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Recursive RAG
Think about how you search for your car keys. You check the kitchen counter – darn, not there.
You ask your spouse or roommate if they've seen them, and they mention you drove yesterday. That gives you a clue! You use that information to check near the front door or in your coat pocket.
This is an example of recursive search – using what you found (or didn't find) to guide your next search.
Movie Search Example
Imagine someone asks: "What's the budget of the highest-grossing bear movie?"
Your first search finds: "The Jungle Book made $966 million at the box office!"
Great! But wait... they asked for the budget, not the revenue.
A simple one-shot prompt might give up here. Recursive RAG says: "Hmm, I found the movie but not the budget. Now let me search specifically for 'Jungle Book production budget.'"
Which is exactly how a human would approach the task!