diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Attributes/SideCarAttribute.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Attributes/SideCarAttribute.cs
index 4426d71f..1d93dcba 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Attributes/SideCarAttribute.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Attributes/SideCarAttribute.cs
@@ -23,7 +23,12 @@ public class SideCarAttribute : AsyncMoAttribute
         var instance = context.Target;
         var retType = context.ReturnType;
 
-        var serviceProvider = ((IHaveServiceProvider)instance).ServiceProvider;
+        var serviceProvider = (instance as IHaveServiceProvider)?.ServiceProvider;
+        if (serviceProvider == null)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
         var (sidecar, sidecarMethod) = GetSideCarMethod(serviceProvider, methodName, retType, methodArgs);
         if (sidecar == null || sidecarMethod == null)
         {
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Models/SideCarOptions.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Models/SideCarOptions.cs
index f221cab2..7fb734dd 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Models/SideCarOptions.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Abstraction/SideCar/Models/SideCarOptions.cs
@@ -4,18 +4,22 @@ public class SideCarOptions
 {
     public bool IsInheritStates { get; set; }
     public IEnumerable<string>? InheritStateKeys { get; set; }
+    public IEnumerable<string>? ExcludedStateKeys { get; set; }
 
     public static SideCarOptions Empty()
     {
         return new();
     }
 
-    public static SideCarOptions InheritStates(IEnumerable<string>? targetStates = null)
+    public static SideCarOptions InheritStates(
+        IEnumerable<string>? includedStates = null,
+        IEnumerable<string>? excludedStates = null)
     {
         return new()
         {
             IsInheritStates = true,
-            InheritStateKeys = targetStates
+            InheritStateKeys = includedStates,
+            ExcludedStateKeys = excludedStates
         };
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core.SideCar/Services/BotSharpConversationSideCar.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core.SideCar/Services/BotSharpConversationSideCar.cs
index d636fa71..d598fdac 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core.SideCar/Services/BotSharpConversationSideCar.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core.SideCar/Services/BotSharpConversationSideCar.cs
@@ -194,14 +194,17 @@ public class BotSharpConversationSideCar : IConversationSideCar
 
         if (_sideCarOptions?.IsInheritStates == true)
         {
+            var hasIncludedStates = _sideCarOptions?.InheritStateKeys?.Any() == true;
+            var hasExcludedStates = _sideCarOptions?.ExcludedStateKeys?.Any() == true;
             var curStates = state.GetCurrentState();
+
             foreach (var pair in curStates)
             {
                 var endNode = pair.Value.Values.LastOrDefault();
                 if (endNode == null) continue;
 
-                if (_sideCarOptions?.InheritStateKeys?.Any() == true
-                    && !_sideCarOptions.InheritStateKeys.Contains(pair.Key))
+                if ((hasIncludedStates && !_sideCarOptions.InheritStateKeys.Contains(pair.Key))
+                    || (hasExcludedStates && _sideCarOptions.ExcludedStateKeys.Contains(pair.Key)))
                 {
                     continue;
                 }
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.Conversation.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.Conversation.cs
index f772acb2..81da4047 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.Conversation.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.Conversation.cs
@@ -241,10 +241,9 @@ public partial class FileRepository
         if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(convDir))
         {
             var breakpointFile = Path.Combine(convDir, BREAKPOINT_FILE);
-
             if (!File.Exists(breakpointFile))
             {
-                File.Create(breakpointFile);
+                File.WriteAllText(breakpointFile, "[]");
             }
 
             var content = File.ReadAllText(breakpointFile);
@@ -285,7 +284,7 @@ public partial class FileRepository
         var breakpointFile = Path.Combine(convDir, BREAKPOINT_FILE);
         if (!File.Exists(breakpointFile))
         {
-            File.Create(breakpointFile);
+            File.WriteAllText(breakpointFile, "[]");
         }
 
         var content = File.ReadAllText(breakpointFile);
@@ -920,7 +919,6 @@ public partial class FileRepository
     private bool SaveTruncatedDialogs(string dialogDir, List<DialogElement> dialogs)
     {
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(dialogDir) || dialogs == null) return false;
-        if (!File.Exists(dialogDir)) File.Create(dialogDir);
 
         var texts = ParseDialogElements(dialogs);
         File.WriteAllText(dialogDir, texts);
@@ -930,7 +928,6 @@ public partial class FileRepository
     private bool SaveTruncatedStates(string stateDir, List<StateKeyValue> states)
     {
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(stateDir) || states == null) return false;
-        if (!File.Exists(stateDir)) File.Create(stateDir);
 
         var stateStr = JsonSerializer.Serialize(states, _options);
         File.WriteAllText(stateDir, stateStr);
@@ -940,7 +937,6 @@ public partial class FileRepository
     private bool SaveTruncatedLatestStates(string latestStateDir, List<StateKeyValue> states)
     {
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(latestStateDir) || states == null) return false;
-        if (!File.Exists(latestStateDir)) File.Create(latestStateDir);
 
         var latestStates = BuildLatestStates(states);
         var stateStr = JsonSerializer.Serialize(latestStates, _options);
@@ -951,7 +947,6 @@ public partial class FileRepository
     private bool SaveTruncatedBreakpoints(string breakpointDir, List<ConversationBreakpoint> breakpoints)
     {
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(breakpointDir) || breakpoints == null) return false;
-        if (!File.Exists(breakpointDir)) File.Create(breakpointDir);
 
         var breakpointStr = JsonSerializer.Serialize(breakpoints, _options);
         File.WriteAllText(breakpointDir, breakpointStr);
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.KnowledgeBase.cs b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.KnowledgeBase.cs
index b0a95027..b7fa26ab 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.KnowledgeBase.cs
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/BotSharp.Core/Repository/FileRepository/FileRepository.KnowledgeBase.cs
@@ -15,17 +15,17 @@ public partial class FileRepository
         }
 
         var configFile = Path.Combine(vectorDir, COLLECTION_CONFIG_FILE);
+        if (!File.Exists(configFile))
+        {
+            File.WriteAllText(configFile, "[]");
+        }
+
         if (reset)
         {
             File.WriteAllText(configFile, JsonSerializer.Serialize(configs ?? new(), _options));
             return true;
         }
 
-        if (!File.Exists(configFile))
-        {
-            File.Create(configFile);
-        }
-
         var str = File.ReadAllText(configFile);
         var savedConfigs = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<List<VectorCollectionConfig>>(str, _options) ?? new();
 
diff --git a/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.KnowledgeBase/Services/KnowledgeService.Vector.cs b/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.KnowledgeBase/Services/KnowledgeService.Vector.cs
index c230078d..ce5fa43c 100644
--- a/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.KnowledgeBase/Services/KnowledgeService.Vector.cs
+++ b/src/Plugins/BotSharp.Plugin.KnowledgeBase/Services/KnowledgeService.Vector.cs
@@ -33,31 +33,30 @@ public partial class KnowledgeService
                 return false;
             }
 
-            var vectorDb = GetVectorDb();
-            var created = await vectorDb.CreateCollection(collectionName, dimension);
+            var db = _services.GetRequiredService<IBotSharpRepository>();
+            var created = db.AddKnowledgeCollectionConfigs(new List<VectorCollectionConfig>
+            {
+                new VectorCollectionConfig
+                {
+                    Name = collectionName,
+                    Type = collectionType,
+                    VectorStore = new VectorStoreConfig
+                    {
+                        Provider = _settings.VectorDb.Provider
+                    },
+                    TextEmbedding = new KnowledgeEmbeddingConfig
+                    {
+                        Provider = provider,
+                        Model = model,
+                        Dimension = dimension
+                    }
+                }
+            });
+
             if (created)
             {
-                var db = _services.GetRequiredService<IBotSharpRepository>();
-                var userId = await GetUserId();
-
-                db.AddKnowledgeCollectionConfigs(new List<VectorCollectionConfig>
-                {
-                    new VectorCollectionConfig
-                    {
-                        Name = collectionName,
-                        Type = collectionType,
-                        VectorStore = new VectorStoreConfig
-                        {
-                            Provider = _settings.VectorDb.Provider
-                        },
-                        TextEmbedding = new KnowledgeEmbeddingConfig
-                        {
-                            Provider = provider,
-                            Model = model,
-                            Dimension = dimension
-                        }
-                    }
-                });
+                var vectorDb = GetVectorDb();
+                created = await vectorDb.CreateCollection(collectionName, dimension);
             }
 
             return created;