Overview
The reset command clears the entire search index, removing all indexed chunks and embeddings. This does not affect the watch list or source files.
Syntax
Parameters
This command takes no parameters or options.
Behavior
- Deletes all indexed chunks from the database
- Removes all vector embeddings
- Does not modify the watch list (
~/.know_dirs)
- Does not delete or modify any source files
This operation is immediate and irreversible. The entire index will be cleared without confirmation.
When to Use Reset
Use know reset when:
- You want to rebuild the index from scratch
- The index is corrupted or producing incorrect results
- You’ve made significant changes to indexing configuration
- You want to clear all indexed data before removing know
Examples
Clear the index
Reset and rebuild
[Index cleared]
Indexing 3 directories
OK Total: 234 new, 0 unchanged
Comparison with Other Commands
| Command | Effect |
|---|
know reset | Clears entire index, keeps watch list |
know index --force | Clears index AND immediately re-indexes |
know prune | Removes only orphaned chunks from deleted files |
know remove <dir> | Removes directory from watch list, keeps indexed data |
Instead of know reset followed by know index, you can use know index --force to do both in one step.
After Reset
After running reset, you’ll need to re-index to use search:
Attempting to search before re-indexing will show:
No index found.
To get started, run:
know add <dir>
know index
Complete Cleanup
To completely remove all know data:
# Clear the index
know reset
# Remove watch list
rm ~/.know_dirs
# Remove database (if applicable)
rm -rf ~/.know_db # or wherever your database is stored
See Also
know index --force - Clear and re-index in one commandknow prune - Remove only orphaned chunksknow remove - Remove directories from watch list