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Interactive Demo

See how to set up and use a Knowledge Base with both simple agents and workflow agents:
  • Simple Agent Demo
  • Workflow Agent Demo

Overview

Knowledge Base allows you to provide your AI agent with access to a collection of information sources that it can reference during conversations. This feature significantly improves response quality by giving your agent the context it needs to answer questions accurately, especially for use cases like customer support, helpdesk, FAQs, and product information.
When a knowledge base is linked to your agent, it automatically retrieves relevant information during conversations without requiring any prompt modifications.

Supported Sources

Your knowledge base supports four types of content sources:

Upload File (PDF)

Upload PDF documents up to 5MB

Add FAQ

Create FAQ flashcards with questions and answers

Add Text

Add custom text snippets and information

Add Web Pages

Import content from website URLs

How It Works

When you link a knowledge base to your agent:
  1. Automatic Processing: Content is chunked, embedded, and stored in a vector database
  2. Contextual Retrieval: During conversations, the agent searches for relevant information using the conversation transcript
  3. Seamless Integration: Retrieved information is automatically provided to the AI without manual intervention
  4. Real-Time Access: Information is fetched and used in real-time during each response generation
The knowledge base uses the conversation transcript (not the prompt) to find the most relevant chunks of information.

Creating a Knowledge Base

Step 1: Access Knowledge Base

1

Navigate to Knowledge Base

From your dashboard sidebar, click on the Knowledge Base section.
Knowledge Base tab in sidebar
2

Create New Knowledge Base

Click the “New Knowledge Base” button and enter a descriptive name for your knowledge base.
Create new knowledge base dialog
3

Click Create

Finalize your new knowledge base by clicking Create.

Step 2: Add Content Sources

Click “Add to Knowledge Base” to start adding content. You have four options:
Knowledge Base content type options
Add to Knowledge Base button
  • Upload File (PDF)
  • Add FAQ
  • Add Text
  • Add Web Pages

Upload PDF Documents

Upload PDF files containing information your agent should reference.Requirements:
  • Format: PDF only
  • Maximum file size: 5MB per file
  • Content type: Text-based PDFs (scanned images may have limited accuracy)
How to use:
  1. Click “Upload File (PDF)”
  2. Select your PDF file from your computer
  3. Click “Next” to upload the file
  4. Wait for the file to upload and process
Upload PDF file interface
Best for:
  • Product manuals and documentation
  • Policy documents and guidelines
  • Training materials
  • Technical specifications
  • Company handbooks
Ensure your PDFs contain selectable text. Scanned images or image-based PDFs may not be processed accurately.

Connecting Knowledge Base to Agents

Once you’ve created and populated your knowledge base, you can connect it to both simple agents and workflow agents.
  • Simple Agents
  • Workflow Agents
Connect your knowledge base to a simple agent for straightforward AI conversations:
1

Open Agent Settings

Navigate to your simple agent’s configuration page.
2

Locate Knowledge Base Section

Find the Knowledge Base section in the agent settings.
3

Select Knowledge Base

Choose the knowledge base(s) you want to connect to this agent.
Connect knowledge base to simple agent
Your simple agent will now automatically reference the knowledge base during conversations!

Best Practices

Organize Information Clearly

  • Use clear headings and hierarchical structure - Keep information focused and concise - Group related information together - Use bullet points and lists for better readability
  • Ensure PDFs are text-based, not scanned images - Use clear formatting with headings and sections - Keep file sizes under 5MB limit - Break large documents into smaller, topic-focused files - Use descriptive titles and section headers
  • Make questions specific and clear - Provide complete, standalone answers - Avoid ambiguous pronouns (use specific names instead of “it” or “this”) - Include relevant details like dates, names, and numbers - Write questions as customers would ask them
  • Use Markdown formatting for better structure - Write short paragraphs focusing on single concepts - Include specific details and avoid vague references - Use descriptive headings to separate topics - Make information self-contained (avoid references to missing context)
  • Choose pages with clear, well-structured content - Ensure URLs are publicly accessible and stable - Prefer pages with good formatting over walls of text - Verify content is accurate and up-to-date - Select pages that are directly relevant to your use case

Tips for Better Performance

Use Knowledge Base for information, not instructions. Put operational instructions and agent behavior guidelines in your agent’s prompt. Use the knowledge base to supply supporting facts, data, and reference information.
Stay within file size limits. Each PDF must be under 5MB. If you have larger documents, consider: - Splitting them into smaller, topic-focused files
  • Compressing the PDF file - Converting to text format instead

Improving Response Accuracy

To ensure your agent only uses information from the knowledge base, add this to your agent’s prompt:
Only answer using the information from the knowledge base.
If the knowledge base does not contain relevant information to answer the question,
politely respond: "I don't have that information in my knowledge base right now."

When to Use Each Source Type

Source TypeUse WhenExample
PDFYou have existing documentsProduct manuals, policy PDFs, reports
FAQYou know common questions”What are your hours?”, “How do I reset my password?”
TextYou need custom snippetsCompany policies, pricing info, quick facts
Web PagesContent is already onlineHelp center, blog posts, product pages

Managing Your Knowledge Base

Updating Content

  • PDFs: Upload a new version and remove the old one
  • FAQs: Edit existing flashcards or add new ones
  • Text: Edit text snippets directly
  • Web Pages: Re-search and add updated URLs (content is refreshed from source)

Organizing Multiple Knowledge Bases

You can create multiple knowledge bases and link them to different agents:
  • By Topic: Separate knowledge bases for billing, technical support, sales
  • By Product: Different knowledge bases for each product line
  • By Use Case: Customer service, internal support, sales inquiries
An agent can be connected to multiple knowledge bases simultaneously.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, the knowledge base works automatically once connected to your agent. You don’t need to make any changes to your prompts for it to activate.
Yes, you can connect multiple knowledge bases to a single agent. This allows you to organize information by topic or category while giving your agent access to all of it.
The agent will respond based on its default capabilities. You can add a prompt instruction to explicitly handle these cases (see “Improving Response Accuracy” above).
Check the following: - Ensure the knowledge base is properly connected to your agent - Verify your documents are well-structured and readable - For PDFs, ensure they’re text-based, not scanned images - Review your content for clarity and completeness - Make sure the information is relevant to the questions being asked
You can edit or replace existing content at any time. Changes will be reflected in your agent’s responses after saving and reprocessing.
Check your conversation logs or analytics dashboard for details on knowledge base usage during calls.
Currently, only PDF files are supported for document uploads. For other formats, you can: - Copy and paste content as text - Convert documents to PDF first - Add content as web pages if it’s available online
While there may be practical limits, you can create multiple knowledge bases to organize large amounts of content effectively.

Use Cases

Customer Support

Create a knowledge base with:
  • Product documentation PDFs
  • Common FAQs about returns, shipping, and policies
  • Troubleshooting guides as text
  • Help center article URLs

Sales Assistance

Build a knowledge base containing:
  • Product catalogs and specifications (PDFs)
  • Pricing information (text)
  • Sales scripts and talking points (FAQs)
  • Case studies from your website (web pages)

Appointment Booking

Include information about:
  • Service descriptions (text)
  • Availability policies (FAQs)
  • Booking and cancellation policies (PDF or text)
  • Location and contact information (text)

E-commerce Support

Provide agents with:
  • Product information from your website (web pages)
  • Shipping and returns policies (PDF)
  • Common shopping questions (FAQs)
  • Store policies and guidelines (text)

Technical Support

Equip your agent with:
  • Technical documentation (PDFs)
  • Troubleshooting steps (FAQs)
  • System requirements and specifications (text)
  • Knowledge base articles (web pages)
For healthcare and regulated industries, ensure your knowledge base complies with relevant regulations (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.) and never include sensitive patient/customer data.

Troubleshooting

Agent not retrieving information

Possible causes:
  • Knowledge base not connected to agent
  • Content not properly formatted
  • Question too vague or doesn’t match content
Solutions:
  • Verify knowledge base is linked in agent settings
  • Improve content structure with clear headings
  • Add more variations of common questions

PDF content not recognized

Possible causes:
  • PDF contains scanned images instead of text
  • File exceeds 5MB limit
  • PDF is password-protected or encrypted
Solutions:
  • Use OCR to convert scanned PDFs to text
  • Compress or split large PDFs
  • Remove password protection before uploading

Web pages not loading

Possible causes:
  • URLs require authentication
  • Pages are dynamically generated
  • Sitemap not available or incorrect
Solutions:
  • Ensure pages are publicly accessible
  • Add content manually as text if pages are restricted
  • Verify the domain has a sitemap