---
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 Remaining">
Indicator in the middle panel showing how much model context is left for the current conversation
</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="Project">
A git repository you're actively working on. Projects maintain independent session history and configuration.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Subagent">
Specialized AI agent with isolated context for specific tasks (e.g., Verifier)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Task">
A specific piece of work within a workspace. Tasks represent individual conversation threads and share the workspace file state.
</Accordion>

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

---

## Execution Modes

<Accordion title="Agent Mode">
Full autonomous execution mode where Verdent can read, write, and execute commands without additional approval steps. Default mode for active development.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Plan Mode">
Read-only planning mode where Verdent analyzes and creates implementation plans without making file modifications. Best for complex changes and unfamiliar codebases.
</Accordion>

---

## Desktop-Specific Terms

<Accordion title="Base Workspace">
The primary working directory on your chosen branch. Reference point for creating new worktrees, where rebased work ends up.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Git Worktree">
Isolated working directory linked to the same repository, enabling parallel development without file conflicts
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Parallel Agents">
Multiple AI agents working simultaneously in separate worktrees, each with isolated context
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Project Switching">
Rapid navigation between different projects while maintaining session state
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Rebase to main branch">
Process of applying changes from a workspace back into the main branch (the branch the workspace was created from)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Sync with main branch">
Pull latest changes from the main branch into the current workspace
</Accordion>

<Note>
In "Rebase to main" and "Sync from main," the branch name shown is actually the branch of the current Base Workspace, not necessarily `master`. If your Base Workspace is on a different branch (e.g., `develop`), the actions will target that branch instead.
</Note>

<Accordion title="Task Worktree">
Isolated directory for a specific task with a complete copy of repository files and a separate branch
</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="VERDENT.md">
Global personal preferences file (`~/.verdent/VERDENT.md`)
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Workspace">
A git worktree - an isolated working directory linked to the same repository, enabling parallel development
</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="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>

---

## 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/getting-started/core-concepts">
    Fundamental Verdent concepts
  </Card>
  <Card title="Tool Reference" icon="wrench" href="/docs/verdent/advanced-features/tool-reference">
    Complete tool capabilities
  </Card>
</CardGroup>