lib/PublicInbox/Config.pm    |  2 +-
 lib/PublicInbox/SearchIdx.pm |  8 ++++++++
 t/v1reindex.t                | 43 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 t/v2reindex.t                | 40 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/Config.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/Config.pm
index 289c36a6ccf1a6c6e5518cd4dff12f4e8cd63fce..78586560cf0f7a20e38c3752b536a20e03c6301d 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/Config.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/Config.pm
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ 	my $rv = {};
 
 	foreach my $k (qw(mainrepo filter url newsgroup
 			infourl watch watchheader httpbackendmax
-			replyto feedmax nntpserver)) {
+			replyto feedmax nntpserver indexlevel)) {
 		my $v = $self->{"$pfx.$k"};
 		$rv->{$k} = $v if defined $v;
 	}
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/SearchIdx.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/SearchIdx.pm
index 8978914ab087b3d6e25c69b988e490f9ea71fd91..04e853069f0661c24b5d223d2c1ad72f47e7232b 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/SearchIdx.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/SearchIdx.pm
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ }
 
 sub new {
 	my ($class, $ibx, $creat, $part) = @_;
+	my $levels = qr/\A(?:full|medium|basic)\z/;
 	my $mainrepo = $ibx; # for "public-inbox-index" w/o entry in config
 	my $git_dir = $mainrepo;
 	my ($altid, $git);
@@ -61,6 +62,13 @@ 			require PublicInbox::AltId;
 			$altid = [ map {
 				PublicInbox::AltId->new($ibx, $_);
 			} @$altid ];
+		}
+		if ($ibx->{indexlevel}) {
+			if ($ibx->{indexlevel} =~ $levels) {
+				$indexlevel = $ibx->{indexlevel};
+			} else {
+				die("Invalid indexlevel $ibx->{indexlevel}\n");
+			}
 		}
 	} else { # v1
 		$ibx = { mainrepo => $git_dir, version => 1 };
diff --git a/t/v1reindex.t b/t/v1reindex.t
index 0df36d3fee893f6d2d38eee6c56e013c004b3ad8..ff32750fc3c3a1b07aff08aa34c420be40066af6 100644
--- a/t/v1reindex.t
+++ b/t/v1reindex.t
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ my $ibx_config = {
 	mainrepo => $mainrepo,
 	name => 'test-v1reindex',
 	-primary_address => 'test@example.com',
+	indexlevel => 'full',
 };
 my $ibx = PublicInbox::Inbox->new($ibx_config);
 my $mime = PublicInbox::MIME->create(
@@ -74,15 +75,32 @@ is_deeply([ $ibx->mm->minmax ], $minmax, 'minmax unchanged');
 
 ok(unlink "$mainrepo/public-inbox/msgmap.sqlite3", 'remove msgmap');
 remove_tree($xap);
+ok(!-d $xap, 'Xapian directories removed again');
+
 $rw = PublicInbox::SearchIdx->new($ibx, 1);
+{
+	my @warn;
+	local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { push @warn, @_ };
+	eval { $rw->index_sync({reindex => 1}) };
+	is($@, '', 'no error from reindexing without msgmap');
+	is(scalar(@warn), 0, 'no warnings from reindexing');
+	$im->done;
+	ok(-d $xap, 'Xapian directories recreated');
+	delete $ibx->{mm};
+	is_deeply([ $ibx->mm->minmax ], $minmax, 'minmax unchanged');
+}
 
+ok(unlink "$mainrepo/public-inbox/msgmap.sqlite3", 'remove msgmap');
+remove_tree($xap);
 ok(!-d $xap, 'Xapian directories removed again');
+
+$rw = PublicInbox::SearchIdx->new($ibx, 1);
 {
 	my @warn;
 	local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { push @warn, @_ };
 	eval { $rw->index_sync({reindex => 1}) };
 	is($@, '', 'no error from reindexing without msgmap');
-	is(scalar(@warn), 0, 'no warnings from reindexing');
+	is_deeply(\@warn, [], 'no warnings');
 	$im->done;
 	ok(-d $xap, 'Xapian directories recreated');
 	delete $ibx->{mm};
@@ -91,9 +109,31 @@ }
 
