Knowledge Base

The knowledge base (KB) is a repository of solutions to commonly-encountered problems, created and maintained by Support Engineers (SE). The knowledge base turns the effort used to solve a single ticket for one customer into a public resource for all GitLab users.

GitLab Knowledge Article Page

Benefits:

• Deflects ticket creation.
• Resolves user problems faster.
• Creates consistent, standard answers.
• Creates an environment of trust.
• Gives Support more time to focus on harder issues or improvements.

Principles

• Turn it into a habit. If the issue is worth solving, it is worth saving.

  • Start a knowledge article every time you solve a problem for a customer, a team member or yourself.

• Accelerate knowledge capture. Our tools and processes should enhance the speed at which we add knowledge to the Knowledge Base.

  • Capture Knowledge in the moment when the context is clearest and we are able to access customer feedback.
  • Provide feedback as soon as possible if you find a better way to do something.

• Capture customer context. Prioritize capturing the right knowledge, in the context of the customer.

  • Focus on documenting the errors and issue as described by the customer for improved findability from other users.
  • Include clear steps and context when documenting solutions. When in doubt, ask, would Josh Darnit be able to do it?

• Always be iterating. The Knowledge Base is as much for us as for our customers. We review and update knowledge as we use and reuse it.

  • Reuse is Review: We improve the quality of our knowledge by always iterating.

How Knowledge Articles differ from GitLab docs

The Knowledge Base and our product documentation are both key elements of GitLab’s digital support experience that serve different needs

Docs

Docs answer: “How does this work?”

• Offers comprehensive information about Product features, architecture and Usage.
• Provides an overview of the current version of our products.
• Often more technical and detailed
• Updated less frequently (New Feature releases)
• Primarily created for engineers, advanced users, Product details

Knowledge Articles

Knowledge Articles answer: “How do I fix this?”

• Solves problems encountered while using our products.
• provides solutions to common issues and questions
• typically task oriented and includes videos, screenshots
• Updated frequently based on new issues, new workarounds, new troubleshooting and feedback
• Primarily created for customer self-service

Why you should create a knowledge article

Knowledge articles help users to do tasks, get answers to questions and fix issues they may encounter while using our products.

Creating a clear, well-written knowledge article empowers customers to solve issues on their own and helps Support Engineers quickly access accurate, consistent information. Knowledge articles build trust and ensure reliable, repeatable support experiences.

We use types of knowledge to efficiently provide the information for our end users. This includes:

• How-To
• Break/Fix
• FAQ (Question and answer)
• Troubleshooting

When to create a knowledge article

In short, you should create an article when someone will benefit from the information.

Some questions to consider:

• Will it help customers find information quickly?
• Does it answer a common question / issue?
• Does it document a repeatable way to do something?
• Would this information help a customer get what they need without Support intervention?
• Is this information that may need frequent updates?
• Is this a new issue (with or without a solution) that may cause an influx of support tickets?

What Training is Available for Knowledge Articles in ZenDesk?

A list of available training can be found in Knowledge Base Training Resources.

Implementation

We use ZenDesk to create, modify, and publish knowledge base articles. Follow the training to create a knowledge article IN ZenDesk.

If you are NOT a ZenDesk User, and want to create a knowledge article, you can do so externally! Follow the process below.

How to create a knowledge article if you are not in ZenDesk

Anyone can create a knowledge article regardless of being in ZenDesk or not (or if you are a Light Agent). To create an article you will:

1. Go to the Folder and choose a template
2. Create the article using the template and Save the document.
3. Use the Knowledge Slack Channel #spt_knowledge-base to request the article to be created. Please tag Kirsty Allen . OR you can Create an ISSUE and Assign to Kirsty Allen
4. Your Article will be created in ZenDesk and assigned to a reviewer & then Published. You will be notified of Publication.

Light Agents

If you are a Light Agent in ZenDesk and would like to create knowledge articles please do the following:

• Fill out an Access Request Form
• Request Access to have your Light Agent Role elevated to “create knowledge”
• Request should include Request Reason: Write access for articles
• Request should include if this is for Global, US Gov, or Both
• Assign to your Manager for Approval. Manager Approval is Required!

Integrating with Zendesk offers the following benefits

• Centralized Knowledge Base
• Scalable and Customizable
• Seamless Integration with Ticket
• Improved Support Engineer Productivity
• Streamlined Analytics and Reporting
• Streamline “Knowledge Centered Service” (KCS), adopting knowledge into the workflow Note: Knowledge base articles are dynamically suggested to a user while submitting a ticket.

Knowledge base articles can be found at:

• Global support knowledge base
• US Government support knowledge base Please Note: US Government articles as of May 2, 2025 are no longer updated to be consistent with the Global Support Site. No new articles will be available on the US Government page until a later date. Date TBD.

Roles and Permissions

There are three roles: Support Engineer, Knowledge Champions and Knowledge Admins.

• Support Engineers: Create, update and use KB articles in tickets.
• Knowledge Champions: Review, publish, archive and control permissions.
• Knowledge Admins: Make sure everything runs smoothly.

Most Knowledge Base tasks are performed within the Zendesk platform (Support and Knowledge Portal). However, some tasks by Knowledge Admins will require manual work outside of Zendesk.

Contributors (Knowledge Workers)

Everyone can contribute to knowledge! The most important thing is to capture the knowledge you’ve created while solving a problem. The review process will ensure the content is technically accurate and clear.

Technical Reviewers (Knowledge Champions)

There will be Support Engineers and Support Managers trained as technical reviewers for knowledge articles across the globe.

Available Technical Reviewers (by Geo)

Technical Reviewers should be Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in certain areas (Such as Runner, Authentication, Migrations, etc.). The Technical Reviewers are tasked with reviewing knowledge articles based on their knowledge of features. Technical Reviewers perform the following actions.

Responsibilities

Technical Reviewers are expected to:

• Prioritize and Normalize checking the Manage Articles list as part of their daily workflow and routine.
• Collaborate with Knowledge article contributors on the technical accuracy of the content, prioritizing having updates published as soon as possible.
• Technically review knowledge articles and determines if the article can be Published for customers (or should remain internal).
• Understands the material and requirements for the article being published.
• Identify trends and opportunities from reporting.
• Provides feedback for knowledge articles.

Getting Help

Questions can be asked in the dedicated #spt_knowledge-base Slack channel.

For any issues with permissions, please use the knowledge dedicated Slack channel: #spt_knowledge-base - and tag or open an Issue and tag Kirsty Allen .

Using AI to generate content

• ZenDuo can assist with generating a first pass of an article. Always review generated data by Duo for technical accuracy. You are still the subject matter expert (SME) of the article and original customer issue.
• Only use ZenDuo or Duo chat when providing customer data. Other LLM services, such as Claude, are not approved for Red data.

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