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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. Mounts, workspaces, 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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Mount

A mount gives a sandbox a directory backed by a repository branch, commit, or workspace.
The mount path is ephemeral. Processes read and write /work like any other directory while the sandbox is running.

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Workspace

A workspace is the isolated snapshot history behind a writable mount. When you mount agent-outputs:main read-write, Tensorlake creates a workspace starting from the current main commit. Creating a workspace does not copy the repository. Tensorlake records the base commit and tracks snapshots from there. If a sandbox crashes, you can remount the workspace on another machine and continue from its latest snapshot.

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Snapshot

A snapshot persists the current contents of a writable mount as a commit on the workspace.
Snapshots are private checkpoints. The source branch does not change until you promote.

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Promote

Promote publishes a workspace snapshot to a branch.
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 write workflows start with a writable mount:
Tensorlake creates the workspace behind that mount and keeps it until you delete it. 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.