Add Documents to Canon
2 min read
Upload a document to Canon and, within a few minutes, the AI starts using it when it writes test cases and answers questions.
Upload Documents
Section titled “Upload Documents”-
Open a project and select Canon in the left navigation.
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Select Add document, then choose Upload a document (one or more files) or Upload a folder (a whole folder of specs).
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Pick your files. The picker only offers file types Canon can read.
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Each document appears in the table with the status Queued. Watch the Status column until it says Grounding.
You can also drag files or folders anywhere onto the Canon page. A Drop documents to add them to Canon overlay appears while you drag.
When you upload a folder, Canon creates matching folders on the left so your documents keep the same structure.
Supported File Types
Section titled “Supported File Types”Canon reads text documents. Screenshots and videos are not offered.
| Type | Extensions | How the source tag points to the right place |
|---|---|---|
pdf | By page, for example p. 12 | |
| Word | docx | By heading, for example § 4.2 Expiry handling. Tables get their own tag, for example Table 3 |
| Spreadsheets | xlsx, csv | By sheet, for example Sheet: Q3. Each row is read together with its column headers |
| Text and Markdown | txt, md, mdx, log | By heading, same as Word |
If you drop a file Canon can’t read, it is rejected before uploading, with a message naming the file.
PDFs must contain selectable text. A scanned PDF (pictures of pages) fails. See Manage Canon documents.
Document Statuses
Section titled “Document Statuses”After you upload, Canon reads the file and makes it searchable in the background. The page updates by itself, so you don’t need to refresh.
The Status column shows one of five states:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting to start. Nothing has been read yet |
| Reading | Canon is reading the file’s text and splitting it into passages (short sections) |
| Indexing | Canon is making the passages searchable |
| Grounding | Ready. The AI is using this document now |
| Failed | Canon couldn’t read the document. The reason appears under its title |
A document only counts toward the Grounding now tile once its status is Grounding. A failed document still appears in the list, so check the tile, not just the list.
Give the Document a Clear Title
Section titled “Give the Document a Clear Title”The title appears on every source tag, in the release readiness summary and on Atlas. A reviewer uses it to find the document, so make it something a person recognises.
New documents take their file name as the title. If that’s final_v3_REVIEWED.docx, rename it: select the Rename (pencil) icon on the row and type a clear title such as Checkout API v2 — payment contract. Source tags pick up the new title.