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Metadata Filtering

Metadata filtering allows you to narrow search results based on the metadata attached to your files. This page covers how to filter using metadata with comprehensive syntax and operations.

Filter Structure

{
  "logical_operator": [
    {"key": "metadata_key", "operator": "comparison", "value": "target_value"}
  ]
}

Example filter structure:

{
  "all": [
    {"key": "category", "operator": "eq", "value": "documentation"}
  ]
}

Logical Operators

All (AND Operation)

All conditions must be true:

{
  "all": [
    {"key": "category", "operator": "eq", "value": "documentation"},
    {"key": "language", "operator": "eq", "value": "python"},
    {"key": "status", "operator": "eq", "value": "published"}
  ]
}

Any (OR Operation)

At least one condition must be true:

{
  "any": [
    {"key": "language", "operator": "eq", "value": "python"},
    {"key": "language", "operator": "eq", "value": "javascript"},
    {"key": "language", "operator": "eq", "value": "typescript"}
  ]
}

None (NOT Operation)

None of the conditions should be true:

{
  "none": [
    {"key": "status", "operator": "eq", "value": "deprecated"},
    {"key": "status", "operator": "eq", "value": "draft"}
  ]
}

Comparison Operators

Equality and Comparison Operators

// Equal to
{"key": "status", "operator": "eq", "value": "published"}

// Not equal to
{"key": "status", "operator": "not_eq", "value": "draft"}

// Greater than
{"key": "priority", "operator": "gt", "value": 5}

// Greater than or equal to
{"key": "created_at", "operator": "gte", "value": "2024-01-01"}

// Less than
{"key": "rating", "operator": "lt", "value": 3.0}

// Less than or equal to
{"key": "rating", "operator": "lte", "value": 4.5}

// Value in list
{"key": "tags", "operator": "in", "value": ["tutorial", "guide"]}

// Value not in list
{"key": "language", "operator": "not_in", "value": ["deprecated", "legacy"]}

// Pattern matching (case-sensitive)
{"key": "title", "operator": "like", "value": "API*"}

// Pattern exclusion (case-sensitive)
{"key": "filename", "operator": "not_like", "value": "*.tmp"}

Data Type Filtering

String Values

Case-sensitive by default - ensure consistent casing in your metadata:

// String Values (case-sensitive)
{"key": "category", "operator": "eq", "value": "Documentation"}  // Won't match "documentation"

// Use consistent casing in metadata
{
  "category": "documentation",  // lowercase
  "status": "published",        // lowercase
  "team": "engineering"         // lowercase
}

Numeric Values

Support integer and float comparisons:

// Numeric Values
{"key": "priority", "operator": "gt", "value": 5}
{"key": "score", "operator": "gte", "value": 0.8}

Boolean Values

Support true/false conditions:

// Boolean Values
{"key": "is_public", "operator": "eq", "value": true}
{"key": "deprecated", "operator": "eq", "value": false}

Date Values

Recommend ISO 8601 format:

// Date Values (ISO 8601 format recommended)
{"key": "created_at", "operator": "gte", "value": "2024-01-01"}
{"key": "last_updated", "operator": "lt", "value": "2024-12-31T23:59:59Z"}

Array/List Values

Support membership filtering:

// Array/List Values
{
  "tags": ["tutorial", "python", "web"],
  "authors": ["alice", "bob"]
}

// Filter by array membership
{"key": "tags", "operator": "in", "value": ["tutorial", "guide"]}

Combined Logical Operations

Nested Conditions

Complex multi-level filtering example:

{
  "all": [
    {"key": "category", "operator": "eq", "value": "documentation"},
    {
      "any": [
        {"key": "language", "operator": "eq", "value": "python"},
        {"key": "language", "operator": "eq", "value": "javascript"}
      ]
    }
  ],
  "none": [
    {"key": "status", "operator": "eq", "value": "deprecated"}
  ]
}

Next Steps

Now that you understand metadata filtering, explore these related topics:

Search
Learn how to search your Vector Store with semantic queries, configuration options, and advanced filtering capabilities.
Reranking
Learn how to use reranking to improve search result quality and relevance in your Vector Store searches.

Last updated: July 15, 2025