Streaming RAG for a Responsive UX

Hide the latency

RAG adds a retrieval step before generation, so naive apps feel slow. A great pattern: show retrieved sources immediately, then stream the answer as it generates.

Sequence

1. Retrieve chunks (fast) → render source cards right away.
2. Start the LLM with streaming enabled.
3. Append tokens to the answer as they arrive.
4. Link each citation to its source card.

Why it works

Users see progress within a second and can start reading sources while the answer forms. Perceived speed often matters more than raw latency — this pattern delivers both.