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Edit, add, or bulk-update Managed Topics to keep your agent’s answers current. Use quick single-topic edits for small changes, CSV imports for seasonal refreshes, or work directly in the interface for new topics.

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Quick reference

I need to…ActionTime estimate
Edit a single answerClick topic → Edit answer → Save2 min
Add a new topic+ Topic → Add questions & answer → Save5 min
Update 10-20 topicsExport CSV → Edit → Import CSV15 min
Update 50+ topicsExport CSV → Edit → Import CSV30 min
Fix wrong topic triggeringAdd sample questions to correct topic3 min
Merge duplicate topicsCombine content → Delete duplicate5 min
Test changesAgent Chat in Sandbox5 min
Promote to LivePublish → Promote to Pre-release → Promote to Live5 min
Always test in Sandbox first and promote only when you’re happy. Details are in Environments & versions.

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Edit an existing topic

  1. Click the topic you want to change.
  2. Update text directly in the Answer panel.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Use Publish and run tests in sandbox before publishing.
Common fixes:
IssueWhat to do
The agent gives a partial answerAdd clarifying details to the Answer field.
It triggers the wrong topicAdd a few of the user’s actual phrasings as Sample questions.
It overlaps another topicMerge the content or re-title one topic to be more specific.

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Add a new topic

  1. Click + Topic.
  2. Enter a clear title.
  3. Add at least three sample questions–think of real user wording.
  4. Write the Answer in plain language.
  5. Save and preview.

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Bulk edits

Large updates are faster in a spreadsheet.
  1. Click Export CSV to download a CSV file containing all of your Managed Topics.
  2. Edit or add rows in your spreadsheet app.
    • Keep column headers exactly as exported.
    • Leave IDs intact for topics you’re editing; new rows will create new topics.
  3. Save as CSV.
  4. Click Import CSV and upload the file.
  5. Review the diff, then Confirm import.
Keep column headers exactly as exported. New rows (without an ID) create new topics; rows with an existing ID update that topic.

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Promote your changes

  1. Open Deployments > Environments.
  2. Select the new Sandbox version.
  3. Click Promote to pre-release.
  4. Confirm.
  5. Click Promote to Live
  6. Confirm.

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Common workflows

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Weekly content update

  1. Review analytics for knowledge gaps (5 min)
  2. Add or update 3-5 topics (15 min)
  3. Test in Agent Chat (5 min)
  4. Publish to Sandbox (2 min)
  5. Promote to Pre-release for UAT (3 min)
  6. Promote to Live (3 min)
Total time: ~30 minutes

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Seasonal content refresh

  1. Export current topics to CSV (2 min)
  2. Update seasonal information (hours, policies, etc.) (20 min)
  3. Import updated CSV (5 min)
  4. Test seasonal queries in Agent Chat (10 min)
  5. Publish and promote (5 min)
Total time: ~45 minutes

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Fixing a knowledge gap

  1. Identify the gap from call logs or analytics (5 min)
  2. Create new topic or update existing (5 min)
  3. Add sample questions matching user phrasing (3 min)
  4. Test with actual user queries (5 min)
  5. Publish and promote (5 min)
Total time: ~25 minutes

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Automate with the Agents API

CSV round-trips work well for occasional refreshes. When the source of truth is another system — a help center, CMS, or internal spreadsheet — syncing via the API keeps topics current without manual exports.
The Agents API has full CRUD for knowledge base topics, so you can run the sync on a schedule rather than exporting and importing CSVs by hand.

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When to ask for help

Contact PolyAI support if you need help with:
  • Migrating content between separate projects
  • Undoing a large import that has gone wrong
You can add Python functions yourself – see Level 2: Using tools. For multi-language setup, see Multi-language updates.
Last modified on April 24, 2026