diff --git a/emrg/__main__.py b/emrg/__main__.py
index 3882670a..90fd5b23 100644
--- a/emrg/__main__.py
+++ b/emrg/__main__.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     parser.add_argument(
         "--init-auto-evolve",
         action="store_true",
-        help="Enable auto-evolution for the current project on connect.",
+        help="Enable auto-evolution for the current agent on connect.",
     )
 
     sub = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command", metavar="[command]")
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
         description="Update emrg by pulling latest source and reinstalling.",
     )
 
-    # emrg rant [--project <name>] <message>
+    # emrg rant [--agent <name>] <message>
     rant_parser = sub.add_parser(
         "rant",
         help="Send feedback/complaint to EMRG for evolution analysis",
@@ -107,8 +107,8 @@ def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
         "evolution system will use to discover improvement opportunities.",
     )
     rant_parser.add_argument(
-        "-p", "--project",
-        help="Target project (from agents.yml). Omit for emrg itself.",
+        "-p", "--agent",
+        help="Target agent (from agents.yml). Omit for emrg itself.",
         default=None,
     )
     rant_parser.add_argument(
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def main() -> None:
         else:
             _run_daemon()
     elif parsed.command == "rant":
-        _send_rant(" ".join(parsed.message), project=parsed.project)
+        _send_rant(" ".join(parsed.message), agent=parsed.agent)
     elif parsed.command == "stop":
         # Windows installer pre-stop depends on the non-zero exit code when
         # residual processes remain (emrg/_stop_all.py owns the full logic).
@@ -417,13 +417,13 @@ def _run_daemon() -> None:
 
 # ── Rant ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-def _send_rant(message: str, project: str | None = None) -> None:
+def _send_rant(message: str, agent: str | None = None) -> None:
     """Send a rant/feedback message to the daemon for evolution analysis."""
-    # Parse @project from message if -p/--project not explicitly set
-    # (matching TUI /rant @project behavior — app.py:1365-1369)
-    if project is None and message.startswith("@"):
+    # Parse @agent from message if -p/--agent not explicitly set
+    # (matching TUI /rant @agent behavior — app.py:1365-1369)
+    if agent is None and message.startswith("@"):
         parts = message.split(None, 1)
-        project = parts[0][1:]  # strip @
+        agent = parts[0][1:]  # strip @
         message = parts[1] if len(parts) > 1 else ""
 
     async def _do() -> None:
@@ -444,8 +444,8 @@ async def _do() -> None:
             "message": message,
             "timestamp": datetime.now().isoformat(),
         }
-        if project:
-            payload["project"] = project
+        if agent:
+            payload["agent"] = agent
 
         await ws.send(json.dumps(payload, ensure_ascii=False))
 
diff --git a/emrg/client/app.py b/emrg/client/app.py
index 9044f856..5d34ca45 100644
--- a/emrg/client/app.py
+++ b/emrg/client/app.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 from emrg.client.python_tui.pending_rows import ParkedUserRows
 from emrg.client.python_tui.widgets.markdown import StreamingMarkdown
 from emrg.client.widgets import (
-    InputWidget, RewindSelector, SessionSelector, ProjectSelector,
+    InputWidget, RewindSelector, SessionSelector, AgentSelector,
     TaskSelector, ModelSelector, SandboxSelector, CommandDropdown, ChatHistory,
     SelectorState, _COMMAND_HELP,
     ToolSelector,
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ def _auto_title_from_prompt(text: str, max_len: int = 30) -> str | None:
 def _task_session_target(task: dict | None) -> tuple[str, str] | None:
     """The ``(cwd, session_id)`` that opening a task's session needs.
 
