Vector Index Tuning
Seth HobsonCommunityCreated by Seth Hobson
- Skill
- Guidelines
- Data and AI
- MIT
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AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
Vector Index Tuning provides a structured approach to optimizing vector search infrastructure. It covers index selection based on data scale, HNSW parameter configuration, and various quantization strategies to balance memory footprint with search accuracy. The skill includes best practices for benchmarking, monitoring, and maintaining production vector indexes.
What it does
- Provides criteria for selecting index types based on dataset size.
- Explains the impact of HNSW parameters like M, efConstruction, and efSearch.
- Outlines quantization methods including FP16, INT8, and Product Quantization.
- Offers templates for benchmarking HNSW configurations.
- Includes code for implementing scalar quantization.
- Defines best practices for production monitoring and maintenance.
When to use it
- When tuning HNSW parameters for specific recall or latency targets.
- When selecting a quantization strategy to optimize memory usage.
- When scaling vector search infrastructure to handle millions of vectors.
- When troubleshooting performance bottlenecks in vector search.
- When planning for index maintenance and reindexing cycles.
Advantages
- Helps balance the trade-off between search speed and accuracy.
- Provides clear guidance on memory optimization through quantization.
- Includes actionable templates for benchmarking and parameter recommendation.
- Encourages data-driven tuning using real query benchmarks.
Usage examples
- “How should I choose an index type for 50 million vectors?”
- The skill recommends using IVF + PQ or DiskANN for datasets exceeding 100 million vectors, suggesting that for 50 million, these advanced structures are appropriate to manage memory and latency.
- “What are the recommended HNSW parameters for high recall?”
- The skill explains that increasing M and efSearch improves recall, and provides a template function to calculate optimal parameters based on target recall and latency requirements.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/wshobson/vector-index-tuning/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip vector-index-tuning.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Seth Hobson
Vector Index Tuning
Guide to optimizing vector indexes for production performance.
When to Use This Skill
Tuning HNSW parameters
Implementing quantization
Optimizing memory usage
Reducing search latency
Balancing recall vs speed
Scaling to billions of vectors
Core Concepts
1. Index Type Selection
Data Size Recommended Index
────────────────────────────────────────
< 10K vectors → Flat (exact search)
10K - 1M → HNSW
1M - 100M → HNSW + Quantization
> 100M → IVF + PQ or DiskANN2. HNSW Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| M | 16 | Connections per node, ↑ = better recall, more memory |
| efConstruction | 100 | Build quality, ↑ = better index, slower build |
| efSearch | 50 | Search quality, ↑ = better recall, slower search |
3. Quantization Types
Full Precision (FP32): 4 bytes × dimensions
Half Precision (FP16): 2 bytes × dimensions
INT8 Scalar: 1 byte × dimensions
Product Quantization: ~32-64 bytes total
Binary: dimensions/8 bytesTemplates and detailed worked examples
Full template library and detailed worked examples live in references/details.md. Read that file when you need the concrete templates.
Best Practices
Do's
Benchmark with real queries - Synthetic may not represent production
Monitor recall continuously - Can degrade with data drift
Start with defaults - Tune only when needed
Use quantization - Significant memory savings
Consider tiered storage - Hot/cold data separation
Don'ts
Don't over-optimize early - Profile first
Don't ignore build time - Index updates have cost
Don't forget reindexing - Plan for maintenance
Don't skip warming - Cold indexes are slow
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer995 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
- SKILL.md2.3 KiB
- references/details.md12.9 KiB
references/details.md
vector-index-tuning — templates and worked examples
Templates
Template 1: HNSW Parameter Tuning
import numpy as np
from typing import List, Tuple
import time
def benchmark_hnsw_parameters(
vectors: np.ndarray,
queries: np.ndarray,
ground_truth: np.ndarray,
m_values: List[int] = [8, 16, 32, 64],
ef_construction_values: List[int] = [64, 128, 256],
ef_search_values: List[int] = [32, 64, 128, 256]
) -> List[dict]:
"""Benchmark different HNSW configurations."""
import hnswlib
results = []
dim = vectors.shape[1]
n = vectors.shape[0]
for m in m_values:
for ef_construction in ef_construction_values:
# Build index
index = hnswlib.Index(space='cosine', dim=dim)
index.init_index(max_elements=n, M=m, ef_construction=ef_construction)
build_start = time.time()
index.add_items(vectors)
build_time = time.time() - build_start
# Get memory usage
memory_bytes = index.element_count * (
dim * 4 + # Vector storage
m * 2 * 4 # Graph edges (approximate)
)
for ef_search in ef_search_values:
index.set_ef(ef_search)
# Measure search
search_start = time.time()
labels, distances = index.knn_query(queries, k=10)
search_time = time.time() - search_start
# Calculate recall
recall = calculate_recall(labels, ground_truth, k=10)
results.append({
"M": m,
"ef_construction": ef_construction,
"ef_search": ef_search,
"build_time_s": build_time,
"search_time_ms": search_time * 1000 / len(queries),
"recall@10": recall,
"memory_mb": memory_bytes / 1024 / 1024
})
return results
def calculate_recall(predictions: np.ndarray, ground_truth: np.ndarray, k: int) -> float:
"""Calculate recall@k."""
correct = 0
for pred, truth in zip(predictions, ground_truth):
correct += len(set(pred[:k]) & set(truth[:k]))
return correct / (len(predictions) * k)
def recommend_hnsw_params(
num_vectors: int,
target_recall: float = 0.95,
max_latency_ms: float = 10,
available_memory_gb: float = 8
) -> dict:
"""Recommend HNSW parameters based on requirements."""
