> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.platelunchcollective.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Multi-Step Retrieval

> Multi-step retrieval is a process where an AI system runs more than one round of search, using what it found in the first round to shape the next.

*Core concept* · *AI Search Infrastructure*

## Definition

Multi-step retrieval is a process where an AI system runs more than one round of search, using what it found in the first round to shape the next. Rather than retrieving once and answering, the model reads, identifies what is missing, and retrieves again until it has enough to respond. Each round is informed by the last.

## Why It Matters for AI Search

Harder questions are answered in passes. Multi-step retrieval lets an assistant follow a thread, pulling a definition, then the specifics, then a comparison. A business can enter the answer at any step, so being findable for the follow-up matters as much as being findable for the opening query. The pages that get cited are often the ones that answer the second and third questions a model asks itself, not only the first.

## Related Terms

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Agentic search" href="/ai-search-glossary/agentic-search">See also</Card>
  <Card title="RAG" href="/ai-search-glossary/rag">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Query decomposition" href="/ai-search-glossary/query-decomposition">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Query fan-out" href="/ai-search-glossary/query-fan-out">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Reranking" href="/ai-search-glossary/reranking">See also</Card>
</CardGroup>

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