 ok(unlink "$mainrepo/public-inbox/msgmap.sqlite3", 'remove msgmap');
 remove_tree($xap);
+ok(!-d $xap, 'Xapian directories removed again');
+
+$ibx_config->{index_level} = 'medium';
+$ibx = PublicInbox::Inbox->new($ibx_config);
 $rw = PublicInbox::SearchIdx->new($ibx, 1);
+{
+	my @warn;
+	local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { push @warn, @_ };
+	eval { $rw->index_sync({reindex => 1}) };
+	is($@, '', 'no error from reindexing without msgmap');
+	is_deeply(\@warn, [], 'no warnings');
+	$im->done;
+	ok(-d $xap, 'Xapian directories recreated');
+	delete $ibx->{mm};
+	is_deeply([ $ibx->mm->minmax ], $minmax, 'minmax unchanged');
+}
 
+
+ok(unlink "$mainrepo/public-inbox/msgmap.sqlite3", 'remove msgmap');
+remove_tree($xap);
 ok(!-d $xap, 'Xapian directories removed again');
+
+$ibx_config->{index_level} = 'basic';
+$ibx = PublicInbox::Inbox->new($ibx_config);
+$rw = PublicInbox::SearchIdx->new($ibx, 1);
 {
 	my @warn;
 	local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { push @warn, @_ };
@@ -105,5 +145,6 @@ 	ok(-d $xap, 'Xapian directories recreated');
 	delete $ibx->{mm};
 	is_deeply([ $ibx->mm->minmax ], $minmax, 'minmax unchanged');
 }
+
 
 done_testing();
diff --git a/t/v2reindex.t b/t/v2reindex.t
index 8af30991f858d52537f9813b64a98945f7162227..20903967bf255f7133c09d71821165417003f3e6 100644
--- a/t/v2reindex.t
+++ b/t/v2reindex.t
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ 	mainrepo => $mainrepo,
 	name => 'test-v2writable',
 	version => 2,
 	-primary_address => 'test@example.com',
+	indexlevel => 'full',
 };
 my $ibx = PublicInbox::Inbox->new($ibx_config);
 my $mime = PublicInbox::MIME->create(
@@ -83,6 +84,45 @@
 ok(unlink "$mainrepo/msgmap.sqlite3", 'remove msgmap');
 remove_tree($xap);
 ok(!-d $xap, 'Xapian directories removed again');
+{
+	my @warn;
+	local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { push @warn, @_ };
+	eval { $im->index_sync({reindex => 1}) };
+	is($@, '', 'no error from reindexing without msgmap');
+	is_deeply(\@warn, [], 'no warnings');
+	$im->done;
+	ok(-d $xap, 'Xapian directories recreated');
+	delete $ibx->{mm};
+	is_deeply([ $ibx->mm->minmax ], $minmax, 'minmax unchanged');
+}
+
+ok(unlink "$mainrepo/msgmap.sqlite3", 'remove msgmap');
+remove_tree($xap);
+ok(!-d $xap, 'Xapian directories removed again');
+
+$ibx_config->{index_level} = 'medium';
+$ibx = PublicInbox::Inbox->new($ibx_config);
+$im = PublicInbox::V2Writable->new($ibx);
+{
+	my @warn;
+	local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { push @warn, @_ };
+	eval { $im->index_sync({reindex => 1}) };
+	is($@, '', 'no error from reindexing without msgmap');
+	is_deeply(\@warn, [], 'no warnings');
+	$im->done;
+	ok(-d $xap, 'Xapian directories recreated');
+	delete $ibx->{mm};
+	is_deeply([ $ibx->mm->minmax ], $minmax, 'minmax unchanged');
+}
+
+
+ok(unlink "$mainrepo/msgmap.sqlite3", 'remove msgmap');
+remove_tree($xap);
+ok(!-d $xap, 'Xapian directories removed again');
+
+$ibx_config->{index_level} = 'basic';
+$ibx = PublicInbox::Inbox->new($ibx_config);
+$im = PublicInbox::V2Writable->new($ibx);
 {
 	my @warn;
 	local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { push @warn, @_ };