# Base recommendations
if num_vectors < 100_000:
m = 16
ef_construction = 100
elif num_vectors < 1_000_000:
m = 32
ef_construction = 200
else:
m = 48
ef_construction = 256
# Adjust ef_search based on recall target
if target_recall >= 0.99:
ef_search = 256
elif target_recall >= 0.95:
ef_search = 128
else:
ef_search = 64
return {
"M": m,
"ef_construction": ef_construction,
"ef_search": ef_search,
"notes": f"Estimated for {num_vectors:,} vectors, {target_recall:.0%} recall"
}Template 2: Quantization Strategies
import numpy as np
from typing import Optional
class VectorQuantizer:
"""Quantization strategies for vector compression."""
@staticmethod
def scalar_quantize_int8(
vectors: np.ndarray,
min_val: Optional[float] = None,
max_val: Optional[float] = None
) -> Tuple[np.ndarray, dict]:
"""Scalar quantization to INT8."""
if min_val is None:
min_val = vectors.min()
if max_val is None:
max_val = vectors.max()
# Scale to 0-255 range
scale = 255.0 / (max_val - min_val)
quantized = np.clip(
np.round((vectors - min_val) * scale),
0, 255
).astype(np.uint8)
params = {"min_val": min_val, "max_val": max_val, "scale": scale}
return quantized, params
@staticmethod
def dequantize_int8(
quantized: np.ndarray,
params: dict
) -> np.ndarray:
"""Dequantize INT8 vectors."""
return quantized.astype(np.float32) / params["scale"] + params["min_val"]
@staticmethod
def product_quantize(
vectors: np.ndarray,
n_subvectors: int = 8,
n_centroids: int = 256
) -> Tuple[np.ndarray, dict]:
"""Product quantization for aggressive compression."""
from sklearn.cluster import KMeans
n, dim = vectors.shape
assert dim % n_subvectors == 0
subvector_dim = dim // n_subvectors
codebooks = []
codes = np.zeros((n, n_subvectors), dtype=np.uint8)
for i in range(n_subvectors):
start = i * subvector_dim
end = (i + 1) * subvector_dim
subvectors = vectors[:, start:end]
kmeans = KMeans(n_clusters=n_centroids, random_state=42)
codes[:, i] = kmeans.fit_predict(subvectors)
codebooks.append(kmeans.cluster_centers_)
params = {
"codebooks": codebooks,
"n_subvectors": n_subvectors,
"subvector_dim": subvector_dim
}
return codes, params
@staticmethod
def binary_quantize(vectors: np.ndarray) -> np.ndarray:
"""Binary quantization (sign of each dimension)."""
# Convert to binary: positive = 1, negative = 0
binary = (vectors > 0).astype(np.uint8)
# Pack bits into bytes
n, dim = vectors.shape
packed_dim = (dim + 7) // 8
packed = np.zeros((n, packed_dim), dtype=np.uint8)
for i in range(dim):
byte_idx = i // 8
bit_idx = i % 8
packed[:, byte_idx] |= (binary[:, i] << bit_idx)
return packed
def estimate_memory_usage(
num_vectors: int,
dimensions: int,
quantization: str = "fp32",
index_type: str = "hnsw",
hnsw_m: int = 16
) -> dict:
"""Estimate memory usage for different configurations."""
# Vector storage
bytes_per_dimension = {
"fp32": 4,
"fp16": 2,
"int8": 1,
"pq": 0.05, # Approximate
"binary": 0.125
}
vector_bytes = num_vectors * dimensions * bytes_per_dimension[quantization]
# Index overhead
if index_type == "hnsw":
# Each node has ~M*2 edges, each edge is 4 bytes (int32)
index_bytes = num_vectors * hnsw_m * 2 * 4
elif index_type == "ivf":
# Inverted lists + centroids
index_bytes = num_vectors * 8 + 65536 * dimensions * 4
else:
index_bytes = 0
total_bytes = vector_bytes + index_bytes
return {
"vector_storage_mb": vector_bytes / 1024 / 1024,
"index_overhead_mb": index_bytes / 1024 / 1024,
"total_mb": total_bytes / 1024 / 1024,
"total_gb": total_bytes / 1024 / 1024 / 1024
}Template 3: Qdrant Index Configuration
from qdrant_client import QdrantClient
from qdrant_client.http import models
def create_optimized_collection(
client: QdrantClient,
collection_name: str,
vector_size: int,
num_vectors: int,
optimize_for: str = "balanced" # "recall", "speed", "memory"
) -> None:
"""Create collection with optimized settings."""
