Search in Contradic

Keyword search

Keyword search looks for the exact words you type inside your documents. It is the fastest way to find a specific clause, project name, or recurring term.

To make results more precise:

1. Type your keywords and press Enter.
2. Use filters to narrow by Document type, Tags, File extension, or File name.
3. Select one or more results and add them to your chat context when you want to discuss them with an AI Expert.

Each result shows a short preview with highlighted matches. Click a preview to expand it and see more context.

Need help with filters? See Filters & sorting.

Advanced search (include and exclude)

Use advanced search when you want to be precise without writing a complex query in one line.

1. Start from search and open Advanced search with .
2. In Include, enter what must appear.
3. In Exclude, enter what must not appear.
4. Optional: enable Semantic only if you want meaning-based results only.
5. Launch search with .

You can also use operators in Include:

• AND (default) with spaces, like delay penalty
• Exact phrase with quotes, like "termination for convenience"
• Alternative with OR, like indemnity OR liability
• Inline exclusion with -, like -draft (this is equivalent to adding draft in Exclude)

With websearch_to_tsquery, terms separated by spaces behave like AND (narrower results). Use OR only when you want alternatives.

In Exclude, you can stay simple:

• Enter multiple words to exclude them all (draft template)
• Enter a term directly (draft)
• Or combine alternatives (draft OR template)

When you apply filters, Contradic shows chips with matching icons, for example:

• Document type
• Tags
• Extension
• Filename

Semantic search

Semantic search finds results that match the meaning of your query, even when the exact words are different. It helps when you are not sure about the exact phrasing used in the document.

In advanced search, turning on Semantic only shows semantic results only and skips the keyword phase.

Try these tips:

• Ask a short question or describe what you are looking for in plain language.
• Add one or two specific terms to anchor the search, like a project name or vendor.
• Use filters to keep the list focused on the right document set.

Combine both

By default, Contradic runs keyword search first. If no exact matches are found, it automatically shows semantic suggestions so you can still discover relevant content.

In the UI, these suggestions appear under Related Results (Semantic) with a note that no exact matches were found.

For best results:

• Start with a natural query, then add a precise term if needed.
• Use filters to narrow the search when you have too many results.
• If a result looks useful, select it and add it to your chat context.

Understand why results appear