Knowledge Base

Group knowledge into sources, add editable entries from files, websites, or text, optimize them with Ally, and train your agents.

Your knowledge base is what your agent searches when a customer asks a question. Content lives in sources (named groups of related knowledge) and entries (files, websites, or text). Everything becomes editable text the agent can retrieve with semantic search.

Sources belong to a workspace and can be shared across agents in that workspace. Learn more about Workspaces.

How it works

  1. Add content to a knowledge source as a file, a website crawl, or text.
  2. Link AI extracts the text, indexes it with vector embeddings, and makes it searchable.
  3. Open any entry to edit it. Saving re-embeds the updated text so search stays current.
  4. Train the source so the agent knows which topics it covers.
  5. Assign the source to an agent. When a customer asks something, the agent searches that source and answers from the retrieved text.

You do not trigger searches yourself. The agent searches when the conversation needs it.

Sources and entries

Knowledge source: A named group of related knowledge, such as "Product docs" or "Support policies". Switch sources from the dropdown at the top of Knowledge Base. Create, rename, or delete a source from New or the source menu.

Entry: One piece of knowledge inside a source. Every entry is editable text, even if it started as a PDF or a crawled site.

Entry typeHow you add itWhat you get
FileDrag and drop or click FilesExtracted text you can edit
WebsiteClick URL, discover pages, pick which to crawlCombined page content you can edit
TextClick Text and write or pasteA titled markdown entry

Deleting a source permanently removes all of its entries, files, and embeddings.

Product catalogs, prices, and stock are not knowledge entries. Manage those in Orders, or sync them from Shopify.

Create a knowledge source

If the workspace has no sources yet, Knowledge Base shows an empty state.

  1. Open Dashboard → Knowledge Base.
  2. Click Create knowledge source, or New → New knowledge source.
  3. Give it a name, such as "Product docs". Description is optional.
  4. Click Create.

Create separate sources for different topics so you can assign the right source to each agent.

Add knowledge

At the top of a source you will see Drag and drop anything, or pick a source. Everything becomes editable text the agent can use.

Files

Supported types: PDF, TXT, DOCX, DOC, CSV, PPTX, XLSX, and XLS. Maximum size is 10 MB per file.

  1. Drag files onto the card, or click Files.
  2. Staged files wait until you save.
  3. Click Save on the floating bar. Link AI uploads them and extracts the text.
  4. Open an entry to review or edit the extracted text.

Website

  1. Click URL.
  2. Enter a site (example.com) and click Discover pages.
  3. Review the discovered pages. The first few are selected by default. Search the list, select all, or add a URL manually.
  4. Confirm the crawl. Progress shows in the list while pages are ingested.
  5. The crawl becomes a website entry you can open and edit.

Discovery looks at up to 50 pages.

Text

  1. Click Text.
  2. Give the entry a short title.
  3. Write or paste markdown. Headings, bold, and lists are supported.
  4. Click Save. Drafts are not stored until you save.

Use the search bar to filter entries by title, file name, URL, or content.

Edit entries

Click an entry to open the editor. On a wide screen it opens beside the list. On smaller screens it opens as a sheet.

  • Edit the extracted or written text in place.
  • Text entries have an editable title.
  • Website entries keep a link back to the original URL.
  • Unsaved edits show an Unsaved badge. Save from the editor or the floating bar.
  • Delete an entry from the editor or the row menu.

Saving re-embeds the entry. Search still uses the last saved version until you save.

Ask Ally to Optimize

Open any entry and click Ask Ally to Optimize. Ally rewrites the text so retrieval works better:

  • Keeps every fact, number, name, URL, and date
  • Adds headings, bullets, and Q&A-style sections
  • Replaces vague pronouns with the real noun so each paragraph stands on its own
  • Stays in the original language
  • Does not add marketing fluff

The rewrite is a draft. Review it, then save.

Optimize uses messages from your plan. The pill shows an estimate before you click. Entries over about 40,000 characters need to be split first. If you do not have enough messages left this cycle, optimize is disabled.

Train the source

Training builds a Knowledge Profile: a summary of topics, example questions, and a document count. That profile helps the agent know what it has before it searches.

Status lives in the header badge next to the source name:

StatusMeaning
Needs TrainingNew or updated content has not been profiled yet
Training...Training is running
TrainedProfile is current
FailedTraining errored. Click the badge to retry

Click the badge to train or retrain. You can also train from the agent's Knowledge section.

Train after you add, edit, or delete a meaningful amount of content. Ally reminds you to retrain after it changes knowledge.

Assign a source to an agent

Each agent links to one knowledge source.

  1. Open the agent and go to the Knowledge section.
  2. Select a source, or None (Prompt only) if the agent should rely on its prompt alone.
  3. Save.
  4. Use Manage knowledge source to jump back to the editor, or train from that same section.

The same source can be linked from more than one agent.

Starter questions in chat are configured on the agent, not generated from knowledge entries. Add up to four on Configure Agent.

For live information that is not in your knowledge base, enable Web Search.

Ally

Ally can search, create, and update knowledge for you:

  • "Search my knowledge base for the return policy."
  • "Add this shipping policy to Product docs."
  • "List my knowledge sources."

When Ally adds text, it uses a short title so the entry is easy to find in the list. After changes, retrain so agents pick them up.

You need to be a workspace owner or admin. Mention a source with @ to scope Ally to that one knowledge base for the turn.

Best practices

One topic per source Keep product docs, support policies, and shipping info as separate sources.

Write for retrieval Use clear headings, concrete nouns, and short sections. Use Optimize when a dump of text is messy.

Edit the extracted text PDFs and crawls often need a cleanup pass before the agent can quote them well.

Retrain after big edits The profile goes stale when content changes. The badge turns to Needs Training.

Keep products in Orders Catalog, prices, and stock belong in Orders, not as knowledge files.

Test real questions Ask the assigned agent the questions customers actually ask.

Troubleshooting

Agent says it does not know

  1. Confirm the source is assigned on the agent's Knowledge section.
  2. Open the entry and confirm text was extracted.
  3. Retrain if the badge says Needs Training.
  4. Try a more descriptive question. Semantic search works best with full sentences.

Outdated answers Update the entry, save so it re-embeds, then retrain.

Optimize failed or is disabled Split long entries. Check remaining messages on your plan.

Crawl found the wrong pages Deselect extras, add the missing URL manually, then start the crawl.

File rejected Use PDF, TXT, Word, CSV, PowerPoint, or Excel, under 10 MB.

Unsaved changes The amber Unsaved badge means the last save has not run yet. Search still uses the previous version.

Next Steps

Link the source from Configure Agent, enable Actions when the agent should do more than answer, or ask Ally to add the first entries for you.

Follow us:
Actions