Wikis App Overview
Create, organize, and maintain your organization’s living documentation—wiki pages with WYSIWYG editing, sub-page hierarchies, version history, threaded comments, and an AI writing assistant, all in one collaborative knowledge space.
What is the Wikis App?
The Wikis App gives your organization a structured, collaborative space to create and maintain living documentation—onboarding guides, policies, how-tos, and reference material—without leaving the platform. Every page is authored in a rich WYSIWYG editor, organized into a browsable page tree with sub-pages, and backed by full version history so nothing is ever truly lost. Built-in threaded comments, @mentions, edit locking, and an AI writing assistant make it a genuine collaborative authoring tool, not just a static document dump.
Core Value Proposition:
- 📚 One Source of Truth — Replace scattered docs, PDFs, and shared drives with a searchable, permission-controlled wiki hierarchy
- ✍️ Real Collaborative Authoring — WYSIWYG editing, AI writing assistance, threaded comments, and concurrent-edit locking so co-authors never clobber each other’s work
- 🕐 Nothing Is Ever Lost — Every save creates a version; compare any two versions side by side and restore with one click
- 🤖 AI-Powered Discovery & Admin — A built-in Ask AI agent lets employees find answers in natural language, and lets admins create/publish/archive pages by asking
Key Concepts (how Wikis actually works)
Wikis has a few mechanics that aren’t obvious just from clicking around — read this section once and the rest of the app makes a lot more sense.
Every page has its own permissions, not just one global setting
Each wiki page carries its own “Who can edit?” and “Who can comment?” settings (Admin and Creator / Any User / Creator Only, and the comment equivalent plus “Nobody”). A page can also be individually locked, and independently allow or block PDF export and duplication. There’s no single organization-wide “who can edit wikis” switch — permissions live on the page.
Draft, Published, and Archived are real workflow states, not just labels
A page starts as a Draft (visible only to its creator and admins), becomes Published once someone hits Publish (now visible to everyone, per its own edit/comment permissions), and can later be Archived (hidden from the normal tree, but still restorable to Draft by an admin). Only admins can browse the Archived list.
Sub-wikis form a real hierarchy, not just tags
Any page can have sub-pages nested under it (and those can have their own sub-pages). The left-hand tree in the hub reflects this hierarchy directly — expand a branch to see its children. Re-parenting a page under one of its own descendants is blocked automatically so the hierarchy can never loop.
Editing is exclusive — one person at a time
Opening a page’s editor acquires a short-lived edit lock (30 minutes by default, admin-configurable). While you hold it, anyone else who opens the same page sees a banner naming you and the lock’s expiry — they can still read the published content, they just can’t save conflicting changes. The lock releases automatically when you leave the editor, or an admin can break it manually if it gets stuck.
The AI writing assistant and the AI Agent are two different things
The AI menu inside the editor toolbar (enhance writing, fix grammar, shorter/longer, tone, brand voice) works on whatever you’re drafting right now — it’s available to everyone whenever Wikis itself is enabled. The separate Wikis AI Agent in Ask AI (search and summarize for everyone; create/publish/archive/delete pages for admins) is a distinct, opt-in feature an admin must turn on in Settings.
How It Works
Wiki Hierarchy & Page Lifecycle
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WIKIS APP │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ DRAFT ──── Publish ────▶ PUBLISHED ──── Archive ────▶ ARCHIVED │
│ ▲ │ │ │
│ └──────────Restore────────────┴───────────Restore────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ PAGE TREE │ │
│ │ ┌───────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Top-level page│ Each page carries: title, body, │ │
│ │ │ ┌───────────┐│ tags, icon, color, cover image, │ │
│ │ │ │ Sub-wiki ││ and its own edit/comment │ │
│ │ │ │ ┌───────┐ ││ permissions │ │
│ │ │ │ │ Sub- │ ││ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ wiki │ ││ │ │
│ │ │ │ └───────┘ ││ │ │
│ │ │ └───────────┘│ │ │
│ │ └───────────────┘ │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Every save ──▶ a new VERSION (diff-comparable, restorable anytime) │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Integration Ecosystem
┌─────────────────┐
│ WIKIS │
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌─────────────┬─────────────────┼─────────────────┬─────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ Libraries │ │ Ask AI │ │ Global │ │ Homepage │ │ Inbox & │
│ (link-in) │ │ (Agent) │ │ Search │ │ Widget │ │ Email │
└───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘
Wiki pages can be linked into Libraries as a content type, appear in platform-wide Global Search, surface on the homepage widget (Recent / Pinned / Popular), and trigger Inbox + email notifications for comments, mentions, and publishes.
Key Features
📖 The Wiki Hub — Page Tree + Reader
A two-pane hub: a browsable page tree on the left, the selected page’s content on the right. No page reloads when you click between pages.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Filter tabs | All, Drafts, Mine, Pinned — plus Archived for admins |
| Sort options | Recent (default), A–Z, Popular (most viewed), Created date |
| Tag filtering | Click any tag chip to see every page tagged with it |
| Expandable tree | Pages with sub-wikis render as expandable branches |
Use Case: Pin your team’s most-referenced pages (e.g. “IT Escalation Steps”) so they’re always one click away from the “Pinned” tab.
