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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ade-app.dev/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Why lanes matter

A lane is ADE’s unit of parallel work. Each lane has its own git worktree, branch, port allocation, Lane Pack, and conflict tracking. Without lanes, every agent would write to the same working directory simultaneously.
The Primary Lane is your main repository checkout. It always exists and cannot be deleted. For agent-driven work, create a Worktree Lane — this keeps the primary checkout clean and lets you work manually without interference.

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Create a lane

1

Open the Lanes view

Click the Lanes icon (branch icon) in the left sidebar, or press Cmd+Shift+L to jump directly to the new lane dialog.
2

Click New Lane

Click the + New Lane button at the top of the lane list. The creation dialog opens.
3

Choose a name

Enter a short, task-oriented name. ADE uses this as both the lane identifier and the worktree directory name.Good names describe the work:
  • add-health-endpoint
  • fix-auth-redirect
  • refactor-payment-api
Avoid generic names like test or feature-1 — they become confusing when you have several lanes open at once.
4

Select a base branch

Choose which branch this lane branches from. For your first lane, select your project’s default branch (usually main or develop).For stacked work, you would select another lane’s branch as the base. See Stacked Lanes for details.
5

Configure the environment (optional)

Expand the Advanced section to set:
  • Environment variable overlays — key-value pairs applied only in this lane (e.g., DATABASE_URL pointing to a test database)
  • Startup command — a command ADE runs when the lane initializes (e.g., npm run dev)
  • Port offset — override the auto-assigned port if needed
For your first lane, the defaults are fine. You can change these later in the lane’s environment settings.
6

Create the lane

Click Create Lane. ADE will:
  1. Run git worktree add to create the isolated directory under .ade/worktrees/<lane-name>/
  2. Initialize the lane environment (port lease, env overlay)
  3. Generate an initial Lane Pack from the branch state
  4. Add the lane to the list with idle status
This takes 2-5 seconds for most repositories.

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Verify the lane is ready

Once created, your new lane appears in the lane list with a grey dot (idle status). Confirm:
  • The lane name and branch are correct in the list
  • Click the lane to select it — the center pane shows the lane detail with a clean diff (no changes yet)
  • The right inspector’s Packs sub-tab shows a freshly generated Lane Pack
You are now ready to run your first agent in this lane.

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Naming guidance

ConventionExampleWhen to use
Feature prefixfeature/user-preferencesFollowing git-flow or similar branch conventions
Task-orientedadd-health-endpointQuick, descriptive — works well for most tasks
Issue-linkedlinear/ENG-142When the CTO creates lanes from Linear issues
Hotfixhotfix/auth-redirectUrgent fixes that need fast-tracked review
Prefer one lane per feature, fix, or experiment. If a task grows beyond what you expected, split it into stacked lanes rather than making one lane do too much. Narrow lanes have fewer conflicts and are easier to review.

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Next steps

Run your first agent

Use Agent Chat for a quick task or launch a Mission for structured execution.

Lanes deep dive

Learn about lane types, status indicators, the 3-pane layout, and health monitoring.