Quick Start Guide

Get your KnowSync knowledge base up and running in under 10 minutes. This guide focuses on the essential steps to start managing your documents with AI.

What You'll Accomplish

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

• ✅ A KnowSync organization set up
• ✅ Documents uploaded and processed
• ✅ Tried AI search and chat features
• ✅ Invited team members
• ✅ Set up your first MCP integration

Step 1: Sign Up & Create Organization (2 minutes)

Create Your Account

1. Visit your KnowSync instance and click Sign Up
2. Choose sign-up method:
   • Email + password
   • Google OAuth (recommended for teams)
   • GitHub OAuth (popular with developers)

Set Up Your Organization

1. Organization Name: Your company or team name
2. Slug: Short identifier (becomes part of URLs)
3. Plan Selection: Start with Free tier to explore features

Step 2: Upload Your First Documents (3 minutes)

Quick Upload

1. Go to Documents from your dashboard
2. Drag and drop files or click "Upload Documents"
3. Supported formats: PDF, Word, text files, code files, ZIP archives

Recommended First Upload

Start with these types of documents:

• FAQ or knowledge base (tests search functionality)
• Process documentation (good for chat questions)
• API docs or technical guides (shows AI understanding)

Processing Status

Watch the processing pipeline:

• Queued: Document is waiting for processing
• Processing: AI is extracting and indexing content
• Completed: Ready for search and chat
• Failed: Check error logs and retry

Processing typically takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes per document.

Step 3: Try AI Search (2 minutes)

Basic Search

1. Navigate to Search tab
2. Ask natural language questions:
   • "How do I reset a password?"
   • "What are the requirements for new features?"
   • "Show me the API authentication process"

Understanding Results

Each result shows:

• Relevance score (higher = better match)
• Source document and page/section
• Highlighted text matching your query
• Related documents suggestions

Search Tips

• Be specific: "OAuth setup process" vs. "authentication"
• Ask questions: "How do I..." instead of just keywords
• Use quotes: "exact phrase" for precise matches

Step 4: Start a Chat Conversation (2 minutes)

Access Chat

1. Click Chat from your organization dashboard
2. Choose chat scope:
   • All Documents: Search across everything
   • Specific Collection: Focus on particular document groups

Example First Questions

You: What's the most important thing new users should know?

KnowSync: Based on your documentation, here are the key points for new users:

1. **Account Setup** (from Getting Started Guide):
   - Verify your email address within 24 hours
   - Complete your profile for better team collaboration

2. **Security Best Practices** (from Security Policy):
   - Enable two-factor authentication
   - Use strong, unique passwords
   - Never share login credentials

3. **Getting Help** (from Support Documentation):
   - Check the FAQ section first
   - Contact support via the help button
   - Join the community Slack channel

Would you like me to elaborate on any of these points?

Chat Best Practices

• Follow up with clarifying questions
• Reference sources by asking about specific documents
• Ask for examples when you need practical guidance

Step 5: Invite Team Members (1 minute)

Quick Team Setup

1. Go to Settings → Members
2. Click "Invite Members"
3. Add email addresses (one per line)
4. Choose roles:
   • Editor: Can upload and manage documents
   • Viewer: Can search and chat, but not modify content

Role Recommendations

• Start with Viewer for most team members
• Grant Editor access to document owners and managers
• Keep Admin access limited to 2-3 people maximum

Step 6: Set Up MCP Integration (Optional - 2 minutes)

Quick Claude Integration

1. Go to Settings → MCP Servers
2. Click "Create API Key"
3. Configure Key Settings:
   • Name: "Claude Desktop Integration"
   • Permissions: Select both knowsync_query and knowsync_manage tools
   • Rate Limit: Set based on your plan (Free: 60/hour, Starter: 600/hour)
4. Copy the API key and server URL
5. Add to Claude Desktop:
   • Settings → MCP Servers
   • Add server: https://www.knowsync.ai/api/mcp
   • Include headers: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY and X-User-Id: your_user_id

Test Integration

Ask Claude: "Based on my company documentation, what's our refund policy?"

Claude will now use KnowSync's AI-powered search (with 60-85% faster cached responses) and provide answers with source citations and relevance explanations.

Verification Checklist

Confirm everything is working:

Documents ✓

• [ ] At least 3 documents uploaded successfully
• [ ] All documents show "Completed" processing status
• [ ] Documents appear in the Documents list

Search ✓

• [ ] Search returns relevant results for your content
• [ ] Results include proper source attribution
• [ ] Highlighted text matches your search terms

Chat ✓

• [ ] Chat interface responds to questions
• [ ] Answers reference your uploaded documents
• [ ] Sources are cited with document names

Team ✓

• [ ] Team members can access the organization
• [ ] Role permissions work as expected
• [ ] Everyone can use search and chat features

MCP (Optional) ✓

• [ ] API key created with proper tool permissions
• [ ] Claude Desktop integration configured with headers
• [ ] Claude can answer questions using your docs with AI-enhanced search
• [ ] Follow-up questions maintain conversation context

Common Issues & Quick Fixes

Documents Not Processing

Problem: Document stuck in "Processing" status Solution:

• Check file format is supported
• Try re-uploading smaller files first
• Contact support if files are consistently failing

Search Not Finding Content

Problem: Search returns no results for content you know exists Solution:

• Wait for processing to complete (check document status)
• Try broader search terms initially
• Ensure documents processed successfully

Chat Giving Generic Answers

Problem: Chat doesn't reference your specific documents Solution:

• Verify documents are fully processed
• Try asking about specific document titles
• Use more specific questions about your content

MCP Integration Not Working

Problem: Claude can't access your knowledge base Solution:

• Double-check API key was copied correctly
• Ensure MCP server URL is complete
• Restart Claude Desktop after adding the server

Next Steps

Now that you have the basics working:

Expand Your Knowledge Base

• Upload more documents in batches
• Create collections to organize by topic or team
• Set up automated uploads via API or integrations

Improve Team Adoption

• Create onboarding documentation specific to your team
• Set up collection permissions for different departments
• Train team members on effective search and chat techniques

Advanced Features

• Explore usage analytics to understand how your knowledge is being used
• Set up webhooks for automated workflows
• Configure additional MCP servers for different use cases

Get More Help

• Read detailed feature guides for advanced functionality
• Join community forums to connect with other users
• Schedule training sessions for your team

Measuring Success

Track these metrics to gauge your KnowSync adoption:

Week 1

• Documents uploaded and processed
• Team members actively using search
• Basic chat conversations happening

Month 1

• Regular document uploads from team
• Search success rate improving
• MCP integrations being used regularly

Month 3

• Knowledge base becomes primary source of truth
• Team asks fewer repetitive questions
• New team members onboard faster using KnowSync

Start with this foundation and gradually expand your knowledge management capabilities as your team becomes more comfortable with the platform.