Glean Assistant Basics
Asking a question and getting a cited answer
You'll be able to
- Ask Glean Assistant a question instead of running a keyword search
- Read the cited answer and locate the sources behind it
Read first
Day 5 Lab
- Pick a question you would normally answer by opening several documents.
- Ask Glean Assistant that question in plain language, not as keywords.
- Read the synthesized answer it returns.
- Find the citations attached to the answer and note which sources it used.
- Compare the time against doing the same lookup by hand.
Working Example: Asking the Assistant
Glean Assistant answers a natural-language question by reading across your connected apps and returning a synthesized response with citations. Verified against assistant_skills.
You: What is our current PTO policy for new hires?
Glean: New hires accrue 15 days of PTO in year one, prorated by start date. [1][2]
[1] People Ops Handbook — "Time Off" (Confluence)
[2] New Hire FAQ (Drive)
Ask a question when you want the answer assembled for you, not a list of links.Check for understanding
When is asking the Assistant better than running a keyword search?
Check yourself
1. What does `roadmap updated:past_week` return?
2. How do you isolate results from Q1 2026 with a precise date window?
3. What is the difference between `in:` and `collection:`?
4. When is `my:history pricing` the right move?
5. After Glean Assistant gives a cited answer, what is the governed next step?
In 10 seconds
“Don't want to open ten docs? Ask Glean Assistant a plain question and get one synthesized answer with citations. It reads across your work apps and shows the sources, so you can chat instead of hunt.”
Verifying Answers and Citations