diff --git a/src/fabledassistant/services/embeddings.py b/src/fabledassistant/services/embeddings.py
index 69643ef..c3c898a 100644
--- a/src/fabledassistant/services/embeddings.py
+++ b/src/fabledassistant/services/embeddings.py
@@ -1,18 +1,21 @@
-"""Semantic note search via Ollama embedding model (nomic-embed-text).
+"""Semantic note search via fastembed (in-process ONNX, no external service).
 
-Embeddings are stored in the note_embeddings table (one row per note).
-All search operations degrade gracefully — if the embedding model is
-unavailable the callers fall back to keyword search.
+Embeddings are stored as JSONB lists in the note_embeddings table (one row per
+note). All search operations degrade gracefully — if the embedder fails to
+initialize the callers fall back to keyword search.
+
+Model: BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5 (384-dim). The first call downloads the model
+into `FASTEMBED_CACHE_DIR` (defaults to /data/fastembed-cache, a mounted
+volume so subsequent boots are instant).
 """
 
 import asyncio
 import logging
 import math
+import os
 
-import httpx
 from sqlalchemy import delete, select
 
-from fabledassistant.config import Config
 from fabledassistant.models import async_session
 from fabledassistant.models.embedding import NoteEmbedding
 from fabledassistant.models.note import Note
@@ -20,31 +23,57 @@ from fabledassistant.models.note import Note
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 # Minimum cosine similarity to include a note in context results.
-# nomic-embed-text produces unit-normalized vectors, so range is [-1, 1].
+# bge-small-en-v1.5 produces unit-normalized vectors, so range is [-1, 1].
 # 0.45 keeps only genuinely relevant notes; lower values like 0.30 let in
 # loosely-related results that pad the sidebar without adding real value.
 _SIMILARITY_THRESHOLD = 0.45
 
+_MODEL_NAME = "BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5"
+_CACHE_DIR = os.environ.get("FASTEMBED_CACHE_DIR", "/data/fastembed-cache")
+
+_model = None  # lazy singleton; first call downloads model files
+_model_lock = asyncio.Lock()
+
+
+async def _get_model():
+    """Return the singleton fastembed.TextEmbedding instance, loading on first call."""
+    global _model
+    if _model is None:
+        async with _model_lock:
+            if _model is None:
+                # Defer the import so module import doesn't pull in onnxruntime
+                # for non-embedding code paths (cheaper cold-start for tests etc.)
+                from fastembed import TextEmbedding
+                _model = await asyncio.to_thread(
+                    TextEmbedding,
+                    model_name=_MODEL_NAME,
+                    cache_dir=_CACHE_DIR,
+                )
+                logger.info("Loaded fastembed model %s (cache: %s)", _MODEL_NAME, _CACHE_DIR)
+    return _model
+
 
 async def get_embedding(text: str, model: str | None = None) -> list[float]:
-    """Get an embedding vector from Ollama for the given text.
+    """Get an embedding vector for the given text.
 
-    Raises httpx.HTTPError on failure — callers should handle this.
+    The ``model`` parameter is preserved for backward compatibility with the
+    Ollama era but is now ignored — fastembed uses a single fixed model.
+
+    Raises if the fastembed model fails to load. Callers should catch and
+    degrade to keyword search.
     """
-    m = model or Config.EMBEDDING_MODEL
-    async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=30.0) as client:
-        resp = await client.post(
-            f"{Config.OLLAMA_URL}/api/embed",
-            json={"model": m, "input": text},
-        )
-        resp.raise_for_status()
-        data = resp.json()
-        # Ollama /api/embed → {"embeddings": [[float, ...]]}
-        return data["embeddings"][0]
+    embedder = await _get_model()
+    # embed() is synchronous CPU work; offload so we don't block the event loop.
+    vecs = await asyncio.to_thread(lambda: list(embedder.embed([text])))
+    return vecs[0].tolist()
 
 
 def _cosine_similarity(a: list[float], b: list[float]) -> float:
-    """Cosine similarity between two vectors. Returns 0 for zero-length vectors."""
+    """Cosine similarity between two vectors. Returns 0 for zero-length or
+    mismatched-length inputs (defensive — mixed-dim vectors can sneak in
+    across the migration boundary)."""
+    if not a or not b or len(a) != len(b):
+        return 0.0
     dot = sum(x * y for x, y in zip(a, b))
     mag_a = math.sqrt(sum(x * x for x in a))
     mag_b = math.sqrt(sum(x * x for x in b))
@@ -60,7 +89,7 @@ async def upsert_note_embedding(note_id: int, user_id: int, text: str) -> None:
     try:
         embedding = await get_embedding(text)
     except Exception:
-        logger.debug("Skipping embedding for note %d — model unavailable", note_id)
+        logger.debug("Skipping embedding for note %d — embedder unavailable", note_id)
         return
 
