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

# Choose the Right Starfire Workflow

> Decide whether a task belongs in Chat, Projects, Knowledge, Research, FORGE, Agents, or the Developer Platform.

# Choose the right Starfire workflow

Starfire has several ways to work. Choosing the right one keeps context cleaner and gives the platform the correct tools and lifecycle for the job.

| Goal                                            | Use                    |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Ask, write, reason, debug interactively         | **Chat**               |
| Keep related work together over time            | **Project**            |
| Reuse a collection of documents or repositories | **Knowledge**          |
| Investigate external information with sources   | **Research**           |
| Generate or repair a software project           | **FORGE**              |
| Reuse the same AI behavior repeatedly           | **Agent**              |
| Automate multi-step work                        | **Workflow / Task**    |
| Build software on Starfire                      | **Developer Platform** |

## Use Chat when

The task can be completed interactively and the important context already fits in the conversation.

Good examples include explaining code, rewriting text, planning a feature, or analyzing a small set of attachments.

## Use a Project when

The work spans multiple conversations, files, decisions, or outputs. Projects are the durable workspace boundary for ongoing work.

## Use Knowledge when

The same reference material should be searchable and reusable across many tasks. Knowledge is better than repeatedly attaching the same files to new chats.

## Use Research when

The answer depends on current external information, multiple sources, citation verification, or conflicting claims.

## Use FORGE when

The expected result is an actual software project or packaged artifact—not just a code snippet or architectural suggestion.

## Use an Agent when

The behavior itself should be reusable. Put durable role instructions in the agent and keep one-off requirements in the current task.

## Use automation when

The work has steps, timing, conditions, budgets, approvals, or should run without a person manually sending every prompt.

## Use the Developer Platform when

Another application needs to call Starfire programmatically, manage asynchronous runs, receive webhooks, or integrate Starfire into a backend service.

<Tip>
  If a chat is becoming the permanent storage location for a project, that is usually the signal to move the work into Projects and Knowledge.
</Tip>