Knowledge base
Knowledge bases turn scattered business materials into knowledge assets that can be maintained continuously and used in Agent conversations.
Intended for: data analysts, operations staff, data platform staff, knowledge content maintainers, and technical support staff. The entry is at Capability Center → Knowledge Bases.
1. What problems knowledge bases solve
Knowledge bases let you manage internal company knowledge and business materials in one place, and organize original files or online documents into a Knowledge Index and Wiki pages that are easy to search and read. They're suitable for capturing product rules, business methods, project materials, operating guidelines, and support documents.
Knowledge bases provide value in three ways:
- Centralized knowledge: Bring files, Feishu documents, and web materials together in one knowledge space.
- Structured use: Compile source materials into a Knowledge Index and Wiki pages to make information easier to find.
- Support for business conversations: The system can automatically discover and use suitable knowledge bases in Agent conversations, so that answers draw on existing business materials.
1.1 When to use a knowledge base
Use a knowledge base when you need an Agent to look up product rules, business definitions, project background, or support materials. Use Space Memory when you need to maintain the long-term conventions and background of a workspace. Use a Skill when you need to turn a stable operating method into a reusable workflow. The three can work together.
A knowledge base isn't a temporary attachment. The basic workflow is: create a knowledge base → add source materials → prepare compile rules → compile and publish → use it in conversations and keep it maintained. After sources change, you need to compile again before the updates become part of the newly published knowledge.
1.2 Choose a knowledge base type
| Type | Use cases | Operations and permissions |
|---|---|---|
| System Knowledge Bases | Use knowledge content preset by the platform | You can't modify sources or compile them yourself. Some content can be used only in Agent conversations, and its details can't be opened |
| Company Knowledge Bases | Business knowledge used and maintained jointly by a team | Created by company resource admins, with access and maintenance controlled by member roles. Not visible to the whole company by default |
| Personal Knowledge Bases | Capture materials you use often, validate them first, and then publish them to the company as needed | Managed by the individual. Can be linked to a business scope and used in conversations |
Regular knowledge bases vs. read-only snapshots: In regular personal and company knowledge bases, you can maintain sources and compile according to your permissions. An imported compiled snapshot is for reading and conversations directly. It doesn't support editing the knowledge text or maintaining source files or rules, and it can't be compiled again. Don't confuse the two.
2. Create a knowledge base and add materials
2.1 Create a knowledge base
- Go to Capability Center → Knowledge Bases and select Personal Knowledge Bases or Company Knowledge Bases. Creating a company knowledge base requires company resource management permission.
- Enter the knowledge base name, and add the associated scope, tags, and description as needed.
- After you save, the details page opens. Add materials in Sources.
Input rules: The name is required and can be up to 30 characters. You can add up to 2 tags, each up to 15 characters. The description can be up to 200 characters. Associated scopes such as projects, community spaces, and data development spaces are optional. They help identify business scenarios and recommend materials, but don't grant access permissions.
2.2 Add source materials
In Sources, upload files or add a URL depending on the form of the materials:
- Upload a file: Markdown, TXT, CSV, PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, and common image formats are supported. Each file can be up to 50MB, and you can select multiple files at once.
- Upload a ZIP folder: Package multiple materials by folder into a ZIP to upload and manage them as a folder source. Each ZIP can be up to 50MB. These are still source materials and must be compiled before they become usable knowledge.
- Add URL: Feishu or Lark cloud documents, wiki links, and other accessible web pages are supported. You can enter a display name, and for other web pages you can also add parsing instructions.
Before you add a URL, you can run a Connectivity Test. Feishu sources require that the environment has completed the Lark-CLI integration and has the corresponding document access authorization. Installing the tool doesn't grant access permission. Feishu wiki links are parsed into their child documents or child pages according to the source's capabilities, and you still need the corresponding access permissions.
After the upload completes, first check the source list and statuses. Uploading a file with the same name can't directly overwrite an existing source. Even if the original source hasn't been compiled yet, use the replace action on the specific source row, review the impact, and then confirm.
2.3 Import a compiled snapshot
If you already have a compiled knowledge package, select Import Snapshot in the knowledge base list. Users with company resource management permission can also select Import Company Snapshot. Enter the name and other information, upload a ZIP of up to 50MB, submit it, and wait for the import to complete.
The snapshot package must contain the Knowledge Index file index.md and at least one Markdown page under wiki/. Don't import an ordinary archive of source materials as a compiled snapshot. After a successful import, you get a read-only knowledge base that you can read and use in conversations directly, without compiling again. If the import hasn't finished or the result is unclear, check the task status first instead of submitting again.
3. Generate or import rules and compile
Compile rules define how the system organizes the materials of the current knowledge base. For a regular knowledge base, you need to prepare valid rules first, and then compile the sources into a Knowledge Index and Wiki pages. The following operations don't apply to read-only snapshots.
