A project groups conversations and research files. It can begin as a named workspace with no source folders, or include folders that already contain your papers, data, and code.
Create a project
- From the project home, choose Create project.
- Enter a descriptive project name.
- Optionally choose Add source folders and select the folders you want to work with.
- Review the selected paths, then create the project.
- Start a conversation and ask for an inventory before making changes to unfamiliar material.
Map the folders connected to this project. Identify datasets, analysis
scripts, protocols, and existing results. Save a short project guide with
paths and suggest the first task. Ask before editing original inputs.
The source-folder form supports up to ten selected folders. Connected folders are working material, so choose deliberately and keep backups of original inputs.
Manage workspace folders
Open Customize → Workspaces and select the project. Its folders are available immediately, including before its first conversation. You can also reach these settings from Files → More → Manage workspace folders.
- Connect folder adds an existing folder by path or through Browse.
- Read only lets OpenScience inspect files; Read & write also allows edits.
- Use by default selects the project's working folder. The composer can override it for one conversation, including choosing temporary Scratch.
- Disconnect removes this project's access without moving or deleting files. Affected running tools stop so they cannot retain the old access.
Changes apply to existing and future conversations in that project. A conversation's explicit working-folder choice takes priority. If that chosen folder loses write access, the conversation falls back to scratch rather than silently choosing another folder.
For related work, OpenScience uses the connected working folder and preserves its existing layout. An empty folder is ready for new work. A task clearly unrelated to the contents of a nonempty folder uses scratch unless you explicitly specify where it should work.
Open an existing folder from the CLI
openscience ~/research/experiment-a
Use the path that contains the project you intend to work on. Running openscience with no path uses the current directory.
If a folder has moved or is on a disconnected drive, restore its availability before continuing. A stale project entry does not mean its files have been copied into a new location.
Separate projects from conversations
| Create a new project when | Create a new conversation when |
|---|---|
| The work uses a different set of source folders. | You are asking a separate question about the same material. |
| You want independent project instructions and outputs. | You want a clean discussion for a new analysis or review. |
| You are moving to another repository or research study. | You are continuing from a saved report or handoff. |
Separate conversations share access to project material, but they are not a single unlimited shared memory. Refer to the relevant files and decisions when starting a new one.
Organize active and completed work
Pin frequently used projects on the home page. Archive projects you want to remove from the active list and restore them from the archived view when needed.
Within a project, use descriptive session names, pin important conversations, and archive completed ones. Closing a conversation tab is different from deleting its saved history. Review the confirmation before using a deletion action.
Establish a working agreement
Create AGENTS.md with the project's conventions: original-data locations, output paths, preferred languages, analysis checks, and decisions that need review.
Treat data/raw/ as original input. Save reusable code in scripts/ and
outputs in results/. Include units and random seeds. Before a costly
experiment, propose a small pilot and wait for approval.
Use planning for the first substantial task, Files to review material, and team workflows to package a project for someone else.