---
title: Host a knowledge base artifact repo for AI Assistant
description: Host AI Assistant knowledge base artifacts using S3-compatible storage, CDN, or local paths when Kibana cannot reach Elastic’s public URL, then set the repository URL and install from the assistant UI.
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/ai-chat-experiences/ai-assistant-host-doc-artifacts
products:
  - Elastic Observability
  - Elastic Security
  - Elasticsearch
  - Kibana
applies_to:
  - Self-managed Elastic deployments: Generally available since 9.1
---

# Host a knowledge base artifact repo for AI Assistant
When Kibana can't use Elastic’s [public artifact URL](https://kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co/), which is common for deployments in air-gapped or restricted networks, you must deploy the knowledge base artifact repository manually. You do that by mirroring Elastic’s versioned knowledge base artifact ZIP files to infrastructure that Kibana can reach.
This page walks you through hosting those ZIP files, configuring the repository URL in Kibana, and installing knowledge base content from the AI Assistant so assistants can use Elastic product documentation without reaching Elastic’s public artifact host.

## Choose a hosting option

Use this list to figure out the best deployment and hosting setup for your environment, then go to the [Deploy the repository](#deploy-the-knowledge-base-artifact-repository) section for detailed steps.
- **S3-compatible bucket**: You store the artifact ZIP files in an S3-compatible bucket over HTTPS and the bucket exposes a normal object listing at the repository root, so Kibana can discover the ZIPs without you maintaining a separate listing XML file (unlike the CDN option).
- **CDN**: You serve the ZIP files through a CDN and publish S3-style listing XML yourself, served as the folder’s default document or directory index.
- **Local files on the Kibana host** <applies-to>Self-managed Elastic deployments: Generally available since 9.1</applies-to>: The ZIP files exist only on the Kibana host filesystem and you configure a `file://` repository URL.


## Deploy the repository

Choose the tab that matches your deployment and hosting setup:
<tab-set>
  <tab-item title="S3-compatible bucket">
    <stepper>
      <step title="Get the product documentation ZIP files for your {{kib}} version">
        <tip>
          Check which stack version you’re running (for example, 9.1). The `{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}` segment in each file name must match that release. If it doesn’t match your Kibana release, or the file names differ from what Elastic publishes for that release, installation will fail.
        </tip>
        Elastic publishes knowledge base artifact ZIP files for each minor version, one each for Elasticsearch, Kibana, Observability, and Elastic Security. File names follow this pattern:
        ```yaml
        kb-product-doc-{{productName}}-{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}.zip
        ```
        For example, when Kibana is 9.1, the ZIP files are:
        - `kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-kibana-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-observability-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-security-9.1.zip`
        Download the ZIP files from [kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co](https://kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co/) when you can reach that host, or copy them from another trusted source that already hosts the same ZIP files if you’re fully offline.
      </step>

      <step title="Upload the ZIP files to your bucket">
        Configure the bucket root so its listing matches `https://kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co/` and lists all ZIPs. Over HTTPS, use S3-style listing from a compatible bucket.
        <important>
          For S3-compatible storage, a single HTTPS repository root must expose the bucket’s list response (the same S3-style listing Kibana would get from `ListObjects`-style APIs) and the object keys at that same root. **Do not** rely on a separate path for the ZIPs. Object key names must match the ZIP file names from the previous step so each listing entry resolves to a downloadable file.
        </important>
      </step>

      <step title="Set the repository URL in {{kib}}">
        In `kibana.yml`, set [`xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/kibana/configuration-reference/ai-assistant-settings) to the bucket root’s HTTPS URL (the base that serves both the listing and the ZIPs). **Do not** point it at a subdirectory of that root.
        ```yaml
        # Replace with your bucket’s HTTPS base URL (repository root only)
        xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl: "<MY_CUSTOM_REPOSITORY_URL>"
        ```
      </step>

      <step title="Restart {{kib}}">
        [Stop and restart](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/maintenance/start-stop-services/start-stop-kibana) Kibana. The new `artifactRepositoryUrl` value isn’t applied until Kibana fully restarts.
      </step>

      <step title="Install knowledge base content from the AI Assistant UI">
        The steps to install knowledge base content depend on the assistant that you use:
        - **AI Assistant for Security**: Refer to [Give AI Assistant access to Elastic’s product documentation](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/solutions/security/ai/ai-assistant-knowledge-base#elastic-docs).
        - **AI Assistant for Observability and Search**: Refer to [Add Elastic documentation](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/solutions/observability/ai/observability-ai-assistant#obs-ai-product-documentation).
      </step>
    </stepper>
  </tab-item>

  <tab-item title="CDN">
    <stepper>
      <step title="Get the product documentation ZIP files for your {{kib}} version">
        <tip>
          Check which stack version you’re running (for example, 9.1). The `{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}` segment in each file name must match that release. If it doesn’t match your Kibana release, or the file names differ from what Elastic publishes for that release, installation will fail.
        </tip>
        Elastic publishes knowledge base artifact ZIP files for each minor version, one each for Elasticsearch, Kibana, Observability, and Elastic Security. File names follow this pattern:
        ```yaml
        kb-product-doc-{{productName}}-{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}.zip
        ```
        For example, when Kibana is 9.1, the ZIP files are:
        - `kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-kibana-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-observability-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-security-9.1.zip`
        Download the ZIP files from [kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co](https://kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co/) when you can reach that host, or copy them from another trusted source that already hosts the same ZIP files if you’re fully offline.
      </step>

