Knowledge bases is the admin area for the platform feature switch and for built-in knowledge bases that every user can use. You create a built-in knowledge base, add shared sources, and control whether it is available.

Where to find it#

Open Admin console → Knowledge bases. The page has two parts:

• The Enable knowledge bases switch at the top, which controls the whole feature.
• The Built-in knowledge bases table, with Local sources and New buttons.

A built-in knowledge base is one of two scopes. Built-in knowledge bases are created here and are available to every user. Personal knowledge bases are created by users and are not managed on this page.

Turn the feature on or off#

Use the Enable knowledge bases switch.

• On: knowledge bases are available in chat. Toast: Knowledge bases enabled.
• Off: user-facing knowledge base entries are hidden and requests are rejected. Existing data and bindings are preserved. Toast: Knowledge bases disabled; user-facing entries are now hidden.

The switch writes the platform setting knowledgebase.enabled. It does not delete any knowledge base or source.

Create or edit a built-in knowledge base#

1. Click New.
2. Enter a Name. It is required and can be up to 80 characters.
3. Enter a Description. It can be up to 255 characters.
4. Click Save.

New built-in knowledge bases start enabled. To edit one, open its row and use Edit knowledge base, or use the row's more-actions menu. Renaming or changing the description updates the entry for every user.

Add and manage sources#

1. Click a knowledge base row to open its detail view.
2. Click Add to open Add sources.
3. Select existing platform sources, or click Upload to add new files.
4. Click Add.

The detail view lists the sources in the knowledge base with their size and processing status. From here you can:

• Remove from knowledge base to unlink a source without deleting the file.
• Select files awaiting vectorization and click Vectorize.
• Click the index action on a single file to vectorize it or update an outdated index.
• Use the availability switch in the header to enable or disable the whole knowledge base.

The Add sources dialog for a built-in knowledge base lists platform sources, not personal files. The description reads Select platform sources or upload new files to "{name}". You can select up to 100 files per add action. If no reusable platform sources exist, upload a new file to continue.

Manage local (platform) sources#

Local sources are platform files shared by built-in knowledge bases. They are uploaded once and reused across knowledge bases.

1. Click Local sources.
2. Use the search box to find a source.
3. Click Upload to add files. Up to 100 files can be uploaded at once.
4. Select sources to delete them in bulk, or delete one with the trash icon.

The dialog header shows the total source count and the list shows each file's size and processing status. Deleting a platform source that is still referenced by a knowledge base is rejected; remove it from those knowledge bases first. Click Load more to page through the list.

Availability and status#

The Built-in knowledge bases table shows:

Use the availability switch in a knowledge base's detail view to turn it on or off. Disabling keeps the sources and their indexes, but the knowledge base is not offered to users.

Source processing status appears next to each file. Common states are Waiting, Queued, Extracting, OCR running, Vectorizing, Ready, Index failed, Index update required, No text, and Processing failed. A source must reach Ready to be searchable. Use Rebuild index on the Files & retrieval page after changing the Embedding model or dimensions.

Vectorize sources#

Vectorization needs the Embedding service to be enabled and configured on the Files & retrieval page.

1. Open a knowledge base.
2. Select files that show a vectorization or index-update action. You can select up to 100 files.
3. Click Vectorize, or use the single-file index action.

The platform reports how many files were submitted. Files that do not need processing or are not supported are skipped. If nothing was submitted, you see The selected files do not need vectorization or are not currently supported. If some submissions fail, you see a partial result.

Delete knowledge bases#

• To delete one, open the row's more-actions menu and choose Delete knowledge base. If the knowledge base has files, you can turn on Also delete files. Files referenced elsewhere are kept.
• To delete several, select them with the checkboxes and click Delete selected knowledge bases.

Deleting a knowledge base cannot be undone. Bulk delete reports partial failures when some knowledge bases could not be deleted.

Reference#

Sort options for the knowledge base list: Default order, Recently updated, Date created, Name, File count.

Troubleshooting#

• Knowledge bases are missing for users. Check the Enable knowledge bases switch. When it is off, user-facing entries are hidden.
• A knowledge base is not offered to users. Its availability switch is off. Turn it on in the detail view.
• A source is not searchable. Its status is not Ready. Vectorize it, or rebuild the index if it shows Index update required.
• A platform source will not delete. It is still referenced by a knowledge base. Remove it from those knowledge bases first.
• Upload or add fails. A single action accepts up to 100 files. Reduce the selection, and check the upload limits on the Files & retrieval page.
• The add dialog shows no files. There are no reusable platform sources yet. Upload a new file from the same dialog.

Related#

• Files & retrieval
• Files
• Conversation