Who finds an Outpost's documents in MeinGPT, what is released along the way, and how Windows permissions (beta) come into play.
For documents on an Outpost there are three layers, which you set in two places:
| Layer | Question | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|
| Sharing in MeinGPT | Who finds the data source at all? | MeinGPT |
| Release level | What leaves the machine — text only, or the original file too? | Outpost, per folder |
| Windows permissions (beta) | Which files in it may the individual person see? | Outpost, per folder |
A person finds a document only if every enabled layer allows it. No layer can extend another.
When you adopt a reported folder under Settings → Outposts → Manage → Shares with Use as source, the new data source is at first visible only to workspace admins. Nobody else finds it, not even through an assistant.
Admins see every data source
Workspace admins have access to every data source, regardless of sharing. So check whether a share works with an account that does not have the admin role.
Only workspace admins can share. You reach the sharing dialog in two places:
You share the data source with:
There is one level: Can view. Whoever has it finds the documents in search and chat. Only an admin can change or pass on sharing. Remove access takes a share back immediately.
An assistant cannot be given access — only people and teams can. If you attach a data source to an assistant as knowledge, every use applies the sharing of the person who is chatting:
So share the data source with everyone who should use the assistant. In chat, each person can only attach data sources that are shared with them. Citations and downloads also check sharing on every call.
How much a folder releases is set on the machine: in the Outpost under Shares → folder → Data access, section Data retrieval.
| In the Outpost | Shown in MeinGPT | What is released |
|---|---|---|
| Extracted text only (default) | Text only | Matching passages, file name and the full text of the document |
| Text and original files | Original files | Additionally the original file, for example to open it from a citation |
The level cannot be changed in MeinGPT; it is only displayed there. Background: Security.
In the same tab, under Source folder, you set whether MeinGPT may only read files in the folder (Read only, default) or also create, edit, move and delete them (Read and write source files). Writing is limited to text files up to 48 KB (such as .txt, .md, .csv, .json, .xml, .yaml) and only possible for people the data source is shared with.
If nothing should leave for a while, choose Pause release from the Outpost card's menu. The machine keeps indexing; search and chat get nothing from this Outpost until you choose Resume release.
Without this feature: whoever may see the data source finds everything in it — NTFS, Active Directory and file permissions are not carried over. Your split into data sources is then your permission model.
With Apply Windows permissions, access additionally follows each individual person's NTFS permissions. This applies to search, opening originals and write access.
\\server\share) are rejected.Choose the mode on the folder
In the Outpost under Shares → folder → Data access, section User-specific access, choose Apply Windows permissions instead of Same access for everyone. Once the beta is enabled, newly shared folders already start in this mode; existing folders stay as they are.
Map people to Windows accounts
Configure folder permissions opens the Folder permission center. It
lists every person in the workspace with their Windows account. For people
who sign in through Entra ID, the Outpost suggests the matching account —
you confirm the suggestions. You map everyone else manually, for example to
CONTOSO\alexander.taylor.
Check with one file
Under Test access rights, enter the path of an indexed file and see for one person whether searching, opening and writing are allowed — and whether an Outpost policy or Windows blocks it.
Services you connect through an Outpost in the services preview follow the same pattern: after they are created, only an admin sees them. You share them on the Outpost card via Access (dialog Share Service) with everyone, members or teams. Whether a database may only be read or also written is set on the machine.
| You want to … | How |
|---|---|
| take access away from a person or a team | sharing dialog → Remove access |
| remove a data source from MeinGPT | data source's page → Remove source. The folder and local index stay on the Outpost; you can adopt the folder again later. |
| stop anything from leaving an Outpost immediately | Outpost card menu → Pause release |