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Glossary: AI agent words in plain English

Short explanations of the words you meet in our AI agent guides, in alphabetical order. Each one links to the guide where you use it.
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Agent folder

The one folder on your server where the agent keeps its data. It is kept when you save the settings or update the agent; everything else inside the agent's container is reset. Hermes uses /opt/data, n8n /home/node/.n8n-files and OpenClaw /home/node/.openclaw. See Terminal and files in the browser.

Allowlist

A list of the people who may talk to your agent. For Hermes on Discord it is ALLOWED DISCORD USER IDS: if it is empty, Hermes ignores all Discord messages (Connect Discord). For a Telegram bot set up in the client area, it is Authorised Telegram IDs (Your agent in the client area).

API key

A secret code from your AI provider (for example Anthropic for Claude) that lets your agent use its AI models. The provider bills you for what the key uses, so treat it like a password. Hermes and OpenClaw take it in the client area Settings tab (Connect Hermes to Claude); n8n takes it as a credential (n8n first steps).

Backup

A copy of your agent's data that you keep on your own computer. Hermes makes a full backup .zip in one click, and it contains your keys (Back up your Hermes agent). In n8n you download each workflow with Export JSON (Download a workflow and import it back).

Bot token

See Token.

Channel

A chat app your agent is connected to, such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord. In the Hermes dashboard, the Channels page shows each one and whether it is Connected (Connect Telegram). To compare them, see WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord.

Client area

The LusoVPS website where you manage your agent: Services → My Services, then your agent. It has the tabs Overview, Settings, Manage agent, Terminal and Files, plus your invoices. See Your agent in the client area.

Container

Your agent runs inside one or more containers on your server. Manage agent → Containers shows what is running, its version and how long it has been up; Up means it is running (Your agent in the client area). Anything in the container outside the agent folder is reset when you save the settings or update the agent.

Credential

In n8n, a saved key or password that steps use to connect to other services, for example your Anthropic account or your Telegram bot. You save it once and every workflow can use it (A quick tour of n8n). Credentials are not included when you export a workflow (n8n backup).

Cron / scheduled job

A task the agent runs on its own at set times, such as a briefing every weekday at 08:00. In Hermes you ask for it in plain words and manage it on the CRON page; 0 9 * * 1-5 is the cron way of writing "09:00, Monday to Friday" (Schedule a recurring task). n8n uses a Schedule Trigger (Run a workflow on a schedule), and OpenClaw lists them under Pages → Automations (OpenClaw dashboard tour).

Dashboard

Your agent's own web page, opened with Open dashboard in the client area. Hermes signs you in directly, n8n shows its own sign-in page, and OpenClaw uses a one-time link valid for 10 minutes. If it does not open, see The dashboard does not open.

Execution

In n8n, one run of a workflow. The Executions tab lists every run with Succeeded or Error, so you can see which step failed and why. See See what a workflow did and fix errors.

Gateway

In Hermes, the part that talks to WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and the other chat apps (Use Hermes from the terminal). After some channel changes the dashboard asks you to click RESTART GATEWAY (Connect Discord).

Home channel

In Hermes, the chat where scheduled results are delivered, one per app. Send /sethome in the chat you want. Without a home channel the job still runs, but nothing arrives. See Schedule a recurring task.

Memory

Two meanings:

Model

The specific AI that does the thinking, for example Claude Sonnet or Claude Haiku. Bigger models are smarter but cost more per message; smaller ones are faster and cheaper. See Change the AI model Hermes uses and How much will the AI cost me?.

Node / step

In n8n, one box in a workflow, for example "receive a message" or "ask Claude". Double-click a step to open its settings. See A quick tour of n8n.

Pairing

How Hermes lets a new person in on WhatsApp and Telegram. The person gets a pairing code (valid for one hour), and you click APPROVE on the dashboard's Pairing page. See Choose who can talk to your agent.

Prompt

The text you give the AI: your question or your instructions. In n8n you write it in fields such as Prompt (User Message) (daily news digest recipe) or the System Message, the fixed instructions the agent follows for every message (AI text helper recipe).

Provider

The company that runs the AI model and bills you for it, such as Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI or OpenRouter. You choose it in Settings → Provider (Hermes and OpenClaw). LusoVPS adds no markup. See How much will the AI cost me?.

Publish

In n8n, putting a workflow live so it runs on its own (from a webhook, a schedule or a message). The button then shows Published with a green dot. After you change a published workflow, click Publish again. See A quick tour of n8n.

Restart / Update / Reinstall

The three buttons under Manage agent → Actions in the client area. Restart restarts the agent and keeps your data. Update installs the latest version we have made available and keeps your data. Reinstall deletes everything and cannot be undone. See Restart, Update or Reinstall: which one? and Your agent in the client area.

Root

The administrator account of your server. The Terminal and Files tabs work as root: changes apply at once and there is no undo. See Terminal and files in the browser.

Service password

The password in the "Your agent is ready" email. It signs you in to the Hermes and n8n dashboards and to SSH and SFTP. See The "Your agent is ready" email.

Session

One conversation with the agent. In the Hermes dashboard, SESSIONS lists your conversations from every channel and New chat starts a new one (Chat with Hermes in the dashboard). OpenClaw lists them in Pages → Sessions (OpenClaw dashboard tour).

Skill

A set of written instructions the agent keeps for one kind of job. In Hermes you can teach one in plain words with Learn a skill (Teach Hermes a skill). In OpenClaw you turn the built-in skills on or off in Settings → Skills (Skills in OpenClaw).

Terminal

A command line on your server. The client area Terminal tab opens one in your browser, as root, without a password; it closes after 1 hour without typing. See Terminal and files in the browser and Use Hermes from the terminal.

Token

Two different things share this name:

  • AI tokens are the small pieces of text that AI providers count to bill you. Every message to the model and every answer uses tokens. See How much will the AI cost me?.
  • A bot token is the password of a Telegram or Discord bot. Anyone with it controls your bot. You get it from @BotFather (Connect Telegram) or the Discord Developer Portal (Connect Discord).

OpenClaw also shows an Access token in the client area Overview tab, another way to open its dashboard (First steps with OpenClaw).

Trigger

In n8n, the first step of a workflow: it decides when the workflow starts, for example On chat message, On webhook call or On a schedule (A quick tour of n8n). In Hermes, Trigger now on the CRON page runs a scheduled job immediately (Schedule a recurring task).

Webhook

A web address that starts an n8n workflow when something sends data to it, such as a contact form. The Test URL (/webhook-test/) works for one call after you click Listen for test event; the Production URL (/webhook/) works for every call once the workflow is published. Anyone who knows the address can call it unless you set Authentication. See Receive data with a webhook.

Workflow

In n8n, a chain of steps that runs on its own, drawn on the canvas in the editor. See A quick tour of n8n and Sign in and build your first AI agent.

Next steps