Microsoft Copilot Studio Knowledge Source Refresh Schedule Configuration

Microsoft Copilot Studio lets you connect your custom copilot to external knowledge sources such as SharePoint, OneDrive, or public websites. By default, the copilot indexes this content once and does not automatically refresh it. This means any updates you make to files, pages, or documents in those sources will not appear in the copilot’s responses until the knowledge source is manually re-indexed. This article explains how to configure a refresh schedule for your knowledge sources so your copilot always uses the most current information.

You will learn the steps to set automatic refresh intervals, understand the available refresh frequency options, and see what happens when a refresh fails. The article also covers common configuration mistakes and how to verify that a refresh completed successfully.

How Knowledge Source Refresh Works in Copilot Studio

Copilot Studio uses AI Builder to index content from connected knowledge sources. When you add a SharePoint folder, a OneDrive document library, or a public website URL, the system extracts text and stores it in a search index. This index is what the copilot queries when answering user questions.

Without a refresh schedule, the index becomes stale. New files, deleted files, or edited content are not reflected in the copilot’s responses. The refresh schedule tells Copilot Studio to re-index the source at a defined interval. During each refresh, the system scans the source for changes, adds new content, removes deleted content, and updates modified content.

The refresh process runs in the background and does not interrupt the copilot’s availability. However, the old index remains active until the refresh completes. If a refresh fails, the copilot continues using the last successful index. You must manually check the activity log to identify failures and re-index the source.

Prerequisites for Configuring a Refresh Schedule

Before you can set a refresh schedule, ensure the following:

• You have a Copilot Studio license (standalone or included in Copilot for Microsoft 365).
• You have the Environment Maker or System Customizer role in the target Power Platform environment.
• The knowledge source is already added to a copilot. You cannot set a refresh schedule for a source that is not yet connected.
• The source URL or folder path is accessible from Copilot Studio’s service. SharePoint and OneDrive sources must be in the same tenant.

Steps to Configure the Knowledge Source Refresh Schedule

Follow these steps to set an automatic refresh schedule for a knowledge source in Copilot Studio. The process is identical for SharePoint, OneDrive, and public website sources.

1. Open your copilot in Copilot Studio
   Sign in to copilotstudio.microsoft.com. On the Copilots page, select the copilot that contains the knowledge source you want to configure.
2. Go to Settings > AI > Knowledge sources
   In the top-right corner, select Settings. On the left navigation menu, select AI. Then select the Knowledge sources tab. You will see a list of all connected sources.
3. Select the knowledge source to edit
   Click the pencil icon next to the source you want to configure. The Edit knowledge source panel opens.
4. Set the Refresh schedule dropdown
   In the Refresh schedule section, click the dropdown menu. Choose one of the following options:
   – Manual – No automatic refresh. You must re-index manually.
   – Every 15 minutes – Best for frequently updated sources like live news feeds or real-time dashboards.
   – Hourly – Suitable for sources that change multiple times per day.
   – Daily – Good for document libraries updated once per day.
   – Weekly – For sources with infrequent changes.
5. Save the configuration
   Click Save at the bottom of the panel. Copilot Studio will begin the first refresh according to the schedule you set. The next refresh time is shown in the source list under the Next refresh column.

To verify that the refresh completed successfully, go to the Activity panel in the top-right menu. Look for an entry with the message “Knowledge source refresh completed” and a green checkmark. If you see a red X, the refresh failed. You must re-index the source manually by selecting the source and clicking Refresh now.

Common Issues and Configuration Mistakes

The refresh schedule option is grayed out

This happens when the knowledge source is a public website that does not support scheduled refresh. Public website sources can only be refreshed manually. To work around this, copy the website content to a SharePoint page or a OneDrive document and connect that as a new knowledge source instead.

The copilot returns stale data even after the refresh completed

The refresh may have failed silently. Check the Activity panel for any errors. If the refresh succeeded but the data is still old, the source content may have changed between refresh cycles. Reduce the refresh interval to capture changes faster. For example, switch from Daily to Hourly if changes occur multiple times per day.

Refresh takes too long and never completes

Large knowledge sources with thousands of files or deep folder structures can cause timeouts. Copilot Studio limits each refresh to 30 minutes. If the refresh does not finish, split the source into smaller folders and add each as a separate knowledge source. Then configure each with its own refresh schedule.

Manual vs Automatic Refresh: Key Differences

Item	Manual Refresh	Automatic Refresh
Trigger	You click Refresh now on the source	System runs at the scheduled interval
Frequency control	None – you decide when	15 min, hourly, daily, or weekly
Failure handling	You must check the Activity panel	Same – failure logged, no retry
Best for	Testing, infrequent changes	Frequent updates, production use

You now know how to configure a refresh schedule for knowledge sources in Copilot Studio. Start by setting a Daily schedule for most SharePoint document libraries. If your copilot answers questions about rapidly changing content such as support tickets or news, use the Every 15 minutes option. Check the Activity panel after the first refresh to confirm the schedule works. For advanced control, consider using Power Automate to trigger a manual refresh based on a file change event in SharePoint.