> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.trynia.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Source Types

> Browse Nia by the kind of knowledge you want to bring in: code, docs, PDFs, datasets, Slack, Google Drive, spreadsheets, and local sources.

Use this page when your first question is not "which tool do I call?" but "what kind of source do I have?"

If you prefer to browse by job to be done, start at [Capabilities](/capabilities).

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Capabilities" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/capabilities">
    Browse Nia by what it does: index, search, read, research, sync, and share context.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference">
    Need endpoint details and schemas? Jump straight to the API reference.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## At a Glance

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Code & Repositories" icon="code-branch">
    GitHub repositories, package source code, file trees, grep, and code search workflows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Documentation Sites" icon="book-open">
    Crawl public docs, honor `llms.txt` when available, and search pages semantically or with regex.
  </Card>

  <Card title="PDFs & Research Papers" icon="file-pdf" href="/pdf-indexing">
    Structured PDF parsing, section-aware retrieval, and paper search for technical documents.
  </Card>

  <Card title="HuggingFace Datasets" icon="database" href="/huggingface-datasets">
    Index dataset rows and schema-like structure for semantic retrieval.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Google Drive" icon="cloud" href="/google-drive">
    Connect Drive, browse files and shared drives, select content, and keep it synced.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Spreadsheets & Tables" icon="table">
    CSV, TSV, XLSX, and XLS ingestion with row-aware indexing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Slack & Conversations" icon="comments" href="/slack-search">
    Index Slack history and search conversations with org-scoped isolation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local Knowledge" icon="folder">
    Local folders, databases, and chat history via direct folder indexing or continuous sync.
  </Card>

  <Card title="X (Twitter)" icon="hashtag" href="/x-integration">
    Index posts from X/Twitter accounts and search them semantically alongside your other sources.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connectors" icon="plug" href="/connectors">
    Generic connector framework for integrating external data sources with OAuth and API key flows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="E2E Encrypted Sources" icon="lock" href="/e2e-encryption">
    iMessage, WhatsApp, Apple Notes, Contacts, Reminders, Stickies, and Screenshots — synced with zero-knowledge encryption.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Source-Type Matrix

| Source type                                                                                   | Bring it in with                                           | Best tools after that                           | Notes                                                                           |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Code & repositories                                                                           | `index`, [Tracer](/tracer), `get_github_file_tree`         | `search`, `nia_read`, `nia_grep`, `nia_explore` | Package source code also works without indexing via `nia_package_search_hybrid` |
| Documentation sites                                                                           | `index`                                                    | `search`, `nia_read`, `nia_grep`, `nia_explore` | `llms.txt` aware, supports crawl filters                                        |
| PDFs & research papers                                                                        | `index`, [PDF Indexing](/pdf-indexing)                     | `search`, `nia_read`                            | Tree-guided retrieval for long documents                                        |
| HuggingFace datasets                                                                          | `index`, [HuggingFace Datasets](/huggingface-datasets)     | `search`, `nia_read`, `nia_explore`             | Large datasets are sampled intelligently                                        |
| Google Drive                                                                                  | [Google Drive Integration](/google-drive)                  | `search`, `nia_read`, `nia_grep`, `nia_explore` | Supports selected files, folders, shared drives, and incremental sync           |
| Spreadsheets & tables                                                                         | `index` with CSV, TSV, XLSX, or XLS                        | `search`, `nia_read`, `nia_explore`             | Row and header aware                                                            |
| Slack                                                                                         | [Slack Search](/slack-search)                              | `search`, `nia_grep`                            | Workspace data stays org-scoped                                                 |
| Local folders, databases, chat history                                                        | `index(folder_path=...)`, [Local Sync](/local-sync)        | `search`, `nia_read`, `nia_grep`, `nia_explore` | Best fit for continuously changing personal or team knowledge                   |
| X (Twitter)                                                                                   | [X Integration](/x-integration)                            | `search`                                        | Index posts from any public account with your own bearer token                  |
| Connectors                                                                                    | [Connectors](/connectors)                                  | `search`, `nia_read`, `nia_grep`                | Generic framework for external data sources with OAuth and scheduling           |
| E2E encrypted sources (iMessage, WhatsApp, Notes, Contacts, Reminders, Stickies, Screenshots) | [E2E Encryption](/e2e-encryption), TypeScript SDK adapters | `search` with `e2e_session_id`                  | Zero-knowledge sync — plaintext never leaves your device                        |

## Code & Repositories

Best for source code, implementation patterns, architecture exploration, and exact file reading.