     try:
@@ -89,14 +118,14 @@ async def semantic_search_notes(
 
     Scores are cosine similarities in [-1, 1]; only notes at or above
     *threshold* are returned, sorted highest-first.
-    Returns an empty list if the embedding model is unavailable or on any error.
+    Returns an empty list if the embedder is unavailable or on any error.
     """
     if not query or not query.strip():
         return []
     try:
         query_vec = await get_embedding(query)
     except Exception:
-        logger.debug("Semantic search skipped — embedding model unavailable")
+        logger.debug("Semantic search skipped — embedder unavailable")
         return []
 
     try:
@@ -141,7 +170,7 @@ async def backfill_note_embeddings() -> None:
     """Generate embeddings for all notes that don't have one yet.
 
     Runs as a background task at startup. Adds a small sleep between notes
-    to avoid overwhelming Ollama.
+    so a large backfill doesn't peg CPU.
     """
     try:
         async with async_session() as session:
@@ -176,5 +205,3 @@ async def backfill_note_embeddings() -> None:
         await asyncio.sleep(0.05)  # gentle pacing
 
     logger.info("Embedding backfill complete: %d/%d notes embedded", success, len(notes_to_embed))
-
-
diff --git a/tests/test_embeddings.py b/tests/test_embeddings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3706904
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_embeddings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+"""Tests for services.embeddings — fastembed backend.
+
+We don't actually load the fastembed model in tests (heavy download).
+Instead, mock _get_model to return a fake that produces deterministic vectors.
+"""
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+
+from fabledassistant.services.embeddings import (
+    _cosine_similarity, get_embedding,
+)
+
+
+# ─── cosine_similarity (pure logic) ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_cosine_similarity_orthogonal_is_zero():
+    assert _cosine_similarity([1.0, 0.0], [0.0, 1.0]) == 0.0
+
+
+def test_cosine_similarity_identical_is_one():
+    assert _cosine_similarity([1.0, 0.0], [1.0, 0.0]) == pytest.approx(1.0)
+
+
+def test_cosine_similarity_opposite_is_negative_one():
+    assert _cosine_similarity([1.0, 0.0], [-1.0, 0.0]) == pytest.approx(-1.0)
+
+
+def test_cosine_similarity_zero_length_safe():
+    """Zero-magnitude vector must not divide-by-zero."""
+    assert _cosine_similarity([0.0, 0.0], [1.0, 0.0]) == 0.0
+    assert _cosine_similarity([1.0, 0.0], [0.0, 0.0]) == 0.0
+
+
+def test_cosine_similarity_mismatched_dim_returns_zero():
+    """Cross-migration safety: a 768-dim vs 384-dim comparison must not crash."""
+    assert _cosine_similarity([1.0] * 5, [1.0] * 3) == 0.0
+
+
+def test_cosine_similarity_empty_inputs():
+    assert _cosine_similarity([], []) == 0.0
+    assert _cosine_similarity([], [1.0]) == 0.0
+
+
+# ─── get_embedding (fastembed path) ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_get_embedding_returns_list_of_floats():
+    """get_embedding wraps the embedder; the result is a Python list of floats."""
+    fake_vec = MagicMock()
+    fake_vec.tolist.return_value = [0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4]
+    fake_embedder = MagicMock()
+    fake_embedder.embed = MagicMock(return_value=iter([fake_vec]))
+    with patch(
+        "fabledassistant.services.embeddings._get_model",
+        AsyncMock(return_value=fake_embedder),
+    ):
+        out = await get_embedding("hello world")
+    assert out == [0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4]
+    fake_embedder.embed.assert_called_once_with(["hello world"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_get_embedding_ignores_legacy_model_param():
+    """The `model` kwarg is preserved for backward-compat but should not affect
+    the fastembed call."""
+    fake_vec = MagicMock()
+    fake_vec.tolist.return_value = [0.0]
+    fake_embedder = MagicMock()
+    fake_embedder.embed = MagicMock(return_value=iter([fake_vec]))
+    with patch(
+        "fabledassistant.services.embeddings._get_model",
+        AsyncMock(return_value=fake_embedder),
+    ):
+        out = await get_embedding("x", model="ignored-model-name")
+    assert out == [0.0]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_get_embedding_propagates_model_load_failures():
+    """If fastembed can't initialize, the error propagates — callers catch
+    and degrade to keyword search."""
+    with patch(
+        "fabledassistant.services.embeddings._get_model",
+        AsyncMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("model load failed")),
+    ):
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="model load failed"):
+            await get_embedding("x")