# Workmates terms

These terms describe the people, context, and work surfaces you will encounter in the app.

| Term              | Meaning                                                                           |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Teammate or agent | A persistent AI member with its own role, conversation, and context.              |
| Group             | A shared conversation involving several teammates.                                |
| Instructions      | The persistent guidance describing a teammate's responsibilities and behavior.    |
| Quoted reply      | A reply linked to an earlier message so its context is clear.                     |
| Team computer     | A computer shared by teammates using Team mode.                                   |
| Private computer  | A separate computer assigned to one teammate.                                     |
| Takeover          | Direct user control of the computer for an interactive step.                      |
| Connection        | Access to an individual account in an external app.                               |
| Available actions | The operations exposed by a connected app account.                                |
| Memory            | Saved facts, preferences, and decisions for later work.                           |
| Skill             | A reusable method described as instructions.                                      |
| Routine           | A saved task instruction started by a schedule or supported event.                |
| Workspace files   | Files associated with the selected teammate's work area.                          |
| Shared files      | Files in the shared area for work across teammates.                               |
| Tool activity     | The recorded actions used during a task, including outcomes and pending requests. |
| Cloud coding task | A separate coding job for a connected GitHub repository.                          |
| Task branch       | The remote GitHub branch containing a cloud coding task's published changes.      |
| Preview           | An accessible running view of a coding task when its preview is ready.            |
| Team pack         | A shareable collection of teammates, instructions, examples, and skills.          |
| Open work         | A teammate's tracked unfinished or parked work items.                             |

Use the [capability map](/docs/reference/capability-map) to find the guide for a particular outcome.