Subject: Knowledge Base & File Upload features not visible/working after self-hosted deployment

[alokkumar353]

Hi LobeChat Team,

I’ve self-hosted LobeChat on a cloud server, and I’m facing issues specifically with the Knowledge Base (KB) and file upload features. Below is a clear problem statement with context and reproducible details.

Context

• Deployment type: <Docker / Docker Compose / other>
• Image/Version tag: <e.g., lobehub/lobe-chat:latest or vX.Y.Z>
• Hosting environment: <Cloud provider + OS (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 on VM)>
• App URL (if relevant): https://your.domain/
• Database:
• Object storage: <S3 / MinIO / R2 / other>
• Region/Location (if relevant): <e.g., ap-south-1>

Expected Behavior

• I should be able to create and manage a Knowledge Base from the UI.
• I should see a file upload option when adding documents to KB.
• Uploaded files should be processed and made searchable within KB.

Actual Behavior

• The Knowledge Base section is either not functioning or doesn’t proceed after initiating an upload.
• The file upload button/option is missing in places where I expect it to appear, or the upload stalls without completing.
• No KB entries are created/usable after attempting to add documents.

Reproduction Steps

1. Open LobeChat → Workspace → Knowledge Base.
2. Click Create / Add documents.
3. Attempt to upload a file (e.g., PDF/Markdown).
4. Observe: either the upload option is missing, the upload hangs, or the KB doesn’t get created/updated.

Impact

• The Knowledge Base feature is critical for my use case. Without it, I’m unable to use LobeChat for document-aware conversations and internal RAG workflows.

Environment Details (sanitized)

• Env vars (non-secret):

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVICE_MODE=
  • APP_URL=
  • DATABASE_URL= <protocol only, no secrets>
  • S3 config keys (names only, not secrets): <S3_ENDPOINT>, <S3_BUCKET>, <S3_REGION>, etc.

• Model/Provider setup: <e.g., OpenAI or compatible; embedding model name if applicable>

Observations / Logs

• App logs (snippets):

  • <Paste any relevant error lines or status codes from container/server logs—without secrets>

• Browser console/network (if any):

  • <Paste relevant errors like 400/403/CORS or upload failures>

What I Need From You

• Guidance on why Knowledge Base and file upload features are not appearing/working in my self-hosted setup.
• Any config requirements or known limitations that could explain this behavior in the above environment.

Please let me know if you need additional details—happy to share sanitized configs or more logs.

[SpeedupMaster]

Please use this image: lobehub/lobe-chat-database:latest

[alokkumar353]

but then i might need the login credential too

[arvinxx]

but then i might need the login credential too

Yes. KB only available with database mode