Flamehaven Filesearch
Self-hosted RAG search engine with BM25+hybrid retrieval and multi-LLM support.
A solid, security-conscious self-hosted RAG engine that prioritizes auditability and governance. Best for teams with Docker experience who need private document search, but not for non-technical users or those wanting a managed cloud solution. If you need a quick, cloud-managed search, consider alternatives like Coveo or Algolia.
- Teams needing private document search without cloud dependency
- Organizations requiring auditability and security in AI workflows
- Developers familiar with Docker and FastAPI
- Users wanting a production-grade RAG engine with minimal setup
- Teams that prefer fully managed cloud solutions with no self-hosting
- Users seeking a no-code search interface
- Organizations requiring extensive customization out of the box
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Skip Flamehaven Filesearch if you need a fully managed cloud search solution with a built-in web UI and no Docker infrastructure.
Flamehaven Filesearch is free and open source (MIT License), so it's cost-effective for any team that can self-host. It's cheaper than cloud RAG services like Pinecone or Vector AI, but fits best for teams that already have Docker infrastructure.
In short
Flamehaven Filesearch — Self-hosted RAG search engine with BM25+hybrid retrieval and multi-LLM support. Best for Teams needing private document search without cloud dependency, Organizations requiring auditability and security in AI workflows, Developers familiar with Docker and FastAPI. Free to use.
What's new in Flamehaven Filesearch
Checked 11 days agoAcross the latest 2 updates: 2 news mentions.
Doctobert Codebase Diagnostic Report
Flamehaven published a due-diligence report on Doctolib's DoctoBERT, covering safety, architecture, and governance gaps in medical LMs.
STEM_BIO_AI Audit Report
Review of Doctolib's DoctoBERT paper, models, and code. No contradicted performance claim found, but reproducibility boundary noted.
Viability Score
How likely is Flamehaven Filesearch to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Self-hosted RAG search engine
- BM25 + hybrid retrieval
- Support for 34 file formats
- Multi-LLM integration (Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, Ollama)
- FastAPI backend with Docker deployment
- Production-ready in 3 minutes
- API key hashing with SHA256 and salt
- Per-key rate limiting (default 100 requests/min)
- Granular permission system
- Complete audit logging
- OWASP security headers enabled by default
- Lazy imports for LangChain, LlamaIndex, etc.
- Web-based API interface
- Open source (MIT License)
- Docker-based deployment
About Flamehaven Filesearch
Flamehaven Filesearch is a production-grade, self-hosted RAG engine for teams that need private document search and source-grounded answers without sending sensitive data to third-party services. It combines BM25 and hybrid retrieval to index and search across 34 file formats, and supports multiple LLM backends including Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, and Ollama. Built on FastAPI with Docker, it's designed for rapid deployment—production-ready in about three minutes. The system is engineered for governance-first AI: API keys are hashed with SHA256 and salt, per-key rate limiting defaults to 100 requests/min, granular permission control and complete audit logging are built in, and OWASP security headers are enabled by default. Framework SDKs (LangChain, LlamaIndex, etc.) are imported lazily so you only install what you need. Flamehaven Filesearch is ideal for teams requiring private, inspectable AI search without cloud dependency. Its emphasis on auditability, explicit boundaries, and fail-closed control makes it a strong choice for high-stakes environments where data governance is critical. Unlike cloud alternatives, it keeps documents entirely on your infrastructure. The project is maintained by Flamehaven (Kwansub Yun), an independent B2B AI systems studio focused on governance, verification, and delivery. It is released under the MIT License, making it fully open source and free to self-host.
Behind the Verdict
Flamehaven Filesearch stands out as a no-nonsense, security-first RAG engine. Its strengths are clear: fully self-hosted under MIT License, BM25+hybrid retrieval, support for 34 file formats, and multi-LLM integration (Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, Ollama). The security features—SHA256 hashing of API keys, per-key rate limiting, granular permissions, audit logging, OWASP headers—are implemented by default, not as afterthoughts. Deployment via Docker is straightforward and production-ready in about 3 minutes. However, the tool lacks a built-in web UI; it's primarily API/CLI-based, meaning you'll need to build your own frontend for non-technical users. The default rate limit (100 req/min) may need tuning for higher traffic. Overall, it's a strong fit for DevOps teams that value data sovereignty and are comfortable with FastAPI and Docker. It's less suited for organizations seeking a turnkey, no-code solution.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Flamehaven Filesearch actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
Deploy a private RAG server for internal documentation search
Outcome: Docker pull and run in 3 minutes; team queries documents via API with audit logging enabled.
Set up a classified document search with per-key rate limiting and granular permissions
Outcome: SHA256-hashed API keys, OWASP headers, and full audit trail ensure compliance with data governance policies.
Integrate Filesearch with LangChain for a custom Q&A pipeline
Outcome: Lazy imports keep dependencies minimal; hybrid retrieval improves answer accuracy over BM25 alone.
Use Cases
- Index private document repositories and query them with natural language.
- Deploy a self-hosted RAG server behind corporate firewalls for sensitive data.
- Combine BM25 keyword search with vector-based hybrid retrieval for better accuracy.
- Enable audit logging for all search queries to meet compliance requirements.
- Integrate Flamehaven Filesearch with existing FastAPI applications via its API.
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-07-16
Limitations
- Default per-key rate limiting is 100 requests/min, which may need adjustment for high traffic.
- The tool is primarily API/CLI-based and does not include a built-in web UI, requiring users to develop their own frontend.
- While 34 file formats are supported, niche formats may not be covered.
as of 2026-07-06
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Flamehaven Filesearch tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Open Source
Free
Ideal for
Any team comfortable self-hosting, from solo developers to enterprises needing private document search.
What this tier adds
Free entry point under MIT License; all features included with no paywalls.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Flamehaven Filesearch's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Flamehaven Filesearch is free and open source (MIT License), so it's cost-effective for any team that can self-host. It's cheaper than cloud RAG services like Pinecone or Vector AI, but fits best for teams that already have Docker infrastructure.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Flamehaven Filesearch — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
For a Docker-savvy developer, setup takes about 3 minutes following the README. Non-Docker users need to install Python and dependencies, which may take 15-30 minutes. No frontend is provided, so building a UI adds significant time.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
Official links
Tools that pair well with Flamehaven Filesearch
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Flamehaven Filesearch, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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