diff --git a/MCP.md b/MCP.md
index bc7f134..bfb28b3 100644
--- a/MCP.md
+++ b/MCP.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # MCP Server (Agent Integration)
 
-The MCP server exposes kb operations as native MCP tools, so agents can search, add notes, upload files, and manage documents without shelling out to the CLI.
+The MCP server exposes kb operations as native MCP tools, so agents can search, add notes, upload files, and manage documents without shelling out to the CLI. `kb_search` is hybrid: dense vector embeddings (semantic similarity) fused with BM25 full-text ranking via Reciprocal Rank Fusion, so agents can ask natural-language questions and find conceptually related content even when the exact words don't match.
 
 ## Start the MCP server
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ docker run -d --name kb-mcp \
 
 | Tool | Description |
 |---|---|
-| `kb_search` | Hybrid search with optional tag/type filters |
+| `kb_search` | Hybrid semantic (vector) + full-text search with tag/type filters |
 | `kb_addnote` | Add a text note (queued for async ingestion) |
 | `kb_update_note` | Update an existing note in place |
 | `kb_get` | Get document details by ID or source path |
diff --git a/mcp/server.py b/mcp/server.py
index 3f1d1db..d10d039 100644
--- a/mcp/server.py
+++ b/mcp/server.py
@@ -44,11 +44,16 @@ _transport_security = TransportSecuritySettings(
 mcp = FastMCP(
     "kb",
     instructions=(
-        "Knowledge base MCP server. Provides tools for searching, adding, and "
-        "managing documents and notes. Use tags to organise and filter documents "
-        "(e.g. tag notes with 'agent:mybot' and filter searches by that tag). "
-        "This server requires Bearer token authentication — all requests are "
-        "authenticated via the Authorization header at the HTTP transport layer."
+        "Knowledge base MCP server with hybrid semantic + full-text search. "
+        "kb_search uses dense vector embeddings (semantic similarity) fused with "
+        "BM25 full-text ranking, so it finds conceptually related content even "
+        "when the exact words don't match — agents can ask natural-language "
+        "questions rather than guessing keywords. Also provides tools for adding "
+        "notes, uploading files, and managing documents and tags. Use tags to "
+        "organise and filter documents (e.g. tag notes with 'agent:mybot' and "
+        "filter searches by that tag). This server requires Bearer token "
+        "authentication — all requests are authenticated via the Authorization "
+        "header at the HTTP transport layer."
     ),
     transport_security=_transport_security,
 )
@@ -62,17 +67,25 @@ async def kb_search(
     doc_type: str | None = None,
     fts_only: bool = False,
 ) -> str:
-    """Search the knowledge base for relevant documents and notes.
+    """Hybrid semantic (vector) + full-text search over the knowledge base.
 
-    Returns ranked chunks matching the query, with text content, relevance scores,
-    and document metadata.
+    Combines dense vector embeddings (semantic similarity — finds conceptually
+    related content even when the wording differs) with BM25 keyword ranking,
+    fused via reciprocal rank fusion. Because the search is semantic, you can
+    ask natural-language questions ("what did we decide about X?") rather than
+    guessing the exact keywords used in the source documents.
+
+    Returns ranked chunks matching the query, with text content, relevance
+    scores, and document metadata.
 
     Args:
-        query: The search query. Can be a natural language question or keywords.
+        query: The search query — a natural language question or keywords.
         top: Maximum number of results to return (default 10).
         tags: Filter results to documents with ALL of these tags.
         doc_type: Filter by document type (e.g. "note", "pdf", "markdown", "code").
-        fts_only: If true, use only full-text search (no vector similarity).
+        fts_only: Disable the vector/semantic component and use only BM25
+            keyword matching. Default false (hybrid mode). Set true only when
+            you need exact-string matching (e.g. an error code, identifier).
 
     Tips for complex queries:
     - Consider expanding into 2-3 variant phrasings and calling this tool multiple
@@ -80,6 +93,7 @@ async def kb_search(
       "pension revaluation rules" and "how are pensions revalued" to cast a wider net.
     - For precision, rerank the returned results using your own judgement based on
       relevance to the original question.
+    - Call kb_status to see which embedding model is in use.
     """
     result = engine.search(
         query=query,