diff --git a/swh/indexer/indexer.py b/swh/indexer/indexer.py
--- a/swh/indexer/indexer.py
+++ b/swh/indexer/indexer.py
@@ -434,17 +434,17 @@
             if res:
                 yield res
 
-    def run(self, start, end, policy_update, **kwargs):
-        """Given a range of content ids, compute the indexing computation on
-           the contents within. Either only new ones (policy_update to
-           'update-dups') or all (policy_update to 'ignore-dups'.
+    def run(self, start, end, skip_existing=True, **kwargs):
+        """Given a range of content ids, compute the indexing computations on
+           the contents within. Either the indexer is incremental
+           (filter out existing computed data) or not (compute
+           everything from scratch).
 
         Args:
-            **policy_update** (str): either 'update-dups' to do all
-                                     contents, or 'ignore-dups' to
-                                     only compute new ones
             **start** (Union[bytes, str]): Starting range identifier
             **end** (Union[bytes, str]): Ending range identifier
+            **skip_existing** (bool): Skip existing indexed data
+                                     (default) or not
             **kwargs: passed to the `index` method
 
         Returns:
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@
             if isinstance(end, str):
                 end = hashutil.hash_to_bytes(end)
 
-            if policy_update == 'update-dups':  # incremental
+            if skip_existing:
                 indexed = set(self.indexed_contents_in_range(start, end))
             else:
                 indexed = set()
@@ -466,7 +466,8 @@
             index_computations = self._index_contents(start, end, indexed)
             for results in utils.grouper(index_computations,
                                          n=self.config['write_batch_size']):
-                self.persist_index_computations(results, policy_update)
+                self.persist_index_computations(
+                    results, policy_update='update-dups')
                 with_indexed_data = True
             return with_indexed_data
         except Exception:
diff --git a/swh/indexer/tests/test_mimetype.py b/swh/indexer/tests/test_mimetype.py
--- a/swh/indexer/tests/test_mimetype.py
+++ b/swh/indexer/tests/test_mimetype.py
@@ -325,8 +325,7 @@
         """
         start, end = [self.contents[0], self.contents[2]]  # output hex ids
         # given
-        actual_results = self.indexer.run(
-            start, end, policy_update='update-dups')
+        actual_results = self.indexer.run(start, end)
 
         # then
         self.assertTrue(actual_results)
@@ -342,7 +341,7 @@
 
         # given
         actual_results = self.indexer.run(  # checks the bytes input this time
-            start, end, policy_update='ignore-dups')  # no data so same result
+            start, end, skip_existing=False)  # no data so same result
 
         # then
         self.assertTrue(actual_results)
@@ -353,7 +352,7 @@
                       '0000000000000000000000000000000000000001']
         # given
         actual_results = self.indexer.run(
-            start, end, policy_update='update-dups')
+            start, end, incremental=False)
 
         # then
         self.assertFalse(actual_results)