# FAQs ## What is UIUC.chat? UIUC.chat is your friendly course assistant tool! Professors (and anyone else, really) can upload documents like syllabuses, PDFs, videos, and more. Students can then ask questions about the coursework and get answers, fast! It’s open-source, easy to use, and backed by the Center for Artificial Intelligence at NCSA, UIUC. Perfect for class-related Q\&A with your own knowledge base! ## How do I get started? Simple as pie! Upload your docs—whether it’s PDFs, PowerPoints, Word files, or even videos. Connect it to your database or Canvas, and boom! You’re ready to roll. Need help? Check out our YouTube channel for video walkthroughs to get you up and running! ## Is there a community or support available? Absolutely! We’ve got a Discord community where you can hang out, ask questions, and get tips. Plus, our team is super responsive—email Rohan Marwaha at or Akylai Kasymkulova at , and we’ll get back to you in just 2-3 minutes. Yes, you read that right! ## Are there any costs associated with using the chat? UIUC.chat is free to use! You only need to purchase OpenAI API endpoints and keys. After that, it’s smooth sailing. ## Where can I find a detailed documentation? It’s coming soon! For now, feel free to reach out to us directly, or hop into our Discord community. We’ll keep you updated as soon as it’s live. ## How do I contact support if I have a technical issue? We care deeply about making this product truly delightful. We're very available on email (Rohan Marwaha) or (Akylai Kasymkulova). Please let us know if you have any trouble at all and we'll make sure it’s fixed for you and all our users. ## How can I stay updated with the new features and updates? Join our newsletter or keep an eye on our Discord server. We love staying connected with you and sharing the latest news! ## Is it secure? Yes! All data is stored securely on AWS, but we do recommend being cautious as we don’t offer guarantees. Rest assured, your data is as safe as it gets! --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.uiuc.chat/faqs.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.