Knowledge Base Troubleshooting
Diagnostic procedures for knowledge base issues including incorrect answers, upload failures, indexing problems, performance degradation, access control, and citation errors.
Step-by-step fixes for problems with knowledge base answers, document uploads, indexing, performance, and access. Find your symptom, follow the steps, get back to work.
Quick Diagnosis
Start here. Find your symptom, then jump to the detailed fix.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | First step | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong or irrelevant answers | Document missing, outdated, or KB too broad | Check the document list in your KB dashboard | Incorrect or Irrelevant Answers |
| Document won't upload | Size, format, or file corruption | Verify file is under 20 MB and in a supported format | Document Upload Failure |
| "I don't have information about that" | Topic not covered in any uploaded document | Search your files manually for the topic | Unanswered Questions |
| KB responses are slow | Too many or too large documents | Remove outdated/duplicate documents | Performance Degradation |
| Unauthorized user has access | Shared link distributed too broadly | Generate a new link (invalidates the old one) | Unauthorized Access |
| Answer cites the wrong document | Poor document naming or duplicate content | Rename documents descriptively and deduplicate | Wrong Document Cited |
1. Incorrect or Irrelevant Answers
What you see: A question returns an answer that doesn't match the documents, references the wrong topic, or seems fabricated.
Resolution
Work through these checks in order.
Step 1 — Verify the document is in the KB:
- Open your KB dashboard and check the document list.
- If the relevant document isn't listed, upload it and wait for indexing to complete.
Step 2 — Check whether the document is current:
- Open the document in the KB and compare it to the latest version.
- If outdated, remove the old version and upload the current one.
Step 3 — Ask IAN to cite its source:
"Quote the exact text where you found that answer""Which document did you use for this answer?"- If IAN quotes the wrong document, the issue is relevance ranking (see the table below).
Step 4 — Improve prompt specificity:
| Instead of… | Try… |
|---|---|
"What's our policy?" |
"What's our remote work policy for international employees?" |
"Tell me about onboarding" |
"What are the first-week tasks for new hires in the claims department?" |
Vague questions produce vague — or wrong — answers.
Improving relevance
If answers are returning but from the wrong source or with missing details, the issue is usually in how the KB or its documents are structured.
| Problem | Cause | How to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Answers from the wrong document | KB contains too many loosely related topics | Split into focused, topic-specific KBs |
| Answer is partially correct | Source document is ambiguous | Add a summary at the top of the document: "This document covers X. Use it for Y." |
| Answer misses a key detail | Detail is buried in complex formatting | Rewrite the section in plain text — avoid nested tables or multi-column layouts |
| KB returns nothing at all | Document wasn't indexed | Check processing status in the dashboard; re-upload if needed |
2. Document Upload Failure
What you see: You added a file to the KB and it either produced an error or doesn't appear in the document list.
Pre-check
| Check | What to look for | How to fix |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Must be under 20 MB | Split or compress the file |
| File format | Must be PDF, DOCX, or TXT | Convert to a supported format |
| File integrity | Can you open it normally on your computer? | Re-save or re-download the file |
| Document limit | Fewer than 100 documents in this KB? | Remove outdated documents or create a second KB |
Resolution
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Remove the failed document from the KB (if stuck in a "processing" state) |
| 2 | Re-save the file on your computer (open → File → Save As → save a fresh copy) |
| 3 | Upload the fresh copy |
| 4 | Wait for indexing to complete — a progress indicator should appear |
| 5 | If it fails again with the same file, try converting to a different format (e.g., DOCX → PDF) |
3. Unanswered Questions
What you see: Users report that the KB responds with "I don't have information about that" or gives a generic answer instead of one grounded in your documents.
Resolution
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Check whether the topic is covered in any uploaded document — search your files manually |
| 2 | If the topic is covered: the document may not be clear enough. Rewrite the relevant section with explicit, direct language (see guidance below) |
| 3 | If the topic is not covered: write a new document that addresses it and upload it to the KB |
Filling content gaps over time
| Practice | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Monitor recent queries in the KB dashboard | Identifies what users are actually asking about |
| Maintain a list of unanswered questions | Creates a backlog of content to write |
| Write documents that directly answer common questions | Direct answers are easier for the model to match than information buried in long policy documents |
Writing tip: A document that says "Remote work is permitted on Fridays with manager approval" is far easier for IAN to match than one that buries the same information in paragraph 7 of a 30-page policy. Write as if you're answering the question directly.
4. Performance Degradation
What you see: Answers take noticeably longer than when the KB was first set up, or the interface feels sluggish.
Why it happens: More documents means more content to search. A KB with 100 large documents takes longer to process than one with 10 focused documents.
Resolution
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Delete outdated or duplicate documents — fewer, higher-quality documents outperform many mediocre ones |
| 2 | Split the KB by topic — create separate KBs for different subject areas instead of one large KB |
| 3 | Simplify documents — remove headers, footers, legal boilerplate, and formatting that doesn't add informational value |
| 4 | Check for duplicates — if the same policy was uploaded multiple times, remove the extras |
5. Unauthorized Access
What you see: A user who shouldn't have access is asking questions and receiving answers from the KB.
Resolution
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Check who has the shared link — the link grants access to anyone who possesses it |
| 2 | Generate a new link (this invalidates the previous one) |
| 3 | Share the new link only with authorized users |
| 4 | For stricter access control, contact support to discuss organization-level access policies |
6. Wrong Document Cited
What you see: The KB answers from a document that isn't relevant to the question, even though a more appropriate document exists in the KB.
Resolution
| Step | Action | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rename documents descriptively — "Claims Procedure 2026.pdf" instead of "doc_final_v3.pdf" |
Clear names help the retrieval system match documents to queries |
| 2 | Add context headers — put a summary at the top of each document: "This document covers: [topic]. Audience: [who]. Last updated: [date]." |
Gives the model explicit metadata to assess relevance |
| 3 | Remove conflicting documents — if two documents answer the same question differently, one is outdated. Remove it. | Eliminates ambiguity in retrieval ranking |
| 4 | Reduce KB scope — a focused KB (one topic area) has fewer irrelevant documents to compete for selection | Improves precision by narrowing the search space |
Escalation
If none of the above resolves your issue:
- Note the KB name and the question that produced the problem.
- Note which document should have answered it.
- Note the answer IAN gave (screenshot or copy-paste).
- Submit via Support & Escalation.
Related Pages
| Page | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Knowledge Bases | Full feature reference for KB setup and usage |
| Document Analysis Troubleshooting | Fixes for individual file upload issues (outside of KBs) |
| FAQ | Quick answers to common questions |
| Support & Escalation | How to reach a human for unresolved issues |