> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ade-app.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Key concepts

> The ADE vocabulary in two minutes: machines, lanes, work sessions, agents, tools, and subagents.

ADE has a small set of ideas. Learn these six and the rest of the product follows. Each one has a page of its own; this page is the map.

> [card] [Machines and clients](https://ade-app.dev/docs/concepts/machines-and-clients.md)
>
> A machine runs the brain. The desktop app, terminal, web, and phone attach to it.

> [card] [Lanes](https://ade-app.dev/docs/concepts/lanes.md)
>
> One git worktree and branch per task — the unit of parallel work.

> [card] [Work sessions](https://ade-app.dev/docs/concepts/work-sessions.md)
>
> Agent chats, terminals, and CLI sessions, all scoped to a lane.

> [card] [Agents and models](https://ade-app.dev/docs/concepts/agents-and-models.md)
>
> Thirteen provider runtimes, a model chosen per session, credentials you already have.

> [card] [Tools](https://ade-app.dev/docs/concepts/tools.md)
>
> What every chat can do: universal tools, ADE's CLI surfaces, and provider-native extras.

> [card] [Subagents](https://ade-app.dev/docs/concepts/subagents.md)
>
> Delegate inside one provider, or hand work to a different one.

## The rest of the vocabulary

These are areas rather than foundations. You will meet them as you work.

| Term | What it means |
| - | - |
| **CTO** | A persistent project-level agent with durable memory, used for planning and delegation. [CTO](https://ade-app.dev/docs/cto/overview.md) |
| **Proof** | Intentional evidence — screenshots, recordings, traces — tied to a chat, lane, PR, or issue. [Proof](https://ade-app.dev/docs/computer-use/proofs.md) |
| **PR flow** | A lane linked to its GitHub pull request: diff, CI, comments, merge. [Pull requests](https://ade-app.dev/docs/tools/pull-requests.md) |
| **History** | The searchable project record of sessions, commits, PR events, and checkpoints. [History](https://ade-app.dev/docs/tools/history.md) |
| **Automations** | Event- or schedule-triggered rules that start work without you. [Automations](https://ade-app.dev/docs/tools/automations.md) |

## Local project state

ADE stores project data in `.ade/` inside your repository — the local database, worktrees, artifacts, caches, and machine-specific state. Keep it out of Git unless a page explicitly says a file is safe to share.

> [!TIP]
>
> If you only read one more page, read [Lanes](https://ade-app.dev/docs/concepts/lanes.md). Almost every surprise in ADE is really a question about which worktree you are in.


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