# Add knowledge files to a Chirp

> Upload the files your Chirp should answer from, and fix the messages you might see along the way.

Source: https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/knowledge/add-files  
Plans: Essentials, Creator, Business, Academy  
Last checked: 2026-10-27

When you're done, your Chirp has files to answer from.

**Who can do this:** the account owner on any plan, and workspace admins and editors. Viewers can't add
files.

## Add files

1. Open the Chirp: on the **Chirps** page, click **Edit** on its card. If it's a new Chirp, click
   **Save** first.
2. Scroll to **4. Knowledge**. Drag your files onto **Drop files here or click to choose**, or click
   it to pick them. You can choose several at once.

   ![The editor scrolled to section 4, Knowledge, with the drop zone that says Drop files here or click to choose outlined, and the list of files under it.](https://mjmtbasmrtksluvlnema.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-media/web-optimized/knowledge/add-files/SS-KNOW-010-01__drop-zone__essentials__desktop__v01.webp?v=0f5862f2d8)

3. Each file shows **Reading…**, **Uploading…** and **Preparing…** with a progress bar. Stay on the
   page until they finish.
4. When a file is ready, it appears in the list with its size and about how many tokens of text it
   has.

   ![Two knowledge files in a list, each with its size and about how many tokens of text it has, and a replace and a remove button.](https://mjmtbasmrtksluvlnema.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-media/web-optimized/knowledge/add-files/SS-KNOW-010-02__file-list__essentials__detail__v01.webp?v=15e31f38fc)

That's it: the Chirp can answer from the file right away, also on its published page. There's no Save or
Publish step for files. Try it in the preview: see
[Check that answers come from your files](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/knowledge/check-answers).

A Chirp can have up to 20 files. If you choose more than there's room for, a message says "A Chirp can
have up to 20 files." and how many are left, and only the first ones are added. To change a file,
replace it rather than adding a second copy: see [Replace or remove a knowledge file](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/knowledge/replace-or-remove).

## If it doesn't work

A file that can't be added shows a red message in its row. Click **Dismiss** to clear it.

- **"… isn't a supported file type."** See [Which files work, and size limits](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/knowledge/file-types) for the
  types that work. Save the file as PDF, Word (.docx) or Excel (.xlsx) and try again.
- **"This PDF looks scanned (it's made of images), so there's no text to read."** Use a PDF with text
  you can select, or copy the text into a Word or text file.
- **"This Excel file couldn't be read. Open it in Excel and save it again as .xlsx."**
- **"This PDF is protected with a password."** Save a copy without the password and add that instead.
- **"No readable text found in this file"** or **"… is empty."** The file has no text to read.
- **"… Your plan accepts files up to … each."** Split the file into smaller files.
- **"Not enough knowledge storage for …"** Remove files you no longer need: see
  [Knowledge storage and your plan's limit](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/knowledge/storage).
- **"A Chirp can have up to 20 knowledge files. Remove one, or replace a file instead."**
- **"This file has more text than a Chirp can use. Split it into smaller files."**
- **"The upload didn't finish. Please try again."** Check your connection and add the file again.
- **"Adding knowledge files needs an active Chirp Builder plan."**
- **"You can view this workspace but not change it."** Your role in this workspace is Viewer.