feat: default semantic search to LanceDB

.changeset/default-lancedb-search.md

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"@kilocode/cli": minor
+"@kilocode/kilo-indexing": minor
+"kilo-code": minor
+---
+
+Use embedded LanceDB as the default semantic search vector store so indexing works without a separate Qdrant server. Existing Qdrant users and Intel Mac users can select `qdrant` with `indexing.vectorStore`.

packages/kilo-docs/pages/customize/context/codebase-indexing.md

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ This enables natural language queries like "user authentication logic" or "datab
 1. Open Kilo Code **Settings** → **Indexing**, or click the indexing indicator at the bottom of the prompt input panel.
 2. Turn on **Global Enable** to index every workspace, or turn on **Enable for This Project** to index only the current workspace. Both toggles are off until explicitly enabled.
 3. Pick an **Embedding Provider** and fill in its required fields.
-4. Pick a **Vector Store** (`Qdrant` or `LanceDB`) and configure it.
+4. Pick a **Vector Store** (`LanceDB` or `Qdrant`) and configure it.
 5. Optionally adjust **Tuning Parameters** (search score, batch size, retries, max results).
 6. Save to start the initial scan.
 
@@ -74,8 +74,12 @@ You can also edit the `indexing` section in `kilo.jsonc` directly:
 
 ### Vector stores
 
-- **Qdrant** (default) — external server. Recommended for team deployments and larger codebases. See [Setting Up Qdrant](#setting-up-qdrant).
-- **LanceDB** — embedded, file-based. No server to run. Stores data under your Kilo data directory by default.
+- **LanceDB** (default). Embedded and file-based, with no server to run. Stores data under your Kilo data directory by default.
+- **Qdrant**. External server recommended for team deployments and larger codebases. See [Setting Up Qdrant](#setting-up-qdrant).
+
+{% callout type="warning" title="Intel Macs" %}
+LanceDB does not support Intel Macs. Select **Qdrant** and configure a Qdrant server instead.
+{% /callout %}
 
 {% callout type="tip" %}
 For a fully local, zero-cost setup, combine **Ollama** (embeddings) with **LanceDB** (vector store — no separate server needed).
@@ -106,7 +110,7 @@ This opens an interactive configuration dialog where you can:
 - Choose an **Embedding Provider** and fill in provider settings (API key, base URL, AWS region, etc.)
 - Set the **Embedding Model** (blank = provider default)
 - Set the **Vector Dimension** (blank = auto-detect from the model)
-- Choose a **Vector Store** (`Qdrant` or `LanceDB`) and configure its connection
+- Choose a **Vector Store** (`LanceDB` or `Qdrant`) and configure its connection
 - Adjust **Tuning Parameters** (search threshold, batch size, retries, max results)
 
 All changes are written to your `kilo.jsonc` config and take effect immediately.
@@ -120,14 +124,11 @@ You can also edit the `indexing` section directly. This is the full shape of the
     "provider": "voyage",
     "model": "voyage-code-3",
     "dimension": 1024,
-    "vectorStore": "qdrant",
+    "vectorStore": "lancedb",
     "voyage": {
       "apiKey": "pa-..."
     },
-    "qdrant": {
-      "url": "http://localhost:6333",
-      "apiKey": ""
-    },
+    "lancedb": {},
     "searchMinScore": 0.4,
     "searchMaxResults": 50,
     "embeddingBatchSize": 60,
@@ -152,8 +153,8 @@ You can also edit the `indexing` section directly. This is the full shape of the
 
 ### Vector stores
 
-- `qdrant` — `{ url?, apiKey? }` (default). See [Setting Up Qdrant](#setting-up-qdrant).
-- `lancedb` — `{ directory? }` — embedded, file-based. No server to run. Uses a default Kilo data directory when omitted.
+- `lancedb` uses `{ directory? }` and is the default. It is embedded and file-based, with no server to run. Kilo uses its data directory when `directory` is omitted.
+- `qdrant` uses `{ url?, apiKey? }`. See [Setting Up Qdrant](#setting-up-qdrant).
 
