Glossary of Terms
Technical terminology and definitions for Verdent features and concepts
Alphabetized reference of Verdent-specific terms and technical concepts.
Core Concepts
Agent
The main AI assistant that processes requests and executes tools
Context Exhaustion
When conversation history fills context window, limiting the ability to reference earlier content
Context Remaining
Indicator in the middle panel showing how much model context is left for the current conversation
Context Window
Amount of conversation history the AI can reference
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
System for extending Verdent with external tools
Project
A git repository you're actively working on. Projects maintain independent session history and configuration.
Subagent
Specialized AI agent with isolated context for specific tasks (e.g., Verifier)
Task
A specific piece of work within a workspace. Tasks represent individual conversation threads and share the workspace file state.
Tool
Function the agent can execute (file_read, bash, glob, etc.)
Execution Modes
Agent Mode
Full autonomous execution mode where Verdent can read, write, and execute commands without additional approval steps. Default mode for active development.
Plan Mode
Read-only planning mode where Verdent analyzes and creates implementation plans without making file modifications. Best for complex changes and unfamiliar codebases.
Desktop-Specific Terms
Base Workspace
The primary working directory on your chosen branch. Reference point for creating new worktrees, where rebased work ends up.
Git Worktree
Isolated working directory linked to the same repository, enabling parallel development without file conflicts
Parallel Agents
Multiple AI agents working simultaneously in separate worktrees, each with isolated context
Project Switching
Rapid navigation between different projects while maintaining session state
Rebase to main branch
Process of applying changes from a workspace back into the main branch (the branch the workspace was created from)
Sync with main branch
Pull latest changes from the main branch into the current workspace
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.
Task Worktree
Isolated directory for a specific task with a complete copy of repository files and a separate branch
Files & Configuration
AGENTS.md
Project-specific team standards file (project root, version controlled)
mcp.json
MCP server configuration (~/.verdent/mcp.json)
VERDENT.md
Global personal preferences file (~/.verdent/VERDENT.md)
Workspace
A git worktree - an isolated working directory linked to the same repository, enabling parallel development
Tool-Specific Terms
Glob Pattern
File search pattern using wildcards (**/*.ts, src/**/*.js)
Line Range
Specific lines to read from large files (start_line, max_lines)
Regex
Regular expression for advanced text searching
Replace All
file_edit flag to replace multiple identical strings
Timeout
Maximum time for bash commands: 120 seconds (2 minutes, hard limit)
Subagent Terms
Flexible Policy
Subagent can activate automatically based on request patterns
Isolated Context
Subagent's separate context window (doesn't consume main context)
Strict Policy
Subagent only runs when explicitly @-mentioned
System Prompt
Instructions defining subagent's behavior and expertise
MCP Terms
Global Config
User-wide MCP configuration (~/.verdent/mcp.json)
MCP Server
External tool/service integrated via Model Context Protocol
Plugin
Pre-built MCP integration for specific tools or services
Performance Terms
Delegation
Routing tasks to subagents to preserve main context
Parallel Execution
Multiple subagents running simultaneously
Strategic Reading
Using line ranges and search to minimize context usage
Task Coordination
Main agent managing multiple subagent operations