Glossary
Platform terms for XO Space, XO Cloud, agents, and measured work.
XO uses a small set of product words. Use this page as the single definition source. Onboarding paths link here instead of redefining terms.
Universal terms
These apply whether you run locally or on Managed Cloud.
| Term | What it means | Do not confuse with |
|---|---|---|
| XO Space | The core open-source product engine (cowork-api). The workspace environment, observability platform, and session runtime where your agents run and work gets measured. | An XO account, or the word “quirq” |
cowork-api | The FastAPI control plane and event broker running inside every Space instance (local or cloud). Manages agent sessions, secrets, connectors, and trace streaming. | Upstream cloud API (xo-swarm-api) |
| Self-Hosted Local Space | An XO Space instance running on your local machine (http://localhost:5002/space/). | Cloud dashboard |
| Managed Cloud Space | An XO Space instance hosted on an isolated cloud VM managed via app.xo.builders. | Local offline space |
| Agent | The software runtime doing the work (OpenClaw, Claude Code, Hermes, Antigravity, XO Cowork, and others). Each offers a different interface and workflow. | The VM or the dashboard item |
| Work project / project directory | A folder inside a Space where the agent keeps files and context for a particular piece of work. | An XO project (Cloud dashboard item) |
| Model provider | The AI model account that powers the agent (API key or OAuth). | XO billing / plan |
| Channel | A messaging app through which people can reach an agent (for example Telegram or Slack). Support varies by agent. | The Space UI itself |
| Data source | An external account (Google Drive, GitHub, and similar) connected so an agent can read relevant information. | The Space filesystem |
| quirq | A unit of verified work measured inside a Space. | The name of the Space product or the local installer paths |
One sentence to remember: XO Space is the core open-source engine (cowork-api) where agents run. Run that Space on your laptop (Self-Hosted) or on XO’s hosted machines (Managed Cloud).
XO Space (local)
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| XO Space | A Space running on your machine (typically at http://localhost:5002/space/). No XO account is required just to install and run it. |
| Local install | The Space binary/environment started from the install script (or via an agent skill). Keep the terminal session running while you use Space. |
| Space UI | The browser interface for your local Space. This is what “this is a Space” refers to in the local walkthrough. |
Legacy paths and package names from earlier Quirq branding may still appear in
logs or install URLs (quirq.ai/install, ~/.quirq/). Those refer to Space,
not a separate product.
Start here: XO Space overview → Install → Your first Space.
XO Cloud
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| XO Cloud | XO’s hosted runtime and dashboard. Your Space runs on an isolated workspace machine you control from app.xo.builders. |
| XO account | Your identity on XO. It owns the projects you create and controls which projects you can access. |
| XO project | The dashboard item you create from an agent template. It ties an agent to its remote workspace machine. |
| Workspace machine | The isolated remote machine provisioned for the XO project. It runs the agent and supporting services and can be started, stopped, or restarted. |
| Service | A process inside the Cloud workspace (for example Cowork API or OpenClaw Gateway). A service must be ready before its interface can open. |
| Setup tab | Cloud UI area to connect models, data sources, channels, and other credentials for the selected agent. |
| Launch tab | Cloud UI area to open the agent interface, browser IDE, or service controls. |
Two meanings of “project” (Cloud)
- An XO project is the dashboard item that owns the remote workspace and agent.
- A work project or project directory is a folder inside that workspace where the agent keeps files for a piece of work.
Creating an inner work project does not provision another machine.
Start here: XO Cloud overview → Create an account → Launch your first agent.
Where you control things (Cloud)
| Area | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Setup | Connect models, data sources, channels, and credentials exposed by the agent. |
| Launch | Open the agent interface, browser IDE, or service controls. |
| Workspace IDE | Inspect files and run commands on the remote machine. |
Exact controls vary by agent. See Choose an agent and the Agents catalog.