✍️ WYSIWYG Editor with AI Writing Assistant
A full rich-text editor (Quill) with an “AI” menu built right into the toolbar.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Rich formatting | Headings, lists, tables, images, links, and more |
| AI rewrite actions | Enhance writing, fix spelling & grammar, make it shorter, make it longer — with Undo |
| Tone control | Professional, Friendly, Concise, or Authoritative |
| Brand voice | Apply a configured company writing profile, when available |
| Templates | Start from an admin-managed template instead of a blank page |
| Cover image, icon & color | Give each page a distinct visual identity in the tree |
Use Case: Draft a rough policy outline, then use “Enhance writing” with the “Authoritative” tone to turn it into publish-ready copy in seconds.
🌳 Sub-Wikis (Page Hierarchy)
Nest related pages under a parent to build structured documentation sets — think “Employee Handbook” with “PTO Policy,” “Dress Code,” and “Remote Work” nested underneath.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Unlimited nesting depth | Sub-wikis can have their own sub-wikis |
| Cycle protection | A page can never be re-parented under its own descendant |
| Related pages card | Every reader page shows its direct children for easy drill-down |
🔒 Per-Page Permissions & Properties
Every page controls its own access — there’s no single all-or-nothing switch.
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Who can edit? | Admin and Creator, Any User, Creator Only |
| Who can comment? | Any User, Admin and Creator, Nobody |
| Allow PDF Export | On/Off (also requires the app-wide export setting) |
| Allow Duplication | On/Off |
| Show Author | On/Off — hide the byline for an anonymous-feeling page |
| Lock Editing | Freezes the page for everyone except admins |
🕐 Version History & Restore
Every save — draft, edit, or publish — creates a new version.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Full history | Every version tagged with what kind of change it was — Created, Updated, Published, or Restored |
| Side-by-side compare | Pick any two versions to see a line-by-line diff (added / removed / unchanged) |
| One-click restore | Revert to any past version — creates a new “Restored” version, nothing is destroyed |
| Change summaries | Optionally note what changed and why on each edit |
Use Case: Someone accidentally removes a whole section from the onboarding guide — open Version History, compare the last two versions to confirm what happened, and restore in one click.
🔐 Concurrent-Edit Locking
Prevents two people from silently overwriting each other’s work.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto-acquire | Opening the editor claims the lock; a banner tells the next person who’s editing and when it expires |
| Auto-release | The lock releases automatically when you leave the editor |
| Configurable duration | Admin sets the lock timeout (default 30 minutes) |
| Admin override | An admin can break a stuck lock from the Wiki Tools menu |
💬 Comments, @Mentions & Reactions
Turn every page into a discussion, not just a document.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Threaded replies | Comments support nested replies |
| @Mentions | Type @ to look up and notify a specific person |
| Edit/delete windows | Authors can edit within 15 minutes and delete within 5 minutes of posting; admins can always edit/delete |
| Page reactions | 👍 ❤️ 🎉 👀 💡 — quick feedback without writing a comment |
🛠️ Wiki Tools
A single menu on every page for the actions that don’t belong in the main editor.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Add sub-wiki | Create a nested child page in one step |
| Edit tags | Update the comma-separated tag list |
| Transfer ownership | Admins reassign the creator to another user |
| Properties | Open the full per-page permissions panel |
| Duplicate | Clone a page as a new, independent draft |
| Export PDF | Download the page as a PDF (when allowed) |
| Archive / Restore to Draft / Delete | Move a page through its lifecycle |
| Break Edit Lock | Admin-only — clear a stuck lock |
📋 Admin-Managed Templates
Give authors a head start instead of a blank page.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Reusable starters | Admins build templates with pre-filled body content, icon, and category |
| Available to everyone | Any user can pick a template when creating a new page |
| Default flag | Mark a template as the suggested default |
🤖 Wikis AI Agent (Ask AI Integration)
A dedicated agent that lets people work with wiki content through natural language in Ask AI. Off by default — an admin turns it on in Settings.
Everyone (once enabled):
- Search wikis by keyword
- Read a page’s full content
- Check a page’s details (author, dates, versions, views, tags)
- List/browse pages by recency, popularity, or tag
- View version history and comment threads
- Get aggregate stats (counts by status, most viewed, recently updated)
Admins (in addition to the above):
- Create a new draft page
- Publish, archive, or revert a page’s status
- Delete (soft-delete) a page
Example Questions:
- “Search wikis for onboarding”
- “Show me the Remote Work Policy wiki”
- “What are the most viewed wikis?”
- “List all wikis tagged with HR”
Every admin write action asks for confirmation before it executes — the agent never silently changes content.
🔔 Notifications
| Trigger | Who’s Notified |
|---|---|
| New comment | The page’s owner (unless they made the comment themselves) |
| @Mention | The mentioned user |
| Page published | The page’s workspace members, plus an optional admin-configured recipient group |
Each trigger has its own on/off switch in Settings, and notifications go out both in-app (Inbox) and by email.
