Glossary

This glossary defines the terms used throughout the Syntic Code documentation. Where a concept has a dedicated page, the definition points to it so you can read further.

Core terms

Syntic Code — The agentic coding CLI, invoked as syntic, that lets Amara read, edit, and run code in your workspace.

Amara — The AI that powers Syntic Code, served on the Syntic model through api.syntic.ai. Amara plans work, calls tools, and produces the responses you see in a session.

Session — A single continuous interaction with Amara, holding the conversation history and context. Sessions can be named, resumed, and driven by external events.

Tool — A defined action Amara can take, such as read, edit, write, or bash. Each tool has a permission level. See the tools reference.

Permission mode — The policy governing how tool calls are approved: ask, auto, or plan.

Configuration and extension

SYNTIC.md — A per-project instructions file that seeds every session with project-specific context and conventions.

.syntic/ — The directory holding project settings, plugins, and configuration for Syntic Code.

Hook — A command Syntic Code runs at a lifecycle event to enforce policy or add behavior. See the hooks reference.

Plugin — A packaged extension that adds commands, tools, or hooks via a manifest. See the plugins reference.

Checkpoint — A snapshot of file state that lets you undo or rewind changes within a session. See checkpointing.

Operations

Channel — A release track (stable, preview, dev) that selects which build of the CLI you run.

Print mode — Headless, non-interactive execution with syntic --print, used for scripts and CI.

Goal — A long-running objective that persists across sessions until its success criteria are met.

Event — A structured signal pushed into a running session from an external system so Amara can react to it.