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

# Arden

> A local AI assistant with persistent memory, autonomous work, and deep integrations.

## What is Arden?

Arden is a local AI assistant that remembers useful context between
conversations. It connects to your email, calendar, Slack, web, MCP tools,
local files, and shell.

Its home screen brings together conversations, requests, agent activity, and
**Areas**: the parts of your life or work you want Arden to keep watching.

Unlike stateless chat interfaces, Arden:

* **Focuses** by surfacing work and requests that need you
* **Remembers** conversations, commitments, and preferences across sessions, synthesized into readable topic pages
* **Acts autonomously** via scheduled automations, standing area agents, background agents, and multi-agent workflows
* **Returns structured results**: agent runs can produce validated objects, not just prose
* **Shows its work** with streaming traces, approval cards, and tool/run lifecycle events
* **Renders rich output** through sandboxed HTML widgets for charts, tables, forms, and visualizations
* **Integrates** with Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, web search, MCP tools, local files, and notifications
* **Keeps context lean** by loading infrequent tool schemas only when needed
* **Runs locally** – the server and clients run on your machine

## Architecture

Arden is split into two main surfaces:

* **Server** – Python/FastAPI backend for agents, tools, memory, automations, and
  the HTTP/SSE API
* **Desktop** – Electron client for chat, areas, memory, automations, settings,
  approvals, and HTML widgets

## Quick links

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Install and run Arden locally.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Concepts" icon="diagram-project" href="/concepts">
    How facts, wiki pages, areas, automations, and agents fit together.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Areas" icon="layer-group" href="/guides/areas">
    Life domains, outcomes, requests, and standing agents.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Desktop Guide" icon="desktop" href="/guides/desktop">
    Connect the app and use the main UI surfaces.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Memory" icon="brain" href="/guides/memory">
    How persistent memory, topic pages, and recall work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="HTML Widgets" icon="window-restore" href="/guides/html-widgets">
    Render rich interactive cards from agent tools.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Automations" icon="clock" href="/guides/automations">
    Schedule tasks that run autonomously.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Workflows" icon="sitemap" href="/guides/workflows">
    Subagents, multi-agent presets, and the five spawn surfaces.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    HTTP API for building on top of Arden.
  </Card>
</Columns>