Knowledge Bases and Uploads

Knowledge bases let RoxWhy work with the notes, PDFs, readings, and source material a student is studying. A focused knowledge base makes answers more relevant and easier to check.

What a knowledge base doesCopy Anchor Link

A knowledge base stores source material that RoxWhy can retrieve during tutoring, writing, research, and quiz workflows.

Use it when you want RoxWhy to answer from:

• Class notes.
• Teacher handouts.
• Worksheets.
• PDFs.
• Reading extracts.
• Slides.
• Draft outlines.
• Research notes.
• Revision packs.

Create focused source setsCopy Anchor Link

Avoid one large mixed folder for everything. Create separate knowledge bases for separate learning contexts.

Good names:

• Year 9 Biology - Cells
• English Essay - Macbeth
• Algebra Revision
• History Source Analysis
• Programming Project Notes

Focused source sets help RoxWhy retrieve the right material and reduce confusing answers.

What to uploadCopy Anchor Link

Good uploads include:

• Notes written by the student.
• Class handouts.
• Readings the student is allowed to use.
• Worksheets and practice questions.
• Draft outlines or planning notes.
• Public references.
• Marking criteria or assignment instructions, if allowed.

Supported files and size limitsCopy Anchor Link

Most school documents work: PDF, Word (.docx, .doc), rich text (.rtf), PowerPoint (.pptx, .ppt), Excel (.xlsx, .xls) and CSV, plain text and Markdown (.txt, .md), HTML, and EPUB.

• Knowledge base files: up to 200 MB each.
• Files attached to a message: up to 20 MB each, and 25 MB in total per message.

Scanned pages (photos of paper) work less well than real text, so use the digital version when your teacher provides one.

What not to uploadCopy Anchor Link

Do not upload:

• Passwords, API keys, or full card numbers.
• Medical, legal, or identity documents unless absolutely necessary and permitted.
• Other students' private work.
• Documents the student is not allowed to process with AI.
• Large unrelated folders that mix many subjects.
• Files with unnecessary personal information.

For sensitive material, remove names, addresses, ID numbers, and unrelated personal details where practical.

How to ask RoxWhy to use a knowledge baseCopy Anchor Link

Be direct:

• "Use my biology knowledge base and explain this diagram."
• "Answer from the uploaded class notes first."
• "Quiz me only on the material in this knowledge base."
• "Turn this reading into a study outline."
• "Compare my draft with the assignment criteria."

If the answer looks generic, ask RoxWhy to use a specific document or upload a smaller, more focused set of sources.

Pair it with a teaching styleCopy Anchor Link

The knowledge base holds the sources; your instructions hold the teaching style.

Example:

• Knowledge base: Algebra Revision
• Instruction: "Use the Algebra Revision knowledge base, ask me to try each step first, then explain mistakes."

Upload and retrieval problemsCopy Anchor Link

If an upload fails:

• Try a smaller file.
• Rename the file with simple letters and numbers.
• Avoid password-protected or corrupted files.
• Check the file type and size against the list above.
• Try uploading fewer files at once.

If retrieval seems wrong:

• Split the knowledge base into smaller subject sets.
• Remove unrelated files.
• Ask for answers from a named document.
• Include page, section, or topic details in the prompt.

CreditsCopy Anchor Link

Adding files to a knowledge base doesn't use credits at the moment. Asking questions about them does, like any other reply. See Credits and Top-Ups.

Contact supportCopy Anchor Link

Use Contact if uploads or retrieval do not work.

Include the account email, file type, file size if known, knowledge base name, what you expected, what happened, and any error text.