> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usesynth.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Projects and Context

> Use projects to bind repos, files, datasets, credentials, notes, and reusable knowledge.

Projects keep the context that workers need across runs.

## When to use a project

Use a project when work depends on:

* a GitHub repo or repo set
* uploaded files or starting data
* datasets, traces, papers, or benchmark material
* workspace credentials and provider bindings
* project notes or durable knowledge
* recurring budgets and run policy

Use a one-off run when the goal is self-contained and the default project is enough.

## Typical setup

```python theme={null}
created = client.projects.create_runnable({"name": "Improve eval reliability"})
project = client.project(created.project_id)
project.repositories.attach(github_repo="owner/repo")
project.context.set_project_knowledge(
    "Prioritize deterministic evals, clear logs, and small reviewable patches."
)
```

Then preflight before launching:

```python theme={null}
preflight = project.runs.preflight(
    host_kind="daytona",
    work_mode="directed_effort",
    providers=[{"provider": "openrouter"}],
    runbook="lite",
)
```

## Context quality

Good project context gives workers:

* the target repo and paths
* the command that proves success
* known failure modes
* budget and time constraints
* review criteria
* which files or APIs are off limits

Keep credentials out of prose. Attach them through supported credential and provider mechanisms.

## Onboarding blockers

Some projects cannot launch until setup is complete. Preflight can report blockers for repo access, missing credentials, missing runtime capacity, provider availability, budget caps, or incomplete project setup.

## Using projects in the web app (logged in)

When you are **signed in**, Managed Research projects open as a guided workspace in the browser. The UI does not mirror every MCP tool, but it covers launch, inspection, steering, and results for **lite** and **heavy** presets and **directed effort** and **open-ended discovery** work modes. That is a wider launch surface than the public Open Research lab, which is intentionally narrow on the open web.

Use these routes as a map (replace `[projectId]` and `[runId]` with your IDs):

| Area                    | Typical route                                           | What you do there                                                                                                |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Project hub             | `/smr/[projectId]`                                      | Dashboard, run summaries, entry to the active run.                                                               |
| Onboarding              | `/smr/[projectId]/onboarding`                           | Complete setup so preflight and launches are unblocked.                                                          |
| New run                 | Launch UX (from project)                                | Choose preset, work mode, models, files, and kickoff; quick-create paths for miscellaneous projects.             |
| Runs list               | `/smr/[projectId]/runs`                                 | Browse and open runs.                                                                                            |
| Run console             | `/smr/[projectId]/runs/[runId]`                         | Timeline, live ops, workers, runtime stream and transcript, messaging, checkpoints, branch, stop, pause, resume. |
| Approvals and questions | Routes under project + run                              | Human approvals and run questions.                                                                               |
| Results                 | `/smr/[projectId]/results/*`                            | Pull requests and durable outputs.                                                                               |
| Resources               | `/smr/[projectId]/resources/*`                          | Files, datasets, repositories, connections, knowledge and context.                                               |
| Usage and settings      | `/smr/[projectId]/usage`, `/smr/[projectId]/settings/*` | Usage views and project settings (including exports).                                                            |
| Global                  | `/smr/new`, `/smr/projectsList`                         | Create projects and browse the list.                                                                             |
| Artifact link           | `/smr/artifacts/[artifactId]`                           | Deep link to an artifact when you have its identifier.                                                           |

For automation (agents, scripts, CI), prefer **MCP** or **`SynthClient().research`**; the web app is best for interactive review and steering. See [Get started](/managed-research/get-started), [Python SDK guide](/managed-research/sdk), and the [generated API reference](/reference/sdk/index).