Glossary

Kanbu is more than an FAQ chatbot — it works with approved knowledge, connects to your systems, and can finish tasks in conversation. This glossary explains terms you will see in the admin and on the website.

Tools

A tool is a capability the agent can call mid-conversation — for example knowledge search, checking an order via API, creating a ticket, or handing off to a human.

Kanbu supports several tool types:

built-in — knowledge search, web search, reading a specific page or document, operator handoff, conversation memory, e-commerce tools
custom HTTP/API — connect any REST API from admin, no custom development from Kanbu
MCP — connect services through an open protocol (Notion, Linear, Freelo, custom servers, or any other MCP-compatible service…)
forms — interactive elements inside the chat

Configure a tool once and assign it to the agents that should use it.

Related: Connections & tools

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

MCP is an open way to connect the agent to many services and your own servers. Instead of a one-off integration per app, you connect an MCP connector — the agent then sees the tools that service exposes (e.g. create a Notion page, a Linear issue).

Kanbu supports no-auth, token, and OAuth connections. Set connectors in admin and assign them like other tools.

Related: MCP connections

Skills

A skill is a playbook for “how to handle X” — not a fact in a document, but guidance the agent loads only when relevant (returns, onboarding, escalation).

Skills keep behaviour consistent without stuffing every scenario into the system prompt.

Related: Skills

Activity trail

The activity trail shows what the agent is doing — e.g. “Searching…”, “Comparing…”, “Calling API…”. It collapses after the answer; admins can inspect full step details.

It builds customer trust and helps your team debug answers.

Citations

Kanbu shows citations from sources the agent actually received from the knowledge base or search. The model cannot invent a URL or file it was never given — citations are bound to registered results.

Living knowledge base

One organization-wide knowledge base with a folder tree. Sources can be:

uploaded files
tracked websites (with sync)
public Google Drive folders
RSS / Atom feeds

Sources can refresh automatically (auto-sync) and be shared across agents. Details in Adding & managing data.

Web search (fallback)

When knowledge is not enough, you can enable web search as a fallback — on the open web or only on approved domains.

See Web search.

Channels vs. connections

Channel = where the conversation happens (web widget, full-page chat, live chat with an operator, phone; more soon — email, WhatsApp, Instagram).
Connection = which systems the agent works with (API, MCP, knowledge sources, product feed).

Don't mix them up: a phone channel is different from calling your API.

In-chat forms

The agent can show a structured form mid-conversation (address, confirmation). The chat pauses cleanly and resumes after submit.