Generate a metadata snapshot

A metadata snapshot is a compact summary of the user-defined metadata in a vector database. It captures the most common keys, the most frequent values for each key, and each key’s inferred type, giving you a quick view of the metadata present across the database’s chunks. A snapshot captures up to the 100 most common keys, with up to the 10 most common values per key, sampled from as many as 10,000 chunks.

Prerequisites

A populated vector database whose chunks carry user-defined metadata. To attach metadata during ingestion or edit it afterward, see Manage chunk metadata.

Generate a snapshot

Use generate_metadata_snapshot to build or rebuild the snapshot for a vector database. The call samples the index, ranks the keys and values by frequency, and stores the result.

from seekrai import SeekrFlow

client = SeekrFlow()

result = client.vector_database.generate_metadata_snapshot(
    database_id="<database-id>",
)

print(f"Captured {result.keys_captured} keys at {result.created_at}")

Generating a snapshot replaces the previous one for that vector database rather than adding to it. Returns:

Field	Description
`vector_database_id`	ID of the vector database the snapshot describes.
`keys_captured`	Number of metadata keys captured in this snapshot.
`created_at`	When the snapshot was generated.

Read a snapshot

Use get_metadata_snapshot to retrieve the current snapshot, including each key’s type and its top values.

snapshot = client.vector_database.get_metadata_snapshot(
    database_id="<database-id>",
)

for key in snapshot.keys:
    print(key.key_name, key.value_type, key.top_values)

Returns:

Field	Description
`vector_database_id`	ID of the vector database.
`created_at`	When the current snapshot was generated.
`keys`	List of captured metadata keys. Each entry has `key_name`, a `value_type` of `string`, `number`, or `boolean`, and a `top_values` list.

Keep the snapshot current

SeekrFlow regenerates the snapshot automatically after an ingestion job adds documents to the vector database, so newly introduced keys and values reach the agent without any manual action. Generate a snapshot manually whenever you want to refresh it on demand, such as after editing metadata in place with update_metadata.

Limitations

A snapshot includes only the 100 most common keys, with the 10 most common values each. Metadata that appears rarely across the sampled chunks might not be represented.
Values are ranked by how often they occur in the sample, so their order reflects frequency, not business priority.

​Prerequisites

​Generate a snapshot

​Read a snapshot

​Keep the snapshot current

​Limitations

Prerequisites

Generate a snapshot

Read a snapshot

Keep the snapshot current

Limitations