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Host a knowledge base artifact repo for AI assistants

When Kibana can't use Elastic’s public artifact URL, 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.

Use this list to figure out the best deployment and hosting setup for your environment, then go to the Deploy the 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 : The ZIP files exist only on the Kibana host filesystem and you configure a file:// repository URL.

Choose the tab that matches your deployment and hosting setup:

  1. Get the product documentation ZIP files for your Kibana version

    Tip

    Check which stack version you’re running (for example, 9.0). 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.

    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:

    kb-product-doc-{{productName}}-{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}.zip

    For example, when Kibana is 9.0, the ZIP files are:

    • kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-kibana-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-observability-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-security-9.0.zip

    Download the ZIP files from 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Set the repository URL in Kibana

    In kibana.yml, set xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl 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.

    # Replace with your bucket’s HTTPS base URL (repository root only)
xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl: "<MY_CUSTOM_REPOSITORY_URL>"

  4. Restart Kibana

    Stop and restart Kibana. The new artifactRepositoryUrl value isn’t applied until Kibana fully restarts.

  5. Install knowledge base content from the AI assistant UI

    The steps to install knowledge base content depend on the assistant that you use:

  1. Get the product documentation ZIP files for your Kibana version

    Tip

    Check which stack version you’re running (for example, 9.0). 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.

    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:

    kb-product-doc-{{productName}}-{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}.zip

    For example, when Kibana is 9.0, the ZIP files are:

    • kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-kibana-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-observability-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-security-9.0.zip

    Download the ZIP files from 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Create and upload the bucket listing

    Copy the template, set each <Key> to your real file names and minor version (for Kibana 9.1, replace 9.0 in the example with 9.1 everywhere in the keys).

    <ListBucketResult>
    <Name>kibana-ai-assistant-kb-artifacts</Name>
    <IsTruncated>false</IsTruncated>
    <Contents>
        <Key>kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.0.zip</Key>
    </Contents>
    <Contents>
        <Key>kb-product-doc-kibana-9.0.zip</Key>
    </Contents>
    <Contents>
        <Key>kb-product-doc-observability-9.0.zip</Key>
    </Contents>
    <Contents>
        <Key>kb-product-doc-security-9.0.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.

  4. Set the repository URL in Kibana

    Set xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl to that folder’s HTTPS base URL (the URL whose index serves the XML). Don’t append an extra path past that root.

    # Replace with your CDN folder’s HTTPS base URL (repository root only)
xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl: "<MY_CUSTOM_REPOSITORY_URL>"

  5. Restart Kibana

    Stop and restart Kibana.

  6. Install knowledge base content from the AI assistant UI

    The steps to install knowledge base content depend on the assistant that you use:

  1. Get the product documentation ZIP files for your Kibana version

    Tip

    Check which stack version you’re running (for example, 9.0). 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.

    Put the version-matched ZIP files in one directory on the Kibana host. File names use this pattern:

    kb-product-doc-{{productName}}-{{versionMajor}}.{{versionMinor}}.zip

    For example, when Kibana is 9.0:

    • kb-product-doc-elasticsearch-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-kibana-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-observability-9.0.zip
    • kb-product-doc-security-9.0.zip

    Download the ZIP files from 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.

  2. Set the repository URL in Kibana

    Set xpack.productDocBase.artifactRepositoryUrl 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.

  3. Restart Kibana

    Stop and restart Kibana.

  4. Install knowledge base content from the AI assistant UI

    The steps to install knowledge base content depend on the assistant that you use: