---
title: Glossary of Terms
description: Technical terminology and definitions for Verdent features and concepts
---

Alphabetized reference of Verdent-specific terms and technical concepts.

---

## Core Concepts

<Accordion title="Agent">
The main AI assistant that processes requests and executes tools
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Context Exhaustion">
When conversation history fills context window, limiting the ability to reference earlier content
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Context Window">
Amount of conversation history the AI can reference
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="MCP (Model Context Protocol)">
System for extending Verdent with external tools
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Subagent">
Specialized AI agent with isolated context for specific tasks (Explorer, Verifier, Code-reviewer)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Tool">
Function the agent can execute (file_read, bash, glob, etc.)
</Accordion>

---

## Execution Modes

<Accordion title="Auto-Run Mode">
Tools execute automatically without approval prompts
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Manual Accept Mode">
User approves each tool execution before running
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Plan Mode">
Agent creates plan before executing changes
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Skip Permissions">
Run without permission prompts (advanced)
</Accordion>

---

## Files & Configuration

<Accordion title="AGENTS.md">
Project-specific team standards file (project root, version controlled)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="mcp.json">
MCP server configuration (`~/.verdent/mcp.json`)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="plan_rules.md">
Plan Mode output customization (`~/.verdent/plan_rules.md`)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="VERDENT.md">
Global personal preferences file (`~/.verdent/VERDENT.md`)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Workspace">
Current VS Code project directory where Verdent operates
</Accordion>

---

## Tool-Specific Terms

<Accordion title="Glob Pattern">
File search pattern using wildcards (`**/*.ts`, `src/**/*.js`)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Line Range">
Specific lines to read from large files (start_line, max_lines)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Regex">
Regular expression for advanced text searching
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Replace All">
file_edit flag to replace multiple identical strings
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Timeout">
Maximum time for bash commands: 120 seconds (2 minutes, hard limit)
</Accordion>

---

## Subagent Terms

<Accordion title="Flexible Policy">
Subagent can activate automatically based on request patterns
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Invocation Policy">
Rules for when subagent activates (strict vs flexible)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Isolated Context">
Subagent's separate context window (doesn't consume main context)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Strict Policy">
Subagent only runs when explicitly @-mentioned
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="System Prompt">
Instructions defining subagent's behavior and expertise
</Accordion>

---

## MCP Terms

<Accordion title="Global Config">
User-wide MCP configuration (`~/.verdent/mcp.json`)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="MCP Server">
External tool/service integrated via Model Context Protocol
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Plugin">
Pre-built MCP integration for specific tools or services
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Workspace Config">
Project-specific MCP configuration (`.verdent/mcp.json`)
</Accordion>

---

## Performance Terms

<Accordion title="Delegation">
Routing tasks to subagents to preserve main context
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Parallel Execution">
Multiple subagents running simultaneously
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Strategic Reading">
Using line ranges and search to minimize context usage
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Task Coordination">
Main agent managing multiple subagent operations
</Accordion>

---

## See Also

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Core Concepts" icon="lightbulb" href="/docs/verdent-for-vscode/getting-started/core-concepts">
    Fundamental Verdent concepts
  </Card>
  <Card title="Tool Reference" icon="wrench" href="/docs/verdent-for-vscode/advanced-features/tool-reference">
    Complete tool capabilities
  </Card>
</CardGroup>