-    ``list_tasks`` rows already carry both (`handler.status()` → `project_path`,
+    ``list_tasks`` rows already carry both (`handler.status()` → `agent_path`,
     `session_id`), so /task-session needs no server change (rant
     2026-09-17T18:36:08). Returns ``None`` when they cannot be used — a task
     that has never run, or a row without them — and the caller then reports that
@@ -181,11 +181,11 @@ def _task_session_target(task: dict | None) -> tuple[str, str] | None:
     Module-level and pure so it is unit-testable without a terminal: the branch
     it feeds is otherwise only reachable by driving the TUI. Missing, empty and
     non-string fields all count as unusable — `os.getcwd`-style falsiness is not
-    an answer to "where is this project".
+    an answer to "where is this agent".
     """
     if not isinstance(task, dict):
         return None
-    cwd = task.get("project_path")
+    cwd = task.get("agent_path")
     sid = task.get("session_id")
     if not isinstance(cwd, str) or not cwd.strip():
         return None
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ def _task_open_switch(pending: tuple[str, str] | None, resumed_sid: str) -> str
     answer is about a *different* session than the one the open asked for. The
     second is not hypothetical — an open whose verdict never arrived (the
     connection dropped) leaves its target behind, and a later `/resume <id>`
-    succeeding must not then drag the host into a project they never picked,
+    succeeding must not then drag the host into an agent they never picked,
     which is the defect a cwd is the wrong place to discover.
     """
     if pending is None or pending[1] != resumed_sid:
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ def _resume_target_from_resolution(
 
     Rant 2026-09-29T15:52:49 (requirement 6, the client half). The client used to
     send its **own** cwd with every ``resume_session``, which is only ever right
-    by accident: a session belonging to another project — a scheduled task's
+    by accident: a session belonging to another agent — a scheduled task's
     cycle above all — lives under a different ``.emrg/sessions/``, and the
     daemon's broadcast filter is keyed by ``(session, cwd)``, so the wrong cwd
     both fails to open it and, where it opens, leaves the live frames addressed
@@ -227,12 +227,12 @@ def _resume_target_from_resolution(
     names a different session than the one asked for. Same discipline as
     ``_task_open_switch`` at the other end of the same round trip, and for the
     same reason — a verdict that arrives after its request was abandoned must not
-    move the host into a project they never picked.
+    move the host into an agent they never picked.
 
     An ``unknown`` answer is **not** the same reading as an answer that carries a
-    cwd. The daemon cannot vouch for the session's project when the global index
+    cwd. The daemon cannot vouch for the session's agent when the global index
     does not know it, so the client keeps the cwd it has (correct for a session in
-    the current project) rather than treating a guess as a fact.
+    the current agent) rather than treating a guess as a fact.
     """
     if not pending_sid or result.get("session_id") != pending_sid:
         return None
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ def _cards_from_tool_calls(tool_calls) -> list[ToolCard]:
             status="pending",
             tool_call_id=str(call.get("id") or ""),
             arguments=args,
-            # The daemon projects `call_label` into every history entry it returns,
+            # The daemon agents `call_label` into every history entry it returns,
             # so a resumed session shows the same label the live one did — including
             # a session recorded before the field existed (rant 2026-10-20T12:22:21).
             call_label=str(call.get("call_label") or ""),
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ def _replay_rows(messages) -> list[tuple[str, object, str]]:
     contract: `kind: "message"` for the user, assistant and system roles,
     `kind: "tool_result"` for tool output, and `kind: "summary"` for a compaction
     boundary. A record outside that set is skipped rather than rendered as a blank
-    row — a role the file on disk may hold and the records mode does not project is
+    row — a role the file on disk may hold and the records mode does not agent is
     invented nowhere here, because inventing it would put the TUI and the GUI back on
     two different content paths, which is the defect that requirement removes.
 
