Tools
Knowledge base (RAG)
Ground a run in your own PDFs, standards and reference code.
The Knowledge Base switch grounds a run in indexed reference RTL instead of leaving the model to work from memory alone. It retrieves the passages relevant to your request and puts them in front of the generator before it writes a line.
What it searches
Knowledge Base grounds the RTL generator in your own documentation. The platform retrieves relevant sections from uploaded specifications, interface documents, architecture descriptions, datasheets, PDFs, and other project material and provides that context to the RTL agent during generation. This is especially valuable for large specifications where all requirements cannot reasonably be included in a single prompt.
Underneath it is a vector index of that material alongside reference hardware description code. Your specification is embedded, the closest passages are pulled back, and they are added to the generation context. Nothing is copied verbatim into your module; what is retrieved shapes the implementation rather than replacing it.
Best used for:
- RTL generated from a formal specification
- Large interface documents
- Internal architecture documents
- Product requirements
- Datasheets supplied by your team
- Projects with many design constraints
Example
You can upload a large hardware specification and ask Implement the DMA descriptor fetch engine. The generator can retrieve the sections related to descriptor format, AXI behavior, reset requirements, interrupts, and error handling rather than relying only on the prompt.
Important distinction
Knowledge Base searches your documents, while Web Search and Exa Search retrieve information from external sources.
When to turn it on
- The block follows a pattern that has a canonical implementation you want followed.
- You are working in a domain with a lot of established idiom, such as clock-domain crossing.
- You asked for something once, got code that ignored a convention you expected, and want the run anchored to real examples this time.
Note
Retrieval improves grounding, not correctness. It reduces invented syntax and unusual structure; it does not replace running the testbench.
Using your own documents
Uploading your own PDFs and specifications into the knowledge base is supported by the platform and is not yet exposed in this web app; the paperclip on the composer says "coming soon" for exactly that reason. Until it lands, there are two good ways to get your own material into a run:
- Quote it in the spec. Paste the register map, the timing table or the paragraph that matters. This is more reliable than any retrieval, because nothing has to be found first.
- Use a project workspace. Upload a zip containing your reference RTL and any documentation, and the agent reads it directly; see Upload a project.
Limits
| Limit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Language | Verilog and SystemVerilog only; the switch is unavailable for VHDL. |
| Failure behaviour | If retrieval is unavailable or returns nothing, the run continues without it rather than failing. |
| Billing | Retrieval happens inside the run you started; it is not a separate charge. |