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

# Glossary

> Shared vocabulary for the Voss agent engineering organization layer.

| Term             | Meaning                                                                                                                                                          |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **capability**   | A single tool in the agent toolbelt (e.g. `fs_edit`, `shell_run`) — the unit of what an agent can *do*. See [Capabilities](/reference/capabilities).             |
| **role**         | A declared specialist (e.g. `backend`, `reviewer`) with its own scope, budget, and tool subset, expressed in [`.voss team{}`](/orchestration/team-config).       |
| **agent**        | A single bounded run of the model-driven turn loop, with a toolbelt, memory, and budget.                                                                         |
| **subagent**     | A child agent spawned by a parent for a delegated, bounded task, returning its result to the parent.                                                             |
| **EM**           | [Engineering Manager loop](/orchestration/em-loop) — the orchestrator that decomposes work into cards, assigns roles, partitions budget, and integrates results. |
| **card**         | A scoped unit of work the EM creates and assigns to a role, carrying its own budget and permission envelope. Backed by a session-tree node.                      |
| **board**        | The [work-tracking surface](/orchestration/board) holding cards and their column/gate state.                                                                     |
| **gate**         | A blocking predicate a card must clear (e.g. review passed, tests green) before it advances.                                                                     |
| **verifier**     | An automated check (tests, evals) that produces the pass/fail evidence a gate requires.                                                                          |
| **reviewer**     | An [independent agent](/orchestration/reviewers), distinct from the worker, that critiques a card before it is accepted.                                         |
| **session tree** | The [tree of durable nodes](/orchestration/session-tree) — one per agent — carrying budget, scope, status, and transitions.                                      |
| **audit**        | The replayable [record of a run](/orchestration/audit): RunFinal records, review sidecars, and session-tree nodes.                                               |
| **principle**    | A first-class [engineering-culture statement](/orchestration/principles) injected into every agent context.                                                      |
| **ceiling**      | The global budget + scope envelope a team declares; no role may exceed it.                                                                                       |