**Use when**:

* you want to index a GitHub repository and search it semantically
* you need grep-style matching across a repo
* you want public package source code without indexing first
* you want GitHub code search without maintaining an index

**Start with**:

* `index` for repositories you want in your own workspace
* `nia_package_search_hybrid` for package source code
* [Tracer](/tracer) for public GitHub repo search without indexing
* `get_github_file_tree` for quick structure inspection

**Typical prompts**:

```text theme={null}
"Index https://github.com/vercel/ai"
"Search the indexed repo for how streaming responses are implemented"
"Use Tracer to find how auth middleware works in the Next.js repo"
"Search the fastapi package for authentication examples"
```

## Documentation Sites

Best for framework docs, product docs, API docs, and structured technical websites.

**Use when**:

* you want grounded answers from official docs
* you need a source your agents can cite and revisit
* you want to crawl a docs site with include or exclude patterns

**Start with**:

* `index` on the docs URL
* `search` to find relevant pages
* `nia_read` and `nia_grep` for deeper inspection

**Typical prompts**:

```text theme={null}
"Index https://nextjs.org/docs"
"Search the docs for cache invalidation"
"Read the page about route handlers"
```

## PDFs & Research Papers

Best for long technical documents where section structure matters.

**Use when**:

* you have PDFs, papers, filings, manuals, or legal docs
* you need section-aware retrieval instead of flat chunk search

**Start with**:

* [PDF Indexing](/pdf-indexing)
* `index` on a PDF URL or arXiv URL

## HuggingFace Datasets

Best for row-level search, schema discovery, and agentic retrieval over dataset contents.

**Use when**:

* you need to search examples, records, or splits
* you want natural-language access to a dataset instead of manual browsing

**Start with**:

* [HuggingFace Datasets](/huggingface-datasets)
* `index` on a dataset URL

## Google Drive

Best for cloud-hosted files and folders you want to browse selectively, index deeply, and keep in sync over time.

**Use when**:

* your working knowledge already lives in Drive instead of a repo or docs site
* you need selected files or folders rather than a full bucket import
* you want shared drives and incremental sync support

**Start with**:

* [Google Drive Integration](/google-drive)

## Spreadsheets & Tables

Best for CSVs, TSVs, Excel files, and structured business data.

**Use when**:

* your source is tabular
* you want row-aware retrieval and header-aware indexing
* you need a lighter-weight alternative to database sync

**Start with**:

* `index` on CSV, TSV, XLSX, or XLS files
* `search` for semantic lookup
* `nia_read` and `nia_explore` to inspect rows and structure

## Slack & Conversations

Best for operational knowledge, team decisions, support threads, and internal discussion history.

**Use when**:

* important context lives in Slack instead of docs
* you want semantic and keyword retrieval over conversations

**Start with**:

* [Slack Search](/slack-search)

## Local Knowledge

Best for internal notes, local folders, private documents, databases, and saved chat history.

**Use when**:

* the knowledge lives on disk or in a local database
* you want a continuously fresh private index
* you want to sync chat history and local project context into Nia

**Start with**:

* `index(folder_path=...)` for one-off folder indexing
* [Local Sync](/local-sync) for continuous synchronization

## X (Twitter)

Best for indexing public posts, threads, and discussions from X/Twitter accounts.

**Use when**:

* you want to search someone's posts semantically
* you need to track public technical discussions or announcements
* you want X content alongside your other indexed sources

**Start with**:

* [X Integration](/x-integration)

## Connectors

Best for integrating external data sources through a unified framework with OAuth and API key authentication.

**Use when**:

* you have external services to connect
* you need scheduled syncing of external data
* you want a unified way to manage third-party integrations

**Start with**:

* [Connectors](/connectors)

## E2E Encrypted Sources

Best for sensitive personal data where **plaintext must never leave your device** — messages, contacts, notes, and more.

**Use when**:

* you need zero-knowledge sync for privacy-sensitive data
* you want semantic search over encrypted content
* you're building with iMessage, WhatsApp, Apple Notes, Contacts, Reminders, Stickies, or Screenshots

**Supported sources**: iMessage, WhatsApp, Apple Notes, Apple Contacts, macOS Stickies, Apple Reminders, Screenshots

**Start with**:

* [E2E Encryption](/e2e-encryption) for the full architecture guide and cookbook
* TypeScript SDK adapters in `sdk/typescript/src/local-first/`

## Related Pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Capabilities" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/capabilities">
    Browse the platform by what it can do.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Explore & Chat" icon="globe" href="/explore-chat">
    Search and chat across pre-indexed knowledge without setting up everything yourself.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pre-indexed Sources" icon="database" href="/pre-indexed-sources">
    Subscribe to sources the community has already indexed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local Sync" icon="folder-sync" href="/local-sync">
    Keep private local knowledge fresh over time.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>