@@ -1124,7 +1124,7 @@ async def interactive(init_auto_evolve: bool = False, console=None):
     # Session setup
     cwd = os.getcwd()
     session_id = generate_session_id(Path(cwd))
-    project_name = Path(cwd).name
+    agent_name = Path(cwd).name
 
     # Send init_auto_evolve if requested (before ping, so daemon
     # processes it before any user interaction starts)
@@ -1210,7 +1210,7 @@ def _narrate_the_stop() -> None:
         status.elapsed = ""
         # Rant 2026-09-02T10:31:11：与 done 路径（:617）一致的标题复位——中断
         # 漏清 term.set_title 会让标题残留 [m:ss] 计时停住。
-        term.set_title(f"{session_title or session_id} @ {project_name}")
+        term.set_title(f"{session_title or session_id} @ {agent_name}")
         chat.add("system", CANCELLED_LINE)
         _last_center = server_id or "emrg"
         status.update(center=_last_center)
@@ -1272,7 +1272,7 @@ async def _run_elapsed_timer() -> None:
                 mins, secs = divmod(elapsed, 60)
                 timer = f"[{mins}:{secs:02d}]"
                 status.elapsed = timer
-                term.set_title(f"{timer} {session_title or session_id} @ {project_name}")
+                term.set_title(f"{timer} {session_title or session_id} @ {agent_name}")
                 term.render()
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.error("elapsed timer error: %s", e)
@@ -1297,13 +1297,13 @@ def _ensure_elapsed_timer() -> None:
     # Selector state — each selector has an active flag, widget ref, and pending flag.
     session_sel = SelectorState()
     delete_sel = SelectorState()
-    project_sel = SelectorState()
+    agent_sel = SelectorState()
     model_sel = SelectorState()
     sandbox_sel = SelectorState()
     rewind_sel = SelectorState()
     task_sel = SelectorState()
     tool_sel = SelectorState()  # Tab: the tool-detail selector (rant 2026-09-30T09:17:54)
-    _rant_project: str | None = None  # Set after project selection, used on next Enter
+    _rant_agent: str | None = None  # Set after agent selection, used on next Enter
     _skills_confirm: tuple | None = None  # (skill_name, install_cmd) — next Enter answers the prompt
     # (request_id, question, deadline) while the daemon is waiting on this
     # client's answer to an escalation request — the next line typed is the
@@ -1362,8 +1362,8 @@ async def read_server():
         nonlocal _last_center, _elapsed_task, conn
         nonlocal _request_start, turn_running
         # /task-session: the daemon's verdict on a task's session decides whether
-        # the client moves into that task's project at all (rant 2026-09-17T18:36:08).
-        nonlocal cwd, project_name, _task_list_intent, _task_open_pending
+        # the client moves into that task's agent at all (rant 2026-09-17T18:36:08).
+        nonlocal cwd, agent_name, _task_list_intent, _task_open_pending
         nonlocal _resume_pending_sid
         nonlocal _replay_pending
         nonlocal _rewind_fill, _rewind_replay
@@ -1447,7 +1447,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                         ver = getattr(emrg, "__version__", "dev")
                         chat.add("system", f"EMRG {ver}  |  {server_id}\nType /help for shortcuts, or just start chatting.")
                     status.update(left=_status_left(session_title, session_id, current_model, current_vision, current_sandbox), center=server_id)
-                    term.set_title(f"{session_title or session_id} @ {project_name}")
+                    term.set_title(f"{session_title or session_id} @ {agent_name}")
                     term.render(); continue
 
