I introduced the OptimizerStrategy concept: the current implementation triggers optimize() every nth operations or mth transactions. But it can be extended as needed. I have also defined the road map for 3.0.0.beta4 http://opensource.atlassian.com/projects/hibernate/browse/HSEARCH? report=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.project:roadmap-panel If you pick up a task, please prioritize the beta4 issues. I would like to release it quickly. I think I'll do a beta5 with support for multiple indexes per entity and some of the HSearch metadata exposition and we are good for a RC cycle. If you want to see a feature on the list, open a JIRA issue for it.