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Knowledge bases allow your AI agents to retrieve information from your own documents during phone calls. Instead of relying solely on the system prompt, agents can search through uploaded files, web pages, and text content to provide accurate, grounded answers.

Overview

A knowledge base is a collection of sources — files, URLs, or text snippets — that your agent can search during a conversation. When a caller asks a question, the agent retrieves the most relevant passages from the knowledge base and uses them to formulate a response. This is especially useful for:
  • Product catalogs — answer questions about pricing, features, and availability
  • FAQ documents — handle common customer inquiries accurately
  • Policy documents — reference specific terms, conditions, or procedures
  • Internal wikis — provide support agents with up-to-date information
  • Training materials — ensure consistent, accurate responses across all calls

Creating a Knowledge Base

From the Dashboard

  1. Navigate to Knowledge Bases in the sidebar
  2. Click Create Knowledge Base
  3. Enter a Name and optional Description
  4. Click Create

Via API

curl -X POST https://api.revring.ai/v1/knowledge-bases \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Product FAQ",
    "description": "Frequently asked questions about our products"
  }'

Adding Sources

Each knowledge base can contain up to 10 sources. Sources are processed asynchronously — after adding a source, it moves through the following statuses:
StatusDescription
queuedSource is queued for processing
processingSource is being indexed and will be available shortly
readySource is indexed and available for retrieval
failedProcessing failed (check errorMessage for details)

Text Sources

Add text content directly. Useful for FAQ lists, policy excerpts, or any structured text. Dashboard: Click Add SourceText, enter a name and content, then click Add Text Source. API:
curl -X POST https://api.revring.ai/v1/knowledge-bases/{id}/sources \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "sourceType": "text",
    "displayName": "Return Policy",
    "content": "Our return policy allows returns within 30 days of purchase. Items must be in original condition with receipt. Refunds are processed within 5-7 business days."
  }'
Text sources can be up to 100,000 characters.

URL Sources

Add a web page URL. RevRing fetches and indexes the page content automatically. Dashboard: Click Add SourceURL, enter a Name and the URL, then click Add URL Source. API:
curl -X POST https://api.revring.ai/v1/knowledge-bases/{id}/sources \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "sourceType": "url",
    "originalUrl": "https://www.example.com/faq",
    "displayName": "FAQ Page"
  }'
Only http:// and https:// URLs are supported. The page content is fetched and indexed at the time the source is added. To update the content, delete and re-add the source.

File Sources

Upload documents directly. Supported formats: PDF, TXT, DOCX, MD, CSV, JSON. Dashboard: Click Add SourceFile, then select a file from your computer. API:
curl -X POST https://api.revring.ai/v1/knowledge-bases/{id}/sources \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@/path/to/document.pdf"
Maximum file size is 20 MB.

Checking Source Status

After adding a source, you can check its processing status:
curl https://api.revring.ai/v1/knowledge-bases/{id}/sources/{sourceId} \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
The response includes a status field (queued, processing, ready, or failed) and an errorMessage if processing failed.

Linking Knowledge Bases to Agents

Once your knowledge base has sources in the ready state, link it to one or more agents.

From the Dashboard

  1. Open your agent’s settings
  2. Go to the Knowledge tab
  3. Click Link Knowledge Base
  4. Select the knowledge base you want to link — it’s linked immediately

Via API

curl -X POST https://api.revring.ai/v1/agents/{agentId}/knowledge-bases \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "knowledgeBaseId": "kb_abc123"
  }'
To unlink:
curl -X DELETE https://api.revring.ai/v1/agents/{agentId}/knowledge-bases/{knowledgeBaseId} \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Retrieval Settings

When a knowledge base is linked to an agent, you can configure how the agent uses it. These settings are on the agent, not the knowledge base — so different agents can use the same knowledge base with different retrieval behaviors.

Retrieval Mode

ModeDescription
automaticLabeled Automatic (RAG) in the dashboard. The agent automatically searches the knowledge base before every response. This is the default and recommended mode.
query_toolLabeled Query Tool in the dashboard. The agent uses a dedicated tool to search the knowledge base. This gives you more control over when retrieval happens — useful if you want the agent to only search when explicitly asked.

Chunks to Retrieve

The number of text passages to retrieve per query (1–20, default 3). Higher values provide more context but use more tokens. Start with the default and increase if the agent is missing relevant information.

Similarity Threshold

Minimum relevance score for retrieved passages (0.0–1.0, default 0). Set this higher (e.g., 0.3–0.5) to filter out loosely related content. A value of 0 returns the top results regardless of relevance score.

Configuring via API

curl -X PATCH https://api.revring.ai/v1/agents/{agentId} \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "knowledgeBaseRetrievalMode": "automatic",
    "knowledgeBaseChunks": 5,
    "knowledgeBaseSimilarityThreshold": 0.3
  }'

Managing Sources

Deleting a Source

To remove a source from a knowledge base: Dashboard: Hover over the source row and click the trash icon, then confirm deletion. API:
curl -X DELETE https://api.revring.ai/v1/knowledge-bases/{id}/sources/{sourceId} \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Deleting a Knowledge Base

Deleting a knowledge base removes all its sources and unlinks it from any agents. Dashboard: Open the knowledge base, click the ⋮ menu, then select Delete Knowledge Base. API:
curl -X DELETE https://api.revring.ai/v1/knowledge-bases/{id} \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Best Practices

Content Quality

  • Be specific: Focused, well-structured content retrieves better than long, rambling documents
  • Use clear headings: Documents with clear sections help the retrieval system find relevant passages
  • Keep content current: Delete and re-add sources when the underlying content changes
  • Avoid duplication: Don’t add the same content multiple times across different sources

Prompt Integration

Reference the knowledge base in your agent’s prompt to guide how it uses retrieved information:
You are a customer support agent for Acme Corp.

When customers ask about our products, policies, or procedures,
use the information from your knowledge base to provide accurate answers.
If you can't find the answer in your knowledge base, let the customer know
and offer to transfer them to a specialist.

Do not make up information — only share what you can verify from your knowledge base.

Source Organization

  • Create separate knowledge bases for different topics (e.g., “Product Catalog”, “Support Policies”, “Pricing”)
  • Link only the relevant knowledge bases to each agent
  • Keep source count manageable — a few high-quality sources outperform many low-quality ones

Troubleshooting

Most sources process within a few seconds to a minute. If a source stays in processing for more than 5 minutes, it may have encountered an issue. Try deleting and re-adding the source. For file sources, ensure the file is not corrupted and is in a supported format.
Check the errorMessage field on the source for specifics. Common causes include:
  • URL is unreachable or returns an error
  • File format is not supported
  • File is corrupted or empty
  • Text content is empty
  • Verify the knowledge base is linked to the agent (check the Knowledge tab)
  • Ensure at least one source is in ready status
  • Check that retrieval mode is set to automatic (or query_tool if you prefer manual control)
  • Add guidance in your prompt telling the agent to use its knowledge base
  • Try increasing the knowledgeBaseChunks value if relevant content is being missed
  • Review the source content for accuracy
  • Increase knowledgeBaseSimilarityThreshold to filter out loosely related passages
  • Decrease knowledgeBaseChunks to reduce noise from less relevant results
  • Add instructions in your prompt to only use verified knowledge base content

Next Steps