| name | knowledge-base-help-center-stinger |
| description | Customer-facing knowledge bases — Intercom Articles, Help Scout Docs, ReadMe.com, Document360, HelpJuice, Zendesk Guide — search-first design, AI deflection (chat-with-your-docs), versioning, multi-language, the analytics-driven content-gap loop. Use when the user says "pick a KB platform", "set up a help center", "migrate Zendesk Guide", "add AI deflection to our docs", "fix our search no-results", "localize our KB", or invokes `knowledge-base-help-center-worker-bee`. Do NOT use for support inbox/ticketing (customer-support-tooling-worker-bee), live chat widget wiring (live-chat-support-worker-bee), organic SEO keyword strategy (seo-aeo-worker-bee), or RAG/embedding pipeline implementation (mind-worker-bee). |
knowledge-base-help-center Stinger
Opinionated playbook for knowledge-base-help-center-worker-bee. Equips the Bee to select, set up, architect, and continuously improve customer-facing self-service knowledge bases in 2026.
2026 Platform Landscape at a Glance
| Platform | AI Deflection | Versioning | Multi-language | MCP (2026) | Pricing |
|---|
| Help Scout Docs | AI Answers ($0.75/res) | Basic article history | Partial; no native multi-locale | No | Transparent, contact-based |
| Intercom Articles | Fin ($0.99/res; standalone plan, no seats required) | None | Fin: 45 languages; Articles: TMS workflow | No | Per-seat + usage; opaque total cost |
| Document360 | Eddy AI (Business+ tier) | Full branch versioning (parallel v2+v3 simultaneously) | 50+ languages, auto-translate (Business+) | Yes (v12.3.1, Mar 2026) | Quote-based (opaque; no self-serve pricing) |
| ReadMe.com | AI Agent + vector search | Git-backed version control | Partial | Yes (Apr 2026) | Tiered; Metrics API: Enterprise only |
| Zendesk Guide | Answer Bot / Copilot AI | Basic; no branching | Native path-based locale routing; RTL | No | Per-agent seat |
| HelpJuice | Unknown (2026 data gap) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Contact sales |
Critical 2026 findings:
- Intercom Fin is now available as a standalone plan ($0.99/resolution, no Intercom seat purchase required). This reshapes the AI deflection decision for all platforms — you can pair Fin's AI deflection with any KB platform via URL/PDF ingestion.
- llms.txt gained Google Lighthouse validation on May 20, 2026. Add an
llms.txt and llms-full.txt to every KB setup as a Day-1 step for AI assistant discoverability.
- Document360 launched an MCP server in v12.3.1 (Mar 2026) — Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot can now read and write the KB directly via MCP protocol.
Sources: research/external/2026-05-20-ai-deflection-patterns.md, research/external/2026-05-20-document360-mcp-release-notes.md, research/external/2026-05-20-llmstxt-standard.md.
Entry point for any invocation
- Read
guides/00-platform-selection.md — the scored decision tree. Always run this first when the platform is undecided or when a migration is proposed.
- Read
guides/01-information-architecture.md — taxonomy, article templates, search tagging.
- Read
guides/02-ai-deflection.md — the three AI deflection patterns and the hand-off protocol to mind-worker-bee.
- Read the platform-specific guide for the chosen tool (
guides/06- through guides/09-).
- Read
guides/05-analytics-loop.md last — wire the feedback loop after setup is complete.
Folder layout
knowledge-base-help-center-stinger/
├── SKILL.md (this file — master index)
├── README.md (one-page human overview)
├── guides/
│ ├── 00-platform-selection.md (scored decision tree; run first)
│ ├── 01-information-architecture.md (taxonomy, article templates, search tagging)
│ ├── 02-ai-deflection.md (3-pattern taxonomy; llms.txt; mind-worker-bee hand-off)
│ ├── 03-versioning.md (version-branching, release-gate review, article changelog)
│ ├── 04-multi-language.md (locale routing, TMS options: Phrase/Crowdin/Lokalise)
│ ├── 05-analytics-loop.md (CRAVA framework, no-result queries, weekly triage)
│ ├── 06-help-scout-docs.md (Help Scout Docs setup, Beacon, Article Ratings)
│ ├── 07-intercom-articles.md (Intercom Articles, Fin standalone, Messenger Home)
│ ├── 08-document360.md (Document360, MCP server, Eddy AI, branch versioning)
│ └── 09-readme-dev-hub.md (ReadMe.com developer hub, CLI, AI Agent)
├── examples/
│ ├── greenfield-help-scout.md (zero to AI deflection with Help Scout Docs)
│ └── migration-zendesk-to-help-scout.md (Zendesk Guide → Help Scout Docs migration)
├── templates/
│ ├── platform-selection-matrix.md (scored matrix stub)
│ ├── kb-setup-checklist.md (launch checklist)
│ └── content-gap-triage.md (weekly search-no-results triage)
├── reports/
│ └── README.md (how past-run reports accumulate)
└── research/ (populated by scripture-historian — DO NOT MODIFY)
├── research-plan.md
├── research-summary.md
├── index.md
├── external/ (17 source notes)
└── internal/ (2 source notes)
Critical directives
- Run the decision tree before recommending a platform. Platform selection without scoring against the team's actual constraints (content volume, authoring persona, versioning, AI deflection need, budget) produces the wrong answer. See
guides/00-platform-selection.md.
- Always name the concrete trade-off. "Use Document360" without naming the quote-only pricing and the sales-call barrier produces buyer's regret. "Use Intercom Articles" without naming the per-seat + per-resolution cost stack produces bill shock. Source:
research/external/2026-05-20-helpscout-vs-intercom-cost-model.md.
- Default to search-first architecture. A KB that cannot surface the right article in two clicks fails its primary job. Wire search analytics before any AI deflection layer.
- Flag the llms.txt step on every new KB setup. Google Lighthouse now validates llms.txt (May 20, 2026). It is a 10-minute Day-1 step with permanent AI assistant discoverability benefit.
- Route embedding/RAG pipeline implementation to
mind-worker-bee. The three deflection patterns specify the architecture boundary; mind-worker-bee implements the vector retrieval side. Do not cross that boundary. See guides/02-ai-deflection.md.
- Flag HelpJuice as a 2026 research gap. No current data was found on HelpJuice AI deflection maturity, versioning, or pricing. Treat it as a placeholder in the platform matrix and direct users to helpjuice.com/whats-new before committing. See
research/research-summary.md OQ-1.
