Understand AI Knowledge source statuses and fix issues

Check whether your agent can use a source and resolve problems with imported information

Written By Frieda Yip (Super Administrator)

Updated at October 21st, 2026

After adding sources to your AI agent’s Knowledge Base, check that the information it needs is available. A source’s status tells you whether the agent can use it, while warnings help you identify missing content or incomplete article generation.

For example, a PDF may be available to the agent even though some scanned pages could not be read. Reviewing the warning helps you decide whether to provide a clearer version.

 

Check a source’s status

Open your agent’s Knowledge Base page and review the sources under Assigned. If you are using the AgentFlow Configure step, click Manage knowledge.

Each source shows its status beside its name. When you open a source and the list becomes narrower, statuses appear as icons. Hover over an icon to see its name.

Status

What it means

What to do

Adding

The agent cannot use the source yet. Adding usually takes a few minutes.

Wait. Open the source to check whether it is waiting for another source to finish first.

Ready

The agent can use the source. SleekFlow may continue generating articles from it in the background.

You can test questions using this source. Review any warning beside its status.

Failed

The source could not be added, so the agent cannot use it.

Open the source to review the reason, then click Retry or Remove.

Removing

The source is being removed from this agent. The agent may still use it until removal finishes.

Wait until the source leaves Assigned. Removal usually takes up to 10 minutes.

In Data and tools > All data sources, the Status column shows “Adding”, “Ready”, or “Failed”. It does not show Removing, because removal applies to an individual agent.

A source assigned to several agents shows the least advanced status across those agents in All data sources. Check the individual agent’s Knowledge Base when reviewing availability for that agent.

Note: Live web search sources show “Ready” as soon as they are saved. Their website content is retrieved during conversations rather than read in advance.

 

 

Understand the update summary

When you add several sources, a line above the list shows how many sources are included in the update and how many are ready.

The ready count increases as sources become available. The total stays the same unless you add more sources while the summary is showing. Those sources join the total.

The summary:

  • Notes that adding sources usually takes a few minutes.
  • Disappears when no sources are being added.
  • Does not include a progress bar or percentage.

You can see this summary on the agent’s Knowledge Base page, in Manage knowledge, and on the agent’s page in Data and tools.

While sources are being removed, a line above the list shows the removal count and explains that the agent may still use them until removal finishes.

 

Why is a source “Ready” while articles are still being generated?

Ready means the agent can use the source. It does not mean all background article generation has finished.

For files and indexed web pages, SleekFlow continues generating knowledge articles after the source becomes available. This can take longer than adding the source.

Until the articles are generated, the agent answers directly from the source content. Once they are generated, it uses the generated articles. The source stays Ready throughout, and opening it shows a note if answers are still being improved.

You do not need to wait for article generation to finish before testing questions using a Ready source.

 

Check whether PDF content was skipped

A Ready source may still have missing content. For example, a PDF can be imported while pages containing scanned images or only decorative content are skipped. The agent cannot use information from those skipped pages.

To check a PDF:

  1. Find the source in the list. A small amber marker beside Ready indicates that some pages had no readable text.
  2. Hover over the marker to check how many pages were affected.
  3. Open the source.
  4. Review Extraction quality to see how many pages were processed and why pages were skipped.

Skipped pages may show these reasons:

Reason

What it means

No extractable content

No content could be extracted from the page.

Decorative content only

The page contained only decorative content.

Long lists show a count of additional skipped pages. The page-by-page extraction summary is available for PDF documents only.

The source stays Ready and available to the agent despite extraction gaps.

 

What should you do about skipped pages?

Check whether the skipped pages contain information your agent needs.

For example, if a skipped page contains your return-policy exceptions, the agent will be missing important information even if the rest of the document was read successfully.

Prepare a version with readable text if important content was skipped. Files cannot be replaced in place; the existing source must be deleted and the revised file uploaded.

Note: Clicking Remove in an agent’s Knowledge Base only takes the source off that agent. It does not delete the source from your workspace Library.

Extraction quality appears only when there is an issue to report, such as skipped pages, a conversion failure, or incomplete article generation.

 

Retry a source that could not be added

If a source shows Couldn't add, open it to review the reason. You can then decide whether to retry or correct the original file.

Problem

What to do

The file could not be converted

Re-export the file, such as by printing it to PDF. Delete the failed source from the workspace and upload the new file.

A processing problem occurred on SleekFlow’s side

Click Retry. If processing continues to fail, contact support.

SleekFlow cannot distinguish a password-protected file from a corrupted file, so the failure reason may not identify the exact file problem.

To retry:

  1. Open the source that shows “Failed” 
  2. Click “Retry”.

Retrying restarts processing from the beginning.

If you no longer want the source assigned to the agent, click Remove instead. The source stays in your workspace Library.

 

Retry article generation for a Ready source

A source can remain available even if SleekFlow could not finish generating articles from it. In this case, a warning icon appears beside Ready, but the status does not change.

Hover over the icon to read the explanation, or click it to open the source.

To retry article generation:

  1. Open the source.
  2. Find Generated Articles.
  3. Review the warning explaining that articles could not be generated and that the agent can still use the source.
  4. Click Retry.

The warning icon disappears after you click Retry. This does not mean article generation has already finished.

In Data and tools, you can also open the source and retry from Extraction quality.

 

How is this different from a PDF extraction warning?

Both warnings can appear beside a Ready source, but they describe different issues:

  • PDF extraction warning: Some pages could not be read. Check whether important information is missing.
  • Article-generation warning: SleekFlow could not finish generating articles. The agent can still use the source content.

Review the explanation shown when you hover over the warning before choosing what to do.

 

Why does the agent still reference a source I removed?

Removing a source takes time. The agent may still use it while removal is in progress.

  1. Open Assigned in the agent’s Knowledge Base.
  2. Check whether the source is still listed as Removing.
  3. Wait until it leaves the list, then test again.

Removal usually takes up to 10 minutes. The source stays in your workspace Library and remains assigned to any other agents that use it.

 

Check the source before changing agent instructions

If the agent cannot answer a question, first check that:

  • The relevant source is assigned to the agent.
  • The source is available for the agent to use.
  • The original source contains the answer.
  • Important information was not skipped during extraction.
  • The source is current and does not conflict with other assigned sources.

For example, changing the agent’s instructions will not supply a delivery restriction that is missing from its shipping policy.

After checking the information, review the agent’s instructions if its response still does not match your expectations.

 

Next steps