⚙️ Admin Settings
Administrators configure the Wikis app from a centralized settings page:
Features:
- Enable Wikis AI Agent — turn the Ask AI integration on or off (off by default)
- Include Wikis in Global Search — surface wiki pages in platform-wide search
- Enable Homepage Widget — show the Wikis widget (Recent / Pinned / Popular) on the dashboard
- Allow PDF Export — app-wide switch; a page must also have its own export flag on
- Edit Lock Duration — how long an editor holds exclusive access (minutes)
Notifications:
- Notify Wiki Owner on New Comments
- Notify Users on @Mention
- Notify Users on Wiki Publish — plus an optional recipient group override
Sample Data:
- Load Sample Data — pre-built templates, wikis, and tags for exploring the app
- Remove Sample Data — clean up when you’re ready to build your own
User Roles & Permissions
| Role | Capabilities |
|---|---|
| Employee | Browse published pages plus their own drafts, create pages, edit/manage/comment per that page’s own permissions and their creator status, use every AI Agent read/search tool |
| Manager | Identical to Employee — Wikis has no manager-specific tier; managers get no extra visibility or approval powers |
| Admin / Super Admin | Everything above, plus: see and restore Archived pages, manage every page regardless of who created it or its lock state, transfer ownership, break edit locks, manage Templates, access Settings, and use the AI Agent’s create/publish/archive/delete tools |
Getting Started
For Employees
- Navigate to Wikis from the left sidebar (or go to
/apps/wikis) - Browse the page tree, or use Search to find a specific page
- Click “New Wiki” to author your own page — start from a template or a blank page
- Save as Draft to keep working privately, or Publish when it’s ready for everyone
- Ask AI: “Search wikis for onboarding” for natural-language discovery
For Managers
- Managers use Wikis exactly like Employees — there’s no separate manager view
- Create and maintain team-specific documentation the same way any other author would
For Administrators
- Go to Settings (
/apps/wikis/settings) and turn on the features you want (AI Agent, global search, homepage widget, notifications) - Visit Templates to build reusable starting points for common page types
- Use Settings → Sample Data → Load Sample Data to explore the app with pre-built content
- Use the Archived filter tab and the Wiki Tools menu on any page to manage the full lifecycle — publish, archive, restore, transfer ownership, or break a stuck edit lock
Best Practices
- ✅ Build a real hierarchy — Nest related pages as sub-wikis (e.g. “Employee Handbook” → “PTO Policy”) instead of one long flat list
- ✅ Use templates for repeat page types — Onboarding checklists, meeting notes, or SOPs all benefit from a consistent starting structure
- ✅ Write a change summary on meaningful edits — Future readers (and you) will thank you when scanning Version History
- ✅ Set per-page permissions deliberately — Don’t leave sensitive pages on “Any User” edit access by habit
- ✅ Publish deliberately, draft freely — Use Draft status to collaborate on a rough version before it’s visible company-wide
- ✅ Turn on the AI Agent once you trust the content — It’s a fast way for employees to get answers, but confirm your key pages are accurate and published first
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s the difference between a Draft, Published, and Archived page?
A: Draft is visible only to its creator and admins — a private working copy. Published is visible to everyone per the page’s own edit/comment permissions. Archived removes a page from the normal tree and search but keeps it recoverable — only admins can see the Archived list and restore a page back to Draft.
Q: Can two people edit the same page at once?
A: No — opening the editor claims a short-lived edit lock (30 minutes by default). Anyone else who opens the page sees a banner naming the current editor and when the lock expires. The lock releases automatically when the editor leaves, or an admin can break it manually if it gets stuck.
Q: I deleted content I didn’t mean to. Can I get it back?
A: Yes. Every save creates a new version. Open Wiki Tools → Version History, compare the version before your mistake against the current one to confirm what changed, then click Restore on the good version.
Q: Is the AI writing assistant the same as the Wikis AI Agent in Ask AI?
A: No. The editor’s AI menu (enhance writing, fix grammar, tone, etc.) works on your current draft and is always available once Wikis is enabled. The Wikis AI Agent in Ask AI is a separate, opt-in feature an admin turns on in Settings — it searches and reads pages for everyone, and lets admins create, publish, archive, or delete pages by asking, always with a confirmation step first.
Q: Do Managers see more than Employees in Wikis?
A: No. Wikis has no manager-specific tier — a Manager’s experience (what they can browse, create, and edit) is identical to an Employee’s. Only Admin/Super Admin unlocks additional capabilities.
Q: Can I try the app without creating real content?
A: Yes. Go to Settings → Sample Data and click “Load Sample Data” to generate sample templates, wikis, and tags. Remove them anytime with “Remove Sample Data.”
Related Resources
- Apps & Extensions Overview — Browse all available marketplace apps
- Libraries — Centralize resources (including wiki pages) into curated, permission-controlled collections
- Policy Hub — HR policies with acknowledgment tracking and compliance
- SOP Hub — Standard operating procedures with completion tracking
Turn scattered knowledge into a living, collaborative wiki everyone can trust.