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Configuring Knowledge Base Integration

Connect your internal documentation, FAQ site, or help center to create a secure knowledge base assistant that provides accurate, context-aware reply suggestions based on your actual content.

What is Knowledge Base Integration?

Knowledge base integration transforms AI Companion into a secure internal knowledge base assistant by allowing it to:

  • Search your documentation when generating suggestions
  • Reference specific articles from your internal knowledge base
  • Provide accurate information based on your actual content
  • Stay up-to-date with your latest documentation

Instead of relying solely on general knowledge, your secure knowledge base assistant uses your documentation as the primary source of information.

Why Knowledge Base Integration Matters for AI Assistants

Without knowledge base integration:

  • AI suggestions based only on general knowledge
  • May provide outdated or incorrect information
  • Cannot reference your specific products, features, or policies
  • Generic responses that don't match your documentation

With knowledge base integration:

  • AI searches your internal documentation in real-time
  • Provides accurate answers based on your actual content
  • References specific articles and help pages
  • Maintains consistency with your official documentation
  • Creates a true secure internal knowledge base assistant

How It Works

When you provide a knowledge base URL:

  1. Domain extraction - AI Companion extracts the domain from your URL
  2. Web search configuration - Configures provider-specific web search tools
  3. Domain filtering - Restricts searches to your knowledge base domain
  4. Content prioritization - AI prioritizes information from your knowledge base

For example, if you provide https://docs.example.com, AI Companion will:

  • Search only within docs.example.com
  • Reference articles from your documentation
  • Base suggestions on your actual content

Setting Up Knowledge Base

During Initial Setup

  1. In the AI Companion setup wizard, proceed to Step 3: "Add Knowledge Base"
  2. Enter your knowledge base URL (e.g., https://docs.example.com)
  3. Click Continue to proceed to review

After Setup

  1. Go to AI Companion settings
  2. Click edit on the "Knowledge Base URL" field
  3. Enter or update your URL
  4. Save changes

Best Practices

Use Documentation Sites

Ideal knowledge base URLs for your secure assistant:

Internal documentation examples:

  • Documentation sites (e.g., docs.example.com)
  • Internal FAQ pages (e.g., support.example.com/faq)
  • Help centers (e.g., help.example.com)
  • Public knowledge bases (e.g., kb.example.com)
  • Internal wikis (if publicly accessible)

Ensure Public Access

Your knowledge base must be:

  • Publicly accessible - No authentication required
  • Indexed by search engines - So AI can find content
  • Well-structured - Clear navigation and organization

Keep Content Up-to-Date

  • Regular updates - Keep documentation current
  • Accurate information - Ensure content matches your products/services
  • Clear structure - Organize content logically

Content Security

Use your knowledge base domain only for content you control. Do not host user-generated or third-party content on the same domain as your knowledge base URL. This reduces the risk of unexpected or malicious content affecting AI suggestions.

Examples of Good Knowledge Base URLs

https://docs.example.com
https://support.example.com/help
https://help.example.com
https://kb.example.com
https://www.example.com/documentation

How AI Uses Your Knowledge Base

When generating suggestions, AI Companion:

  1. Receives customer question - Analyzes what the customer is asking
  2. Searches knowledge base - Uses web search tools to find relevant articles
  3. Reads relevant content - Accesses specific pages from your documentation
  4. Generates response - Creates a suggestion based on your actual content
  5. References sources - May include links to your documentation

Example Flow

Customer asks: "How do I reset my password?"

AI Companion:

  1. Searches your knowledge base for "password reset"
  2. Finds your password reset documentation page
  3. Reads the step-by-step instructions
  4. Generates a suggestion that matches your documentation
  5. May include a link to your help article

Knowledge Base Requirements

Content Quality

Your knowledge base should have:

  • Clear, well-written articles - Easy for AI to understand
  • Organized structure - Logical categories and navigation
  • Up-to-date information - Reflects current products/services
  • Searchable content - Indexed by search engines

Technical Requirements

  • Publicly accessible - No login required
  • HTTPS enabled - Secure connection
  • Search engine indexed - Content discoverable via search
  • Stable URLs - Links don't change frequently

Updating Knowledge Base URL

You can update your knowledge base URL at any time:

  1. Go to AI Companion settings
  2. Click edit on "Knowledge Base URL"
  3. Enter the new URL
  4. Save changes

New suggestions will immediately use the updated knowledge base.

