---
title: Sources overview
description: What connecting a source does, which sources rules can come from, and how often each is re-read.
---

<span class="vy-eyebrow">Sources</span>

# Sources

Connecting a source does one thing: it puts the text of your material into
[memory](/concepts/memory), where Ask can search it.

It does **not** create rules. Rules only exist when a person names a document
on the Playbook page. Connect an entire Drive and your Playbook stays exactly
as it was.

## What each source is good for

| Source | Rules can come from it | Re-read | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Google Drive](/sources/google-drive) | <span class="vy-tag is-yes">Yes</span> | ~30 min | Where most agencies keep the documents that are rules |
| [Notion](/sources/notion) | <span class="vy-tag is-yes">Yes</span> | ~15 min | Teams who write their processes in Notion |
| [Uploads](/sources/uploads) | <span class="vy-tag is-yes">Yes</span> | On upload | A signed PDF, a one-off document, anything not in a connected tool |
| [Website](/sources/website) | <span class="vy-tag is-no">No</span> | On demand | Your own positioning and service pages |
| [GitHub](/sources/github) | <span class="vy-tag is-no">No</span> | On demand | Product docs, technical decisions |
| [Gmail](/sources/gmail) | <span class="vy-tag is-no">No</span> | On demand | Threads where something was agreed |

The Sources page lists further integrations beyond these. They're in private
preview rather than generally available — tell us which one you need and we'll
say where it stands. Slack is listed there too and isn't ready for use; don't
connect it yet.

## Connections are personal

Each person connects their own accounts, and what a source brings in goes into
*their* memory. Nobody — including the workspace owner — can search anyone
else's.

There's a consequence worth knowing: **a rule is read with the access of
whoever added it.** If the person who added a rule from their Drive leaves the
workspace, that rule keeps working but stops following its document, and says
so on its row.

## How often things are re-read

- **Google Drive** about every 30 minutes, **Notion** about every 15. When a
  source has been quiet for a few rounds, Vythos checks less often, and picks
  up again as soon as something changes.
- **Documents behind rules** are checked about every 10 minutes, separately and
  regardless of source. That's the promise that a rule follows its file.
- **Website, GitHub, Gmail and uploads** happen when you ask for them.

You can always sync by hand from the Sources page.

## Changed documents replace themselves

When a document you've already synced changes, its old text is replaced rather
than added to. A superseded version is gone rather than sitting in the index
waiting to be returned as an answer.

## What to connect first

1. **The place your rule documents live** — Drive or Notion. This is what makes
   your Playbook self-updating.
2. **A folder of recent client work** — proposals, briefs, notes. It's what
   makes Ask useful beyond the rules.
3. Anything else, later. There's no benefit to connecting everything on day
   one.