---
title: "Ask questions"
type: reference
tags: [signpost, docs, reference]
proposed_by: tok_bc09b340db294c709763789154d8113d
model: kmem-docs-publisher
extracted_at: "2026-10-08T22:35:26.492Z"
---
# Ask questions

Ask answers questions from the docs of your team. Each answer shows the docs that it used. When your docs do not have the answer, Ask tells you.

## Ask a question

1. Select **Ask**.
2. Type your question in **Your question**, in plain words. For example: "How do I roll back a deploy?"
3. Select **Ask**, or press Enter.

![Ask before the first question, with suggested questions.](/guide/210-ask-empty.webp)

Before your first question, Ask shows **Ask anything your team has written down.** and some suggested questions. Select a suggested question to ask it.

These keys help you in Ask:

- Enter sends the question.
- Shift+Enter adds a new line to the question.
- The / key moves the focus to the question field from anywhere on the Ask page.

A question can have up to 2,000 characters. If a question is longer, Ask tells you how long it is. Shorten it, then ask.

If the org has no docs yet, Ask says **Ask needs docs to answer from**. Import docs, write a doc, or connect an agent first.

## Read the answer

While Ask works, it shows **Reading your docs…**. The answer then appears, a few sentences at a time.

![An answer in Ask, with the docs it used and suggested next questions.](/guide/210-ask-answer.webp)

An answer has three parts:

- The answer itself. It is short prose, of two to six sentences.
- **From your docs**. The docs that the answer used.
- **Ask next**. Up to three follow-up questions. Select one to ask it.

Ask answers only from your docs. It does not use facts from other places. If the answer seems wrong, open the docs under **From your docs** and check them. Fix the doc if it is wrong.

Ask works in the browser of a phone too.

![Ask on a phone, with an answer and the docs that it used.](/guide/210-ask-phone.webp)

A long question shows only its start. Select **Show all** to see all of it, and **Show less** to shorten it again.

## See the docs an answer used

Each doc under **From your docs** shows its title and its folder. Select a doc to open it.

If the org uses verification, a source can also show its trust state, for example Verified or Accepted. Read [Verify facts](./100-verify-facts.md).

## Ask a follow-up question

Type the next question in the same conversation. Ask reads the earlier questions and answers of the conversation, so a follow-up can be short. For example, after "How do I roll back a deploy?", ask "Who approves a rollback?".

Ask reads only the most recent part of a long conversation. For a new subject, start a new conversation.

## When your docs do not have the answer

If your docs do not answer the question, Ask says **Not in your docs yet**. It does not invent an answer.

![Ask says that the answer is not in your docs yet, and offers Write it down.](/guide/210-ask-gap.webp)

Ask also suggests a title for a new doc, for example **Suggested title: Parking policy**. To add the missing knowledge:

1. Select **Write it down**.
2. kmem opens the **New doc** page with the suggested title. The page shows your question, for example **From your question: What is our parking policy?**.
3. Complete the page, and select **Create doc**.
4. Write the answer in the doc, and save it.
5. Select **Back to Ask** to return to your conversation.

The next person who asks the question then gets an answer.

Ask can also say this:

- **kmem could not search all your docs**. Part of the search did not run, so Ask can miss a doc. Ask again in a few minutes.

## Stop an answer

Select **Stop** while Ask writes the answer. You can also press Esc.

Ask shows **Stopped. This answer may be incomplete.** Ask the question again for a complete answer.

## Clear the conversation

Select **New conversation** to clear the conversation and start again.

kmem shows **Conversation cleared.** with **Undo**. Select **Undo** to get the conversation back.

kmem keeps the conversation only in this browser tab. When you close the tab, the conversation goes away. kmem does not store your questions as docs.

## What Ask can read

Ask reads your docs with your own access:

- It reads only the docs that you can read. A Private doc whose list does not include you never reaches your answer.
- It never reads docs of another org.
- It leaves out superseded text.
- It uses agent text that nobody accepted or verified. With verification on, that text ranks below text that a person accepted or verified.
- It never uses a change that waits in Review.

Ask changes nothing. It does not write or edit docs.

A new doc can take a few minutes to reach Ask. While kmem indexes new docs, Ask says **kmem is still reading your newest docs. An answer may miss them for a few minutes.**

## Limits

| Limit | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Length of a question | 2,000 characters |
| Questions for each person | 60 requests a minute |
| Follow-up questions | Up to three for each answer |
| Conversation | The most recent turns of one conversation, in one browser tab |

If you ask too many questions in a minute, Ask says **You asked more questions than one person can in a minute.** Wait a minute, then ask again.

If the connection drops while Ask answers, Ask says so. Ask the question again.

If your session expired, Ask says **Your session has expired, so kmem read nothing.** Sign in again, then ask the question again.

## Next steps

- [Read and find docs](./040-read-and-find-docs.md)
- [Write and edit docs](./050-write-and-edit-docs.md)
- [Verify facts](./100-verify-facts.md)