextualizationLink to section
Improve retrieval using metadata by including selected file metadata in each chunk before embedding.
false(default): Do not include file metadatatrue: Include all file metadata (flattened)- An array of field names: Include only the selected fields (supports nested fields using dot notation)
from mixedbread import Mixedbread
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(
name="docs-store",
config={
"contextualization": {
"with_metadata": ["title", "author.name", "category"]
}
},
)
print(store)Configuration GuideLink to section
| Use Case | Name Pattern | Expiration | Public | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development | dev-{feature} | 7 days | No | Temporary testing |
| Production Docs | docs-v{version} | Never | Yes | Public documentation |
| Customer Data | customer-{id} | Never | No | Private customer content |
| Demo/POC | demo-{client} | 30 days | No | Time-limited demos |
Combined ConfigurationLink to section
Use multiple configuration options together for specific use cases:
from mixedbread import Mixedbread
from mixedbread.types import ExpiresAfterParam
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(
name="dev-feature-search",
description="Development testing for new search feature",
expires_after=ExpiresAfterParam(anchor="last_active_at", days=7),
)
print(store)from mixedbread import Mixedbread
mxbai = Mixedbread(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
store = mxbai.stores.create(
name="api-docs-v2",
description="Public API documentation version 2.0",
is_public=True,
)
print(store)