Data sources: train your chatbot on your website, PDFs and docs
Train your Helpnest agent on website URLs, PDFs, Markdown, CSV, HTML, JSON, pasted text, and Q&A pairs. Learn about limits, re-syncing, and training status.
Your agent only answers from the sources you give it. Add sources from the Data sources tab of an agent.
Source types
| Type | Best for | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Help centers, marketing sites, docs | Enter a URL. Helpnest follows links on the same site and reads up to 25 pages by default (you can set 1 to 200). |
| File | Policies, manuals, price lists | Upload one or more files. See the supported types below. |
| Text | Content that isn't online | Paste up to 500,000 characters with a title. |
| Q&A | Exact answers to specific questions | Write a question and the answer you want given. Use this to correct or pin important answers. |
Supported file types
PDF, TXT, Markdown (.md, .markdown), CSV, HTML, and JSON. Scanned PDFs without selectable text can't be read. The maximum file size depends on your plan: 5 MB on Free, 10 MB on Startups, 25 MB on Growth.
Training status
New sources are processed in the background. While a source is training, the agent may not know its content yet. If training is interrupted, the source shows an error and you can retry it.
Re-sync and delete
When your website changes, use Re-sync on the source to crawl it again. Deleting a source removes its content from your agent's answers immediately.
Knowledge limits
Knowledge is measured in training pages of 2,000 characters, shared across the agents in your workspace.
| Plan | Training pages | File uploads per month | Max file size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 | 10 | 5 MB |
| Startups | 500 | 100 | 10 MB |
| Growth | 2,500 | 400 | 25 MB |
Tips for better answers
- Start with your help center or FAQ page. They match how customers ask questions.
- Add Q&A pairs for answers that must be exact, like refund windows or prices.
- Remove outdated sources rather than adding corrections on top of them.
- Use custom instructions for rules, not facts. Facts belong in sources.
Last updated October 30, 2026