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The knowledge base is the system that makes your assistants smart about your specific business. Instead of relying only on general AI knowledge, your assistants can search through your uploaded documents and curated Q&A pairs to find accurate, relevant information before responding. Your knowledge base has two main components:
  • Documents — Upload files (PDF, Word, text, Markdown) that get indexed for semantic search
  • Q&A Pairs — Create structured question-and-answer entries for precise, high-confidence responses

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How It Works

IllumiChat uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to connect your documents to your assistants:
1

Upload your documents

Add files to a project. Supported formats include PDF, Word, text, and Markdown.
2

Automatic processing

IllumiChat extracts the text from your documents and splits it into smaller, meaningful chunks.
3

Embedding and indexing

Each chunk is converted into a vector embedding — a numerical representation that captures the meaning of the text. These are stored in a vector database for fast retrieval.
4

User asks a question

When someone sends a message to your assistant, IllumiChat searches the vector database for document chunks relevant to the question.
5

Context-aware response

The assistant receives the relevant chunks as context alongside the user’s question, then generates an accurate answer grounded in your actual documents.

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Supported File Types

FormatExtension
PDF.pdf
Microsoft Word.docx
Plain Text.txt
Markdown.md

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Uploading Documents

1

Create or open a project

Navigate to Projects in the sidebar and create a new project or open an existing one.
2

Upload your files

Click the upload button and select files from your computer.
3

Monitor processing

Each document shows a processing status so you know when it is ready.
4

Connect to an assistant

Go to your assistant’s settings and link the project. The assistant can now search these documents.

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Processing Status

StatusMeaning
PendingThe document is queued for processing
ProcessingText extraction and indexing are in progress
CompletedThe document is fully indexed and available to assistants
FailedSomething went wrong during processing (try re-uploading)
Processing time depends on document size and complexity. Most documents complete within a few minutes.

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Best Practices

Documents that cover one topic thoroughly work better than large documents covering many topics. This helps the retrieval system find the most relevant chunks.
Well-structured documents with clear headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs produce better search results.
Keep your knowledge base current by replacing outdated documents. Stale information leads to inaccurate answers.
After uploading documents, test your assistant with the kinds of questions your users will actually ask.
Group related documents into the same project. Keep product docs in one project, HR policies in another, and sales materials in a third.

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Q&A Pairs

Q&A pairs let you curate precise answers for frequently asked questions. When a user’s question closely matches a stored Q&A pair, the assistant returns the curated answer directly — providing more concise, accurate responses than general document retrieval.

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How Q&A Matching Works

IllumiChat uses a hybrid matching strategy for Q&A pairs:
  1. Direct match — Your question text is embedded and compared semantically against stored Q&A pairs. If the similarity score meets the confidence threshold, the paired answer is returned verbatim.
  2. RAG fallback — If there is no high-confidence direct match, Q&A content participates in standard document retrieval alongside your uploaded files, so partial or indirect matches can still surface.
This means Q&A pairs give you the best of both worlds: precise answers for known questions and fuzzy relevance for everything else.
Q&A pairs share the same document quota as your uploaded files. Each Q&A pair counts as one knowledge document.

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Adding Q&A Pairs

1

Open a project

Navigate to Projects in the sidebar and open the project you want to add Q&A pairs to.
2

Go to the Q&A tab

Click the Q&A tab in the knowledge base. This is the fourth tab alongside Files, Websites, and Text.
3

Create a new pair

Click Add Q&A and fill in the Question and Answer fields.
4

Save

Click Save. The Q&A pair is automatically indexed and available to any assistant connected to this project.

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Managing Q&A Pairs

From the Q&A tab, you can:
  • Edit an existing pair to update the question or answer
  • Delete pairs that are no longer needed
  • View all pairs in a list with the question and a preview of the answer
Start with Q&A pairs for your top 10-20 most common support questions. These are the questions your team answers repeatedly — giving your assistant curated answers for these dramatically improves response quality.

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When to Use Q&A vs. Documents

Use CaseRecommended Approach
A specific question with a precise answerQ&A pair — The assistant returns the exact answer you wrote
Detailed product documentation or guidesDocument upload — RAG retrieves relevant sections as needed
FAQ content you already have in a documentBoth — Upload the document and create Q&A pairs for the most critical questions
Policies or procedures with nuanceDocument upload — Lets the assistant draw from the full context
Quick factual answers (hours, pricing, contact info)Q&A pair — Ensures accuracy for simple lookups

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Best Practices for Q&A Pairs

Use natural, conversational phrasing. If your users ask “How do I reset my password?” rather than “Password reset procedure,” write the question that way. The semantic matching works best when your stored question mirrors real user queries.
Write answers that fully address the question without unnecessary detail. If the answer requires a longer explanation, consider linking to a document or guide.
If a critical question can be asked in very different ways, consider adding separate Q&A pairs for each variation to maximize match accuracy.
As your product or policies change, update your Q&A pairs to stay current. Outdated answers erode user trust.
For the best support bot experience, combine Q&A pairs for your most common questions with uploaded FAQs, help center articles, and troubleshooting guides. This gives your assistant precise answers for known questions and broad knowledge for everything else.