                 # P1 queue-injection client side (daemon #655): messages sent
@@ -1744,7 +1744,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                         chat.add("system", f"⚠ {resp.content}  Try '继续' to resume.")
                     _last_center = server_id or "emrg"
                     status.update(center=_last_center)
-                    term.set_title(f"{session_title or session_id} @ {project_name}")
+                    term.set_title(f"{session_title or session_id} @ {agent_name}")
                     # rant 21:52:18: daemon's done frame reports the authoritative
                     # current-context message count (system + history + tool results);
                     # fall back to the local +1 approximation when absent.
@@ -1816,7 +1816,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                             chat.dirty = True
                             chat.add("system", f"Created new session {new_sid} — continue chatting.")
                             status.update(left=_status_left("", new_sid, current_model, current_vision, current_sandbox), center=server_id or "emrg")
-                            term.set_title(f"{new_sid} @ {project_name}")
+                            term.set_title(f"{new_sid} @ {agent_name}")
                             msg_count = 0
                             _update_left_extra()
                     status.update(center=server_id or "emrg")
@@ -2116,7 +2116,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                             f"({count} messages, "
                             f"created {_created}, updated {_updated})")
                         status.update(left=_status_left(session_title, session_id, current_model, current_vision, current_sandbox), center=server_id or "emrg")
-                        term.set_title(f"{session_title or pending_sid} @ {project_name}")
+                        term.set_title(f"{session_title or pending_sid} @ {agent_name}")
                         _update_left_extra()
                         term.render()
                         continue
@@ -2138,29 +2138,29 @@ async def _reconnect():
                     term.render()
                     continue
 
-                # Projects list
-                if data.get("type") == "projects_list":
-                    nonlocal project_sel
-                    projects = data.get("projects", [])
+                # Agents list
+                if data.get("type") == "agents_list":
+                    nonlocal agent_sel
+                    agents = data.get("agents", [])
                     err = data.get("error", "")
                     if err:
                         chat.add("system", f"Error: {err}")
-                        project_sel.pending = False
-                    elif project_sel.pending and projects:
-                        project_sel.pending = False
-                        project_sel.widget = ProjectSelector(projects)
-                        project_sel.active = True
-                        chat.add(project_sel.widget)
-                        status.update(center="select project: ↑↓ Enter Esc  (j/k vim)")
+                        agent_sel.pending = False
+                    elif agent_sel.pending and agents:
+                        agent_sel.pending = False
+                        agent_sel.widget = AgentSelector(agents)
+                        agent_sel.active = True
+                        chat.add(agent_sel.widget)
+                        status.update(center="select agent: ↑↓ Enter Esc  (j/k vim)")
                     else:
-                        project_sel.pending = False
-                        if projects:
-                            project_sel.widget = ProjectSelector(projects)
-                            project_sel.active = True
-                            chat.add(project_sel.widget)
-                            status.update(center="select project: ↑↓ Enter Esc  (j/k vim)")
+                        agent_sel.pending = False
+                        if agents:
+                            agent_sel.widget = AgentSelector(agents)
+                            agent_sel.active = True
+                            chat.add(agent_sel.widget)
+                            status.update(center="select agent: ↑↓ Enter Esc  (j/k vim)")
                         else:
-                            chat.add("system", "No projects configured. Use emrg in a git repo to auto-register.")
+                            chat.add("system", "No agents configured. Use emrg in a git repo to auto-register.")
                     term.render()
                     continue
 
@@ -2429,7 +2429,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                 # Where a session lives, asked before resuming it (rant
                 # 2026-09-29T15:52:49, requirement 6). The client used to send its
                 # own cwd with every resume; the daemon answers with the session's
-                # real project instead, and the pair is then handed to the same
+                # real agent instead, and the pair is then handed to the same
                 # `_task_open_pending` machinery that moves the client into it.
                 if data.get("type") == "session_cwd_result":
                     target = _resume_target_from_resolution(
@@ -2492,13 +2492,13 @@ async def _reconnect():
                     current_roots = list(meta.get("sandbox_roots") or [])
 
                     # /task-session: the session exists, so the client now moves
-                    # into that task's project — before the history replay below,
+                    # into that task's agent — before the history replay below,
                     # which reads it from `cwd`.
                     switch_to = _task_open_switch(_task_open_pending, new_sid)
                     _task_open_pending = None
                     if switch_to is not None:
                         cwd = switch_to
-                        project_name = Path(cwd).name
+                        agent_name = Path(cwd).name
 
