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Documentation / Projects and Collaboration

Artifacts

Save reusable reference files in the right shelf, mention them in chat, and understand indexing and sharing.

Artifacts are reusable references such as datasheets, specifications, standards, and approved-parts lists. They are separate from conversation attachments, which belong to the conversation and can remain useful in follow-up turns—not just the turn that attached them—and from a component's Datasheet field.

Choose the Intended Shelf

In compatible native Trace builds, open the Artifacts Store and choose:

  • Shared library: your reusable references across projects. “Shared” here does not mean shared with your team.
  • This project: references that travel with this project's files. Cloud/team sharing follows the project's publication and access rules.
  • Team library: references shared across the selected team, available only with the appropriate access.

Trace Plugin instead provides personal Across projects and Current project shelves. It does not provide native team shelves or Workspaces. See build and host availability.

Add and Reuse a Reference

  1. Check the current account, open project/team, and destination shelf.
  2. Choose Add files, Add folder, or Add link where supported.
  3. Review the added filename, shelf, and status. Supported links capture reference content; they do not automatically assign component datasheets.
  4. Type @ in chat and select the artifact, or copy its mention from the shelf.
  5. Ask a specific question, such as “Read this datasheet's absolute maximum ratings.”
  6. Check the cited content and any read-limit or availability warning before using the answer.

An explicit mention requests the named reference directly. Indexed content search helps find material by meaning/content; it is a different operation and may not be available before indexing.

Adding a local file does not prove a teammate has downloaded it. Project references follow Workspaces publishing; team-library references have their own upload/indexing and local-availability states. Read-only access does not grant upload or removal permission.

Understand the Status

  • Queued / Uploading: the upload is pending or in progress; an available local file may already be readable.
  • Indexing: storage/upload has progressed, but content search is not ready.
  • Indexed: content search is available within that shelf's access and limits.
  • Not indexed: indexing failed. Direct reading may still work if local bytes are available and within the read limits.
  • From team: a remote reference may exist without a local copy. Use the supported Pull or on-demand retrieval path; do not assume the bytes are already on this device.
  • Unpublished: local bytes are not yet published to the intended project.
  • Not syncing: no current sync status is available for this file, so its index state is unknown. This is not proof of an indexing failure; a direct mention may still read available local bytes.
  • Can’t check: the server could not be reached to check the file. Available local bytes may still be readable.

Offline, revoked access, or unavailable storage can prevent retrieval even when a row is visible. Check the specific status instead of treating every failure as an indexing problem.

Attachments and File Limits

The current compatible chat picker accepts PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, and PDF up to 10 MiB per file. It is not a direct text/CSV/Markdown picker; use the supported artifact/document workflow for reusable text.

Attachment, artifact storage, indexing, exact-read, and model-image limits are separate. A PDF can be stored or indexed yet exceed a whole-document chat-read limit. Request a relevant page/section where supported, or supply a smaller reference; do not assume all stored bytes reach the model.

Selected files and reference content may be transmitted for hosted upload, indexing, or assistance. “Personal” is an access scope, not an offline-only guarantee.

Reindex or Remove

Use the offered reindex action for an indexing failure after checking the file and service status. Reindexing does not repair missing local bytes or grant access.

Before removal, review the selected shelf and confirmation. Removing an artifact is not removing a chat message, and removing an attachment does not necessarily remove a reusable shelf entry. Check any project/team consequences rather than assuming deletion is local-only.

If a Reference Is Unavailable

Check the account, shelf, project/team access, local availability, file size/type, and reported reason. A failed index does not necessarily prevent a direct read; a visible remote row does not prove retrieval or search is enabled.

Companion cloud upload/indexing additionally depends on supported backend capabilities. Local shelves alone do not establish those capabilities. Keep the original reference and resolve an uncertain upload/removal outcome before repeating it.