Glossary

Technical terms and concepts used in Astronox documentation.

AI & Models

API (Application Programming Interface)

The way Astronox communicates with AI services like Google Gemini. You need an API key to authenticate these requests.

Example: When you send a message, Astronox uses the Gemini API to get the AI's response.

API Key

A secret code that authenticates your access to an AI service. Like a password, but for applications.

Format:

• Gemini: AIzaSyD... (39 characters)

Security: Never share your API key publicly.

Context

The conversation history the AI can see when generating a response.

Example:

Message 1: "Find PDFs in Documents"
Message 2: "Now compress them"  ← AI knows "them" = PDFs from message 1

Context limits:

• Flash/Lite: 128k tokens (~200 pages)
• Pro: 2M tokens (~3,000 pages)

Context Window

The maximum amount of text (in tokens) the AI can process at once. Includes:

• Your current message
• Previous conversation history
• System prompt
• Attached files

Devstral 2

A code-focused AI model available through MintAI (Pro subscription).

Strengths:

• Programming tasks
• Code generation
• Technical documentation

Compared to Gemini: More specialized for coding, less versatile for general tasks.

Gemini

Google's family of AI models used by Astronox.

Variants:

• Flash Lite: Fastest, simplest
• Flash: Balanced (recommended)
• Pro: Smartest, slowest

See Models for comparison.

Hallucination

When AI confidently states false information as fact.

Example:

AI: "The file config.yaml contains these database settings..."
(File doesn't exist; AI invented the content)

Why it happens: AI fills knowledge gaps with plausible-sounding but incorrect info.

Prevention: Verify important claims.

LLM (Large Language Model)

The type of AI that powers Astronox. Examples: Gemini, GPT, Claude.

How it works: Trained on massive text datasets to predict and generate human-like text.

Limitations: Can make mistakes, doesn't truly "understand" like humans.

MintAI

A service that provides access to multiple AI models through a single API.

In Astronox: Used by Pro subscribers to access Devstral 2.

Prompt

The message or instruction you send to the AI.

Examples:

• "List files in Downloads"
• "Write a Python script to rename files"
• "Explain quantum computing"

Quality matters: Better prompts = better results. See Prompt Tips.

Rate Limit

The maximum number of API requests you can make in a time period.

Gemini free tier:

• 60 requests per minute
• 1,500 requests per day

Effect: If exceeded, you must wait for the limit to reset.

See Rate Limits for details.

Token

A unit of text used by AI models. Approximately:

• 1 token ≈ 0.75 words (English)
• 1,000 tokens ≈ 750 words
• 100 tokens ≈ one paragraph

Used for:

• Measuring context size
• Calculating costs
• Enforcing limits

Training Data

The text corpus used to train an AI model.

For Gemini: Cutoff date is late 2023. The AI doesn't know about events after this date.

Astronox Features

Access Mode

Controls how much permission you grant AI to perform actions.

Safe Mode (default):

• Confirms risky operations
• Protects against mistakes
• Recommended for most users

Full Access:

• Fewer confirmations
• Faster workflow
• For experienced users only

See Safety & Access Modes.

Attachment

A file (image, document, etc.) you upload to a conversation for the AI to analyze.

Limits:

• 5MB per file
• 8MB per conversation total
• Images only: JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP

See Attachments.

Automation

A saved script, command, or workflow you can reuse later.

Example:

You: "Write a backup script"
AI: [generates script]
You: "Save this as 'daily-backup'"

Later:
You: "Run daily-backup"

See Automations.

Clipboard History

Astronox tracks items you copy to the clipboard.

Limits:

• Last 50 items
• In-memory only (lost on app close)
• Text, images, file paths

See Clipboard Integration.

Conversation

A chat session with the AI. Contains:

• Your messages
• AI responses
• Attachments
• Tool execution results

Auto-saved locally on your device.

Memory System

AI's ability to remember facts about you across conversations.

Examples:

"Remember: I prefer Python"
"Remember my name is Alex"
"Remember I'm working on Project X"

Storage: Facts saved locally in categories.

See Memory System.

Plan / Plan Hub

For multi-step tasks, AI creates a structured plan showing progress.

Example:

Plan: Organize Documents
1. ✅ Scan for PDFs
2. 🔄 Create folders by year
3. ⏳ Move files to folders
4. ⏳ Generate summary

See Plans & Multi-Step Tasks.

