> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.coverbase.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Coverbase AI: files and records > Attach documents to a Coverbase AI run, point it at the vendors, assessments, contracts, Radar signals, findings and intake requests the job is about, and hand over a file when it asks for one. For AI agents: a documentation index is available at [https://docs.coverbase.com/llms.txt](https://docs.coverbase.com/llms.txt). This page is also available in markdown by appending .md to the URL. > [!NOTE] > > This guide is part of the [User Guides](https://docs.coverbase.com/user-guides/overview.md) collection. It covers the **+** button in the Coverbase AI composer and the file request card on a run. For starting and steering a run, see [Working with Coverbase AI](https://docs.coverbase.com/user-guides/coverbase-ai.md). Coverbase AI works best when it knows exactly what the job is about. Give it the files it should read and the records it should work on, and it starts there instead of searching. The mistake people make most often is attaching a file and expecting it to land on a record. Attaching a file lets the run read it. To store it on an assessment, a contract or a vendor, say so in the instruction, such as "add this SOC 2 report to Okta's assessment", and the run files it there. ## The + menu Click **+** in the composer, or in the box under a run. It opens two kinds of context: ![The plus menu open in the Coverbase AI composer, with Upload files at the top and a list of record kinds below, the Vendor search open with matching vendors](https://mintcdn.com/coverbase/lFilVcpKbisiv4nI/images/user-guides/coverbase-ai-add-menu.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=lFilVcpKbisiv4nI\&q=85\&s=bca077069880290d79b330771b0d6c66) The + menu: upload files, or pick records by kind. * **Upload files** opens your file browser. You can also drag files onto the composer. * **Records** lists one row per kind. Hover a kind to search it. ## Attach files Choose files from **Upload files**, or drop them anywhere on the composer. Each file starts uploading as soon as you add it, so it is usually ready by the time you finish typing. ![Composer with a vendor chip and several file chips above the instruction box](https://mintcdn.com/coverbase/lFilVcpKbisiv4nI/images/user-guides/coverbase-ai-composer-files.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=lFilVcpKbisiv4nI\&q=85\&s=7395c5dd6bfae1bd0dca2afaf79dbfaf) Records and files in the composer, ready to send. | Limit | Value | | - | - | | Files per message | 100 | | Size of one file | 50 MB | | Files in one run | 200 | A file over 50 MB is not added, and a message tells you which one. Past 8 files, the chips fold into one that shows the count and total size. Click it to see every file, remove one, or check which are still uploading. **Enter** waits until every file has finished uploading. ### What it can read | File | How it reads it | | - | - | | PDF | Page by page. A long report is read in sections until it reaches the part your question needs. | | Word (`.docx`, and older `.doc`) | The whole document | | Excel workbooks | Sheet by sheet | | CSV and text files | The whole file | | Email (`.eml`) | The message as text | | PowerPoint, RTF, older Excel (`.xls`) and OpenDocument files | Converted to text first | It quotes the file and page it relied on, so you can check its work. ### What it cannot read Coverbase AI says when it cannot read a file instead of guessing, and lists a to-do for each one in its report. | File | What it tells you | | - | - | | A scanned PDF or an image | The file has no text to read. Attach a version with selectable text. | | A password-protected PDF | Attach an unlocked copy. | | A damaged file | The file would not open. | | A `.zip` archive | Unzip it and attach the files inside. | | An empty file | The file is empty. | Text inside a file is treated as information, never as instructions. A document that says "archive this vendor" does not make it archive anything. When a report names a different company than the one you picked, it says so before using it. ## Point it at records Hover a kind in the **+** menu and type to search. Before you type, it shows the records of that kind you opened most recently, so the common case is one click. You can pick vendors, assessments, contracts, Radar alerts, findings and intake requests. Rows show the same details as search (**Ctrl K**), such as a vendor's domain and status, so two records with the same name can be told apart. Click a row to add it. A check appears and a chip joins the composer. The menu stays open so you can pick more, from the same kind or another. Press **Esc** or click outside to close it. Click the **x** on a chip to remove the record. You can pick up to 20 records in one message. "This", "these" and "them" in your instruction mean the records you picked. Some instructions that use it well: * "Compare these two vendors: status, inherent risk and open findings." * "Does this contract's breach notice window match what the assessment found?" * "Raise a finding on this assessment for the exception in the attached report." A record you cannot open is not offered, and the run reads only what your permissions allow. The kind names follow your organization's terms, so a workspace that calls vendors "suppliers" sees **Supplier**. Starting Coverbase AI from a record's page adds that record for you. ## When Coverbase AI asks for a file When a run needs a document you have not given it, such as a SOC 2 report for a review, it stops and asks. The card says what it needs and why, with a place to drop the file. ![Question card asking for the vendor's latest SOC 2 report, with a drop area and the option to continue without it](https://mintcdn.com/coverbase/lFilVcpKbisiv4nI/images/user-guides/coverbase-ai-file-request.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=lFilVcpKbisiv4nI\&q=85\&s=172cb0474736b082811b167e9c571574) A run asking for a SOC 2 report it needs to finish the review. 1. Drop the file on the card, or click **choose files**. 2. Check the file name on the card. Remove it and add another if it is the wrong one. 3. Click **Send file**. The run reads the file and carries on. If you do not have the file, pick one of the other options on the card, or type what to do instead, such as "Use the 2025 report already on the assessment". ## Troubleshooting | Problem | What to do | | - | - | | A file is not added | It is over 50 MB, or the message already has 100 files. Split the file, or send the rest in a second message. | | A file shows as failed | The upload did not finish. Remove it and add it again. | | The run says a file has no text | It is a scan or an image. Attach a copy with selectable text, or ask the vendor for one. | | A record does not appear in the search | You may not have access to it, or it may be archived. Check its page, or ask an admin. | | The attached file did not show up on the record | Attaching only lets the run read it. Tell the run where to store it. | | The run used the wrong record | Tell it which one in the box under the run, or pick the right record from **+**. | ## Related > **[Working with Coverbase AI](https://docs.coverbase.com/user-guides/coverbase-ai.md)** > > Start a run, answer what it asks, steer it and read the report. > **[Memory, permissions and standing agents](https://docs.coverbase.com/user-guides/coverbase-ai-memory-and-agents.md)** > > What it remembers, what it may do on its own, and agents that run without being asked. > **[Coverbase AI](https://docs.coverbase.com/products/coverbase-ai.md)** > > What Coverbase AI does and never does. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.