---
title: "Choose data sources"
description: "Control which datasets the assistant searches when answering."
canonical: https://ocho.bot/docs/chat/choose-data-sources
last_updated: 2026-07-12
---

# Choose data sources

> Control which datasets the assistant searches when answering.

## Pick which datasets to search

1. In the composer toolbar, click **Sources** (the button shows how many    datasets are active — for example **Sources · 5**, or **Sources · All**). 2. In the dataset map that opens, click a dataset's cell to toggle it on or    off. Selected cells show a green checkmark, and the readout below the map    tracks your selection (for example "4 of 5 selected"). Use the **Zoom in**,    **Zoom out**, and **Reset view** buttons to navigate a crowded map. 3. Send your message — the assistant only searches the datasets you selected.

You can't sit in a zero-selected state: deselecting the last dataset resets the panel to **All sources** (the button reads **Sources · All**), which searches every dataset.

## Looking for direct search?

Chat always answers through the assistant. To run your query as a direct document search instead — with ranked result cards rather than an AI answer — use the separate Search page (sidebar **OCHO → Search**). Each result card there shows a relevance score, the document name, page number, and a snippet, with **Open source** and **Chat about this** buttons.

## Good to know

- When you first load the app, all available datasets are selected. Starting

a new chat doesn't reset the selection — it carries over until you change   it or reload the page.

- Hover a dataset's cell in the map to see its name and document count.

Connector-backed datasets (like Notion) also show the source connector and   a last-synced time; upload-only datasets show an updated date instead —   handy when deciding what to include.

- Datasets that aren't fully built yet don't appear in the Sources picker at

all — only live datasets show up. See   [Create and build datasets](/docs/library/create-and-build-datasets).

- Your selection survives closing the popover and applies to every message

you send in any conversation — existing or new — until you change it or   reload the page. It's not a per-conversation setting.

- The Sources popover doubles as the response-settings panel: below the

dataset map you'll find the **Temperature**, **Response length**, **Model**,   and **Mode** controls (on mobile the drawer is titled "Sources & Settings").

All docs: https://ocho.bot/docs

---

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