VATES
Embeddable B2B AI infrastructure powered by human-editable structured knowledge. Build traceable AI assistants without a vector database or embedding pipeline.
Embeddable B2B AI infrastructure using human-editable structured knowledge to deliver traceable answers without a vector database.
EchoScript Knowledge Editor
1 / 3Overview
What is VATES?
Embeddable B2B AI infrastructure powered by human-editable structured knowledge. Build traceable AI assistants without a vector database or embedding pipeline.
VATES — Human-Editable Knowledge Infrastructure for AI
VATES is an embeddable B2B AI platform developed by STANDOUT Inc. in Japan. It enables organizations to build AI assistants grounded in their own structured knowledge, with direct human control over the information used to generate answers.
Unlike conventional retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architectures, VATES does not rely on a vector database or embedding pipeline. Instead, it uses EchoScript (ES), a human-editable structured plain-text format designed to preserve knowledge in an inspectable and maintainable form.
How VATES Works
VATES consists of three integrated components:
- bard — Knowledge Creation: Converts natural-language descriptions into structured EchoScript records. Users can inspect and refine the resulting knowledge.
- druid — Knowledge Management: Provides structured knowledge storage, search, retrieval, evaluation, and editing.
- vates — AI Interaction: Answers natural-language questions using relevant EchoScript knowledge, with support for tracing the underlying sources.
End users simply ask questions in natural language. They do not need to learn EchoScript.
Key Capabilities
- Human-editable knowledge: Create, inspect, and update structured information directly.
- Traceable answers: Examine the knowledge sources used to support AI responses.
- No vector database: Manage knowledge without embedding generation or vector-index rebuilding.
- Flexible deployment: Integrate through an embeddable widget, standalone chat interface, API, or remote MCP server.
- Security and governance: Access controls, passkeys, two-factor authentication, audit logs, login history, and configurable retention policies.
- Multilingual accessibility: The VATES website supports 23 languages.
Who Should Use VATES?
VATES is designed for organizations, developers, and knowledge managers working with information that is private, frequently updated, organization-specific, or costly to misinterpret.
Typical applications include internal knowledge assistants, specialized business information services, product documentation, operational procedures, and AI integrations requiring human oversight.
Pricing and Availability
VATES uses prepaid, usage-based pricing with no monthly subscription fee. The minimum initial deposit is USD 5, plus applicable taxes. There is no free trial.
Platforms and languages
VATES Availability
Platforms
Languages
Capabilities
VATES Key Features
Human-Editable Structured Knowledge
VATES stores organizational knowledge in EchoScript (ES), a structured plain-text format with two columns and n rows. Users can create knowledge through natural language, then inspect and edit the resulting structure directly without managing embeddings or a vector database.
Traceable AI Answers
Ask questions in natural language and receive answers grounded in structured organizational knowledge. VATES uses its druid retrieval service to find relevant EchoScript records and supports tracing answers back to their knowledge sources.
Embeddable AI and API Integration
Deploy AI interactions through an embeddable website widget, standalone chat interface, API, or remote MCP server. Organizations can integrate VATES into existing websites and workflows without requiring end users to learn EchoScript syntax.
Security, Access Control and Auditing
Manage access permissions, review login activity, inspect audit logs and security events, and configure data retention. VATES supports passkeys, two-factor authentication, and hash-chained audit records for operational accountability.
Knowledge Updates Without Re-Embedding
Knowledge owners can revise EchoScript records directly. Changes become available to the retrieval system as soon as the updated ES is written, without rebuilding vector indexes or running an embedding pipeline. This supports information that changes frequently or requires owner-defined accuracy.
Best for
Who uses VATES?
Businesses Managing Private Knowledge
Organizations that need AI assistants to answer questions using internal policies, procedures, product information, or other knowledge not reliably available on the public internet. Knowledge owners can maintain the source information directly.
AI Developers and SaaS Teams
Developers building AI-powered applications, embedded assistants, and knowledge-driven services who want API integration, structured knowledge control, and traceable retrieval without maintaining a vector database or embedding pipeline.
Knowledge Managers and Operations Teams
Teams responsible for keeping operational knowledge accurate and current. VATES is suited to frequently changing information, organization-specific rules, and situations where incorrect answers carry meaningful business costs.
Plans and access
VATES Pricing
Paid
From $5 deposit (no monthly fee)
VATES uses prepaid, usage-based pricing with no monthly subscription fees, minimum spending requirements, or cancellation fees.
The minimum top-up is USD 5.00, plus applicable local taxes. Usage charges are automatically deducted from the prepaid balance. When the balance runs out, service is suspended and resumes after additional funds are deposited.
Users pay only for actual consumption. Current usage rates are available on the official pricing page.
Common questions
VATES FAQs
How is VATES different from conventional RAG systems?
VATES does not use a vector database or embedding pipeline. Instead, it stores knowledge in EchoScript (ES), a human-editable structured plain-text format. Its retrieval service identifies relevant records, and the AI interprets that knowledge when answering questions. This allows knowledge owners to inspect and update the underlying information directly.
Do users need to learn EchoScript to use VATES?
No. Users can describe knowledge in natural language, and bard helps convert it into EchoScript. Knowledge owners can review or refine the structure when needed. People asking questions interact with VATES through ordinary natural language without needing to understand the underlying format.
Can VATES be embedded into an existing website?
Yes. VATES supports an embeddable chat widget, a standalone chat interface, and API-based integration. It also provides a remote MCP server for compatible clients and workflows.
How does VATES handle data retention and security?
VATES provides configurable conversation-log retention, including a standard 30-day option and a zero-retention option. Security capabilities include access controls, passkeys, two-factor authentication, login history, audit logs, and security monitoring. Available settings depend on the relevant account and instance configuration.
What kinds of knowledge are best suited to VATES?
VATES is particularly suited to knowledge that is not publicly available, changes frequently, has an authoritative owner who determines what is correct, requires traceable evidence, or carries significant costs when answered incorrectly. Examples include internal procedures, specialized product knowledge, and organization-specific operating rules.
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