 {% callout type="tip" %}
 For a fully local, zero-cost setup, combine **Ollama** (embeddings) with **LanceDB** (vector store — no separate server needed).

packages/kilo-indexing/src/config.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 import { Schema } from "effect"
 import z from "zod"
 import type { IndexingConfigInput } from "./indexing/config-manager"
+import { DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE } from "./indexing/constants"
 import type { EmbedderProvider } from "./indexing/interfaces/manager"
 
+export { DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE } from "./indexing/constants"
+
 const providers = [
   "kilo",
   "openai",
@@ -29,7 +32,7 @@ export const IndexingConfig = z
       .nullable()
       .optional()
       .describe("Override embedding vector dimension (auto-detected from model if omitted)"),
-    vectorStore: z.enum(stores).optional().describe("Vector store backend (default: qdrant)"),
+    vectorStore: z.enum(stores).optional().describe("Vector store backend (default: lancedb)"),
     kilo: z
       .object({
         apiKey: z.string().optional(),
@@ -147,7 +150,7 @@ export const IndexingSchema = Schema.Struct({
   dimension: Schema.optional(Schema.NullOr(PositiveInt)).annotate({
     description: "Override embedding vector dimension (auto-detected from model if omitted)",
   }),
-  vectorStore: Schema.optional(Store).annotate({ description: "Vector store backend (default: qdrant)" }),
+  vectorStore: Schema.optional(Store).annotate({ description: "Vector store backend (default: lancedb)" }),
   kilo: Schema.optional(
     Schema.Struct({
       apiKey: Schema.optional(Schema.String),
@@ -237,7 +240,7 @@ export function toIndexingConfigInput(cfg: IndexingConfig | undefined): Indexing
   return {
     enabled: cfg?.enabled ?? false,
     embedderProvider: provider,
-    vectorStoreProvider: cfg?.vectorStore,
+    vectorStoreProvider: cfg?.vectorStore ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE,
     modelId: cfg?.model ?? undefined,
     modelDimension: cfg?.dimension ?? undefined,
     lancedbVectorStoreDirectory: cfg?.lancedb?.directory,

packages/kilo-indexing/src/indexing/config-manager.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type { EmbedderProvider } from "./interfaces/manager"
 import type { CodeIndexConfig, PreviousConfigSnapshot } from "./interfaces/config"
-import { DEFAULT_SEARCH_MIN_SCORE, DEFAULT_MAX_SEARCH_RESULTS } from "./constants"
+import { DEFAULT_SEARCH_MIN_SCORE, DEFAULT_MAX_SEARCH_RESULTS, DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE } from "./constants"
 import { getDefaultModelId, getModelDimension, getModelScoreThreshold } from "./model-registry"
 import { isEmbeddingProfileEqual, resolveEmbeddingProfile } from "./embedding-profile"
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ export interface IndexingConfigInput {
 export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
   private enabled = false
   private embedderProvider: EmbedderProvider = "openai"
-  private vectorStoreProvider: "lancedb" | "qdrant" = "qdrant"
+  private vectorStoreProvider: "lancedb" | "qdrant" = DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE
   private lancedbVectorStoreDirectory?: string
   private modelId?: string
   private modelDimension?: number
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
   private applyInput(input: IndexingConfigInput): void {
     this.enabled = input.enabled
     this.embedderProvider = input.embedderProvider
-    this.vectorStoreProvider = input.vectorStoreProvider ?? "qdrant"
+    this.vectorStoreProvider = input.vectorStoreProvider ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE
     this.lancedbVectorStoreDirectory = input.lancedbVectorStoreDirectory
     this.qdrantUrl = input.qdrantUrl ?? "http://localhost:6333"
     this.qdrantApiKey = input.qdrantApiKey
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
     if (prevProvider !== this.embedderProvider) return true
 
     // Vector store provider change
-    if ((prev.vectorStoreProvider ?? "qdrant") !== this.vectorStoreProvider) return true
+    if ((prev.vectorStoreProvider ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE) !== this.vectorStoreProvider) return true
 
     // LanceDB path change
     if (
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
     return {
       isConfigured: this.isConfigured(),
       embedderProvider: this.embedderProvider,
-      vectorStoreProvider: this.vectorStoreProvider ?? "qdrant",
+      vectorStoreProvider: this.vectorStoreProvider,
       lancedbVectorStoreDirectoryPlaceholder: this.lancedbVectorStoreDirectory,
       modelId: this.modelId,
       modelDimension: this.modelDimension,

packages/kilo-indexing/src/indexing/constants/index.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 /**
  * Codebase Index Constants
  */
+export const DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE = "lancedb" as const
+
 export const CODEBASE_INDEX_DEFAULTS = {
   MIN_SEARCH_RESULTS: 10,
   MAX_SEARCH_RESULTS: 200,