3.1 Prepare compile rules
Generated by the system: In Sources, click Auto Compile. If there are no rules yet, first select a model and start generation. The task can move to the background. After it completes, go to Compile Rules to view the content and confirm that the organization meets your business needs.
Import existing rules: In Compile Rules, select Import rules and upload a Markdown (.md) file of up to 256KB. The upload only saves a pending draft and runs programmatic validation. It doesn't call AI and doesn't immediately replace the official rules.
- Review the validation results and edit the text as needed. You can also select AI validation or AI repair. Both call a model and consume tokens.
- After programmatic validation passes and no task is in progress, go to Preview and apply to check the full text, the differences from the official rules, and the suggestions. AI validation isn't required before you apply the rules.
- After you confirm, select Confirm replacement. Closing the window keeps the saved draft and background tasks, but applying the rules doesn't compile automatically. The existing Wiki adopts the new rules only after you compile again.
3.2 Choose a compilation method
| Method | When to use | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Incremental Compile | A small number of sources are added, replaced, or deleted | Processes pending, failed, or changed content, and adds, updates, or cleans up related pages based on the existing knowledge results |
| Full Compile | The material structure has changed significantly, or you want to reorganize the entire knowledge base | Reprocesses all available sources and publishes new Wiki results |
After the compilation starts, you can view its status and progress, or move the task to the background. Don't start compilation repeatedly. While compilation, rule generation, or publish review is in progress, some material modification operations are temporarily unavailable.
3.3 View results and usage
After compilation, view the overall structure in Knowledge Index, and browse and search specific content in Wiki Pages. With the corresponding permissions, you can check source statuses in Sources, view the organization rules in Compile Rules, and view the token consumption of rule generation and compilation in Compilation Usage.
A finished task doesn't necessarily mean all materials are done: If the result shows partial publishing or some sources are incomplete, check the error details, the published pages, the pages that reused the previous version, and the content not completed this time, and then handle the corresponding sources. If an update fails, the content from the last successful publish remains available and the pending updates are kept. Canceling compilation doesn't publish incomplete results as new knowledge.
4. Use in Agents, spaces, and conversations
Configure in an Agent: If you want an Agent to give priority to fixed business materials, select knowledge bases you're allowed to use in its capability configuration. For the configuration entry, see Agent.
Configure in a workspace: If you want space conversations to use a common materials entry, a member with permission can configure knowledge bases in the space capability settings. Public knowledge bases of a shared space are limited to the system and company types. The configuration doesn't replace knowledge base authorization, and members still need to pass their own permission checks when they use it. For space capability settings, see Create Space.
Ask questions in a conversation: Describe your question directly, and include the business topic, knowledge base name, or material scope where possible. The system can automatically discover relevant knowledge bases you're allowed to use based on the question, so you don't need to select them in advance every time. You can also manually select knowledge bases in the conversation; currently, you can manually select up to 10 in a single conversation. For how to select knowledge bases and ask questions, see Conversations.
Manual selection means priority retrieval, not an exclusive boundary: The selected materials are used first when they're relevant to the question, but other authorized information relevant to the current question isn't excluded. If you want the answer to rely only on the specified materials, say so explicitly in your question and ask the answer to point out any missing information.
Trustworthy use principles: When an answer uses knowledge base content, key conclusions should be directly supported by the text of pages that were actually read. Indexes, titles, tags, and summaries of unexpanded pages are only for navigation. Where the materials say nothing, the answer should clearly point out the information gap. Some protected knowledge can be used in conversations only as permitted, which doesn't mean you can view or export the full text.
5. Collaboration permissions and publishing to the company
5.1 Assign permissions by responsibility
For company knowledge bases, use Share to add members and assign roles. The main permissions of a regular compilable knowledge base are as follows:
| Role | Main permissions |
|---|---|
| Owner | Manage settings, knowledge content, sources, rules, compilation, and members. Can also delete the knowledge base or hand over ownership |
| Admin | Manage settings, knowledge content, sources, rules, compilation, and members. This role alone can't delete the knowledge base or hand over ownership |
| Collaborator | View and maintain knowledge content and sources. Can't manage members or rules, or start compilation |
| Viewer | Browse the Knowledge Index and Wiki pages and use them in conversations. Can't view source files or rules, or modify content |
| Agent Only | Use the knowledge base only in Agent conversations. Can't open details or manage content |
Company resource admin is a separate permission layer: Admins with company resource management permission can manage their company's company knowledge bases, including deleting and handing them over, without the limits on the in-base Admin role in the table above. Being a space Owner or admin isn't the same as having company resource management permission, and doesn't automatically grant knowledge base management permission.
