Elyra
 Elyra The coding agent eTerm The terminal that knows where each command ends Starf An activity monitor for Apple silicon that never invents a number Litr A small, native web browser for macOS Notr A notebook for macOS e The native code editor Elyra Grove Native local development environment Askr The real server for Laravel & PHP Elyra Framework Rust + Svelte 5 framework for desktop apps Elyra Conductor Local project conductor Refr Local-first PDF workspace for macOS Elyra Workspace A desktop workspace for coding agents Elyra SQL Server MySQL-compatible SQL server in Rust Elyra Félagi Agents as teammates on one board Elyra SQL Client Native desktop SQL workbench Elyra SQL Anywhere Replication-ready SQL engine Elyra Sjá SEO & GEO workspace for macOS Elyra DataGrid Server-driven data grid for Laravel
Start here
Overview
Getting started
Projects and threads
Keyboard shortcuts
Working with agents
Working with an agent
Providers
Context, notes and goals
Changes, Git and review
Files and search
Browser
Terminal
Automation
Automations and tasks
Agent gateway and MCP
Reference
Settings
Data, privacy and troubleshooting
Development
Changelog
Elyra
Elyra
Elyra Workspace
Context, notes and goals

Context, notes and goals

The Context tab in the tools panel (⇧⌘I) collects everything around the active thread.

Goal

A goal keeps the agent working, turn after turn, until a larger objective is reached. For example: All tests pass and the checkout flow handles discounts.

  1. Write the goal and press Start goal. The agent gets the goal as its next message, with instructions to take one concrete step at a time and verify it.

  2. After each turn, Elyra sends it on automatically, until either:

    • the agent ends a reply with GOAL ACHIEVED: the goal is Achieved,
    • the agent ends a reply with GOAL BLOCKED because it needs you, or a turn fails: the goal is Paused, or
    • the turn budget runs out (10 automatic turns by default, set in Settings → Agents & MCP): the goal stops.

    You get a notification in each case.

  3. Pause stops after the current turn. Resume continues with a fresh budget. Clear removes the goal.

Messages you queue yourself are sent before the goal continues. While a goal is active, permission requests still stop and wait for you, so choose the permission mode with that in mind.

Notes

A notepad for the thread, saved as you type. The agent doesn't see it.

Recap

Generate asks the agent for a short summary of the conversation: the goal, what's done, decisions made and what's left. Refresh writes a new one. The recap is saved with the thread and used when you hand the thread off to another provider.

Pinned messages

Hover a message in the conversation and press the pin. Pinned messages are listed here so important answers are easy to find. Unpin them here or in the conversation.

Project instructions

Instructions that every agent in the project gets in addition to its normal system prompt, such as conventions, commands to run, or things to avoid. They apply from the next message, in every thread of the project. Claude Code, Codex, Elyra and Pi support this. ACP agents don't take extra instructions.

Local servers

Development servers running from the thread's folder, for example npm run dev in the terminal or a server the agent started. Each one is listed with its port and process. Click the address to open it in the thread's browser, or press the refresh button to look again.

Back to docs