AI Skill Report Card

Building txtai Workflows

B+78·Apr 26, 2026·Source: Extension-page

Building txtai Workflows

Build semantic search applications, RAG systems, and AI workflows using the txtai all-in-one framework.

15 / 15
Python
import txtai # Basic semantic search embeddings = txtai.Embeddings() embeddings.index(["Correct result", "Not what we hoped", "Perfect answer"]) results = embeddings.search("positive outcome", 1) print(results) # [(2, 0.85), ...] # RAG workflow with LLM workflow = txtai.Workflow() workflow.load({ "embeddings": {"path": "sentence-transformers/all-MiniLM-L6-v2"}, "llm": {"path": "microsoft/DialoGPT-medium"}, "tasks": [ {"action": "embeddings", "task": "search", "select": "data"}, {"action": "llm", "template": "Answer based on context: {data}. Question: {input}"} ] }) answer = workflow("What is the main topic?")
Recommendation
Add templates or starter configurations for common use cases (basic RAG, document search, Q&A)
13 / 15

Progress:

  • Install and configure txtai
  • Define embeddings configuration
  • Set up pipelines for specific tasks
  • Create workflows to chain operations
  • Deploy API endpoints
  • Test and optimize performance

Step 1: Installation and Setup

Bash
pip install txtai # For full functionality pip install txtai[all]

Step 2: Configure Embeddings Database

Python
import txtai # Basic configuration embeddings = txtai.Embeddings({ "path": "sentence-transformers/all-MiniLM-L6-v2", "content": True, # Store original content "objects": True # Enable object storage }) # Index documents documents = [ {"id": 1, "text": "Machine learning algorithms"}, {"id": 2, "text": "Natural language processing"}, {"id": 3, "text": "Computer vision techniques"} ] embeddings.index(documents)

Step 3: Build Pipelines

Python
# Question-answering pipeline qa = txtai.Pipelines.create("extqa") answer = qa("What is machine learning?", ["Machine learning is AI"]) # Summarization pipeline summary = txtai.Pipelines.create("summary") result = summary("Long text to summarize...") # Translation pipeline translate = txtai.Pipelines.create("translation") translated = translate("Hello world", "es")

Step 4: Create Multi-Step Workflows

YAML
# workflow.yml embeddings: path: sentence-transformers/all-MiniLM-L6-v2 tasks: - action: embeddings task: search query: input limit: 3 select: data - action: summary text: data - action: llm template: "Summarize this content: {text}"

Step 5: Deploy API

Python
# app.yml embeddings: path: sentence-transformers/all-MiniLM-L6-v2 # Run API # CONFIG=app.yml uvicorn "txtai.api:app"
Recommendation
Include performance optimization section with specific metrics and tuning parameters
15 / 20

Example 1: Semantic Document Search Input: Document collection about AI topics

Python
embeddings.index([ "Deep learning neural networks", "Machine learning algorithms", "Natural language processing" ]) results = embeddings.search("AI models", 2)

Output: [(0, 0.82), (1, 0.76)] - ranked by semantic similarity

Example 2: RAG Chat System Input: Knowledge base + user question

Python
workflow = txtai.Workflow({ "embeddings": {"path": "all-MiniLM-L6-v2"}, "tasks": [ {"action": "embeddings", "task": "search", "limit": 3}, {"action": "llm", "template": "Context: {data}\n\nQuestion: {input}\n\nAnswer:"} ] })

Output: Contextually grounded LLM response

Example 3: Multi-Modal Search Input: Images and text in same vector space

Python
embeddings = txtai.Embeddings({"path": "clip-ViT-B-32"}) embeddings.index([ {"id": "img1", "text": "photo of a cat"}, {"id": "txt1", "text": "feline animal description"} ])

Output: Cross-modal semantic search capabilities

Recommendation
Provide troubleshooting section for common setup and deployment issues
  • Start Small: Use lightweight models like all-MiniLM-L6-v2 for prototyping
  • Batch Operations: Index documents in batches for better performance
  • Content Storage: Enable content: true if you need original text retrieval
  • Workflow Validation: Test each pipeline component separately before chaining
  • Model Selection: Choose task-specific models over general-purpose for better results
  • API Deployment: Use configuration files for production deployments
  • Memory Management: Monitor memory usage with large document collections
  • Model Mismatch: Don't mix incompatible model types in workflows
  • Index Rebuilding: Remember to call embeddings.save() to persist indexes
  • Memory Issues: Large models require significant RAM - use appropriate instance sizes
  • Dependency Conflicts: Install optional dependencies only when needed
  • Configuration Errors: Validate YAML syntax in workflow configuration files
  • API Limits: Consider rate limiting and authentication for production APIs
  • Version Compatibility: Ensure txtai version matches your Python environment (3.10+)
0
Grade B+AI Skill Framework
Scorecard
Criteria Breakdown
Quick Start
15/15
Workflow
13/15
Examples
15/20
Completeness
8/20
Format
15/15
Conciseness
12/15