# Writing and updating

The answer on a knowledge base item is what gets used when that question comes up
in a questionnaire or an RFP. You can write it yourself, have ResponseHub draft
it, or regenerate what is already there.

You need write access to your account to change an answer.

## Edit an answer

Select the answer to edit it in place, then save with the tick button.

**Approved answers are locked:** An approved answer cannot be edited. To change one, set the item's status back to
**Needs Input** first — the item itself tells you this when you hover over an
approved answer.

## Save, or save and approve

Two buttons sit beside an answer you are editing:

| Button | Does |
|---|---|
| Tick | **Save** — keeps your changes and leaves the status alone |
| Green lightning bolt | **Save and Approve** — saves your changes and approves the item in one go |

Use the lightning bolt when you have finished with an item and want it available
for answering questionnaires immediately.

Cancel with the red cross to discard your changes.

## Draft an answer with the AI writer

The purple sparkle button — **Enhance with AI** — turns rough notes into a full
response. Write a few words describing what the answer should say, then select
it, and ResponseHub writes the answer out properly.

This is the fastest way to handle a question your sources cannot answer, where
you know what you want to say but not how you want it worded.

## Sync

Sync decides whether an item is answered automatically from your sources. It is
the setting that determines what happens to an answer when your policies change.

Every item shows its setting at the bottom of the answer, as **Sync enabled** or
**Sync disabled**. Select the badge to switch it.

**Sync enabled.** The item is answered automatically from your sources, and it
stays connected to them. When you update a source, ResponseHub offers to update
the items that draw on it.

**Sync disabled.** The item is left alone. It will not be answered automatically
and will not be touched when your sources change. The app describes these as
questions that require manual review.

### Choosing which to use

**Keep sync on** for answers that trace directly back to your policy documents.
These are the answers you want moving with your policies — when a policy is
reissued, the answer should follow.

**Switch sync off** for answers that aren't in your sources at all: a named
responsible individual, a product detail no policy covers, or wording you have
deliberately settled on. Unsyncing protects those answers from ever being
overwritten by a source change.

See [what happens when sources change](/questionnaires/when-sources-change/) for
what an update actually does to your items.

## Regenerate an answer

Regenerating rebuilds the answer from your sources. Use it when the answer is
close but not right, or when your policies have changed.

1. Open the item and select **Regenerate Answer**.

2. Set **Answer detail** with the slider — low, normal, or high.

3. Add **Custom instructions** if you want to steer the result.

   The examples beneath the box are one-select shortcuts: *less technical*,
   *more detail*, *no product names*.

4. Select **Regenerate**.

The detail level and any custom instructions you used are shown under the answer,
so you can see what produced it.

**Regenerating needs sync switched on:** **Regenerate Answer** only appears on items that have sync enabled and are not
yet approved. Regeneration works from your sources, so an unsynced item — one
deliberately kept away from your sources — has nothing to regenerate from. That
is the trade: an unsynced answer is yours to maintain by hand, and nothing will
rewrite it.

## Next steps

- [What are knowledge base items?](/knowledge-base/knowledge-base-items/)
- [What happens when sources change](/questionnaires/when-sources-change/)