Knowledge bases group files that are retrieved together when you chat. Create personal knowledge bases from your own files, or use built-in knowledge bases that administrators manage for everyone.

Where to find it#

Select Knowledge bases in the left sidebar. The page has a knowledge base list on the left and the files of the selected knowledge base on the right.

The list header contains search, sort, and New. Each row shows the knowledge base name, a Built-in badge when it is administrator-managed, and a health line such as "3 of 5 sources are searchable". Collapse the sidebar with the panel button when you need more room for files.

If the sidebar entry is missing, an administrator has turned off Enable knowledge bases. See "When the feature is disabled" below.

Create a personal knowledge base#

1. Select New in the list header.
2. In the New knowledge base dialog, enter a Name.
3. Optionally enter a Description.
4. Select Save.

The new knowledge base appears in the list and is selected. The name must be unique within your personal knowledge bases; reusing a name shows "A knowledge base with the same name already exists in this scope."

Use a name that is easy to recognize in the chat picker, and a description that says what the files are for. The description is shown in the composer while you choose knowledge bases.

Add existing files#

1. Select a personal knowledge base in the list.
2. Select Add in the detail header.
3. In the Add sources dialog, use Search files to find a file.
4. Select the checkbox of each file you want.
5. Select Add.

The dialog lists files that already exist in Files and are not yet in this knowledge base. You can select up to 100 files at a time; the footer shows the current count.

Upload new files#

1. Select a personal knowledge base, then select Add.
2. In the Add sources dialog, select Upload.
3. Choose one or more files.
4. Wait for the upload to finish. Uploaded files are added to the knowledge base automatically.

The result toast reads "Uploaded and added N files". If some files fail, you also see "Some files failed to upload" with the success and failure counts. Files that upload but cannot be added show "Files uploaded but could not be added to the knowledge base".

Check file health and index state#

The sidebar health line summarizes retrieval readiness for each knowledge base:

In the file list, the status column shows the retrieval state of each file. Only files marked Searchable are actually used for retrieval.

Vectorize a file or update its index#

Files that still need processing show a checkbox. Vectorize them when a file is stuck, after an administrator changes the embedding model, or when the status says Index update required.

1. Select the knowledge base.
2. Select the checkbox of each file that needs vectorization.
3. Select Vectorize in the selection bar.

To process one file, point at its row and select the database icon. The tooltip is Vectorize, or Update index when the file uses an outdated vector space.

The toast reports how many files were submitted. Files that did not need processing are counted separately, and files that could not be queued are reported as "Submitted X files; Y files could not be queued".

Use a knowledge base in chat#

1. Open a chat and look at the left side of the composer.
2. Select the book icon (Knowledge bases).
3. Search for a knowledge base and select it. You can select up to 8.
4. Repeat for each knowledge base you want to use this turn.
5. Send the message.

Selected knowledge bases are retrieved together for that turn. A number badge on the book icon shows how many are selected. Select Clear in the picker, or select a knowledge base again, to remove it.

Only knowledge bases with at least one searchable file can be selected. A knowledge base with no ready files shows "No searchable files yet" and is disabled in the picker.

Remove files from a knowledge base#

1. Select the knowledge base.
2. Point at the file row and select the unlink icon (Remove from knowledge base).

The file leaves the knowledge base and the toast reads "File removed from knowledge base". The file itself stays in Files and can be added to another knowledge base.

Edit or delete a knowledge base#

• To rename or change the description, open the ellipsis menu on the row and select Edit knowledge base.
• To delete one knowledge base, select the trash icon on the row (Delete knowledge base). In the confirmation dialog, select Also delete files only when the files are not used anywhere else.
• To delete several, select their checkboxes in the list and select Delete selected knowledge bases.

Deleting a knowledge base cannot be undone. With Also delete files, files that are still referenced by other resources are kept.

Built-in knowledge bases#

Built-in knowledge bases are managed by administrators and marked Built-in. You can open them, preview their files, and select them in chat.

You cannot add files, remove files, vectorize files, edit, or delete a built-in knowledge base. If a built-in knowledge base has no searchable files, ask an administrator to add sources or check the embedding configuration.

When the feature is disabled#

An administrator can turn off Enable knowledge bases in the admin console. When it is off:

• The Knowledge bases entry disappears from the left sidebar.
• The book icon disappears from the chat composer.
• Requests that reference a knowledge base are rejected with "Knowledge base retrieval is disabled."

Existing knowledge bases, files, and chat bindings are preserved. Turning the feature back on restores them.

Status reference#

Common problems#

Related#

• Files
• New chat
• Files & retrieval
• Skills & Prompts