Supersede vs. delete
Default to supersede. Delete only when required (PII takedowns, legal removals).
How to supersede
Three ways:Manual
Right-click any document → Supersede. Optionally pick a replacement document — the citation trail links the two so anyone reading the old version knows where to go.Auto-supersede on re-upload
If you upload a document with the same canonical URL or same source path as an existing one, Nora offers to auto-supersede the old one with the new. Also fires automatically when a Foundry pipeline’s Source stage sees the source content change — the old chunks are superseded, new chunks written.Bulk
- Select multiple → Supersede selection.
- CLI:
nora knowledge supersede <query>.
Un-superseding
Everything is reversible. Filter to superseded documents (View → Superseded), select the ones to restore, and click Restore. They rejoin the active index within seconds.Superseded documents in Traces
If an Agent ran against a chunk that has since been superseded, the Trace flags it visually. Useful when investigating a stale answer — you can see the answer was correct at the time.Effective dates
You can supersede with a future date. The document stays active until that date, then automatically drops out of retrieval. Good for time-sensitive content:- “Old fee schedule superseded on 2026-08-01.”
- “Deprecated API doc superseded when the SDK 5.0 release ships.”
Version chains
Multiple supersedes on the same document create a version chain. You can walk it in either direction from any version:Retention
Superseded documents count against storage but are cheaper (metadata-only for long-superseded content). By default they’re retained indefinitely. Configure a retention policy under Collection settings → Superseded retention — auto-delete after N days.Audit view
Insights → Supersede log shows every supersede action:- Who did it, when.
- Which document, which replacement (if any).
- Whether it was manual, auto, or CLI-triggered.