# EMBED.DEDUP.RELEASE

> Drop one reference to a stored embedding, removing it when no references remain.

URL: https://docs.hotkv.com/commands/embed-dedup-release/

```
EMBED.DEDUP.RELEASE namespace hash
```

- Group: Embeddings
- Complexity: O(1)
- HotKV Cloud: Performance and Scale plans
- On-Premise: requires the embed-dedup license feature

Embedding de-duplication stores each embedding once per content hash and counts references to it, so the same content embedded by many users or documents is stored, and paid for, only once. You compute the content hash and the embedding; HotKV keeps them in named namespaces. `EMBED.DEDUP.RELEASE` lowers the reference count of `hash` by 1,
for example when a document that used it is deleted. When the count reaches
zero, the embedding is removed.

## Return value

| Case | RESP2 | RESP3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reference released | Integer `1` | Same |
| No such hash or namespace | Integer `0` | Same |

Errors:

- `ERR wrong number of arguments for 'embed.dedup.release' command` if the argument count is wrong.
- `NOLICENSE embed-dedup requires a HotKV license. Contact sales@hotkv.com` if your license does not include the `embed-dedup` feature.

## Examples

```
127.0.0.1:6379> EMBED.DEDUP.RELEASE org abc123
(integer) 1
127.0.0.1:6379> EMBED.DEDUP.RELEASE org abc123
(integer) 1
127.0.0.1:6379> EMBED.DEDUP.GET org abc123
(nil)
```

After two `PUT` calls, the first release leaves one reference and the second
removes the embedding.

## Compatibility

HotKV-only command. Redis and Valkey have no equivalent.

## See also

[EMBED.DEDUP.PUT](https://docs.hotkv.com/commands/embed-dedup-put/index.md), [EMBED.DEDUP.GET](https://docs.hotkv.com/commands/embed-dedup-get/index.md), [EMBED.DEDUP.STATS](https://docs.hotkv.com/commands/embed-dedup-stats/index.md), [EMBED.DEDUP.PURGE](https://docs.hotkv.com/commands/embed-dedup-purge/index.md), [EMBED.DEDUP.DROP](https://docs.hotkv.com/commands/embed-dedup-drop/index.md), [EMBED.DEDUP.LIST](https://docs.hotkv.com/commands/embed-dedup-list/index.md), [AI features guide](https://docs.hotkv.com/ai-features/index.md)