                     # Clear and replay: the material comes from the daemon, not
                     # from disk (rant 2026-09-29T15:52:49, requirement 4 — two
@@ -2547,7 +2547,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                         session_title = new_title
                         chat.add("system", f"Session renamed to: {new_title}")
                         status.update(left=_status_left(session_title, session_id, current_model, current_vision, current_sandbox), center=server_id or "emrg")
-                        term.set_title(f"{session_title} @ {project_name}")
+                        term.set_title(f"{session_title} @ {agent_name}")
                     term.render()
                     continue
 
@@ -2557,7 +2557,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                     if err:
                         chat.add("system", f"Error: {err}")
                     else:
-                        scope = data.get("scope", "project")
+                        scope = data.get("scope", "agent")
                         directory = data.get("directory", "")
                         memories = data.get("memories", [])
                         lines = [f"Memories ({scope}):", f"  Directory: {directory}", ""]
@@ -2574,7 +2574,7 @@ async def _reconnect():
                             lines.append("")
                             lines.append("Type /memory <id> to read a specific memory.")
                             lines.append("Type /memory session for session memories.")
-                            lines.append("Type /memory project for project memories.")
+                            lines.append("Type /memory agent for agent memories.")
                         else:
                             lines.append("  (no memories yet)")
                         chat.add("system", "\n".join(lines))
@@ -2713,8 +2713,8 @@ def _handle_selector_nav(data: bytes, widget) -> bool:
     async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
         nonlocal inp, status, history, paste_mode, stream_buffer, conn, chat, busy, need_new_assistant, session_id, session_title, msg_count, cwd
         nonlocal turn_ended_cancelled, cancel_receipt_held
-        nonlocal current_model, project_name, current_sandbox
-        nonlocal session_sel, delete_sel, project_sel, model_sel, rewind_sel, task_sel
+        nonlocal current_model, agent_name, current_sandbox
+        nonlocal session_sel, delete_sel, agent_sel, model_sel, rewind_sel, task_sel
         nonlocal _rewind_fill
         nonlocal sandbox_sel, tool_sel
         nonlocal _task_list_intent, _task_open_pending
@@ -2874,35 +2874,35 @@ async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
                 return True
             return True
 
-        # ── Project selector mode ──────────────────────────
-        if project_sel.active and project_sel.widget:
+        # ── Agent selector mode ──────────────────────────
+        if agent_sel.active and agent_sel.widget:
             if data == b"\x1b":  # Esc — cancel selection
-                project_sel.active = False
-                chat.add("system", "Project selection cancelled.")
-                chat.remove(project_sel.widget)
-                project_sel.widget = None
+                agent_sel.active = False
+                chat.add("system", "Agent selection cancelled.")
+                chat.remove(agent_sel.widget)
+                agent_sel.widget = None
                 status.update(center=server_id or "emrg")
                 chat.dirty = True; term.render()
                 return True
             if data == b"\r" or data == b"\n":  # Enter — confirm
-                pname = project_sel.widget.selected_project_name
-                project_sel.active = False
-                chat.remove(project_sel.widget)
-                project_sel.widget = None
+                pname = agent_sel.widget.selected_agent_name
+                agent_sel.active = False
+                chat.remove(agent_sel.widget)
+                agent_sel.widget = None
                 if pname:
-                    nonlocal _rant_project
-                    _rant_project = pname
-                    chat.add("system", f"Rant to project '@{pname}' — type your message and press Enter:")
+                    nonlocal _rant_agent
+                    _rant_agent = pname
+                    chat.add("system", f"Rant to agent '@{pname}' — type your message and press Enter:")
                     status.update(center=f"rant to @{pname}")
                 else:
-                    chat.add("system", "No project selected.")
+                    chat.add("system", "No agent selected.")
                     status.update(center=server_id or "emrg")
                 chat.dirty = True; term.render()
                 return True
-            if _handle_selector_nav(data, project_sel.widget):
+            if _handle_selector_nav(data, agent_sel.widget):
                 chat.dirty = True; term.render()
                 return True
-            # Ignore other keys when in project selector mode
+            # Ignore other keys when in agent selector mode
             return True
 
