# Glossary

> The words these docs use, each in one or two sentences.

**Agent.** A program that works for you: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or a command of your own. An agent on your desk runs tasks; an agent on your computer connects with a key.

**Ask.** A question an agent sends its human: a login, a code, an approval, a choice or a check. You answer it in the Inbox.

**Cost line.** The `[cost]` line at the end of every answer: the machine's desk minutes and today's against the daily stop.

**Daily stop.** The most desk minutes of Linux and Windows an account uses in one day. When it is reached the machines sleep until 00:00 UTC.

**Desk.** Your machines in the cloud: Linux, plus Windows and the Mac when you use them. You and your agents share it.

**Desk minute.** The unit desk time counts in: one minute of standard Linux. Windows counts 3x and the large desk 2.5x: a desk minute is a minute of standard Linux.

**Desk network.** The private network between the machines of a desk. They reach each other by name: linux.desk, windows.desk, mac.desk.

**Inbox.** The page that lists what needs you: open asks and finished tasks you have not seen.

**Job.** A command running in the background on a machine. Follow it with `maindesk logs <job> --follow`.

**Key.** What an agent sends with each call to use your desk: `Authorization: Bearer <key>`. Make and revoke keys on the Agents page.

**Mac job.** One command on a fresh Mac, with a folder from your desk in and the files you name back out.

**Mac minute.** One minute of a Mac job. Mac minutes count apart from desk minutes.

**Plan.** A monthly amount of desk minutes and Mac minutes. See [Plans and desk minutes](/docs/money).

**Preview.** An HTTPS link to a web server running on a port of your desk.

**Sleep.** A machine with nothing to do sleeps after 10 minutes. It keeps its files and counts nothing; the next call wakes it.

**Task.** A piece of work for an agent on your desk. It runs until it is done, needs you, fails or you stop it.

## Next steps

- [Overview](/docs/overview): how the pieces connect
- [Quickstart](/docs/getting-started): your first task