---
title: Data Sources
subtitle: Managing data sources in the ADE
slug: guides/ade/data-sources
---

The Data Sources panel in the ADE allows you to connect external files to your agent. When attached, your agent automatically gains file tools to search and access the content.

## Creating Data Sources

To create a new data source:

1. Click the **"data sources"** tab in the bottom-left of the ADE
2. Click the **"create data source"** button
3. Give your data source a descriptive name

New data sources created in the ADE are automatically attached to your current agent.

## Uploading Files

To upload files to a data source:

1. Navigate to the **"data sources"** tab
2. **Drag and drop** files directly into the data sources area, or
3. Click the **upload (+)** button to select files

**Supported formats:** `.pdf`, `.txt`, `.md`, `.json`, `.docx`, `.html`

## Attaching Existing Data Sources

To attach an existing data source:

1. Click the **"data sources"** tab
2. Click **"attach existing"**
3. Select the data source to attach

## Detaching Data Sources

To detach a data source:

1. Navigate to the **"data sources"** tab
2. Click the **"detach"** button next to the data source

When you detach all data sources, the file tools are automatically removed from your agent.