Brain Vault: Full Feature Reference
Overview
Brain Vault is the knowledge management engine of BotStacks. It acts as your assistant's memory, providing live, context-rich information to LLMs and conversation flows. Brain Vault is designed for accuracy, security, and scale—whether you're building a simple FAQ bot or a complex enterprise assistant.
Supported Knowledge Source Types
Brain Vault supports a variety of source types, each called a Knowledge Source:
- Single URL: Ingests the content of a public web page (e.g., pricing, docs, release notes).
- Bulk URLs: Add multiple URLs at once (newline-separated list). Ideal for catalogs, blogs, or documentation sets.
- Site Crawl: Crawl a root URL and automatically ingest all reachable internal pages.
- File Upload: Upload PDF, DOCX, TXT, or Markdown files (up to 50 MB each).
- Text Snippet: Paste or type plain text directly (for FAQs, policies, or one-off info).
File Size Limit: 50 MB per upload.
Storage and Plan-Based Limits
The number of knowledge sources you can store depends on your subscription plan:
| Plan | Knowledge Sources |
|---|---|
| Starter | 50 |
| Pro | 250 |
| Pro+ | 500 |
| Agency/Enterprise | 3,000 |
- All plans: Each source is indexed and available for live retrieval.
- Upgrade: Increase limits by upgrading your plan.
Organization & Prioritization
Efficient knowledge management is critical for high-quality answers. Brain Vault treats all sources equally in retrieval, so:
- Use Descriptive Titles: Name each source clearly (e.g.,
Refund-Policy-2025). - Keep Sources Bite-Sized: Split large files (manuals, PDFs) into smaller sections for more precise retrieval and lower token costs.
- Remove Stale Content: Delete outdated docs and re-upload new versions to avoid conflicting answers.
- Preview Early & Often: Use the Preview feature to test retrieval and fix issues before deploying.
Bulk Import:
- Use Bulk URLs or Site Crawl for large-scale imports.
Integration with LLM Nodes
Brain Vault is designed to work seamlessly with LLM (Large Language Model) nodes in Sequence Studio:
- Enable Brain Vault: In the LLM node, toggle "Use Brain Vault" to allow the model to retrieve from your knowledge sources.
- Retrieval: The LLM node will search the Vault and inject relevant snippets into the prompt for accurate, context-aware answers.
- Settings: Combine with other LLM node options (model selection, system/user prompt, temperature, max tokens, top-p, chat history) for fine-tuned control.
Retrieval, Search, and Ranking
- Vector Search: Brain Vault uses vector embeddings to match user queries to the most relevant knowledge snippets.
- Ranking: All sources are ranked by semantic similarity; quality and clarity of each source directly impact answer quality.
- No Manual Prioritization: All sources are treated equally; use organization best practices for optimal results.
Preview & Testing Features
- Preview Panel: Instantly test how your assistant will answer questions using your current Brain Vault.
- Settings in Preview:
- Model (GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
- Temperature (creativity vs. accuracy)
- Max Tokens (response length)
- Top P (diversity)
- System Prompt (persona/instructions)
- Feedback Loop: Use Preview to quickly iterate on your Vault and settings before publishing.
Best Practices & Tips
- Test a Variety of Questions: Ensure your assistant can find and use the right source for different phrasings.
- Refine Data: If answers are off, add more precise data or split large sources.
- System Prompt Tuning: Adjust the system prompt for more specific or on-brand answers.
- Regular Clean-Up: Remove or update sources as your business or documentation changes.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
My assistant gives the wrong answer or misses info.
- Check if the correct document is present and well-titled.
- Split large files into smaller, focused sections.
- Use Preview to debug retrieval.
Can I edit a source without deleting it?
Not currently. Download/copy, edit locally, and re-upload the revised file.
How do I import/export all my sources?
- Bulk import is supported (Bulk URLs, Site Crawl).
- Export is not currently available.
Is my data secure?
Brain Vault is designed for enterprise-grade security. Uploaded data is stored securely and only accessible to your workspace.
What happens if I exceed my plan's limit?
You'll be prompted to upgrade or remove sources to add more.
Can I prioritize certain sources?
No manual prioritization; use descriptive titles and split sources for best results.
Limitations
- No source editing in place (must re-upload to update)
- No manual ranking (retrieval is semantic, not order-based)
- Export not available (as of this release)
- 50 MB per file
- Plan-based source limits