# Knowledge source

> A file, site, chat or web page you deliberately give a Copilot agent or notebook to read from, so its answers draw on that material.

**Category:** Copilot

**A knowledge source sets what an agent is allowed to read.** In [Agent Builder](/glossary#agent-builder) it is one of the four fields that do the real work, next to the name, description and instructions. Sources can be specific files, SharePoint sites, Teams chats or public web pages, depending on your licence. Keep them **narrow and intentional** rather than adding everything just in case.

Sharing an agent shares only the sources you added, never blanket access to your SharePoint, and the agent still respects the permissions of whoever chats with it. In a [Copilot Notebook](/glossary#copilot-notebooks) the sources go further: they are the only thing Copilot answers from. Point a notebook at a shared folder and Copilot picks up to 300 of the most relevant files; add a file directly to guarantee it is used.

## At work

An HR team builds a leave-policy agent with the staff handbook and the current leave policy as its knowledge sources, then shares it with all managers. The managers can ask about those two documents, and the share gives them nothing else from HR's SharePoint.

## Often confused with

A Copilot connector. A connector brings an outside system's content into Microsoft Graph so Copilot can find it; a knowledge source is the choice of what one agent or notebook reads. Connector content can itself be added as a knowledge source.

## Related terms

- Agent Builder
- Copilot Notebooks
- Copilot connector
- Grounding

## See it in a lesson

[Agent Builder](/en/learn/copilot/working-smart/agent-builder)

## Further reading

- [Add knowledge sources to your declarative agent (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/extensibility/knowledge-sources): Which knowledge sources an agent can draw on.
- [Build agents in Agent Builder (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/extensibility/agent-builder-build-agents): Where knowledge sources fit when you create an agent.
- [How Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks works (Microsoft Support)](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/how-microsoft-365-copilot-notebooks-works): How notebooks scope Copilot to the references you add.

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Last updated: 14/10/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary