Adding Manuals

Don't have the PDF? Switch to the Find Online tab and type the make and model (e.g., "Bosch SHX878ZD5N" or "Trane XR16 4TTR6048J"). We search the web for official-looking manual links and show the results inline. Click "Import" on any result and we'll download the PDF to your workspace and start processing it.

Tip: marketing names (e.g., "the small dishwasher") almost never work. Always use the model number printed on the product nameplate or front cover — it's the most reliable way to find the right manual.

Standing in front of the equipment and don't know the model? Open the Photo tab and tap the capture area. On a phone, your camera opens directly; on a laptop, you can pick a photo from your files.

Take a clear shot of the product nameplate (the metal/plastic sticker with the model number) or the manual's front cover. We compress the image on your device, send it to our vision model to extract brand and model, and automatically run a Find Online search — all you do is pick the right result.

Tips for better identification: hold the camera steady, fill the frame with the nameplate, and avoid glare from flash or overhead lights. If we can't read the label, we'll tell you — re-shoot in better light or pick the manual's printed cover instead.

Every manual goes through the same background pipeline: text is extracted from the PDF, content is chunked and embedded for AI search, and we auto-extract metadata (vendor, model number, warranty terms, specs) so you don't have to type them in.

This runs on a background worker, so a slow manual won't block your dashboard. Most manuals are ready in under a minute.

The status badge on each manual card updates in real time:

• Uploading — the file is still being saved.
• Processing — text extraction and embeddings are running. You can view the PDF but Q&A isn't ready.
• Ready — fully indexed and searchable by the AI.
• Error — something went wrong (often a scanned/image-only PDF). Use Re-process from the card menu, or replace the file.

Use the search bar at the top of the Manuals page to find by name, vendor, or model number. The dropdowns next to it filter by category, building, and space. "Clear filters" resets everything.

Click any manual card to open its detail page. From there you can edit metadata, attach related documents (spec sheets, photos), log maintenance, and update the warranty.

From the card menu (the three dots) you can also Re-process (re-extract text and metadata — useful if the original processing failed or you replaced the file) or Delete (permanently removes the manual, its embeddings, and the stored PDF).