Core concepts and terminology in Qoder CLI CN
This page gathers the core concepts and terms appearing in the Qoder CLI CN documentation for quick lookup.
Product and brand
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Qoder | The AI-Native CLI brand for international users. |
| Qoder CLI CN | The full product name. |
qodercn | The command name users type in the terminal. |
General technical terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Terminal | The text interface environment where users interact with the CLI. |
| Subcommand | The action word following qodercn, such as login, commit. |
| Flag | A command-line argument, such as --model, --resume. |
| Environment variable | System variables prefixed with QODERCN_ that configure CLI behavior. |
| TUI | Text User Interface — the rich interactive interface in the terminal. |
| Headless Mode | Interface-less mode for non-interactive environments like CI/CD, with no confirmation prompts. |
| External Command | Commands (such as wiki) not bundled with the main program, downloaded on demand on first use and run independently. |
Authentication
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Browser Login | The recommended sign-in method, completing OAuth authentication via the browser. |
| Qoder PAT | Personal Access Token, for CI/CD or browserless environments. |
Models
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Model Key | A model's unique identifier, used to specify a model. |
| BYOK | Bring Your Own Key — using custom models with your own API key. |
| Default Models | The models offered in the Default tab; Qoder CLI CN offers only Auto (smart routing). |
| Custom Models | Custom models supporting your own API key. |
| Thinking Efforts | The reasoning depth set for the model, such as low / medium / high / xhigh / max. |
| Fast Mode | A fast mode offered by some models that prioritizes response speed (/fast). |
| Context Window | The amount of context a model can process at once. |
Agents and sessions
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Agent | An AI assistant instance that executes tasks. |
| Subagent | An independent execution unit spawned by the main Agent, used for handling subtasks in parallel. |
| Session | A complete interactive session. |
| Memory | Persistent information the Agent remembers across sessions, retaining user preferences and project knowledge. |
| Memory File | Files storing Memory, including the user-level ~/.qoder-cn/AGENTS.md, the project-level AGENTS.md and AGENTS.local.md, and rule files under .qoder/rules/. |
| Worktree | Git worktree isolation, letting the Agent work on a separate branch without affecting the main directory. |
| Compaction | Automatically compressing history messages when the conversation grows too long, staying within the context window. |
| Plan Mode | A working mode where the Agent drafts a plan first and executes only after user confirmation. |
| Goal Mode | A working mode where the Agent keeps executing around a specified goal. |
| Dynamic Workflow | Background tasks orchestrating multiple subagents with a JavaScript script. |
Tools
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Tool | A capability unit the Agent can invoke, such as reading/writing files, running commands, and searching code. |
| MCP | Model Context Protocol — a tool extension protocol allowing third-party tools and services to be connected. |
| MCP Server | A server implementing the MCP protocol, supporting tool discovery and invocation. |
| RepoWiki | The qodercn wiki external command that generates Wiki documentation for a repository locally (not yet available in the CN edition). |
Permission system
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Workspace Directory | The directory where the CLI was launched. |
| Additional Directory | An extra trusted directory added to the current session via --add-dir or /add-dir. |
| Permission Mode | The permission mode setting the confirmation principle before tool execution. |
| Default Mode | The standard mode: safe reads and internal actions run automatically, and sensitive operations are confirmed one by one. |
| Auto-accept Edits Mode | Auto-approves file edits; shell commands still require confirmation. |
| Auto Mode | AI automatically judges and approves safe operations. |
| Don't Ask Mode | Denies all operations that would require confirmation. |
| YOLO Mode | Bypasses permissions and auto-approves all operations. |
Plugins and extensions
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Plugin | An installable extension package adding new Skills, Hooks, or MCP Servers to the CLI. |
| Plugin Marketplace | The plugin marketplace for browsing and installing community or official plugins. |
| Slash Command | An in-session shortcut command starting with /. |
| Skill | A reusable template of specialized capability, invoked via /skill-name. |
| Conditional Skill | A Skill activated only when specific file paths match. |
| Hook | Custom logic executed automatically when specific events occur. |
| Hook Type | How a Hook executes: shell commands, HTTP requests, prompt injection, and more. |
| Hook Event | When a Hook triggers, such as before/after tool execution or session start/end. |
Settings files
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| User Settings | User-level settings at ~/.qoder-cn/settings.json, effective for all projects. |
| Project Settings | Project-level settings at .qoder/settings.json, shared with the code repository. |
| Project Local Settings | Project-local settings at .qoder/settings.local.json, effective on this machine only. |
Billing and quota
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Credits | The billing unit. |
| Plan | The account's current plan (as in Qoder Plan and plan quota shown in /usage). |
| Plan Tier | The subscription tier: Community, Pro, Teams. |
| Quota | The quota allocation, including used/remaining/total. |
| Price Factor | The multiplier at which different models consume Credits. |
| Add-on Credits | Add-on packs — Credits purchased separately beyond the plan quota. |
| Org Resource Package | The organization resource package — quota allocated centrally to a team/organization. |
Integrations
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| ACP | Agent Client Protocol — the communication protocol between the CLI and IDEs. |
| SDK | Software Development Kit — the development library the CLI provides for third-party integration. |
| Cloud Mode | The --remote cloud execution mode, running tasks hosted in a cloud VM. |
| Remote Control | Real-time control of a locally running Agent via phone / Web, making remote decisions at key moments. |
Next steps
- Core concepts in depth: How Task Execution Works.
- All settings: Settings, Environment Variables, and File Paths.