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# How Content Works

> What Sources and Collections are, and how your content reaches an Agent

Rather than answering from memory, an Agent answers from content, and that content is the subject of this guide. The basic unit of that content is a **Source**: a book, article, web page, podcast episode, video, media file, or dataset. When you need to work with many Sources at once, you group them into a **Collection**.

An Agent can draw on two pools of Sources, and the difference between them is worth knowing before anything else. One is your team's own, the Sources you add and control. The other is the community pool, content other teams have contributed and Apologist has approved. **A new Agent can answer usefully from the community pool alone**, so adding nothing is a legitimate way to start, and many teams do.

![Diagram showing that an Agent draws on two pools of Sources. Content you add in Console, such as books, articles and papers, web pages, podcasts, streaming videos, media files and data, becomes your team's Sources, grouped into Collections and yours alone until you share them. Community Sources are approved content from other teams and are available whether you add anything or not. The Agent draws on either pool, or both.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/fd8b0554cf2b5c34fd86f9c1e5300e11c4e14c81be0503b4707b60fcb559ce4c/docs/assets/images/console/content-sources-light.svg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=ccf501d7994257784cae1e365865dd985ff4a0817ce9adb7620c1c8f326e8857&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)![Diagram showing that an Agent draws on two pools of Sources. Content you add in Console, such as books, articles and papers, web pages, podcasts, streaming videos, media files and data, becomes your team's Sources, grouped into Collections and yours alone until you share them. Community Sources are approved content from other teams and are available whether you add anything or not. The Agent draws on either pool, or both.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/9e2402533b0a03d0f4efda183233123e37e5f39e6cfc1745d00e4399792ca33a/docs/assets/images/console/content-sources-dark.svg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=c713742dfc6741a30dc515e3197a4e25b3a289e2c810cfac6aca19ba5d36948f&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)

What you add is yours. It reaches your own Agents as soon as it is indexed, and it reaches nobody else unless you offer it and Apologist approves it. The rest of this guide is about that: what a Source is, what has to be true before an Agent can use one, and who else can see it.

## Sources Are the Unit

One Source is one piece of content. Everything else in this section attaches to Sources, so it is worth being precise about what one is.

A Source carries the content itself, the text extracted from it, and the information about it: who wrote it, what it covers, where it came from. It has a type, chosen when you add it, and the type is fixed afterwards.

**You will not find a list of Sources in the navigation, and that is deliberate.** The left-hand menu lists them by type: **Books**, **Articles & Papers**, **Web Pages**, **Podcast Episodes**, **Streaming Videos**, **Media Files** and **Data**. "Source" is the word for all seven together, used throughout Console and throughout these guides, rather than a screen you can open.

![The Articles & Papers list in Console, with the left-hand navigation listing content by type: Books, Articles & Papers, Web Pages, Podcast Episodes, Streaming Videos, Media Files, Data and Lists. The table shows seven articles with Agent, Directory, Status and Tags columns.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/1ecfd71dc209b258af242078a05395cd4b2218cf3786b7fc82a9d451e83405a0/docs/assets/images/console/content-nav-by-type-light.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=83cc6f93e693ee02fdb46a6c6bf8fe961a76bd3a340bb2a263b19c9dc425fcf2&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)![The Articles & Papers list in Console, with the left-hand navigation listing content by type: Books, Articles & Papers, Web Pages, Podcast Episodes, Streaming Videos, Media Files, Data and Lists. The table shows seven articles with Agent, Directory, Status and Tags columns.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/077bd31358ff79df882d050c31e0701c0b10b8b566242eb418e1c75266d10291/docs/assets/images/console/content-nav-by-type-dark.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=3ca068da857ee6f55e8650d14bb7dbc53ccce0ded05a1bf88fa16fc9fe03fb86&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)

**The type also decides how a Source can be grouped.** A podcast episode belongs in a podcast, an article in a periodical, a book in a series or an anthology. See [Adding and Editing Content](/console/content/adding-and-editing-content) for what each type can join.

## Collections Group Sources

A **Collection** is a named set of Sources. Some describe a real-world grouping, like a book series or a podcast, and some exist only for your convenience.

You reach a Collection from the Source type it belongs to rather than from a menu of its own. On the Books list you will find **Anthologies** and **Series**, on Articles & Papers you will find **Periodicals**, and so on. **Lists** are the exception and hold any type.

Collections do more than tidy. A Collection can carry an image and a description its Sources inherit, and an Agent can be pointed at a whole Collection instead of at Sources one by one. See [Organizing Content](/console/content/organizing-content).

## Three Places a Source Can Go

This is the part worth reading twice, because the three are independent and people reasonably assume they are not.

| Destination             | What it means                                                                                                  | Turned on by                                                   |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Your Agent**          | The Agent can retrieve the Source and cite it when answering                                                   | **Index for Apologist Agent**, on the Source's **Agent** tab   |
| **The Directory**       | The Source is published at [apologist.com](https://apologist.com), a public catalogue of apologetics resources | **Show Listing on Directory**, on the Source's **Listing** tab |
| **Other teams' Agents** | Teams other than yours can draw on the Source                                                                  | Approval, covered below                                        |

**Doing one does not do the others.** Indexing a Source for your Agent does not publish it anywhere. Listing it on the Directory does not feed it to your Agent. They are separate switches on separate tabs, and each has its own index behind it.

