Template Import

Template import lets you add prepared content or question-answer pairs to a knowledge base in batches. FastGPT accepts .csv and .xlsx files and creates knowledge base entries from the questions, answers, indexes, and metadata in the template.

File Structure

The first row must contain the headers. The following columns are supported:

Header	Required	Count	Description
`q`	Yes	Exactly 1	Content or a question
`a`	Yes	Exactly 1	The answer; it can be empty when importing standalone content
`index`	No	Repeatable	A custom index. A row can contain multiple indexes
`metadata`	No	At most 1	A JSON object for custom information such as source or category

Each row represents one knowledge base entry. q and a should not both be empty. Headers can appear in any order, but do not add unsupported headers.

CSV Example

q,a,index,index,metadata
"What is FastGPT?","FastGPT is an AI agent development platform.","FastGPT overview","AI agent platform","{""source"":""product-doc"",""category"":""overview""}"
"How do I import knowledge base data?","Use a CSV or Excel template.","knowledge base import","template import","{""source"":""help-center""}"

Use UTF-8 encoding for CSV files. Cells that contain commas, line breaks, or double quotes must be escaped according to CSV rules.

Excel Example

Excel files use the same headers and data structure as CSV files:

q	a	index	index	metadata
What is FastGPT?	FastGPT is an AI agent development platform.	FastGPT overview	AI agent platform	`{"source":"product-doc","category":"overview"}`
How do I import knowledge base data?	Use a CSV or Excel template.	knowledge base import	template import	`{"source":"help-center"}`

Excel files must meet these requirements:

Use the .xlsx extension. .xls files are not supported.
Include exactly one worksheet.
Do not contain merged cells.
Use the first row for the template headers.

Import a Template

Open the target knowledge base and select Template Import from the import menu.
Select Download CSV Template for an example, or prepare an .xlsx file with the same structure.
Add your data and verify the headers, cell contents, and file format.
Select the file and confirm the import. You can import one file at a time.
After the import finishes, review the data and training status in the knowledge base collection.

Metadata

Use metadata to attach structured information to each entry. The cell must contain a valid JSON object, for example:

{ "source": "product-doc", "category": "overview", "version": 2 }

Do not use an array, plain text, or invalid JSON. In CSV files, escape the JSON according to CSV rules. In Excel files, enter the JSON string directly in the cell.

Invalid File Format

If FastGPT reports an invalid file format, check the following:

The file uses the .csv or .xlsx extension.
The header row contains only supported columns.
There is exactly one q column and one a column, with no more than one metadata column.
Quotes, commas, and line breaks are correctly escaped in CSV files.
The Excel file contains exactly one worksheet and no merged cells.

Start with a small test file. After confirming the format, import larger datasets in batches.