The content, sources, rules, and compilation of a read-only snapshot still can't be edited. With the corresponding permissions, you can maintain settings such as the name, and for a company snapshot you can also manage members and hand over ownership. Personal knowledge bases currently don't offer the company-style Share and ownership handover entries.
To hand over a company knowledge base, a person with handover permission selects the new owner and confirms. In daily use, assign roles by the principle of least privilege and promptly remove members who no longer need access. If you can't see a tab or button, first check your role, the knowledge base type, and the task status.
5.2 Publish a personal knowledge base to the company
After a regular personal knowledge base is compiled, you can submit it to the company so that the team can use it according to their permissions. Imported read-only snapshots don't support this publishing flow.
- On the personal knowledge base card, select Submit to Company.
- Enter the company knowledge base name and the reason for the request. The name can be up to 30 characters, and the reason up to 80 characters.
- After submitting, wait for approval. After approval, the company copy still needs to be published. Watch for statuses such as Publishing, Published, or Publish failed. Don't treat approval as the completion of publishing.
- After publishing succeeds, open the company knowledge base to check its content and access permissions before using it for team collaboration.
Publishing is based on the latest content copied at the time of approval and creates an independent company knowledge base. It doesn't turn the personal knowledge base into a company knowledge base, and later changes to the personal knowledge base aren't automatically synced to the company copy. The owner of the original personal knowledge base doesn't necessarily become the owner of the company copy, which is still governed by company resource management and member permission rules.
6. Update materials, restore versions, and FAQ
6.1 Update sources and confirm the impact
- In Sources, find the specific source row to update and select Replace file or Replace ZIP. A regular file must be replaced with a file of the same format as the original source; you can't replace a regular file with a ZIP.
- Select the new file, click Preview impact, and check the added, modified, deleted, and unchanged files and the unpublished differences.
- After you confirm everything is correct, write the changes to the current draft, run an incremental or full compilation, and check the publish results.
Replace ZIP replaces the entire current file tree: Files not included in the new package are deleted, including manually added files that haven't been published yet. Modifying or restoring a source affects only the current draft and doesn't immediately change the published knowledge. Deleting a source also takes effect in new knowledge results only after compilation and publishing.
When a URL source shows the edit entry, you can modify the link, display name, and applicable parsing instructions. Sources that have been compiled or are being compiled don't show this entry. Regularly check online materials and access authorization, and compile again after the materials change. Don't assume that "the original web page has been updated" means "the knowledge base has published new content". If the action tip preview expires, refresh the source and preview again. If the submission result is unclear, check the status first instead of retrying blindly.
6.2 View versions and choose a restore method
In regular personal and company knowledge bases, you can view successfully published versions in Version history and compare source changes. The first version is created after the first successful compilation. System knowledge bases and read-only snapshots don't offer these version operations. Viewing and restoring historical sources is still subject to role permissions, and unpublished intermediate drafts aren't a complete historical backup.
Restore only a specific source: Use Restore latest published version, or select a restorable file or folder source from a successful version. Check the impact first, and then confirm restoring it as the current draft. Compilation doesn't start automatically after restoring. The current source must still exist and be of a compatible type. URL sources don't support this source-level restore.
Roll back the entire knowledge base: If you have source maintenance and compilation permissions, select Restore this version in the version history, check the impact, and confirm. The rollback uses the complete Wiki, compile rules, and sources of the target version and publishes them as a new version, rather than deleting the later history.
A full rollback overwrites the current content and unpublished changes of the sources in the target version. Sources outside the target version that were once compiled successfully are marked as deleted. Newly added sources that were never compiled successfully are kept. Confirm these impacts before you proceed, and wait for the task to finish. If you're prompted that an admin needs to review, don't roll back again.
6.3 FAQ
Why can't I find or use a knowledge base? First confirm that your account has access and that the knowledge base has usable published content, and then check the Agent or space configuration. Linking a business scope, joining a workspace, or receiving a knowledge base link doesn't grant authorization.
Why do answers still show old content after I uploaded or modified materials? Check whether you only updated the source draft or the official rules, and whether the compilation was published successfully. If the update failed, was partially published, or reused previous-version pages, check the source reasons and publish results instead of only checking whether the task finished.
Why don't I see the source files, rules, or compile buttons? Check your member role and whether it's a system knowledge base or a read-only snapshot. If you have permission but the action is temporarily unavailable, check whether compilation, rule generation, approval and publishing, or a pending review is in progress.
What should I do after compilation fails? View the error details. First check whether the sources can be read, whether the authorization is valid, and whether the rules pass validation, and then handle the failed sources and compile again. Use Compilation Usage to confirm model consumption. If the result is pending review, contact an admin to confirm before you proceed.