Knowledge Gathering
The Knowledge section is your centralized repository for all source materials. This is the first phase of context engineering—collecting everything you need to build AI-ready content.
Understanding the Purpose
Critical distinction: Knowledge documents are raw materials, not AI-ready content. They will NOT be used directly by AI agents. You’ll process this material into Step Guides in later phases.
- Knowledge = Your ingredients (flour, eggs, sugar)
- Step Guides = The finished dish
You need good ingredients to make a good dish, but you don’t serve raw flour.
What to Collect
Gather everything that contains relevant information:
Training Materials
- Onboarding documents
- Training manuals
- Process walkthroughs
- How-to guides
Procedures & Policies
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Policy documents
- Compliance guidelines
- Rules and exceptions
Templates & Macros
- Email templates
- Chat macros
- Response scripts
- Form letters
Reference Content
- FAQ documents
- Product information
- System documentation
- Troubleshooting guides
Tribal Knowledge
- Undocumented processes
- Expert tips and tricks
- Common workarounds
- Known issues
Don’t skip tribal knowledge! Often the most valuable information isn’t written down. Interview your experts and document what they know.
The Collection Process
Step 1: Identify Sources
Work with stakeholders to inventory all knowledge sources:
- Shared drives and folders
- Wiki pages
- Ticketing system macros
- Training platforms
- Team members’ personal notes
Step 2: Gather Everything
Upload all relevant materials to XOOS:
- Use Upload for existing files (PDFs, documents)
- Use Create Document for content you type or paste
Step 3: Categorize
Assign a category to each document:
| Category | Use For |
|---|
| Support Article | Customer-facing help content |
| SOP | Internal procedures |
| Policy | Official guidelines and rules |
| Template | Pre-written responses |
| Other | Anything else |
Step 4: Review for Completeness
Before moving to the next phase, verify:
- All teams have contributed their materials
- No major topic areas are missing
- Tribal knowledge has been documented
Quality Over Perfection
At this stage, completeness beats perfection:
- Don’t rewrite documents before uploading
- Don’t worry about formatting
- Don’t skip materials because they’re “rough”
You’ll refine and structure the content when writing Step Guides. For now, just get it all in one place.
Next Steps
Once your knowledge is collected:
- Collecting Knowledge - Detailed upload instructions
- Categorizing Knowledge - Organizing effectively
- Define Your Hierarchy - Structure your domain