Safe Mode

See Access Mode.

SSE (Server-Sent Events)

A technology that allows the Astronox backend to push real-time updates to the UI.

Used for:

• Streaming AI responses (word-by-word)
• Plan progress updates
• Status notifications
• Tool confirmations

User impact: Enables real-time, responsive interface.

Tool / Function

An action the AI can perform on your behalf.

Examples:

• read_file - Read file contents
• write_file - Create/modify files
• run_shell_command - Execute terminal commands
• search_files - Find files matching criteria

How it works:

1. You ask AI to do something
2. AI selects appropriate tool
3. AI calls tool with parameters
4. Tool executes action
5. AI incorporates result into response

Tool Confirmation

When AI asks your permission before executing a risky tool.

Example:

AI: "I'll delete the following files:
     • old-backup-1.zip
     • old-backup-2.zip
     Proceed?"

[✓ Confirm] [✗ Cancel]

Trigger: Medium/High-risk operations in Safe Mode.

File & System Terms

Absolute Path

The complete path to a file from the root of the filesystem.

Examples:

• macOS: /Users/alex/Documents/report.pdf
• Windows: C:\Users\alex\Documents\report.pdf

Contrast: Relative paths like ./report.pdf (relative to current directory).

Best practice: Use absolute paths with Astronox to avoid ambiguity.

CLI (Command-Line Interface)

Text-based interface for interacting with the OS.

Examples:

• macOS: Terminal (uses bash/zsh)
• Windows: Command Prompt or PowerShell

In Astronox: AI can run CLI commands via run_shell_command tool.

Directory

A folder that contains files or other directories.

Synonyms: Folder, path.

Environment Variable

A variable set in your OS/shell that programs can read.

Examples:

• PATH - Directories to search for commands
• HOME - Your home directory
• USER - Your username

In scripts:

echo $HOME  # macOS
echo %USERPROFILE%  # Windows

Extension

The suffix of a filename indicating its type.

Examples:

• .txt - Text file
• .jpg - JPEG image
• .pdf - PDF document
• .py - Python script

Usage: "Find all .pdf files" = find files ending in .pdf

Glob Pattern

A pattern-matching syntax for files.

Examples:

• *.txt - All text files
• **/*.pdf - All PDFs in any subdirectory
• file-?.txt - file-1.txt, file-2.txt, etc.

In Astronox: Used in search and file operations.

Home Directory

Your user's personal folder.

Locations:

• macOS: /Users/yourname
• Windows: C:\Users\yourname

Shortcut: ~ (tilde)

~/Documents  # Expands to /Users/yourname/Documents

Permissions

Access rights for files/folders.

Types:

• Read (r): Can view content
• Write (w): Can modify
• Execute (x): Can run (for scripts/programs)

Example:

ls -la file.txt
-rw-r--r--  # Owner can read/write; others can only read

Process

A running program or task.

Examples:

• Astronox app itself
• Background services
• Terminal commands

In Astronox: AI can list, check, or kill processes.

Relative Path

A path relative to the current directory.

Examples:

• ./file.txt - file.txt in current directory
• ../file.txt - file.txt in parent directory
• subfolder/file.txt - file.txt in subfolder

Caution: Can be ambiguous if current directory isn't clear.

Shell

A program that interprets command-line instructions.

Types:

• bash (common on older macOS)
• zsh (default on newer macOS)
• PowerShell (Windows)
• cmd (older Windows)

In Astronox: Scripts run in your default shell.

Symlink (Symbolic Link)

A file that points to another file/directory.

Example:

# Create symlink:
ln -s /long/path/to/file.txt ~/shortcut.txt

# Accessing ~/shortcut.txt actually opens /long/path/to/file.txt

Working Directory

The current directory where commands are executed.

Example:

cd ~/Documents  # Change to Documents
pwd             # Print working directory: /Users/alex/Documents
ls              # Lists files in Documents

In Astronox: Shell commands execute in your home directory by default.

Billing & Licensing

Fair Use Policy

Reasonable usage expectations for unlimited subscriptions.

Example (Pro):

• ✅ Heavy personal/professional use (hundreds of requests/day)
• ❌ Excessive automation/botting (thousands/hour)

Enforcement: Providers may throttle or suspend abusive accounts.

