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I think it depends who "you" is. In classic RAG the search mechanism is preordained, the search is done up front and the results handed to the model pre-baked. I'd interpret "agentic search" as anything where the model has potentially a collection of search tools that it can decide how to use best for a given query, so the search algorithm, the query, and the number of searches are all under its own control.



Exactly. Was the extra information pushed to the model as part of the query? It’s RAG. Did the model pull the extra information in via a tool call? Agentic search.


That's far clearer. Yes.


This is a really useful definition of "agentic search", thanks.




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