Align then Train: Efficient Retrieval Adapter Learning

ArXi:2604.03403v1 Announce Type: cross Dense retrieval systems increasingly need to handle complex queries. In many realistic settings, users express intent through long instructions or task-specific descriptions, while target documents remain relatively simple and static. This asymmetry creates a retrieval mismatch: understanding queries may require strong reasoning and instruction-following, whereas efficient document indexing favors lightweight encoders.