Free Tier

A no-cost usage level with limitations.

Gemini free tier:

• 1,500 requests/day
• No billing required
• Sufficient for most users

Upgrade needed if: You consistently hit daily limits.

Pro

A subscription service providing:

• Access to Devstral 2 via MintAI
• Unlimited usage (fair use policy)
• Managed API key (no setup)

Check official website for pricing and how to subscribe.

Paid Tier

Usage level where you pay per request or via subscription.

Gemini paid tier:

• Enable billing in Google Cloud Console
• Pay per token (~$0.001-0.005 per request)
• No daily limits

Quota

The usage limit for a service.

Example: Gemini free tier has a quota of 1,500 requests/day.

Exceeding quota: Requests fail until quota resets.

Technical Concepts

Backend

The server component of Astronox (Rust + Axum) that:

• Handles AI API calls
• Executes tools
• Manages data storage
• Streams responses to frontend

Runs locally on your computer (not a cloud server).

Base64

An encoding format that converts binary data (images, files) to text.

In Astronox: Attachments are base64-encoded for storage and API transmission.

Example:

Image file → base64 → "iVBORw0KGgoAAAANS..."

CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing)

A security mechanism in web browsers.

In Astronox: Backend allows frontend to connect from different origin (Vite dev server vs Tauri webview).

Frontend

The user interface component of Astronox (React + Vite) that:

• Displays chat
• Handles user input
• Renders responses
• Shows settings/plans/memory

Runs in Tauri webview (embedded web browser).

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

A text format for structured data.

Example:

{
  "name": "Alex",
  "role": "Developer",
  "preferences": {
    "language": "Python",
    "theme": "dark"
  }
}

In Astronox: Used for:

• Storing conversations
• Memory facts
• Settings
• Tool parameters

Markdown

A lightweight markup language for formatting text.

Syntax:

# Heading

**Bold** and _italic_

- Bullet list
  [Link](url)

In Astronox:

• AI responses support Markdown
• Documentation files use Markdown
• Renders as formatted text in UI

REST API

A style of API where clients make HTTP requests to specific URLs.

In Astronox:

POST /api/conversations/:id/messages  → Send message
GET /api/settings                     → Get settings

SSE

See Server-Sent Events under Astronox Features.

Tauri

The framework used to build Astronox.

Components:

• Rust backend
• Web frontend (HTML/CSS/JS)
• Native OS integration
• Small, secure, cross-platform

Alternative to: Electron (larger, slower).

WebView

An embedded web browser component.

In Astronox: Tauri uses the OS's built-in webview to render the React UI:

• macOS: WebKit (Safari engine)
• Windows: WebView2 (Edge/Chromium)

Acronyms

Astronox-Specific Terms

Access Control

See Access Mode.

Chat Session

Synonym for Conversation.

Confirmation Modal

The UI dialog that appears when AI requests permission for a risky operation.

Contains:

• What will be affected
• Why confirmation is needed
• [✓ Confirm] and [✗ Cancel] buttons

Message Stream

The real-time flow of AI response text as it's generated (word-by-word), rather than waiting for the complete response.

Technology: Uses SSE to push each token to the UI as generated.

Power Saver

A feature to reduce CPU/battery usage by disabling background tasks.

Status: Currently disabled due to bugs. See Limitations.

Risk Level

A categorization of tool operations by potential danger:

• Low: Read-only, safe operations
• Medium: Modifications, reversible actions
• High: Deletions, system changes
• Very High: Destructive, irreversible actions

Used for: Determining when to require confirmation.

Settings Panel

The UI section where you configure:

• API keys
• Model selection
• Access mode
• Memory system
• Appearance
• Updates

Access: Click gear icon or Settings button.

Status Stream

Real-time updates about AI's current activity.

Examples:

• "Executing tool: read_file"
• "Awaiting confirmation for delete operation"
• "Processing complete"

Technology: SSE from backend to frontend.

Thinking Animation

The visual indicator shown when AI is processing your request.

Appearance: Animated dots or spinner.

See Also

• Getting Started - Installation and setup
• Features - What Astronox can do
• FAQ - Common questions
• Troubleshooting - Solving issues

Next: Keyboard Shortcuts for quick navigation.