Crescendo AI is the AI engine built into CAAC. When you create an AI Agent of this type, both the knowledge base and the system prompt are configured entirely within CAAC — no third-party service account or additional integration is required.
This article explains how to create a Crescendo AI agent, set its reply language, upload a knowledge base file, and add Q&A entries. For settings shared by all agent types — Basic settings, Handover, and Resolution — see Tutorials｜AI Agent Set Up.
A Crescendo AI agent reads image messages that customers send, and then handles routing, knowledge base lookup, and product recommendation. No additional configuration is required. For the image handling flow and image support by agent type, see CAAC AI Workflow # Message Types the AI Agent Can Handle.
The AI Agent type cannot be changed after creation. To switch to a different integration, create a new AI Agent instead.
What You Can Configure for Crescendo AI
The settings page for a Crescendo AI agent contains the following five tabs. "Knowledge base" is exclusive to Crescendo AI and is the focus of this article; the remaining tabs are configured the same way as for other agent types.
| Tab | What You Can Configure |
|---|---|
| Basic settings | AI avatar, AI Name, Self introduction, AI reply language |
| System prompt | The agent's tone, conversation mode, and response length; the system prompt can also be edited directly |
| Knowledge base | Upload a PDF file, add Q&A entries |
| Handover | Handover trigger conditions, assignment targets, and the handover notification message |
| Resolution | How long to wait with no contact reply before the conversation is closed automatically |
Because the knowledge base for Crescendo AI is managed by CAAC, the "Integration" tab does not appear on the settings page.
Step 1: Create a Crescendo AI Agent
Go to the "AI Agent" page and click "Add AI agent", then follow these steps:
- Enter the AI agent name. If you leave it blank, the agent is named "AI 客服專員" by default.
- Select the "Crescendo AI" type, which is labeled "Recommended" and "Default". To use a third-party service instead, expand the other integration options and select "Chatbase", "OpenAI", or "Self-hosted AI".
- Click the create button. CAAC opens the settings page on the "Basic settings" tab.
Step 2: Set the AI Reply Language
The reply language for a Crescendo AI agent is configured on the "Basic settings" tab:
- AI language: the agent's default reply language.
- Automatically reply in the customer's language: when selected, the agent replies in the language used by the contact. When the customer's language cannot be determined, the agent replies in the default language set in "AI language".
Step 3: Build the Knowledge Base
The knowledge base determines which questions the AI Agent can answer. Crescendo AI supports two knowledge base sources, and you can use both at the same time:
| Source | Best Suited For | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Files | Document-length content such as return policies or plan descriptions | 1 PDF, up to 20 MB |
| Q&A | Individual questions that require a fixed answer | Question and Answer are both required |
3-1 Upload a File
Go to "Knowledge base" > "Files" and click "Upload file". CAAC first displays a format checklist; the file picker opens only after you confirm it:
- Plain-text PDF (not a scanned image or image-only PDF)
- File is not encrypted or password-protected
- Clear layout; avoid multi-column side-by-side formats
- File size does not exceed 20 MB
Click "Download the format template to see recommended examples" to obtain the recommended knowledge base format.
Each AI agent can keep only 1 file. When a file already exists, "Upload file" is disabled — delete the existing file before uploading a new version.
After upload, CAAC parses the file content and shows the result as a status:
| Status | Description | Available Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Processing | CAAC is parsing the file content | Delete |
| Upload successful | The AI Agent can answer questions based on this file | Download, Delete |
| Failed | Displays "Failed to read the file. Please check the file format and re-upload." | Re-upload, Delete |
Clicking "Re-upload" removes the failed record and takes you straight to the format checklist and file picker.
If the file does not meet the requirements, CAAC shows an error before the upload starts: "The file exceeds the 20 MB limit." for oversized files, and "Only PDF files are supported." for non-PDF files.
3-2 Add Q&A
Q&A is best suited for giving specific questions a standard answer. Go to "Knowledge base" > "Q&A", click "Add Q&A", fill in "Question" and "Answer", and save. Both fields are required.
- Edit an entry: click "Edit" on that Q&A.
- Delete multiple entries: select the Q&A entries, then click "Delete selected".
- Search: "Search Q&A…" matches against both question and answer text.
Step 4: Configure the System Prompt
The "System prompt" tab defines the agent's reply style and behavior rules. The fields on the left automatically generate the system prompt on the right. For Crescendo AI, you can also edit the generated system prompt directly; once saved, it applies to that AI Agent immediately, with no need to copy it into another service.
After a manual edit, the section is marked "Manually edited" and the fields on the left are disabled, so field changes cannot overwrite your manual content. To go back to field-generated content, click "Discard manual content and regenerate from fields".
👉 For full field descriptions and manual editing steps, see Tutorials｜AI Agent Set Up.
Optimize Your Knowledge Base Content
The AI Agent answers from the knowledge base, so improve reply quality by working on the knowledge base content:
- Provide content as a plain-text PDF in a single-column layout, and avoid tables and multi-column formats.
- For questions that require a fixed answer — such as refund processing days or business hours — use Q&A instead. Answers are more precise and easier to update individually.
- When document content changes, delete the existing file first, then upload the new PDF.
FAQs
The following covers common questions about creating a Crescendo AI agent, migrating an existing knowledge base, handling file parsing failures, and reply language.
Q: Are my existing Chatbase, OpenAI, or Self-hosted AI agents affected?
A: No. The type, knowledge base, and settings of your existing AI Agents remain unchanged. Handover settings and automatic assignment rules do not need to be recreated or adjusted, and conversations currently assigned to those agents are not affected. To use Crescendo AI, create a new AI Agent.
Q: Can I migrate my Chatbase knowledge base to Crescendo AI?
A: Yes, but the migration is manual. Compile the knowledge base content into a PDF and upload it under "Knowledge base" > "Files"; for questions that require a fixed answer, create Q&A entries instead. Copy the system prompt into the "System prompt" tab of the new agent. Basic settings, Handover, and Resolution must be configured again on the new agent. Your existing AI Agent keeps running throughout the migration.
Q: Can I upload multiple files, or import content from a URL?
A: Each AI Agent can keep 1 PDF file, uploaded from your computer. To update the content, delete the existing file and upload a new version. To add answers for individual questions, create Q&A entries.
Q: The file status shows "Failed". What should I do?
A: Check the file against the format checklist: whether the content is a plain-text PDF (scanned or image-only PDFs cannot be read), whether the file is encrypted or password-protected, and whether the layout uses multiple side-by-side columns. After correcting the file, click "Re-upload".
Q: Which language does the AI Agent reply in?
A: The default reply language is set in "AI language" on the "Basic settings" tab. If "Automatically reply in the customer's language" is selected, the agent replies in the language used by the contact, and falls back to the default language when the customer's language cannot be determined. If a language is explicitly specified in the system prompt, the system prompt takes priority.
Related Articles
📚 Related articles:
- Tutorials｜AI Agent Set Up: Basic settings, System prompt, Handover, Resolution, and enabling or disabling an agent
- # CAAC AI Workflow: the full flow of how an AI Agent interacts with customers, handover notes, and the feedback mechanism