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These are the terms used across the versioned file system docs.

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Repository

A repository is the durable Git source of truth behind every Tensorlake file system. Workspaces, mounts, snapshots, and promotion all operate on top of repository branches, commits, and refs. The Git Repositories guide shows how to work with that same backing repository through ordinary git clone, git push, and git fetch.

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Workspace

A workspace is a private working history forked from a repository branch or commit. Agents write to workspaces through tl fs mounts. Creating a workspace does not copy the repository. Tensorlake records the base commit and tracks snapshots from there.

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Mount

A mount exposes a repository branch, commit, or workspace as a directory. 
tl fs mount agent-outputs:main /work
After mounting, tools can read and write /work like any other directory.

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Snapshot

A snapshot records the current contents of a writable mount as a commit on the workspace. 
tl fs snapshot /work -m "implemented parser"
Snapshots are private checkpoints until you promote them.

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Promote

Promote publishes workspace snapshots to a branch. 
tl fs promote /work main -m "implemented parser"
By default, promotion publishes one clean commit to the target branch. Future agents that mount that branch, and Git users who clone or fetch it, get that version. Following read-only mounts pick up the update automatically, and activity history shows who published it and which workspace it came from.

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Mount Modes

Mount modes answer two questions:
  • Can this mount write?
  • Does it stay fixed, or follow a branch as it moves?
Most agent sessions start with a private writable workspace: 
tl fs mount agent-outputs:main /work
Use File System Mounts to choose a different mode.

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Credentials

Tensorlake file systems use two credentials. tl login stores a Tensorlake CLI credential. The CLI uses it to ask Tensorlake for short-lived Git credentials. A Git credential authorizes access to the backing repository service. It is scoped to a project and usually one repository, carries scopes like git:read and git:write, and is sent as the HTTP Basic password for git, SDK calls, and tl fs mounts. Most commands mint and refresh Git credentials automatically. You only handle one yourself when using plain Git, CI, or another HTTP client. See Authentication.