---
title: "Concepts"
description: "Use when you need a one-line definition of each Trove idea (library, shelf, manuscript, plan mode and more) and a link to the page that covers it."
url: https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts
updated: 2026-10-06
---

# Concepts

> Load this page when: you meet a Trove term you do not know or need to pick the right concept page

## For agents

- Do not read book pages yourself. Spawn the librarian to choose books, then one item reader per angle.
- Load `https://docs.heytrove.ai/subagents.md` for who does what.
- Load only the concept page that matches your task.

Nine words cover almost everything Trove does. Each row below stands on its own, and each concept has its own page.

## Quick reference

| Concept | What it is | What to tell your agent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Library](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/library-and-books.md) | Every book you can read: your uploads, subscriptions and team-shared books. | "List the books in my Trove library." |
| Book | One document in the library, read by page range. | "Show the table of contents of this Trove book." |
| [Marketplace](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/marketplace.md) | A catalog of books by other authors that you can subscribe to. | "Find Trove marketplace books about testing." |
| [Shelf](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/shelves.md) | A named group of books that your agent reads first for a project. | "Use the platform shelf for this project." |
| [Manuscript](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/manuscripts.md) | A living note that agents add to as they learn. | "List my Trove manuscripts." |
| [Plan mode](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/plan-and-auto-mode.md) | An automatic check of your library while your agent plans. Being improved: ask explicitly for now. | Settings → Answers, or "Check that Trove plan mode is on." |
| [Auto mode](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/plan-and-auto-mode.md) | An automatic check before a non-trivial coding task (Claude Code). Being improved: ask explicitly for now. | The same setting, or "Check that Trove Auto mode is on." |
| [Knowledge gap](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/knowledge-gaps.md) | A recorded request for something no book covers. | Automatic, or "Show my Trove knowledge gaps." |
| [Citation](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/citations.md) | The book and pages behind a statement in an answer. | Every answer |
| [Team](https://docs.heytrove.ai/concepts/teams.md) | A group with departments that share books. | "Show my Trove team." |

## How the pieces fit

You ask your agent to search your Trove library, and it starts the [librarian](https://docs.heytrove.ai/subagents/librarian.md). The librarian looks across your library, shelves and the marketplace. The librarian returns a reading list and starts the [item readers](https://docs.heytrove.ai/subagents/item-reader.md), which open those pages. Readers return findings with citations, and what your agent learns can go into a manuscript or a knowledge gap.

```text
Your agent -> Librarian -> Item readers -> Cited answer
Library, shelves, marketplace feed the librarian.
Manuscripts and knowledge gaps receive what was learned.
```

For the full flow, see [How Trove works](https://docs.heytrove.ai/how-trove-works.md).

## Use them well

The most reliable way to get knowledge today is to ask explicitly, for example: "Search my Trove library for how we handle retries." Automatic checks are still being improved, so do not rely on them yet.

The concept pages explain how each part works. To use them well, see [Best practices](https://docs.heytrove.ai/best-practices.md) and the [usage guides](https://docs.heytrove.ai/usage.md). A new library starts with [Set up your library](https://docs.heytrove.ai/usage/set-up-your-library.md).

## Direct CLI

Your agent runs these through the `trove` command. You can run them yourself in a terminal, but asking your agent is the recommended way: it picks the right flags, waits for processing and checks the result.

| Concept | Command |
| --- | --- |
| Library | `trove items list` |
| Book | `trove items toc <id>` |
| Marketplace | `trove marketplace browse` |
| Shelf | `trove shelf use <slug>` |
| Manuscript | `trove ms list` |
| Plan mode and Auto mode | `trove config set skill.planMode` |
| Knowledge gap | `trove items gaps` |
| Team | `trove team show` |

See the [CLI reference](https://docs.heytrove.ai/reference/cli.md) for every flag.