Managing Files

The core distinction: sources are what you put in; deliverables are what you produce. Both appear in the same list, each with a badge: a grey Source pill or a blue Deliverable pill. You can filter the list with the All, Source files and Deliverables toggles.

• Sources are the documents LithicBlue reads to build the project knowledge base: board packs, interview notes, financials, prior reports. As they come in, LithicBlue structures them into its ontological map (the connected picture of the people, organisations, topics and key facts across the project), which is what lets it reason across every source at once and trace each claim back to where it came from. This feeds scope analysis, data gaps and claim verification. Almost any document type can be a source (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, CSV, TXT, MD, HTML, emails, Teams meeting transcripts (.vtt), images and more).
• Deliverables are the outputs you build for the client: PowerPoint presentations, PDFs and Word documents, where claims are verified and traceable. A deliverable is not part of the evidence base; it's reviewed against it.

Sometimes a file arrives in the wrong category: a prior deck uploaded as a source you actually want to work on, or vice versa. Use the per-row actions, or click the file's Source or Deliverable pill to do the same thing:

• Mark as deliverable (on a source) promotes it to a deliverable. LithicBlue warns first: doing so removes its extracted knowledge from the project's evidence, because a deliverable isn't a source that contains evidence.
• Convert to source file (on a deliverable) moves it back into the evidence base. LithicBlue warns first: doing so removes any validation you've made in the deliverable, because a source file can't be verified.

Use the New deliverable button on the Files toolbar to upload a .pptx, .pdf or .docx file directly as a deliverable. It shows as Uploading… while it lands, then LithicBlue prepares it in the background; open it from the list once it's ready.

You can also promote a file you've already uploaded as a source with Mark as deliverable, as above.

Files are organised in folders under a root called Files, with a breadcrumb showing where you are. Click New folder to add one, rename a folder inline, and drag files or folders to move them. Deleting a folder asks you to confirm and shows how many items and subfolders it contains.

You can bring a whole folder in at once: drag a folder onto the upload area, or useUpload → Folder…, and its structure (including any nested subfolders) is recreated inside the project, with each file placed where it belongs. The upload lands under the folder you're currently viewing.

The Check references toolbar action marks each source with an edge bar showing whether it's actually cited in a deliverable, handy for spotting sources you brought in but never used.

• Open in viewer / Open deliverable: view the document.
• Download: download the original (or the deck, PDF or Word document for a deliverable).
• View contradictions: appears on a source when LithicBlue has found conflicts involving it.
• Delete: remove the file (or select several and use the bulk Delete).

Most files are analysed without you doing anything. When one isn't, its row carries a small marker you can hover for the reason. The file stays in your project either way — it is never hidden, and you can still open and download it.

• Protected by a sensitivity label: your organisation has applied a label that encrypts the document, so its contents can't be read and it won't contribute to the project's insights. Labels that only add a visual marking, such as a header, footer or watermark, make no difference — those files are analysed as normal. If you need a protected document analysed, speak to whoever manages sensitivity labels in your organisation.
• Password-protected: click the marker on the row and enter the password. LithicBlue checks it immediately and analyses the file if it opens. Works for PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as sources and deliverables. A key icon then shows on the row for as long as the password is held; clicking it removes the password again, along with everything read from the file. Opening the file in the viewer asks for the password again — see how protected documents are handled.
• Older file format: the document was saved in a format from before the current Office formats. Re-saving it as .docx, .pptx or .xlsx lets it be analysed.
• Unsupported file type: the file isn't a type LithicBlue reads at all.
• No readable text: the document opened, but no text could be recovered from it. Scanned and image-only pages are read automatically, so this usually means the pages are blank, or the writing on them is too faint or too distorted to make out.

If the project mirrors a connected Google Drive or SharePoint folder, that folder is the source of truth. A banner reads Files managed in SharePoint / Files managed in Google Drive, and file management changes:

• Add, rename, move or delete sources in the cloud folder (not in LithicBlue), then click Sync from SharePoint / Sync from Google Drive to pull the changes in. Local upload, rename, move and delete are disabled.
• Use Open in SharePoint / Open in Google Drive to jump to the folder.
• New deliverable upload isn't available while synced. Create deliverables from synced files instead with Mark as deliverable; they stay in LithicBlue and aren't pushed back to the cloud.