• READY
  • ACTIVE
  • HUMAN
  • LOGGED

How to trigger document ingestion with your AI

Connect Unstructured to your agent to turn file uploads into immediate processing jobs.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I start document processing as soon as files are uploaded?

You tell your agent to run a workflow execution once it detects new files in your remote storage. This kicks off the Unstructured ingestion process so your data is ready for analysis right away. You'll see how the agent handles the handoff below.

The results.

Where your data lands.

The ingestion process moves files from storage into a format your agent can actually use.

READY

Cleaned data

The agent receives structured text and metadata from the files. You can immediately ask questions about the content.

ACTIVE

Running jobs

The agent monitors the status of the ingestion. You get updates on whether the files processed successfully.

HUMAN

Manual review

If a file format is unsupported or corrupted, the agent flags it. You'll need to step in to fix the source file.

LOGGED

Execution history

Every triggered job is tracked. You can verify which files were ingested and when the process finished.

The workflow

What your AI does when the files arrive.

The agent acts as the bridge between your storage and the Unstructured processing engine.

  1. Detect new files

    Your agent checks your remote source for any new uploads that haven't been processed yet.

    trigger_workflow_execution

  2. Start ingestion

    The agent sends the file paths to Unstructured to begin the extraction process.

    trigger_workflow_execution

  3. Monitor progress

    The agent tracks the job to ensure the files are being parsed correctly.

    trigger_workflow_execution

  4. Deliver content

    Once finished, the agent makes the extracted text available for your prompts.

    trigger_workflow_execution

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off the process in your chat interface.

Starting points

Swap out the bracketed text for your specific folder names or file types.

Unstructured Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_wLKl0zBun6GGEWOAXV2AtIEfq4BCwiQMTDSCBvt6/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Unstructured capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unstructured-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_wLKl0zBun6GGEWOAXV2AtIEfq4BCwiQMTDSCBvt6/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Trigger a new ingestion job for the files in my S3 bucket.

  • Start processing the PDFs I just uploaded to my Google Drive folder.

  • Check if the latest documents in my Dropbox are ready for ingestion.

  • Run the ingestion workflow for the new files in my Azure blob storage.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Unstructured once, then ask.

Log in once to link your account. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can find the full tool list on the Connector page.

Connect Unstructured to your AI

FAQ

How the ingestion works

  • 01

    Can the AI delete files from my S3 bucket?

    No. The agent can only trigger the ingestion workflow; it cannot delete or modify your original files.

  • 02

    Does the AI automatically know when a file is uploaded?

    The AI triggers the process when you ask it to or when you set up a trigger. It doesn't watch your folders in the background without an instruction.

  • 03

    What happens if the file is a weird format?

    If Unstructured can't parse the file, the workflow will fail. The agent will tell you it couldn't process the document.

  • 04

    Can I use this to edit the documents?

    No. This tool is for reading and extracting data, not for writing or editing files in your storage.

  • 05

    Can the agent process multiple files at once?

    Yes, you can trigger the workflow for a batch of files in a specific directory.

  • More questions about Unstructured? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Unstructured Connector can do

Connect Unstructured to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more