Quick reference for the terms used throughout this guide, plus answers to common questions.
Glossary & FAQ
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Agent | The AI "worker" carrying out one pipeline step, configured with a specific provider and model. See Settings. |
| Archive | The searchable record of every completed task, with full result detail. See Reading Results & Archive. |
| Auto-merge | The autoMergeDev task option that automatically merges a finished, tested task into dev. See Creating a Task. |
| Branch / Worktree | The isolated Git branch and separate working folder created for each task so it can't affect other work. See The Pipeline. |
| Brainstorm | The panel for open-ended exploration and planning with the AI, without editing code. See Brainstorm. |
| Chat | The per-project conversation panel for quick, contract-aware questions and discussion. See Chat. |
| Contract | A saved fact sheet describing how a specific part of the project behaves, kept in sync automatically. See Knowledge Sharing. |
| Dashboard | AITM's main workspace view, showing project tabs, cards, and the task queue. |
| DOM Explorer | The registry of a project's real UI elements and what triggers what, for projects with a frontend. See Variable Explorer & IntelliSense. |
| E2E (End-to-End) | Automated tests that exercise the real running application in a browser, the way a user would. See Testing. |
| Hint | A short, reusable rule the AI applies automatically in future tasks, without you repeating it. See Knowledge Sharing. |
| Knowledge Graph | The interconnected map of a project's variables, contracts, UI elements, and documentation. See Knowledge Sharing. |
| Merge Queue | The mechanism that serializes merges into dev one at a time and attempts automatic conflict resolution. See The Pipeline. |
| Pipeline | The automatic multi-step sequence (plan → code → review → fix → test → merge) a task goes through. See The Pipeline. |
| Priority | A task's queue position hint: low, medium, or high. See Creating a Task. |
| Project | A codebase AITM has been onboarded to and can create tasks for. See Overview & Getting Started. |
| Provider | The underlying AI service (Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Ollama) executing a pipeline step. See Settings. |
| Task | A single unit of assigned work that travels through the pipeline. See Creating a Task. |
| Turn | Roughly one step of an AI agent thinking/acting (e.g. reading or editing a file). See Settings. |
| Verdict | The pass/fail (or more detailed) result of a test step, most notably E2E verdicts. See Reading Results & Archive. |
| Watchdog | The background process that detects stalled pipeline steps and resumes them automatically. See The Pipeline. |
FAQ
What happens if a task fails?
The pipeline stops at the failing step and the task status becomes failed, with the reason recorded. You can typically resume it from that step (or an earlier one) once you understand what went wrong — see Reading Results & Archive.
Can I run multiple tasks at once?
Yes, across different projects. Within a single project, tasks run one at a time to avoid two tasks fighting over the same branch; different projects run fully in parallel.
Does AITM ever push to a remote or production branch on its own?
No. Auto-merge only merges into your local dev branch. Pushing anywhere beyond that is always a deliberate, separate action you take yourself.
What if the AI gets stuck mid-task?
The watchdog notices a stalled step and automatically resumes the pipeline, up to a limited number of attempts. If it still can't recover, the task is marked failed with the reason preserved so you can decide what to do next. See The Pipeline.
Where is my data stored?
Locally, in a combination of per-project databases, task folders, and auto-generated documentation. See What Data AITM Stores for the full map.
Do I need to write perfect prompts?
No, but more specific prompts need fewer fix cycles. See the prompt-writing tips in Creating a Task.
What's the difference between Chat, Brainstorm, and a Task?
Chat and Brainstorm discuss and plan — they never touch your code. A Task is the only thing that actually changes code, and it always runs through the full reviewed, tested pipeline. See Chat and Brainstorm.