> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developers.laws.africa/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developers.laws.africa/knowledge-bases/use-in-apps.md).

# Use results in your app

Knowledge Base results are designed to be passed into product workflows as legal context. They work well in RAG systems, legal search interfaces and agent tool calls.

## Legal search

For a search interface:

1. send the user's search text to the retrieve endpoint;
2. show result titles, excerpts and source URLs;
3. group legislation results by `work_frbr_uri` when several portions come from the same work;
4. let users open `portion_public_url` or `public_url` to inspect the source.

## RAG and AI answers

For a RAG workflow:

1. retrieve the most relevant results;
2. build a context block from `content.text`, `title`, `portion_title` and source URLs;
3. ask the model to answer only from the provided context;
4. include citations or source links in the final answer.

Example context format:

```
Source: Animal By-law, 2011
URL: https://lawlibrary.org.za/akn/za-cpt/act/by-law/2011/animal/eng@2011-08-05#chp_7
Portion: Chapter 7 - Miscellaneous
Text: ...
```

{% hint style="warning" %}
Knowledge Base retrieval provides legal context. It does not replace legal review, and AI-generated answers should make their sources clear.
{% endhint %}

## Agent tools

For a legal agent, expose retrieval as a tool with inputs such as:

* `query`: focused legal search text;
* `knowledge_base`: the KB code to query;
* `place`: optional place filter;
* `top_k`: result count.

The agent should use the returned legal text and source URLs before drafting an answer or deciding whether it needs more information.

## Improve retrieval quality

If results are too broad:

* add place filters such as `frbr_place`;
* apply `principal: true` and `repealed: false` for legislation;
* reduce `top_k`;
* rewrite the user question into more specific legal search terms.

If results are too narrow:

* remove filters;
* increase `top_k`;
* query a broader Knowledge Base;
* try alternative legal terms.

## More examples

See the example repository for runnable integrations:

<https://github.com/laws-africa/knowledge-base-examples>


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://developers.laws.africa/knowledge-bases/use-in-apps.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.