---
url: https://pencel.ai/docs/reference/glossary.md
description: >-
  Plain definitions of the words Pencel uses, from Team, teammates, rooms and
  crew to credits, approvals, facts and workflows.
---

# Glossary

The words you'll see in Pencel, in alphabetical order.

**Add to Team**: Makes an agent that isn't on your Team a teammate with its own room. Click **Add to Team** on the agent's page in **Studio ▸ Agents**, or on the line above Home's message box while you chat with it. See [Team and rooms](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/programs.html).

**Agent**: An AI worker with a name, a role, instructions and the tools it may use. The teammates in a room are agents, and you can create your own in **Studio ▸ Agents**. See [Studio](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/studio.html).

**Approval**: Pencel asking for your OK before it does something with consequences, such as sending an email or recording an expense. You can approve it, **Reject** it, or **Edit fields** first. See [Approvals and permissions](https://pencel.ai/docs/privacy-and-security/approval-workflows.html).

**Background check**: A room's regular look for new work, such as checking your inbox every 30 minutes. Switch it on or off with **Work in the background** in the room's **Schedule** settings. A check that finds nothing new stays quiet. The room's **Activity** tab shows the last check, the next one and past checks.

**Budget**: A monthly spending limit. Each room can have its own, in credits, under **Advanced ▸ Monthly budget** in the room's settings. **Settings ▸ Cost & Usage** has one for the whole app. See [Control what you spend](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/managing-costs.html).

**Card**: One item of work Pencel shows you, such as a bid to review, a reply to approve or a finished brief. Cards appear on Home and on a room's wall.

**Connection**: A link to an outside account or service, such as Gmail, Slack or QuickBooks Online, that Pencel can read from or act in. Manage them in **Settings ▸ Connections**. See [Connect your accounts](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/setting-up-connections.html).

**Credits**: What AI work is paid in. One credit is $0.10 of AI usage. Plans include a monthly allowance, and with your own API key no credits are used. See [Accounts, plans and credits](https://pencel.ai/docs/getting-started/accounts.html).

**Crew**: The AI teammates in a room. A room you set up yourself can have several, and one of them is the lead. See [Team and rooms](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/programs.html).

**Decision**: A card that needs a choice from you, such as pursue or pass, or approve or reject. Decisions come first on Home, which shows how many are waiting.

**Documents**: Where your documents, spreadsheets and slide decks live, including everything your rooms write. See [Documents](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/documents.html).

**Fact**: A confirmed statement about your business, such as what you sell or your payment terms, kept in **Settings ▸ Memory ▸ Facts**. Every agent uses your confirmed facts. See [Knowledge](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/knowledge.html).

**Home**: The first screen in Pencel, where everything that needs you from every room comes together. See [Home](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/home.html).

**Job**: Anything that runs for you, whether a workflow or a scheduled task, together with its run history. **Studio ▸ Jobs** shows what each run did and what it cost. See [Check on scheduled work](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/monitoring-runs.html).

**Knowledge**: What Pencel knows about your business: your documents (**Docs**) and **Skills**. Every room draws on it. See [Knowledge](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/knowledge.html).

**Knowledge gap**: A question only you can answer, shown on Home as a "Pencel needs" card. Your answer is saved as a fact. Click **Not relevant** and Pencel won't ask again. See [Teach Pencel about your business](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/teach-pencel-about-your-business.html).

**Own API key**: A key from Anthropic, OpenAI or Google that you add in **Settings ▸ Credentials**. Requests go straight to that provider, you pay the provider directly, and no credits are used. See [Supported models](https://pencel.ai/docs/reference/supported-models.html).

**Pencel Auto**: A model option where Pencel chooses the AI model for you, tuned for good results at a low cost. It runs on Pencel credits. See [Supported models](https://pencel.ai/docs/reference/supported-models.html).

**Pencel Private**: Like Pencel Auto, but requests go only to a model provider that keeps nothing (zero data retention). It runs on Pencel credits.

**Ready-made Room**: A room that comes set up for a specific job: RFP Operations, Email Chief of Staff or QuickBooks Accountant (Beta). Add one from **Team ▸ Add a teammate**. See [Ready-made Rooms](https://pencel.ai/docs/programs/).

**Responsibility**: A standing job a teammate does without being asked, such as scanning for new bids each morning. You set them up when you create a room, and can switch each one on or off in the room's **Schedule** settings.

**Room**: The workspace for one area of work, like a Slack channel shared with its AI teammate. You message the teammate there, it does the work, and results show up as cards on its wall. See [Team and rooms](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/programs.html).

**Routine**: A room's repeating work: its responsibilities plus any workflows attached to it. They're listed under **Routines** in the room's **Schedule** settings, where you can **Run now** or switch one off.

**Standing approval**: Permission you give once with **Always Allow**, so a room stops asking about that action with that account. Anything that moves money or deletes something still asks every time. Revoke it in the room's **Advanced** settings. See [Approvals and permissions](https://pencel.ai/docs/privacy-and-security/approval-workflows.html).

**Studio**: The advanced area for building your own agents and workflows and checking on everything that runs. It has three parts: **Agents**, **Workflows** and **Jobs**. Most people rarely need it. See [Studio: agents, workflows and jobs](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/studio.html).

**Suggested fact**: Something Pencel found in your documents or rooms that might be true about your business. It waits in the room until you **Confirm** it, and no agent uses it before then.

**Team**: Your AI teammates, listed in the sidebar by name, one per room. Click one to open its room, or click **Add a teammate** to add another. See [Team and rooms](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/programs.html).

**Teammate**: An AI agent on your Team, with its own room, role and responsibilities. For example, Rory runs RFP Operations and Max runs Email Chief of Staff.

**To-dos**: Your personal reminders, which your agents can also see. Open them from the To-dos box on Home, or press ⌘K and type "To-dos". See [To-dos](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/todos.html).

**Workflow**: A saved, repeatable process that runs on demand or on a schedule. Build one in **Studio ▸ Workflows**. See [Build a workflow](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/building-a-playbook.html).