README.md

@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ A plugin that integrates Ollama with Obsidian to create a chat interface that ca
 ## Features
 
 - Chat with Ollama models directly in Obsidian
-- Vault context search - the assistant can reference your notes
-- Tool integration - create files based on chat responses
+- Vault context search — the assistant can reference your notes
+- Tool integration — create files based on chat responses
 - Streaming responses
-- Customizable model and URL settings
+- Semantic response cache — repeated or similar queries are answered instantly without hitting the model (requires ChromaDB)
+- Customisable model, URL, and cache settings
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -17,48 +18,87 @@ A plugin that integrates Ollama with Obsidian to create a chat interface that ca
 
 ## Setup
 
-1. **Install Ollama**: Follow the instructions at [ollama.ai](https://ollama.ai) to install Ollama
-2. **Start Ollama service**: `ollama serve`
-3. **Pull a model**: `ollama pull llama3` (or any other model you prefer)
+### Required
+
+1. **Install Ollama**: Follow the instructions at [ollama.ai](https://ollama.ai)
+2. **Start Ollama**: `ollama serve`
+3. **Pull a chat model**: `ollama pull llama3` (or any other model you prefer)
+
+### Optional — Semantic Cache
+
+The semantic cache stores responses in a local [ChromaDB](https://www.trychroma.com) vector database. When you ask a question that is semantically similar to one already cached, the stored answer is returned immediately instead of calling the model.
+
+1. **Install ChromaDB**:
+   ```bash
+   pip install chromadb
+   ```
+2. **Start ChromaDB**:
+   ```bash
+   chroma run --host localhost --port 8000
+   ```
+3. **Pull an embedding model** (used to generate vectors for cache lookups):
+   ```bash
+   ollama pull nomic-embed-text
+   ```
+4. Enable the cache in the plugin settings and configure the ChromaDB URL.
 
 ## Configuration
 
-1. Open the plugin settings via Obsidian's settings panel
-2. Configure the Ollama URL (default: `http://localhost:11434`)
-3. Configure the model name (default: `llama3`)
-4. Restart the plugin if needed
+Open **Settings → Ollama Chat** to configure the plugin.
+
+| Setting | Default | Description |
+|---------|---------|-------------|
+| Ollama URL | `http://localhost:11434` | Base URL of your Ollama instance |
+| Model | `llama3` | Model used for chat responses |
+| Enable Semantic Cache | Off | Cache responses for fast repeated queries |
+| ChromaDB URL | `http://localhost:8000` | URL of your running ChromaDB instance |
+| Cache Embedding Model | `nomic-embed-text` | Ollama model used to generate cache embeddings |
+| Cache Similarity Threshold | `0.85` | Minimum cosine similarity (0–1) for a cache hit — higher values require closer matches |
+| Clear Semantic Cache | — | Button to wipe all cached responses from ChromaDB |
 
 ## Usage
 
 1. Click the ribbon icon to open the chat view
 2. Type your message in the input box
-3. Press Enter or click Send to send your message
-4. Click the "New Chat" button to start a fresh conversation
+3. Press **Enter** or click **Send** to send your message
+4. Press **Shift+Enter** to insert a line break
+5. Click **New Chat** to start a fresh conversation
+
+## Semantic Cache Behaviour
+
+- The cache is **bypassed** when tool calls are involved (e.g. file creation), since those requests have side effects.
+- Responses are stored against the last user message in the conversation. If a new query is sufficiently similar (above the configured threshold), the cached response is returned.
+- Re-asking the same question updates the existing cache entry rather than creating a duplicate.
+- Use the **Clear Semantic Cache** button in settings to remove all stored responses (for example after switching embedding models).
 
 ## Supported Models
 
 Any model supported by Ollama should work, including:
 
-- llama3
-- llama2
-- mistral
-- codellama
-- etc.
+- `llama3`
+- `llama2`
+- `mistral`
+- `codellama`
+- and many more — see [ollama.com/library](https://ollama.com/library)
 
 ## Development
 
-To build from source:
-
 ```bash
 npm install
 npm run build
+npm test
 ```
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 
-- **Connection issues**: Ensure Ollama is running and accessible at the configured URL
-- **Model not found**: Make sure you've pulled the model (`ollama pull <modelname>`)
-- **Permission issues**: Check that your Obsidian vault has proper write permissions
+| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
+|---------|-------------|-----|
+| Cannot connect to Ollama | Ollama is not running | Run `ollama serve` |
+| Model not found | Model not pulled | Run `ollama pull <model>` |
+| Semantic cache unavailable (notice shown) | ChromaDB is not running, or the ChromaDB URL is wrong | Start ChromaDB (`chroma run`) and verify the URL in settings |
+| Cache always misses | Similarity threshold is too high, or the embedding model was changed | Lower the threshold or click **Clear Semantic Cache** and let the cache rebuild |
+| Slow first response after enabling cache | Embedding model not yet pulled | Run `ollama pull nomic-embed-text` (or the model you configured) |
+| Permission issues | Vault write permissions | Check that your Obsidian vault has proper write permissions |
 
 ## License