Every Source list shows all three at a glance. **Agent** says whether the Agent can use it, **Directory** whether it is published publicly, and **Status** whether it has been shared beyond your team.

![The Articles & Papers list in Console, with an Agent column reading ACTIVE, a Directory column reading INACTIVE and a Status column reading PRIVATE on every row, alongside each Source's name and tags.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/6360d73420a624885b42b594399873afa3e8b0a39596835d623d8e72e94e9f6a/docs/assets/images/console/source-destination-columns-light.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=fd26fa6326ed973daae6799cf74063d4cdb7afc8ee88a4dedd35b5a917182020&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)![The Articles & Papers list in Console, with an Agent column reading ACTIVE, a Directory column reading INACTIVE and a Status column reading PRIVATE on every row, alongside each Source's name and tags.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/f10f5e7241ab2e3c9258a97e87fa0108061e1522fb1174e54653bcc6d38a4163/docs/assets/images/console/source-destination-columns-dark.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=8a11f2ce3ed491877007a866e35b28636b6e9fb14ff08ff7cb55066817929a2f&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)

Every row above is indexed for the Agent, listed nowhere, and shared with nobody, which is the usual state of content a team has added for its own Agent.

## Getting a Source in Front of Your Agent

Three things have to be true, in this order. Most of the time the second is the one people miss.

1. **The Source has text.** The content has to be readable as plain text before anything can use it. Most types extract it when you add the Source; some need the file uploading yourself.
2. **You accept the Agent terms, then turn on Index for Apologist Agent.** The toggle stays unavailable until you tick the terms above it, and until there is text to index.
3. **Indexing finishes.** This happens in the background and is not instant.

![The Agent tab of a Source in Console, showing the permission warning, the accepted Apologist Agent Terms of Use checkbox, the Index for Apologist Agent toggle turned on, the uploaded source text and the date it was last indexed.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/cea3e64e5a7a1cbd379bb9284faf312ab6fbaf6ebfc83599b5e9d37aaaf8d49a/docs/assets/images/console/source-agent-tab-light.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=d047f1d84ab2c0dab3498cc4f6bb94ee49fa658a5ed4fa8070b29d19896a2c61&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)![The Agent tab of a Source in Console, showing the permission warning, the accepted Apologist Agent Terms of Use checkbox, the Index for Apologist Agent toggle turned on, the uploaded source text and the date it was last indexed.](https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/apologist.docs.buildwithfern.com/a75640f7a2d5cca7ae967852201b18bbce5f1883bfd6495ec8f11694d1635267/docs/assets/images/console/source-agent-tab-dark.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260919%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T130339Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=a7390fa0a6d4522b72743e361fe3dc78e0f39c7a4d8359040f9c40da3818e8f5&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)

Until all three hold, the Source is invisible to your Agent, and it will not appear in the pickers on the Agent's **Knowledge** page either. That is the usual reason a Source you just added cannot be found there. See [Curating Sources](/console/configuration/curating-sources) for choosing between what is available.

**Indexing is per Source, not per Agent.** A Source is indexed once for your team and every Agent you own can then draw on it. You do not repeat this for each Agent.

## Who Else Can Use Your Content

Your own Agents can use anything your team owns, as soon as it is indexed. Nothing else is needed and no approval is involved.

**Other teams are different, and it takes two steps.** Select **Contribute** at the top of the Source, confirm, and it goes to Apologist for review. Once approved, your Source joins the pool other teams see as community content, and their Agents can draw on it if they have chosen to include that pool.

The same approval is what allows a Source to appear on the Directory, so one review governs both. Console says as much on the Agent tab: content is available to your own Agents immediately, and is not considered for anyone else's until it has been submitted and approved.

**Contribute appears on Sources you added.** It is offered to whoever created the Source rather than gated behind a particular role, and it disappears once the Source has been submitted. Someone with moderator permissions can also contribute a Source that another person added.

The **Status** column on any Source list tells you where a Source has got to:

| Status          | Means                                                                            |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Private**     | Yours alone. Your own Agents can still use it                                    |
| **Submitted**   | Sent for review, no decision yet                                                 |
| **Resubmitted** | Sent again after a change                                                        |
| **Rejected**    | Reviewed and declined. It stays yours and your Agents keep using it              |
| **Shared**      | Approved. Other teams' Agents can draw on it, and it can appear on the Directory |

**Approval is not undone by a toggle.** Turning off **Index for Apologist Agent** stops your own Agents using a Source, but an approved Source stays in the community pool. Withdrawing it needs a moderator, so it is not something you can reverse yourself.

Coming the other way, your Agents can draw on the community pool too, which is why a new Agent can answer before you have added anything. That is chosen on the Agent, not here. See [Curating Sources](/console/configuration/curating-sources).

## Content and the API

The same indexed content is what the Agent API's corpus search endpoint returns. Your Agent's answers and a search query read the same corpus, so anything true of one is true of the other: index a Source and both can reach it, remove it and neither can. See the [Agent API](/agent-api/overview).

## Next Step

Continue to [Adding and Editing Content](/console/content/adding-and-editing-content) to put content in, or to [Organizing Content](/console/content/organizing-content) to group what is already there.