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Projects

A project groups chats for one kind of work within a space. It holds the instructions, repositories, apps, skills, storage, and permissions for its chats. Channels and schedules send requests to it.

Create a project when work needs different instructions or tools. For example, an Engineering space can contain Plan, Build, Review, and Test projects. They write specs, write code, review pull requests, and run tests. Each has its own instructions and permissions, and they all share the space’s members and machine.

In the API and CLI, a project is project.

Create a project

You need a space and a name. Everything else is optional and can change later.

  1. Select Teams in the sidebar and open a space.
  2. Open the Projects tab and select New project.
  3. Enter a Name. You can also pick an icon and add a Description, Instructions, and repositories.
  4. On the @Ren step, choose where work can reach the project, like a Slack channel or an email address. You can skip this step.
  5. On the Permissions step, choose what Ren may do without asking.
  6. Select Create project.

Ren creates a file store and memory store for each new project. Both use the project’s name, like Code review Files and Code review Memory. See Storage.

Project settings

Edit the icon, name, description, and Default model on Overview. Chats use this model unless you select another. Without a project default, Ren checks the space default, then the organization default, then Ren’s default.

To archive a project, select Project actions (the ⋯ button), then Archive project. You can’t archive the Default project in your personal space.

Instructions

Project instructions are standing rules for every chat in the project, like “Always open a pull request instead of pushing to main.”

Ren reads instructions from three levels in every chat, from broad to narrow:

  1. The organization’s instructions, from Settings → General.
  2. The space’s instructions, from the space’s Instructions tab.
  3. The project’s instructions.

All three apply. Put company-wide rules in the organization, team or client rules in the space, and rules for this kind of work in the project.

Open the project’s Instructions tab and edit the text.

Repositories

Add the repositories Ren should work on. Ren clones each one into the project on the space’s machine, so it can read and change the code. A project can have several repositories.

  1. Open the project’s Repositories tab and select Add repository.
  2. Search for a repository and select it. You can select several.
  3. Select Add repository.

The list shows GitHub repositories the Ren GitHub app can reach. In your personal space, it shows repositories from your own GitHub account instead. If GitHub isn’t connected yet, the dialog asks you to connect it first. See GitHub.

To change a repository’s URL, branch, or alias, select Edit on its row.

You can mention a repository in the composer by its alias, like @storefront.

Apps, skills, custom MCPs, and storage

Attach tools and stores to make them available to every chat in the project.

  • Apps, skills, and custom MCPs: The project’s Connections tab groups Apps, Custom MCPs, and Skills, with Add app, Add custom MCP, and Add skill buttons. You can also add items through Marketplace. In the chat composer, select Connect beside + to add or remove items in these groups. After you attach items, their icons replace Connect.
  • Storage: Open the project’s Storage tab and choose Memory or Files. Select Attach memory store or Attach file store. To detach a store, select Detach on its row. The store stays in your organization.

See Apps, Skills, Custom MCPs, and Storage.

Permissions

Permissions decide which actions Ren takes on its own, which ones it asks you about first, and which ones it never takes. Each action is set to Allow, Ask, or Deny.

  1. Open the project’s Permissions tab.
  2. Pick a preset:
    • Safe: reads files on its own, asks before most other actions, and never touches folders outside the project.
    • Balanced: reads files and uses the internet on its own, and asks before changes and commands.
    • Autonomous: does most things on its own, and still asks before using folders outside the project.
  3. To fine-tune, set Allow, Ask, or Deny for each action in the list, like Run commands or Access websites.
  4. For rules that match specific commands or paths, select Advanced. Add a rule with a permission, a pattern, and a behavior, or edit the rules as JSON.

You can also change the project’s permissions from a chat: select + in the composer, then Permissions.

When an action is set to Ask in a chat you’re in, Ren shows the request above the composer. Choose Allow once, Always allow, or Deny, or type what Ren should do instead.

Channel and scheduled chats deny actions set to Ask and continue without them. Set required actions to Allow before the chat starts.

Channels

The @Ren tab maps channels to this project: Slack channels, Linear projects, GitHub repositories, Telegram chats, and the project’s email address. Messages from a mapped channel start chats in this project. See Channels.

Usage

The Usage tab shows chat costs. Select Spend or LLM calls, then choose a period of 7, 30, or 90 days. Open Per session for individual chat costs.