---
title: "Comment by Andrew on \"Why Chunking Strategy Can Make or Break Your RAG Pipeline\" | Hashnode"
description: "Hierarchical chunking still fails the mid-idea split when parent selection is by score rather than ancestry. A leaf that scores on the number can attach a paren"
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/why-chunking-strategy-can-make-or-break-your-rag-pipeline/6a7ab6663ddc972e303c1f03/comment/6a7b6bb866cbedfec779fb73"
---

[Discussion](https://hashnode.com/posts/why-chunking-strategy-can-make-or-break-your-rag-pipeline/6a7ab6663ddc972e303c1f03)

Comment [Why Chunking Strategy Can Make or Break Your RAG Pipeline](https://hashnode.com/posts/why-chunking-strategy-can-make-or-break-your-rag-pipeline/6a7ab6663ddc972e303c1f03)

[Andrew](https://hashnode.com/@rizzdev)

[Aug 11](https://hashnode.com/posts/why-chunking-strategy-can-make-or-break-your-rag-pipeline/6a7ab6663ddc972e303c1f03/comment/6a7b6bb866cbedfec779fb73)

Hierarchical chunking still fails the mid-idea split when parent selection is by score rather than ancestry. A leaf that scores on the number can attach a parent from the next section that holds the explanation, so the two never share a unit. Fixed-size with overlap still splits mid-idea while doubling the embedding cost. Overlap pads the cut without fixing boundary meaning, so a sentence straddles two chunks and neither is complete. Evaluate retrieval alone before generation, and match the strategy to the document type.

[Ajitabh Singh](https://hashnode.com/@ajitabh)

[Aug 11](https://hashnode.com/posts/why-chunking-strategy-can-make-or-break-your-rag-pipeline/6a7ab6663ddc972e303c1f03/comment/6a7b6bb866cbedfec779fb73#reply-6a7b820f91e3db29be6c2d35)

[Andrew](https://hashnode.com/@rizzdev "Andrew") Fair points, but I think these examples actually reinforce the main point of the article. I’m not arguing that hierarchical or overlap-based chunking is universally better. The article explicitly says each strategy has trade-offs and that the right choice depends on the document and retrieval workload. The hierarchical example is a valid implementation failure, but not necessarily a failure of hierarchical chunking itself. Likewise, I explicitly call out that overlap reduces boundary impact but doesn't eliminate semantic splits. I agree that retrieval should be evaluated independently before generation. Ultimately, the goal is simple: test different strategies on representative queries and choose the one that gives the best retrieval quality for the document type, while considering cost and complexity.