> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.devolutions.net/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.devolutions.net/cli/reference/glossary.md).

# Glossary

Short definitions of the terms used in Devolutions CLI and in this documentation, with a link to where each one is explained.

The words you'll meet in Devolutions CLI and in these pages, in alphabetical order.

<table><thead><tr><th width="250">TERM</th><th>WHAT IT MEANS</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Attribute</strong></td><td>What a <a href="#reference">reference</a> returns about a field, set with <code>?attribute=</code>: the value (the default), or information that isn't secret, such as the field type, the entry ID, or the entry name. See <a href="/cli/reference/secret-references.md#attributes">Secret reference syntax</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Background process</strong></td><td>A copy of <code>devo</code> that runs under your user account and serves the commands that read your workspace, so they stay fast. <code>devo</code> starts it when it's needed and it stops after a period without requests. Also called the daemon in the help and in the <code>devo daemon</code> commands. See <a href="/cli/guides/understand/how-it-works.md#the-background-process">How Devolutions CLI works</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Canonical reference</strong></td><td>A <a href="#reference">reference</a> written with IDs: <code>devo://ws/&#x3C;id>/vault/&#x3C;id>/entry/&#x3C;id>/field/&#x3C;field></code>. It keeps working when an entry is renamed, and it's always resolved in the workspace that owns it. On Devolutions Server, <code>devo entry references</code> lists only canonical references. See <a href="/cli/reference/secret-references.md#canonical-references">Secret reference syntax</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Context</strong></td><td>A saved connection to one <a href="#workspace">workspace</a>, with a name you choose: a Devolutions Cloud or Devolutions Server sign-in, or a local Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager profile. Created with <code>devo login</code>. See <a href="/cli/guides/connect/switch-workspaces.md">Switch between workspaces</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Current context</strong></td><td>The <a href="#context">context</a> that commands use when you don't add <code>--context</code>. The last context you signed in to becomes the current one; change it with <code>devo context use</code>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Current vault, current workspace</strong></td><td>The vault and the workspace that commands use when you don't name one. Change them with <code>devo vault use</code> and <code>devo workspace use</code>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Entry</strong></td><td>An item of a <a href="#vault">vault</a>, such as a credential or a remote connection. Its <a href="#field">fields</a> hold the secrets. Managed with <code>devo entry</code>. See <a href="/cli/for-devops-and-administrators/manage/vaults-and-entries.md">Manage vaults and entries</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Field</strong></td><td>One piece of information in an <a href="#entry">entry</a>, such as <code>password</code>, <code>username</code>, <code>host</code>, or <code>privatekey</code>. A <a href="#reference">reference</a> always points at one field.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Launch manifest</strong></td><td>A versioned JSON file that describes a command to start and the references it needs, passed to <code>devo secret run --manifest</code>. See <a href="/cli/guides/secrets/run-with-secrets.md">Run a command with its secrets</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Local profile</strong></td><td>A Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager profile folder on your computer, holding SQLite workspaces. Devolutions CLI reads it directly, without Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager. Selected with <code>devo login --sqlite</code> or <code>--source sqlite</code>. See <a href="/cli/guides/connect/local-profile.md">Use a local Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager profile</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Masking</strong></td><td>What <code>devo secret run</code> does with the output of the command it starts: every resolved value is replaced with <code>&#x3C;concealed by Devolutions></code>. Masking hides what the command prints, not what it does. Turned off with <code>--no-masking</code>. See <a href="/cli/guides/understand/security-model.md">What stays hidden, and what doesn't</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>MCP</strong></td><td>Model Context Protocol: the way AI clients such as Claude Code or GitHub Copilot call outside tools. <code>devo mcp</code> runs Devolutions CLI as an MCP server, so an AI client can work with your workspace. See <a href="/cli/guides/ai-agents/connect-mcp.md">Connect an AI client with MCP</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Named reference</strong></td><td>A <a href="#reference">reference</a> written with names: <code>devo://&#x3C;workspace>/&#x3C;vault>/&#x3C;entry>/&#x3C;field></code>, optionally with a <a href="#section">section</a>. Easy to read, but it breaks when a name changes, and it's resolved in the workspace selected for the command. See <a href="/cli/reference/secret-references.md#named-references">Secret reference syntax</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Receipt</strong></td><td>A JSON file that <code>devo secret run --receipt-file</code> writes after a launch: what was started and how it ended, without any secret value.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Reference</strong></td><td>The address of one <a href="#field">field</a>, starting with <code>devo://</code>. It says where a secret is, never what it is, so it's safe to commit or share. See <a href="/cli/reference/secret-references.md">Secret reference syntax</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Section</strong></td><td>A group of fields inside an entry. On a local profile, a <a href="#named-reference">named reference</a> can name it between the entry and the field.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>SecretSpec provider</strong></td><td>The role Devolutions CLI plays for SecretSpec: once registered with <code>devo secretspec register</code>, SecretSpec starts <code>devo</code> to read and write the secrets of a project. SecretSpec selects the workspace with a provider URI, such as <code>devo://cloud?context=&#x3C;name></code>. See <a href="/cli/guides/secrets/secretspec.md">Use Devolutions CLI with SecretSpec</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Vault</strong></td><td>A container of <a href="#entry">entries</a> in a <a href="#workspace">workspace</a>, with its own access rights. Managed with <code>devo vault</code>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Workspace</strong></td><td>Where your secrets live: Devolutions Cloud, Devolutions Server, or a SQLite workspace of a local Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager profile. See <a href="/cli/guides/understand/workspace-types.md">Compare workspace types</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>


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