no-synth-mode-skips-llm
IN premise
When `no_synth=True`, `ask()` returns formatted FTS5 search results without invoking `_invoke_claude()` — the LLM is never contacted.
Summary
Setting the no_synth flag to true makes the system operate in a pure search mode, returning raw database search results directly to the caller. This bypasses the language model entirely, which means faster responses and zero API costs, but also means the user gets unprocessed search hits rather than a synthesized, conversational answer.
Details
| Source | entries/2026/04/29/tests-test_ask.md |