> ## 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.

# Step-back Prompting

> Step-back prompting is a retrieval technique where the model generates a more general version of the query before retrieving.

*Technical implementation* · *AI Search Infrastructure*

## Definition

Step-back prompting is a retrieval technique where the model generates a more general version of the query before retrieving, to surface broader foundational context before narrowing to the specific question. The model steps back from the specific query to retrieve the conceptual grounding the answer depends on.

## Why It Matters for AI Search

Effective for complex queries where the specific answer depends on foundational concepts that may not be explicitly named in the query. For content strategy, it reinforces the value of foundational explainer content alongside specific answer content — the step-back query needs something to retrieve too.

## Related Terms

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="HyDE" href="/ai-search-glossary/hyde" />

  <Card title="Query decomposition" href="/ai-search-glossary/query-decomposition" />

  <Card title="Query fan-out" href="/ai-search-glossary/query-fan-out" />

  <Card title="Retrieval pipeline" href="/ai-search-glossary/retrieval-pipeline" />

  <Card title="Informational query" href="/ai-search-glossary/informational-query" />
</CardGroup>

## Relevant Plate Lunch Collective Services

[AI SEO](https://www.platelunchcollective.com/services/ai-seo)  [Citation-Ready Content](https://www.platelunchcollective.com/services/citation-ready-content)