# HNSW configuration based on optimization target
hnsw_configs = {
"recall": models.HnswConfigDiff(m=32, ef_construct=256),
"speed": models.HnswConfigDiff(m=16, ef_construct=64),
"balanced": models.HnswConfigDiff(m=16, ef_construct=128),
"memory": models.HnswConfigDiff(m=8, ef_construct=64)
}
# Quantization configuration
quantization_configs = {
"recall": None, # No quantization for max recall
"speed": models.ScalarQuantization(
scalar=models.ScalarQuantizationConfig(
type=models.ScalarType.INT8,
quantile=0.99,
always_ram=True
)
),
"balanced": models.ScalarQuantization(
scalar=models.ScalarQuantizationConfig(
type=models.ScalarType.INT8,
quantile=0.99,
always_ram=False
)
),
"memory": models.ProductQuantization(
product=models.ProductQuantizationConfig(
compression=models.CompressionRatio.X16,
always_ram=False
)
)
}
# Optimizer configuration
optimizer_configs = {
"recall": models.OptimizersConfigDiff(
indexing_threshold=10000,
memmap_threshold=50000
),
"speed": models.OptimizersConfigDiff(
indexing_threshold=5000,
memmap_threshold=20000
),
"balanced": models.OptimizersConfigDiff(
indexing_threshold=20000,
memmap_threshold=50000
),
"memory": models.OptimizersConfigDiff(
indexing_threshold=50000,
memmap_threshold=10000 # Use disk sooner
)
}
client.create_collection(
collection_name=collection_name,
vectors_config=models.VectorParams(
size=vector_size,
distance=models.Distance.COSINE
),
hnsw_config=hnsw_configs[optimize_for],
quantization_config=quantization_configs[optimize_for],
optimizers_config=optimizer_configs[optimize_for]
)
def tune_search_parameters(
client: QdrantClient,
collection_name: str,
target_recall: float = 0.95
) -> dict:
"""Tune search parameters for target recall."""
# Search parameter recommendations
if target_recall >= 0.99:
search_params = models.SearchParams(
hnsw_ef=256,
exact=False,
quantization=models.QuantizationSearchParams(
ignore=True, # Don't use quantization for search
rescore=True
)
)
elif target_recall >= 0.95:
search_params = models.SearchParams(
hnsw_ef=128,
exact=False,
quantization=models.QuantizationSearchParams(
ignore=False,
rescore=True,
oversampling=2.0
)
)
else:
search_params = models.SearchParams(
hnsw_ef=64,
exact=False,
quantization=models.QuantizationSearchParams(
ignore=False,
rescore=False
)
)
return search_paramsTemplate 4: Performance Monitoring
import time
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import List
import numpy as np
@dataclass
class SearchMetrics:
latency_p50_ms: float
latency_p95_ms: float
latency_p99_ms: float
recall: float
qps: float
class VectorSearchMonitor:
"""Monitor vector search performance."""
def __init__(self, ground_truth_fn=None):
self.latencies = []
self.recalls = []
self.ground_truth_fn = ground_truth_fn
def measure_search(
self,
search_fn,
query_vectors: np.ndarray,
k: int = 10,
num_iterations: int = 100
) -> SearchMetrics:
"""Benchmark search performance."""
latencies = []
for _ in range(num_iterations):
for query in query_vectors:
start = time.perf_counter()
results = search_fn(query, k=k)
latency = (time.perf_counter() - start) * 1000
latencies.append(latency)
latencies = np.array(latencies)
total_queries = num_iterations * len(query_vectors)
total_time = sum(latencies) / 1000 # seconds
return SearchMetrics(
latency_p50_ms=np.percentile(latencies, 50),
latency_p95_ms=np.percentile(latencies, 95),
latency_p99_ms=np.percentile(latencies, 99),
recall=self._calculate_recall(search_fn, query_vectors, k) if self.ground_truth_fn else 0,
qps=total_queries / total_time
)
def _calculate_recall(self, search_fn, queries: np.ndarray, k: int) -> float:
"""Calculate recall against ground truth."""
if not self.ground_truth_fn:
return 0
correct = 0
total = 0
for query in queries:
predicted = set(search_fn(query, k=k))
actual = set(self.ground_truth_fn(query, k=k))
correct += len(predicted & actual)
total += k
return correct / total
def profile_index_build(
build_fn,
vectors: np.ndarray,
batch_sizes: List[int] = [1000, 10000, 50000]
) -> dict:
"""Profile index build performance."""
results = {}
for batch_size in batch_sizes:
times = []
for i in range(0, len(vectors), batch_size):
batch = vectors[i:i + batch_size]
start = time.perf_counter()
build_fn(batch)
times.append(time.perf_counter() - start)
results[batch_size] = {
"avg_batch_time_s": np.mean(times),
"vectors_per_second": batch_size / np.mean(times)
}
return resultsRequirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs Node.js
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Attribution and licence
- Created by
- Seth Hobson
- Publisher
- Seth Hobson (Community)
- Source
- wshobson/agents · plugins/llm-application-dev/skills/vector-index-tuning · commit 4bde316
- Licence
- MIT License (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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