> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zylon.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start Guide

> Get productive with Zylon Workspace in 15 minutes

<Warning>
  **Upcoming release — Zylon 1.58**

  These docs are published ahead of release so you can prepare your API integrations. The release image is not yet available. For installations running 1.57, use the [1.57 documentation](/en/v1.57/overview).
</Warning>

Complete these essential tasks to start using Zylon effectively. This guide takes about 15 minutes and covers everything you need to be productive.

## Step 1: Create Your First Project (3 minutes)

Projects organize your AI work by topic or team. Start with a simple personal project.

1. **Click "Create Project"** from your dashboard
2. **Name it descriptively** - e.g., "Personal Research" or "Customer Support"
3. **Keep it private** for now (you can share it later)

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/zylon/mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci/images/user-manual/workspace_project_creation.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci&q=85&s=ab9f7e0353a10f9667df913d697a555e" alt="" width="1427" height="956" data-path="images/user-manual/workspace_project_creation.png" />

<Info>
  Projects are private by default. Only you can see them unless you explicitly share them with others.
</Info>

## Step 2: Connect Your Knowledge (5 minutes)

Add documents so Zylon can help you with your actual work. Navigate to the Knowledge Base section of your project.

**Option A: Upload Files**

1. **Drag and drop** 2-3 documents you work with regularly
2. **Wait for processing** (usually 2-5 minutes)
3. **Check the knowledge base** to confirm they're ready

**Option B: Connect to an external source, like SharePoint**

1. **Click "Connect SharePoint"** in your project
2. **Authenticate** with your credentials
3. **Select a specific folder** (not the entire site)

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/zylon/mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci/images/user-manual/workspace_knowledge_base.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci&q=85&s=2098a47869cf3ec590c92c807a438e44" alt="" width="1427" height="956" data-path="images/user-manual/workspace_knowledge_base.png" />

**Supported file types:**

* PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets
* PowerPoint presentations, plain text files
* SharePoint folders, Confluence spaces, FTP/Samba

## Step 3: Ask Your First Question (3 minutes)

Now test Zylon with a real question about your documents.

1. **Start a new chat** (choose Personal for now)
2. **Ask a specific question** about the documents you uploaded
3. **Review the response** and click on the citations
4. **Ask a follow-up question** to see how Zylon maintains context

**Good example questions:**

```
"What are the key requirements mentioned in [document name]?"
"What's our policy on [specific topic]?"
```

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/zylon/mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci/images/user-manual/workspace_chat.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci&q=85&s=28c4d01dd4757a7b198d833f66da4287" alt="" width="1427" height="956" data-path="images/user-manual/workspace_chat.png" />

## Step 4: Try an AI Document (4 minutes)

AI Documents handle complex tasks automatically in the background.

1. **Go to AI Documents** in your project
2. **Choose "Summarize a File"**
3. **Select one of your uploaded documents**
4. **Add instructions** like "Create an executive summary focusing on key decisions"
5. **Click Start** and let it run in the background

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/zylon/mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci/images/user-manual/workspace_summarization.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mIL8Q5kyLQ_jxoci&q=85&s=2b01969d874a803b11a8c78b4d6e7e94" alt="" width="1506" height="845" data-path="images/user-manual/workspace_summarization.png" />

**Other AI Documents to try:**

* **Answer in Bulk**: Upload a list of questions for automatic answers
* **Generate a Draft**: Create new documents from prompts
* **Read & Extract**: Pull specific information from multiple documents

## What You've Accomplished

✅ **Created and organized** your first project\
✅ **Connected knowledge sources** so Zylon can help with real work\
✅ **Had AI conversations** with citations and context\
✅ **Used automated workflows** for complex document tasks


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.