FAQ

What file formats does Knoku support?

Markdown (.md), MDX (.mdx), and reStructuredText (.rst). The CLI scans your docs folder for these files and uploads them. Other formats like HTML, PDF, or plain text are not supported.

Which documentation platforms work with Knoku?

Docusaurus, VitePress, Nextra, MkDocs, Mintlify, Sphinx, and any custom website. Read the Docs works when the project is powered by Sphinx or MkDocs. For other platforms, set the docs directory manually.

How does the AI generate answers?

When a visitor asks a question, Knoku selects the most relevant sections from your docs and generates an answer based only on that content. Every response includes source references so visitors can verify the answer.

Does Knoku use embeddings or a vector database?

No. Knoku uses tree-based retrieval: when you push docs, it builds a hierarchical tree from the heading structure (pages → sections → leaves) and traverses that tree at query time to find the relevant content. There are no embeddings, no vector index, and no similarity search.

The practical effect is that citations point to specific sections rather than similarity-matched chunks, and retrieval behavior stays predictable as your docs grow or are reorganized.

Which LLM does Knoku use?

Knoku is LLM-agnostic. Answers are generated through commercial LLM APIs — currently models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google Gemini. Which model handles a given question can change over time as better options become available, without any change on your side.

Retrieval (the tree traversal) runs on Knoku’s own infrastructure regardless of which LLM is selected. Only the sections chosen for a given question, plus the question itself, are sent to the LLM — your full corpus is never sent.

Can visitors ask questions about topics not in my docs?

Knoku is designed to answer from your indexed documentation. If the answer is not in your docs, it will say so rather than making something up.

How do I keep the index up to date?

Run npx @knoku/cli@latest push after each documentation change. For CI workflows, add push as a step after your docs build so every merge updates the index. See CLI > push for the full command reference and CI examples.

Can I customize the widget?

Yes — accent colors, greeting text, launcher position, panel layout, custom trigger button, multilingual UI, consent gating, and visitor identity. See Widget setup guides for the full list.

Does the widget work with dark mode?

Yes. The widget automatically follows the host site’s light/dark mode. Normal installs do not need any setting for this.

What is the free plan limit?

The free plan includes a fixed monthly message allowance; paid plans raise it and unlock pay-per-message overage. Check the pricing page  for current limits.

Is my documentation data private?

Your documentation is stored on Knoku servers and used only to answer questions for your project. It is not shared with other Knoku projects.

Where is my data stored?

Indexed documentation, project configuration, and analytics are hosted on Knoku’s managed infrastructure in Frankfurt, Germany (EU). For other data-residency requirements, contact support@knoku.com before onboarding.

Is Knoku GDPR-compliant?

Knoku acts as a data processor for documentation content, visitor questions, and any visitor identity metadata you choose to pass through the widget. For specific compliance requirements, contact support@knoku.com.

Can Knoku be self-hosted?

No. Knoku is offered only as a managed service. This lets us ship retrieval and model improvements continuously without upgrade work on your side.

If your concern is data residency, see “Where is my data stored?” above.

Can I use Knoku on multiple sites?

Yes, two ways depending on what you need:

Multiple domains in one project. Add hosts under Project > Settings > Allowed Domains. Each host must be listed explicitly — domains are matched as exact hosts, so wildcards like *.example.com are not supported. Common cases: marketing site + docs subdomain (example.com + docs.example.com), staging + production, apex + www, or locale subdomains (en.docs.example.com + de.docs.example.com). The indexed docs, analytics, and plan limits are shared across every listed domain.

Separate projects. Create one project per site when you want independent analytics, a different set of indexed docs, or separate billing per site.

What happens if I remove the widget?

Remove the script tag from your site. Existing indexed documents stay in your project until you delete them from the dashboard.