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

# File Attachments

> Upload and analyze files directly in your Brain conversations.

## Attaching Files

You can upload files directly into a Brain conversation for the AI to analyze, summarize, or extract data from.

### How to Attach

1. **Click the paperclip icon** in the input area, or
2. **Press /** to open the file upload modal
3. Select files from your computer, or drag and drop them onto the upload zone

### Supported File Types

| Category         | Extensions                               |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Documents**    | `.pdf`, `.docx`, `.txt`, `.md`           |
| **Spreadsheets** | `.xlsx`, `.csv`, `.json`                 |
| **Images**       | `.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.gif`, `.webp` |

<Info>
  Maximum file size: **50 MB** per file.
</Info>

### Upload Flow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select files">
    Choose one or more files. They appear in a queue showing name, size, and status.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload">
    Click **Attach X file(s)** to upload. Files are encrypted with AES-256 and indexed for AI processing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review attachments">
    Uploaded files appear as chips above the input field. Click the **X** on any chip to remove it before sending.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send your message">
    Type your question about the files and press Enter. The Brain will analyze the attachments alongside your message.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **Alex's screenshot note:** Take a screenshot of the file upload modal showing the drop zone, a file in the queue with "uploading" status, and the security badges at the bottom (AES-256, AI Indexing, Persistent Storage).
</Note>

## What You Can Do With Attachments

### Document Analysis

* *"Summarize this contract and highlight key obligations"*
* *"What are the main findings in this research paper?"*
* *"Extract all dates and deadlines from this document"*

### Spreadsheet Analysis

* *"Analyze this sales data and identify trends"*
* *"What's the average deal size by quarter?"*
* *"Find any anomalies in this financial data"*

### Image Analysis

* *"What's shown in this gel image?"*
* *"Read the text in this screenshot"*
* *"Analyze this assay plate layout"*

## Signals Integration

The file upload modal has a second tab called **Signals**. This lets you pull in external intelligence signals for Brain analysis:

1. Open the upload modal (paperclip or /)
2. Click the **Signals** tab
3. Search for a signal by keyword
4. Click a signal to send it to the Brain as a pre-formatted analysis request

The Brain receives the signal's title, category, source, summary, and AI insight for analysis.

<Note>
  **Alex's screenshot note:** Take a screenshot of the file upload modal with the Signals tab selected, showing a list of available signals with their categories and summaries.
</Note>

## Adding Files to the Knowledge Vault

During a conversation, the Brain can add analyzed files directly to your Knowledge Vault for permanent storage and team-wide AI access:

* When the Brain has the `add_to_knowledge_vault` tool available (active when you have attachments), it can store files in the vault
* Files added this way are automatically indexed and become searchable across future conversations

<Tip>
  After analyzing a file, tell the Brain: *"Add this to the Science vault"* to permanently store it where the whole team can access it.
</Tip>