      <step title="Upload the ZIP files to the CDN">
        Put all ZIP files in one folder on the CDN origin (or backing storage) so they share a single HTTPS base path. You add the listing XML in the next step and wire the CDN to serve it as that folder’s index.
      </step>

      <step title="Create and upload the bucket listing">
        Copy the template, set each `<Key>` to your real file names and minor version (for example, if Kibana is 9.2, replace `9.1` in the example with `9.2` everywhere in the keys).
        ```xml
        <ListBucketResult>
            <Name>kibana-ai-assistant-kb-artifacts</Name>
            <IsTruncated>false</IsTruncated>
            <Contents>
                <Key>kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.1.zip</Key>
            </Contents>
            <Contents>
                <Key>kb-product-doc-kibana-9.1.zip</Key>
            </Contents>
            <Contents>
                <Key>kb-product-doc-observability-9.1.zip</Key>
            </Contents>
            <Contents>
                <Key>kb-product-doc-security-9.1.zip</Key>
            </Contents>
        </ListBucketResult>
        ```
        Place the XML in the same folder as the ZIP files. Configure the CDN so a request to that folder’s base URL returns this XML (often as the index or default document).
        <important>
          On a CDN, each `<Key>` must match a real ZIP file name in that origin folder, and the XML must be what clients get when they request the folder URL (default document or directory index). Kibana reads that listing from the same HTTPS base path it uses to download the ZIPs, so don’t split the listing and the ZIP files across different URLs or path roots.
        </important>
      </step>

      <step title="Set the repository URL in {{kib}}">
        Set [`xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/kibana/configuration-reference/ai-assistant-settings) to that folder’s HTTPS base URL (the URL whose index serves the XML). Don’t append an extra path past that root.
        ```yaml
        # Replace with your CDN folder’s HTTPS base URL (repository root only)
        xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl: "<MY_CUSTOM_REPOSITORY_URL>"
        ```
      </step>

      <step title="Restart {{kib}}">
        [Stop and restart](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/maintenance/start-stop-services/start-stop-kibana) Kibana.
      </step>

      <step title="Install knowledge base content from the AI Assistant UI">
        The steps to install knowledge base content depend on the assistant that you use:
        - **AI Assistant for Security**: Refer to [Give AI Assistant access to Elastic’s product documentation](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/solutions/security/ai/ai-assistant-knowledge-base#elastic-docs).
        - **AI Assistant for Observability and Search**: Refer to [Add Elastic documentation](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/solutions/observability/ai/observability-ai-assistant#obs-ai-product-documentation).
      </step>
    </stepper>
  </tab-item>

  <tab-item title="Local files on the Kibana host">
    <applies-to>
      - Self-managed Elastic deployments: Generally available since 9.1
    </applies-to>

    <stepper>
      <step title="Get the product documentation ZIP files for your {{kib}} version">
        <tip>
          Check which stack version you’re running (for example, 9.1). The `{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}` segment in each file name must match that release. If it doesn’t match your Kibana release, or the file names differ from what Elastic publishes for that release, installation will fail.
        </tip>
        Put the version-matched ZIP files in one directory on the Kibana host. File names use this pattern:
        ```yaml
        kb-product-doc-{{productName}}-{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}.zip
        ```
        For example, when Kibana is 9.1:
        - `kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-kibana-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-observability-9.1.zip`
        - `kb-product-doc-security-9.1.zip`
        Download the ZIP files from [kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co](https://kibana-knowledge-base-artifacts.elastic.co/) when you can reach that host, or copy them from another trusted source that already hosts the same ZIP files if you’re fully offline.
      </step>

      <step title="Set the repository URL in {{kib}}">
        Set [`xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/kibana/configuration-reference/ai-assistant-settings) to the `file://` URL of that directory.
        <important>
          With a `file://` repository, the directory must sit on the Kibana host, or on storage mounted there. It must also be readable by the user that runs Kibana. Use the `file://` URL of the folder that directly contains the ZIPs. **Do not** point at a parent directory. File names must stay exactly as in the previous step, or Kibana won’t pick up the ZIP files.
        </important>
      </step>

      <step title="Restart {{kib}}">
        [Stop and restart](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/maintenance/start-stop-services/start-stop-kibana) Kibana.
      </step>

      <step title="Install knowledge base content from the AI Assistant UI">
        The steps to install knowledge base content depend on the assistant that you use:
        - **AI Assistant for Security**: Refer to [Give AI Assistant access to Elastic’s product documentation](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/solutions/security/ai/ai-assistant-knowledge-base#elastic-docs).
        - **AI Assistant for Observability and Search**: Refer to [Add Elastic documentation](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/solutions/observability/ai/observability-ai-assistant#obs-ai-product-documentation).
      </step>
    </stepper>
  </tab-item>
</tab-set>