Browse Scient Docs Work inside a project

Work inside a project

Scient is designed for your AI to work inside a project, not only answer questions in a chat. A project is the folder that contains the real work you want help with: code, data, notebooks, papers, notes, figures, LaTeX files, or other research material.

When you open a project, its conversations run in that project’s selected folder and environment. Depending on the provider, available software, and permission mode, the AI can:

  • inspect and search the project’s files and structure;
  • read, create, and edit files;
  • run commands, scripts, tests, and analysis tools available in the environment; and
  • examine the results and continue the work from what actually happened.

This is what makes Scient a working environment rather than a separate chat window. Instead of copying fragments into a conversation, you can ask the AI to investigate the actual project, run its workflow, update its outputs, and keep the resulting files together.

For scientific work, a “project” does not need to be a software repository. It can be an experiment folder, an analysis, a manuscript, a literature review, or any other folder whose files belong together.

Opening a project does not automatically change every file or grant every action. The AI accesses files and runs commands as needed for the task, subject to the selected provider, environment, and permission mode. Use Supervised when you want to approve commands and file changes.

Open or create a project

Scient can open an existing folder or create a new one from Add project. You can also add projects from Git URLs, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps.

Local folders

In the desktop app, open Add project and choose Local folder. You can:

  • browse to a folder and select Add;
  • type a new folder path and select Create & Add;
  • choose New folder to prepare a collision-safe name in the current directory; or
  • drop one local folder onto the folder browser.

Open in Finder remains available while browsing on macOS.

Optional Scient project setup

Before a local or remote folder is registered, Scient checks only its small project foundation. An ordinary folder offers two choices:

  • Set up a Scient project creates missing PROJECT.md, AGENTS.md, and a local .scient/project.json identity; or
  • Open without setup registers and opens the folder without changing it.

Both choices let Scient work inside the folder. The optional setup adds a small, project-owned foundation so people and agents can record project context and instructions; it is not required for ordinary file access or command execution.

Scient never replaces an existing PROJECT.md or AGENTS.md. If an earlier setup was interrupted, Scient can continue only while the recorded files are unchanged. Conflicting or invalid state is shown for attention, but the folder can still be opened normally.

If setup fails after project registration, the project remains usable and the notification offers Retry setup.

Project setup adds only the project foundation described above. It does not install software or change the project’s source-control configuration.