NotebookLM — a lightweight grounded-chat alternative
NotebookLM is structurally different from the four main platforms — it doesn't create an "agent" in the same sense. A notebook is a knowledge base you query: you add source materials (PDFs, docs, websites, audio), and NotebookLM grounds its responses in those sources. The "agent" behavior comes from how you ask questions and the sources you've uploaded, not from a configured system prompt. NotebookLM is included in this catalog as an alternative for recipes that are primarily knowledge-grounded (course FAQ answerers, reading-discussion agents, syllabus-based assistants).
Create a new notebook
Sign in to NotebookLM at notebooklm.google.com with your VT account. Click "Create new" or the "+ New notebook" button on the home page. Give the notebook a name reflecting your recipe — typically the recipe's Title and the course it's for (e.g., "FIN 3104 Course FAQ").
Add sources
NotebookLM's central feature is the sources panel. Upload the materials your recipe specifies in its Knowledge Base field — syllabus, schedule, readings, assignment descriptions, lecture slides. NotebookLM supports PDF, text files, Google Docs, web pages, and audio.
Each source you add becomes part of what NotebookLM can answer from. Sources are the recipe's grounding; without them, NotebookLM has nothing course-specific to draw on.
You can add and remove sources at any time — NotebookLM re-indexes automatically.
Use the notebook
Once sources are uploaded, ask questions in the chat panel. NotebookLM grounds every response in your sources and cites which source each claim comes from. For faculty use, the recipe's Instructions field can serve as the first prompt — paste the Instructions text into the chat to set up the notebook's behavior for the session.
For student-facing deployment, share the notebook by clicking the share icon and adding student emails or a class group. Students get read-only access to the notebook and can ask their own questions.
If you can't find the share controls, ask NotebookLM: "How do I share this notebook with my class?" — the platform will direct you to the current sharing UI.
| Recipe field | NotebookLM equivalent |
|---|---|
| Title | Notebook name |
| Description | (use as the notebook's stated purpose; no dedicated field) |
| Instructions | First prompt or pinned note (no dedicated system-prompt field) |
| Knowledge Base | Sources (uploaded materials) |
| Tools | (not applicable) |
Last updated: pending.