Connecting Sources
Sources are the raw material of every answer. This page explains what you can connect, what ConFuse does with it, and how to get the best results.
What you can connect
| Source type | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Repository | Code, configuration, in-repo documentation | Very large or noisy repositories slow indexing and dilute answers |
| Documents | Specifications, design notes, runbooks, meeting notes | Scanned or image-only files may not be readable |
| Web links | Published references, articles, external guides | Pages behind a login cannot be read |
| E-books / videos | Training and reference material | Long media produces a lot of material to search |
You can connect more than one of each. Everything becomes searchable together.
What happens when you connect
- Connect — you authorise ConFuse to read the source.
- Read and index — the material is processed into searchable pieces.
- Ready — the source starts contributing to answers.
Indexing is a one-time cost per source. Re-reads after changes are much faster.
Keeping answers focused
Quality of input dominates quality of output. A few practical habits:
- Prefer focused sources. The repository for one project answers better than a monorepo containing everything.
- Name things clearly. Source names appear in citations — "Payments service docs" is more useful than "docs-2".
- Remove stale sources. Out-of-date material produces out-of-date answers. Unsynced sources are the most common cause of an answer that is correct last year and wrong today.
- Sync after big changes. If a document moves or a branch is renamed, sync.
Permissions and access
ConFuse only answers from material the workspace is permitted to read. If a person cannot see a source, it does not appear in their answers. Access is scoped to your workspace, and connected material is not shared with other workspaces.
For more, see Security and Privacy.
Removing a source
You can disconnect a source at any time. Once removed, it stops contributing to new answers. If you need something to disappear from past answers as well, raise it with your workspace administrator.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Source stuck in indexing | Very large source, or read errors | Wait, then retry; split large sources |
| Answers never mention a known file | That material is not connected | Add it as a source |
| Answers reference old content | Source has not been re-read | Sync the source |
| Nothing found for any question | Source is empty or unreadable | Check the source actually contains readable text |
More in FAQ and Troubleshooting.