Can I limit my search to specific attributes at query time?

Yes, Algolia lets you restrict which attributes are searched on a per-query basis by using the restrictSearchableAttributes API parameter.

How it works

• This parameter takes a list of attribute names and limits the full-text search to only those attributes for that specific query.

  
  Example (JavaScript):

  index.search('query', {
    restrictSearchableAttributes: ['title', 'author']
  });
  

• It only functions when your index already has searchableAttributes configured — otherwise it has no effect.

• It does not change your index settings permanently — it only applies to that query.

Limitations

• You cannot use restrictSearchableAttributes to:

  • Target sub-fields within comma-separated values inside a single searchable attribute.

  • Modify ranking priority beyond the subset filtering.

  • Combine multiple attribute sets mapped to different queries in a single call.