         # ── Model selector mode ──────────────────────────
@@ -3026,7 +3026,7 @@ async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
                 if task_intent == "session":
                     # /task-session (rant 2026-09-17T18:36:08): open the task's
                     # session instead of triggering it. The cwd the daemon is
-                    # asked with is the TASK's project — the client's own cwd
+                    # asked with is the TASK's agent — the client's own cwd
                     # only moves once the daemon confirms the session exists, so
                     # a never-run task leaves the host where they were.
                     target = _task_session_target(task_row)
@@ -3242,14 +3242,14 @@ async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
             if text:
                 if text.lower() in ("quit", "exit"): return False
 
-                # If a rant project was selected, use this message as the rant
+                # If a rant agent was selected, use this message as the rant
                 # (rant 2026-08-17T11:51:59: routes through the agent for
                 # polish/confirm, then the submit_rant tool records it)
-                if _rant_project:
+                if _rant_agent:
                     hint = (
                         f"[Host wants to submit this rant — polish it, ask for "
                         f"confirmation if needed, then call submit_rant "
-                        f"(project: {_rant_project})]\n{text}"
+                        f"(agent: {_rant_agent})]\n{text}"
                     )
                     # This path echoes its own user row too, so it parks it the
                     # same way the ordinary submit does — the id is minted here,
@@ -3259,7 +3259,7 @@ async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
                     # submit's).
                     rid = new_task_id()
                     parked_user_rows.park(
-                        rid, chat.add("user", f"/rant @{_rant_project} {text}"))
+                        rid, chat.add("user", f"/rant @{_rant_agent} {text}"))
                     chat.add("assistant", "")
                     msg_count += 1; _update_left_extra()
                     _last_center = "thinking..."
@@ -3269,14 +3269,14 @@ async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
                     # path does before ITS send: `was_busy` is this function's
                     # own local (the assignment further down is what binds it),
                     # so a read that does not follow one raises
-                    # UnboundLocalError — the /rant-with-project path crashed
+                    # UnboundLocalError — the /rant-with-agent path crashed
                     # on every Enter (issue #1759).
                     was_busy = busy
                     rid = await conn.send_task(session_id=session_id, cwd=cwd,
                                                prompt=hint, id=rid)
                     if was_busy:
                         _queued_sends.append({"id": rid, "prompt": hint, "images": None})
-                    _rant_project = None
+                    _rant_agent = None
                     status.update(center=server_id or "emrg")
                     inp.text = ""; inp.cursor = 0; inp.dirty = True; term.render()
                     return True
@@ -3336,15 +3336,15 @@ async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
                 if text.lower().startswith("/memory"):
                     parts = text.split(None, 1)
                     sub = parts[1].strip() if len(parts) > 1 else ""
-                    scope = "project"
+                    scope = "agent"
                     mem_id = ""
                     if sub:
                         # /memory session → list session memories
                         # /memory <id> → read specific memory
                         if sub.lower() == "session":
                             scope = "session"
-                        elif sub.lower() == "project":
-                            scope = "project"
+                        elif sub.lower() == "agent":
+                            scope = "agent"
                         else:
                             mem_id = sub
                             # Could be a read request — send as read
@@ -3433,7 +3433,7 @@ async def handle_key(data: bytes) -> bool:
                         await conn.send_command("skills_update")
                         status.update(center="checking skill updates…")
                     else:
-                        # The session's directory, not this process's: the project
+                        # The session's directory, not this process's: the agent
                         # skills a session has are the ones under its own root.
                         skills = load_skills(Path(cwd) if cwd else None)
                         if skills:
@@ -3541,19 +3541,19 @@ def _is_image_token(s, i):
 
