Lesson Learned #112: Phase 1 Cleanup - ChromaDB Removed

Date: January 7, 2026

Severity: HIGH

Category: architecture, technical-debt

What Happened

Comprehensive code audit revealed ChromaDB references in 75+ files despite CEO directive to remove it. Phase 1 cleanup completed same day.

Root Cause

ChromaDB was deprecated but not fully removed from:

• src/rag/lessons_search.py


• src/rag/lessons_learned_rag.py


• src/observability/trade_sync.py


• scripts/vectorize_rag_knowledge.py


• Multiple test files

Impact

• Unnecessary complexity


• Potential import errors in CI


• Confusion about which RAG system to use

Fix Applied

1. Removed all ChromaDB code from production files


2. Simplified to keyword-based search locally


3. Updated trade_sync to use Vertex AI RAG (via CI) + local JSON


4. Updated tests to match new architecture


5. Updated all workflows to use $5K paper trading secrets

Prevention

• Always remove deprecated dependencies completely, not just comments


• Audit codebase when making architectural decisions


• Use grep -r to find all references before claiming "removed"

New Architecture

Local Search: LessonsSearch (keyword-based, fast, no dependencies)

Cloud RAG: Vertex AI RAG (via CI workflows, Dialogflow integration)

Trade Storage: Local JSON (always works) + Vertex AI (cloud backup)

Files Changed

• src/rag/lessons_search.py


• src/rag/lessons_learned_rag.py


• src/observability/trade_sync.py


• scripts/vectorize_rag_knowledge.py


• scripts/workflow_health_monitor.py


• tests/test_rag_vector_db.py


• tests/test_trade_sync.py


• 6 workflow files (API secrets update)

Tags

chromadb, vertex-ai, rag, technical-debt, architecture

This lesson was auto-published from our AI Trading repository.

More lessons: rag_knowledge/lessons_learned