# Projects

> Open project folders, organize them in the sidebar and find the files your agents work on.

In Vato, a project is a folder on your computer. Every conversation belongs to a project, and its agent reads and edits files inside that folder.

## Open a project

When no project is open, Vato shows its home screen:

- Click **Open a project** and choose a folder.
- Or click a folder under **Recent projects**.

When a project is already open, you can add another one:

- Click the **Open folder** button at the top right of the sidebar list.
- Or open the command palette with ⌘K on macOS or Ctrl+K on Windows. Type a project name to reopen it, or choose **File: Open folder…**.
- On Windows, you can also click the Vato icon at the top left, then **File → Open folder…**.

Opening a folder also starts a new conversation in it.

> [!NOTE]
> **Clone a repository** and **SSH connection** on the home screen are marked **Coming soon**. To work on another machine, use **Remote conversations** on the same screen.

## Choose the project of a new conversation

A new conversation asks **What are we building in** followed by the project name. Click the project name to pick another project from the list, or choose **Open a project…** to add a folder.

## Organize the sidebar

The sidebar can list conversations in two ways. Switch with the button next to **New Agent**:

- **Activity**: what is running, what needs your answer and what just finished come first, across all projects.
- **Projects**: one section per project under **Repositories**. Pinned conversations appear first, under **Pinned**.

In the **Projects** view, hover a project to see its buttons:

- **New conversation in this project** starts a conversation in that folder.
- **Project actions** opens a menu with **Color**, **Open project** and **Remove from list**.

You can drag a project to change its place in the list.

### Hide a project

**Remove from list** hides the project from the sidebar without deleting its conversations. Open the same folder again to bring it back.

> [!WARNING]
> If you don't reopen a hidden project for 30 days, Vato deletes its conversations. Reopen the folder before then to keep them.

## If a project folder is missing

If you moved or deleted a project folder, Vato shows **This folder doesn't exist** when you send the first message of a new conversation in it. Choose:

- **Create folder** to create an empty folder at the same place.
- **Remove project** to remove it from the sidebar.
- **Stop** to do neither. Your message stays in the message field.

## Find files

Vato has no file tree. Agents search and read your project for you, and you reach files through the conversation:

- Type `@` in the message field to mention a file or a folder.
- Click a file name in an agent's answer to open it. See [Files and split view](./files-and-split-view.md).
- Review the files an agent changed in the changes card. See [Review changes](./review-changes.md).

To help agents find the right code faster, Vato builds a private local index of your projects in the background. You can turn it off in **Settings → General → Index projects automatically**. It is on by default.

Source: https://vatoide.com/docs/workspace/projects