FAQ

Is CompassDocs really free?

Yes. The Community edition is open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license — free to self-host, including inside a company, with unlimited users and no feature gates on the essentials. Two paid editions are offered on top: a self-hosted Enterprise license that adds SSO, SCIM provisioning, Microsoft 365 directory & group sync, policy acknowledgements, training & onboarding, and audit export, and a fully-managed CompassDocs Cloud. See License & editions and pricing.

Do I need an Anthropic API key?

No. Search works without one — the Ask CompassDocs page falls back to keyword snippets. Add a key only if you want synthesized, cited AI answers. See AI-powered search.

What database does it use?

PostgreSQL (14+). CompassDocs uses native full-text search (tsvector + GIN index) and creates and migrates its own schema on startup — no manual migrations.

Does it run on SQLite?

No. CompassDocs uses PostgreSQL-specific features (full-text search, generated columns, advisory locks). Any Postgres works — local, Docker, or managed (Neon, Supabase, RDS, …).

I get “The server does not support SSL connections.”

Your database is local but CompassDocs tried to use TLS. Set DATABASE_SSL=disable (or add ?sslmode=disable to DATABASE_URL) and restart. For managed databases the opposite applies — SSL is enabled automatically. See Environment variables.

I get “getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND host”.

Your DATABASE_URL still contains a placeholder host. Replace it with your real database connection string.

How do I back up my data?

CompassDocs has built-in backups — schedule full-database backups (daily or weekly), keep a rolling set, download them, and restore with one click, all from Settings → Backups. You can also mirror copies off-site to S3 or Azure. See Backups & restore.

Your data also lives in the compassdocs_pgdata volume and survives restarts and image updates.

Can I install CompassDocs as an app?

Yes — from 0.63 CompassDocs is installable (PWA): in Chrome/Edge use the install icon in the address bar; on iOS Safari use Share → Add to Home Screen. You get a standalone window with the brand icon. There’s deliberately no offline cache — a knowledge base must never show stale content — so it behaves like the always-fresh web app in an app shell.

How do I update?

Docker: docker compose pull && docker compose up -d. Manual: git pull then reinstall and restart. The schema migrates itself. Full steps in Updating.

Can I change the port?

Yes — set PORT in your .env (the app listens on it, and the Docker compose file maps it).

Can I use my own domain / TLS?

Yes — a Caddy reverse-proxy stack is included that serves the app on your domain with automatic HTTPS (Let’s Encrypt), or a self-signed / bring-your-own certificate. See Custom domain & HTTPS.

Can I attach files to documents?

Yes — any document can have file attachments, and images embed directly in the Markdown. Admins set the size limit. See Attachments.

Are there keyboard shortcuts?

Yes. ⌘K (CtrlK on Windows and Linux) opens the command palette — one box that searches documents, people, spaces, settings, and actions. ? shows every shortcut you have, including the g-then-a-letter chords that jump straight to a section of the app. See Command palette & shortcuts.

Will the editor lose my work if I click away?

No. An editor with unsaved changes asks before letting them go — on reload, on tab close, on Cancel, and on a click through to another page in the app — and ⌘S / CtrlS saves. A document you haven’t touched never prompts. See Saving and unsaved changes.

I deleted a document by mistake — can I get it back?

Yes. Deleting moves a document to the Trash, where editors can restore it. See Trash & retention.

Is there SSO?

Yes — SSO is an Enterprise feature, and CompassDocs speaks both protocols: OpenID Connect (Microsoft Entra ID with a one-click automated setup, or any OIDC provider) and SAML 2.0 (Okta, OneLogin, Google Workspace, ADFS, and others). Both share one sso entitlement. Pair it with SCIM provisioning for automatic account lifecycle. See Single sign-on. The Community edition uses built-in username-and-password accounts, with optional two-factor auth.

Can we run onboarding or training in CompassDocs?

Yes — Training & onboarding is an Enterprise feature. Any published document becomes a slide-based training deck; assign decks (or ordered onboarding programs) to people, groups, or everyone with due dates and auto-assignment for new joiners, and track completion with CSV export. See Training & onboarding.

Can people outside my org read some docs without an account?

Yes — mark a space Public and enable Settings → Public site. Its published documents are then served read-only at /public, no login, with optional search-engine indexing. Everything else stays behind the sign-in. See Public site.

Can I restrict a space to certain people?

Yes — mark the space private and grant one or more groups on it. Groups are created by hand, or (Enterprise) imported and kept in sync from Microsoft Entra. See Spaces & permissions.

Can CompassDocs alert my team’s chat when something needs review?

Yes — add a Webex, Microsoft Teams, Slack, email, or generic webhook channel under Settings → Notifications, pick the events (submitted / approved / rejected / published / suggestion), and optionally limit it to specific spaces. See Notifications.