Pinecone Assistant

What it does

Pinecone Assistant takes uploaded documents such as PDFs and produces chat answers grounded in those files, with citations that point to the file and pages used. Developers create an assistant with a name and instructions, choose a deployment region of us or eu, and upload files that Pinecone chunks, embeds and indexes automatically. Queries return a response message plus citation records that include file metadata and page numbers.

Developers use the Python or Node.js SDK to create document-answering features without managing a separate retrieval pipeline. Pinecone handles chunking, embedding, indexing, retrieval and reranking, while the application controls its instructions and user interface. Documents belong to the selected assistant, and deleting that assistant removes its uploaded files. Citations help users inspect the source material, but the application should still test the relevance and accuracy of answers.

It suits developers and teams building document question-answering or retrieval-augmented features who want managed infrastructure rather than their own vector pipeline. Access requires a Pinecone account and API key; a free Starter plan is offered. Limits include the requirement that uploaded files be processed before querying, which can take minutes, and that signed file URLs are temporary and should be treated as sensitive.

What it can do

• Create named assistants with custom instructions and a us or eu deployment region
• Upload files with optional metadata for filtering retrieval
• Automatic chunking, embedding and retrieval of uploaded documents
• Chat responses that include citations with file and page references
• Evaluation of answers against ground truth on Standard and Enterprise plans
• Retrieve context snippets for use with your own LLM

Works with

• n8n

Example workflows

Answer questions over a company filing

Illustrative example. Input: a PDF annual report and a question such as who is the CFO. Steps: create an assistant, upload the file with metadata, wait for processing to complete, send the question through the chat call. Output: a grounded answer plus citations listing the file name and page numbers.

Filtered document chat for a support knowledge base

Illustrative example. Input: multiple product manuals uploaded with a product metadata tag. Steps: upload each file with its product label, then chat with a metadata filter so only matching files are used. Output: an answer limited to the selected product's documents, with citations to those files.

Before you choose

• Deleting an assistant also deletes its uploaded files.
• Signed file links expire after one hour and grant access to anyone holding them.
• Starter caps require upgrading; paid usage shares the account plan and its minimum with other Pinecone services.

Listed under

• Coding

Get started

Sign up free, generate an API key in the Pinecone console, then install an SDK.

1. Create a Pinecone account and generate an API key in the Pinecone console.
2. Install the Python SDK (Python 3.10 or later) or the Node.js SDK (Node.js 22 or later).
3. Create an assistant with a name, instructions and region, then upload documents and wait for processing before chatting.

These are shared Pinecone account plans, not separate fees for each product. Starter is free within its caps. Builder is a flat $20/month with fixed allowances. Standard has a $50/month usage minimum; Enterprise has a $500 minimum. Database, Assistant and inference use different meters and allowances. Assistant paid rates include $3/GB/month storage, $8/million input tokens, $15/million output tokens and separate context/ingestion charges. Confirm total account usage before upgrading.

Source: pinecone.io/pricing, checked 29 Oct 2026. Prices can change; check before you buy.

Sources for this overview

Product pages, documentation, and pricing checked 29 Oct 2026. Each source supports part of the overview; availability and prices can change.

• Pinecone Assistant | Pinecone ↗www.pinecone.io
• Pricing | Pinecone ↗www.pinecone.io
• Pinecone Assistant: SDK quickstart - Pinecone Docs ↗docs.pinecone.io

Company website

pinecone.io: product, pricing and policy pages

YC directory mirror

Batch and company name

Web search

Confirms the official site

Social accounts

Accounts the company links, and its posts on X

Human review

Checked by a person

knowledge_base

Last checked 29 Oct 2026. Every field keeps its source and date; unknown means we couldn’t confirm it.