packages/kilo-indexing/src/indexing/manager.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import type { VectorStoreSearchResult } from "./interfaces"
 import type { IndexingState } from "./interfaces/manager"
 import type { IndexingTelemetryEvent, IndexingTelemetryMeta, IndexingTelemetryTrigger } from "./interfaces/telemetry"
 import { CodeIndexConfigManager, type IndexingConfigInput } from "./config-manager"
-import { INITIAL_MANAGER_RECOVERY_DELAY_MS, MAX_MANAGER_RECOVERY_ATTEMPTS } from "./constants"
+import { DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE, INITIAL_MANAGER_RECOVERY_DELAY_MS, MAX_MANAGER_RECOVERY_ATTEMPTS } from "./constants"
 import { CodeIndexStateManager } from "./state-manager"
 import { CodeIndexServiceFactory } from "./service-factory"
 import { CodeIndexSearchService } from "./search-service"
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ export class CodeIndexManager {
     const cfg = this._configManager.getConfig()
     return {
       provider: cfg.embedderProvider,
-      vectorStore: cfg.vectorStoreProvider ?? "qdrant",
+      vectorStore: cfg.vectorStoreProvider ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE,
       modelId: cfg.modelId,
     }
   }

packages/kilo-indexing/src/indexing/orchestrator.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import type { CacheManager } from "./cache-manager"
 import type { Disposable } from "./runtime"
 import { Log } from "../util/log"
 import { sanitizeErrorMessage } from "./shared/validation-helpers"
+import { DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE } from "./constants"
 
 const log = Log.create({ service: "indexing-orchestrator" })
 
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ export class CodeIndexOrchestrator {
     const cfg = this.configManager.getConfig()
     return {
       provider: cfg.embedderProvider,
-      vectorStore: cfg.vectorStoreProvider ?? "qdrant",
+      vectorStore: cfg.vectorStoreProvider ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE,
       modelId: cfg.modelId,
     }
   }

packages/kilo-indexing/src/indexing/service-factory.ts

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import type { CacheManager } from "./cache-manager"
 import type { IndexingTelemetryMeta, IndexingTelemetryReporter } from "./interfaces/telemetry"
 import {
   BATCH_SEGMENT_THRESHOLD,
+  DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE,
   OLLAMA_EMBEDDER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS,
   REMOTE_EMBEDDER_VALIDATION_TIMEOUT_MS,
 } from "./constants"
@@ -55,7 +56,7 @@ export class CodeIndexServiceFactory {
     const cfg = this.configManager.getConfig()
     return {
       provider: cfg.embedderProvider,
-      vectorStore: cfg.vectorStoreProvider ?? "qdrant",
+      vectorStore: cfg.vectorStoreProvider ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE,
       modelId: cfg.modelId,
     }
   }

packages/kilo-indexing/test/kilocode/indexing/config-manager.test.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { toIndexingConfigInput } from "../../../src/config"
 import { CodeIndexConfigManager, type IndexingConfigInput } from "../../../src/indexing/config-manager"
 
 function createInput(input: Partial<IndexingConfigInput> = {}): IndexingConfigInput {
@@ -25,9 +26,21 @@ describe("CodeIndexConfigManager", () => {
     expect(cfg.getConfig().ollamaOptions?.baseUrl).toBe("http://localhost:11434")
   })
 
-  test("defaults vector store to qdrant when omitted", () => {
+  test("defaults vector store to LanceDB when omitted", () => {
     const cfg = new CodeIndexConfigManager(createInput({ vectorStoreProvider: undefined }))
 
+    expect(cfg.getConfig().vectorStoreProvider).toBe("lancedb")
+  })
+
+  test("normalizes omitted vector store config to LanceDB for hosts", () => {
+    expect(toIndexingConfigInput(undefined).vectorStoreProvider).toBe("lancedb")
+  })
+
+  test("preserves an explicit Qdrant override", () => {
+    const input = toIndexingConfigInput({ vectorStore: "qdrant" })
+    const cfg = new CodeIndexConfigManager(input)
+
+    expect(input.vectorStoreProvider).toBe("qdrant")
     expect(cfg.getConfig().vectorStoreProvider).toBe("qdrant")
   })
 

packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/settings/IndexingTab.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Component, For, Show, createMemo, createSignal } from "solid-js"
 import { Card } from "@kilocode/kilo-ui/card"
+import { DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE } from "@kilocode/kilo-indexing/config"
 import { formatKiloEmbeddingModelLabel, getKiloEmbeddingModel } from "@kilocode/kilo-indexing/embedding-models"
 import { Select } from "@kilocode/kilo-ui/select"
 import { Switch } from "@kilocode/kilo-ui/switch"
@@ -32,8 +33,8 @@ const allProviders: { value: ProviderId; label: string }[] = [
 ]
 
 const stores: Option[] = [
-  { value: "qdrant", label: "Qdrant (default)" },
-  { value: "lancedb", label: "LanceDB" },
+  { value: "lancedb", label: "LanceDB (default)" },
+  { value: "qdrant", label: "Qdrant" },
 ]
 
 const tuning: Array<{ key: TuningKey; label: string; placeholder: string }> = [
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ const IndexingTab: Component = () => {
     updateConfig({ indexing: { ...cfg(), ...partial } })
   }
 
