Choose a Connector
Pick the right source connector, understand the minimum setup, and know what to verify after your first sync.
If you're deciding where to start, begin with the source you already trust. RetainDB connectors all solve the same job: get your source into a project, sync it, and make it searchable. What changes is the setup burden, auth model, and the shape of the content you get back.
Start with the easiest connector
Use one of these first if you want a quick, low-risk proof of value:
- Text for a small hand-written knowledge sample
- URL for a single public page
- PDF for a handbook, spec, or report
- GitHub if your first goal is code or repo search
How to choose
Pick the connector that matches the source of truth you already have:
| Source of truth | Best connector | Why start here |
|---|---|---|
| A few notes or docs snippets | Text | Fastest possible ingest path |
| One public page | URL | Minimal config, good for smoke tests |
| A docs section or site | Web crawler or Sitemap | Better for multi-page docs |
| A codebase | GitHub or GitLab | Better metadata and file-level structure |
| Team collaboration tools | Notion, Slack, Confluence | Useful when knowledge is scattered across tools |
| Structured records | Database or API spec | Better for formal data and interfaces |
What to verify after the first sync
No matter which connector you choose, use the same first-run checklist:
- Create the source successfully.
- Trigger a sync or ingest job.
- Confirm the job completes without auth or scope errors.
- Run a search against content you know should exist.
- Tighten scope or filters if the first result set is noisy.
Connectors that need more care
These are worth using, but usually not as your very first proof-of-value:
- Slack and Discord, because permissions and channel scope matter
- Confluence and Notion, because shared workspace permissions can hide content
- Database, because schema shape and column mapping matter
- AI Browser / Playwright, because scripted auth and browser stability are part of setup
Next step
If you want the fastest possible first sync, go to Text or GitHub. If you need help from the dashboard first, use Sources: add, sync, and troubleshoot.
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