Glossary

Terms and definitions used in Contree MCP.

A

Async Execution

Running operations without waiting for completion. Use wait=false and poll with get_operation or wait_operations.

D

Directory State

A snapshot of local files synced with rsync. Identified by directory_state_id.

Disposable

When disposable=true (default), filesystem changes are discarded after command execution.

I

Image

An immutable filesystem snapshot. Identified by UUID.

Image Lineage

The parent-child relationships between images. View with contree://image/{uuid}/lineage.

M

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

The protocol used for AI agent tool communication.

MicroVM

A lightweight virtual machine used for isolated command execution.

O

Operation

A running or completed task (command execution or image import). Identified by operation_id.

R

Result Image

The image UUID returned when running with disposable=false and filesystem changes occur.

Root Image

An image imported from a container registry, with no parent.

T

Tag

A human-readable name for an image (e.g., python:3.11). Tags can point to different UUIDs over time.

U

UUID

Universally Unique Identifier. The primary way to reference images and operations.