ModelForge/docs/architecture/adr/0026-first-class-retrieval-pipeline-identity.md

ADR-0026: First-class retrieval pipeline identity

Status

Accepted — 2026-08-25.

Decision

Identity covers embedding space, sparse/fusion digests, optional reranker deployment/configuration and candidate/output K. Embedding-only and reranked configurations are distinct immutable domain objects.

Consequences

Advisor and UI can compare pipeline behavior without conflating it with an embedding deployment. Reranker addition is behavioral; embedding replacement requires reindexing.