---
id: KB-MA-012
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/marta/marta-cannot-find-something-that-exists
idioma: en
categoria: marta
audiencia: usuario
nivel: basico
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-MA-004, KB-MA-002, KB-MA-018]
citadoPor: [KB-MA-020]
---

# Marta cannot find something that exists

_Four reasons, in order of likelihood, and what to do about each._

**Responde a:** marta cannot find a document · the ai says there is nothing but there is · why does it not find what i am looking for · the assistant cannot see my documents

You ask about something you know is there and the answer is that there is no record of it. Before assuming a failure, rule out four things, because only the last one really is one.

## The four reasons, by likelihood

| Reason | How to check | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| You lack permission to see it | Search for it manually yourself | Ask an administrator for access |
| It is in another organisation | Check which one you are in | Switch organisation |
| It was uploaded without reading | Open it and see whether it has text | Reprocess it |
| The question pointed elsewhere | Ask using an identifier | Rephrase with a concrete value |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The first is by far the commonest and the least like a permissions problem: the answer does not say "you cannot see it", it says there is no record. And that is correct: for your permission level, there is none.

## How to ask so it turns up

1. **With an identifier rather than a name** — A tax ID or case number is not written three different ways.
2. **Saying what it belongs to, not just what you want** — "X's public liability policy" finds better than "X's insurance".
3. **Without the date, at first** — The date you remember is usually off and discards exactly what you want.
4. **And in parts if the question is long** — Two simple questions work better than one with four conditions.

> [!WARNING]
> If after all that you still cannot find it, search manually before concluding anything. If it does not appear manually either, the problem is not the question: either it was never uploaded, or you cannot see it.

## The case of the silent scan

A scanned document uploaded without reading exists but says nothing about itself. It is in the list, it opens, and yet it answers no question about its content. It is the most bewildering case because the document looks perfectly fine on screen.

**En corto**

- If you can see it manually but it does not answer, it probably was not read.
- If you cannot see it manually, it is permissions or organisation.
- And if you can see it and the answer is wrong, then it really is the question.

> [!NOTE]
> Asking consumes, including when the answer is that there is nothing. Ruling out permissions and organisation before rephrasing five times is cheaper and is usually the answer.

**Does it learn from my corrections?**

It remembers what you explicitly tell it; it does not reinterpret the past on its own.

**Can it search another team's documents?**

Only if your permissions let you see them.

**What if the document is brand new?**

It may take a moment to become available after upload.

## Ejemplos

**Someone asks about a contract and is told there is no record, although a colleague uploaded it.**

- Searches manually and finds nothing either
- Requests access from the team that holds it

→ It appears as soon as they have permission, with nothing to fix.

**Something that exists is searched for and does not appear.**

- Checks whether you have access to that file

→ A scope problem is ruled out.

**The document was uploaded without processing.**

- Checks whether its content is searchable

→ The document becomes findable.

**A field that was never extracted is searched for.**

- Adds that field to the extraction

→ Search finds what is needed.

**The question uses a term the document does not.**

- Tries the document's own wording

→ The match appears.

**The document sits in another file.**

- Widens the question's scope

→ It is located without walking folders.