-  const vectorStore = () => cfg().vectorStore ?? "qdrant"
+  const vectorStore = () => cfg().vectorStore ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE
   const kiloDefault = () =>
     getKiloEmbeddingModel(embeds.catalog().defaultModel, embeds.catalog())?.id ?? embeds.catalog().defaultModel
   const kiloModels = createMemo(() =>

packages/opencode/src/kilocode/components/dialog-indexing.tsx

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import { useDialog } from "@tui/ui/dialog"
 import { DialogSelect, type DialogSelectOption } from "@tui/ui/dialog-select"
 import { DialogPrompt } from "@tui/ui/dialog-prompt"
+import { DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE } from "@kilocode/kilo-indexing/config"
 import { formatKiloEmbeddingModelLabel } from "@kilocode/kilo-indexing/embedding-models"
 import { fetchKiloEmbeddingModelCatalog } from "@kilocode/kilo-gateway"
 import { useSync } from "@tui/context/sync"
@@ -62,8 +63,8 @@ const PROVIDER_FIELDS: Record<EmbeddingProvider, ProviderFieldDef[]> = {
 }
 
 const VECTOR_STORE_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
-  qdrant: "Qdrant (default)",
-  lancedb: "LanceDB",
+  lancedb: "LanceDB (default)",
+  qdrant: "Qdrant",
 }
 
 function maskSecret(value: string | undefined): string {
@@ -316,14 +317,14 @@ function VectorStoreSelect(props: SubDialogProps) {
   const options: DialogSelectOption<string>[] = Object.entries(VECTOR_STORE_LABELS).map(([value, title]) => ({
     value,
     title,
-    description: value === (indexing.vectorStore ?? "qdrant") ? "(current)" : undefined,
+    description: value === (indexing.vectorStore ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE) ? "(current)" : undefined,
   }))
 
   return (
     <DialogSelect
       title="Vector Store"
       options={options}
-      current={indexing.vectorStore ?? "qdrant"}
+      current={indexing.vectorStore ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE}
       onSelect={async (option) => {
         const store = option.value as "lancedb" | "qdrant"
         if (store === "lancedb") {
@@ -480,9 +481,8 @@ export function DialogIndexing(props: DialogIndexingProps) {
   const indexing = defaultIndexing(sync, globalCfg())
 
   const providerLabel = indexing.provider ? PROVIDER_LABELS[indexing.provider] : "not set"
-  const storeLabel = indexing.vectorStore
-    ? (VECTOR_STORE_LABELS[indexing.vectorStore] ?? indexing.vectorStore)
-    : "Qdrant (default)"
+  const store = indexing.vectorStore ?? DEFAULT_VECTOR_STORE
+  const storeLabel = VECTOR_STORE_LABELS[store] ?? store
 
   const tuningCount = TUNING_PARAMS.filter((p) => indexing[p.key] !== undefined).length
   const tuningDesc = tuningCount > 0 ? `${tuningCount} customized` : "defaults"

packages/opencode/src/kilocode/lancedb.ts

@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@ export namespace LanceDBRuntime {
   export async function ensure(store?: string) {
     if (store !== "lancedb") return
     if (process.env[env]) return
+    if (process.platform === "darwin" && process.arch === "x64") {
+      throw new Error(
+        'LanceDB is not supported on Intel Macs. Set "indexing.vectorStore" to "qdrant" and configure a Qdrant server.',
+      )
+    }
     if (box.ready) return box.ready
 
     box.ready = (async () => {

packages/opencode/test/kilocode/lancedb-runtime.test.ts

@@ -39,6 +39,24 @@ describe("LanceDBRuntime", () => {
     expect(process.env[env]).toBeUndefined()
   })
 
+  test("guides Intel Mac users to Qdrant", async () => {
+    const { LanceDBRuntime } = await import("../../src/kilocode/lancedb")
+    const platform = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, "platform")!
+    const arch = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, "arch")!
+    Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { ...platform, value: "darwin" })
+    Object.defineProperty(process, "arch", { ...arch, value: "x64" })
+
+    try {
+      await expect(LanceDBRuntime.ensure("lancedb")).rejects.toThrow(
+        'LanceDB is not supported on Intel Macs. Set "indexing.vectorStore" to "qdrant" and configure a Qdrant server.',
+      )
+      expect(add).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    } finally {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", platform)
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "arch", arch)
+    }
+  })
+
   test("installs the pinned package and exports a file URL for lancedb", async () => {
     const { LanceDBRuntime } = await import("../../src/kilocode/lancedb")