Troubleshooting

Knowledge Base Not Being Used

Check:

  • URL is correct and accessible
  • Domain is publicly accessible
  • Content is indexed by search engines
  • URL format is correct (include https://)

Solution:

  • Verify URL in a browser (should load without login)
  • Check if content appears in Google search
  • Ensure URL includes protocol (https://)

Inaccurate Suggestions

Possible causes:

  • Knowledge base content is outdated
  • Content doesn't match your actual products/services
  • Knowledge base structure is unclear

Solution:

  • Update your documentation
  • Ensure content accuracy
  • Improve content organization

Knowledge Base Not Found

Check:

  • URL is accessible from the internet
  • Domain is correct (no typos)
  • Site is not behind authentication

Solution:

  • Test URL in incognito/private browser window
  • Verify domain spelling
  • Ensure public access

Provider-Specific Behavior

Different AI providers handle secure knowledge base integration with varying approaches:

Anthropic (Claude Haiku 4.5)

Knowledge Base Implementation:

  • Uses web_search_20250305 tool with domain filtering
  • Domain restriction - Searches ONLY your specified domain
  • Fast, efficient content retrieval
  • Excellent at understanding documentation structure
  • Can access multiple articles per suggestion

Security features:

  • Domain filtering ensures no external content accessed
  • Searches restricted to your internal knowledge base
  • No data leakage to unrelated sites

Best for: Secure internal knowledge base assistants requiring fast, accurate documentation access.

OpenAI (GPT-4o)

Knowledge Base Implementation:

  • Uses web_search tool with domain filtering
  • Domain restriction - Searches within your specified domain
  • Can access multiple pages as needed
  • Good at connecting related articles
  • Comprehensive content understanding

Security features:

  • Domain-scoped searches protect against external content
  • Controlled access to your documentation only
  • Robust security controls

Best for: Teams needing comprehensive documentation searches with strong security.

Grok (Grok-3)

Knowledge Base Implementation:

  • Uses web search with domain filtering
  • Domain restriction - Searches your knowledge base domain
  • Modern search implementation
  • Efficient content retrieval

Security features:

  • Domain filtering for secure access
  • Controlled documentation searches

Best for: Teams wanting newer alternatives with knowledge base support.

Gemini (2.5 Flash)

Knowledge Base Implementation:

  • Limited web search for security reasons
  • No domain filtering available in API (security limitation)
  • Suggestions based on conversation and system prompt only
  • Cannot dynamically access external documentation

Why the limitation:

  • Google's API doesn't support domain-restricted web search
  • Without domain filtering, security risk of accessing external content
  • SupportRetriever prioritizes security over feature completeness

Best for: Teams not requiring knowledge base integration, or using knowledge in prompts.

Note: If knowledge base integration is critical for your secure internal knowledge base assistant, choose Anthropic, OpenAI, or Grok.

How Providers Access Your Internal Documentation

All providers (except Gemini) access your knowledge base securely:

  1. You provide URL - E.g., https://docs.example.com
  2. Domain extracted - System extracts docs.example.com
  3. Search configured - Provider-specific tool configured with domain restriction
  4. Customer question arrives - AI analyzes what customer is asking
  5. Domain-restricted search - AI searches ONLY your specified domain
  6. Content retrieved - Relevant articles accessed
  7. Suggestion generated - Response based on your actual documentation
  8. Security maintained - No external sites accessed, domain boundary enforced

This creates a true secure internal knowledge base assistant that references only your approved documentation.

Benefits of Knowledge Base Integration

More Accurate Responses

AI Companion provides answers based on your actual documentation, not general knowledge.

Consistent Information

All suggestions reference your official documentation, ensuring consistency.

Up-to-Date Content

When you update your knowledge base, AI Companion automatically uses the latest information.

Better Customer Experience

Customers receive accurate, helpful responses that match your documentation.

When to Skip Knowledge Base

You can skip knowledge base setup if:

  • You don't have documentation yet
  • Your content isn't publicly accessible
  • You prefer general AI knowledge
  • You'll add it later

You can always add a knowledge base URL later in settings.

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