 Commands
   /help               Show this help
-  /skills             List loaded skills (user + project)
+  /skills             List loaded skills (user + agent)
   /version            Show EMRG version and instance info
   /image              Insert clipboard image into input field
   /compact            Compress conversation history
   /clear              Clear current session and start fresh
-  /memory [session|project|<id>]  Browse memories
+  /memory [session|agent|<id>]  Browse memories
   /sessions           Interactive session picker (↑↓/j/k to select)
   /resume [id]        Switch to session (no args = interactive picker, ↑↓/j/k)
   /rename [title]     Rename current session
   /delete [id]        Delete session (no args = interactive picker, ↑↓/j/k)
   /rant <msg>         Send feedback to evolution system
-  /rant @<project> <msg>  Rant to a specific project
-  /rant               Interactive project picker, then type message
+  /rant @<agent> <msg>  Rant to a specific agent
+  /rant               Interactive agent picker, then type message
   /model [name]        Switch LLM model (no args = interactive picker)
   /trigger             List scheduled tasks (type name to trigger)
   /trigger <name>      Manually trigger a scheduled task now
@@ -3594,29 +3594,29 @@ def _is_image_token(s, i):
                 if text.lower().startswith("/rant"):
                     parts = text.split(None, 2)
                     message = parts[1].strip() if len(parts) > 1 else ""
-                    project = None
+                    agent = None
                     if message.startswith("@"):
-                        # /rant @<project> <message> — project-targeted rant
+                        # /rant @<agent> <message> — agent-targeted rant
                         sub = text.split(None, 2)
-                        project = sub[1][1:]  # strip @
+                        agent = sub[1][1:]  # strip @
                         message = sub[2].strip() if len(sub) > 2 else ""
                     if not message:
-                        if project:
-                            chat.add("system", "Usage: /rant @<project> <message>")
+                        if agent:
+                            chat.add("system", "Usage: /rant @<agent> <message>")
                             inp.text = ""; inp.cursor = 0; inp.dirty = True; term.render()
                             return True
-                        # /rant without args → interactive project selector
-                        project_sel.pending = True
-                        await conn.send_command("list_projects")
+                        # /rant without args → interactive agent selector
+                        agent_sel.pending = True
+                        await conn.send_command("list_agents")
 
-                        status.update(center="loading projects...")
+                        status.update(center="loading agents...")
                         inp.text = ""; inp.cursor = 0; inp.dirty = True; term.render()
                         return True
-                    target = f" (@{project})" if project else ""
+                    target = f" (@{agent})" if agent else ""
                     hint = (
                         f"[Host wants to submit this rant — polish it, ask for "
                         f"confirmation if needed, then call submit_rant "
-                        f"(project: {project if project else 'emrg'})]\n{message}"
+                        f"(agent: {agent if agent else 'emrg'})]\n{message}"
                     )
                     # Parked before the send, under an id minted here — the other
                     # `/rant` shape does the same, so an echoed row on either path
@@ -3756,7 +3756,7 @@ def _is_image_token(s, i):
                         session_sel.widget = None
                         session_sel.pending = False
                         # Ask where the session lives instead of assuming it is
-                        # here: the id may name another project's session — a
+                        # here: the id may name another agent's session — a
                         # scheduled task's, above all — and `cwd` is this
                         # client's, not that session's (rant 2026-09-29T15:52:49,
                         # requirement 6). The answer drives the resume.
diff --git a/emrg/client/widgets.py b/emrg/client/widgets.py
index 7361e9f7..76364979 100644
--- a/emrg/client/widgets.py
+++ b/emrg/client/widgets.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """EMRG client — TUI widget classes extracted from app.py.
 
-Contains InputWidget, selectors (Session/Project/Model/Rewind/Command),
+Contains InputWidget, selectors (Session/Agent/Model/Rewind/Command),
 ChatHistory, _COMMAND_HELP, and SelectorState.
 """
 
@@ -657,15 +657,15 @@ def _format_tool_input(arguments: dict) -> list[str]:
     return text.split("\n")
 
 
-class ProjectSelector(Widget):
-    """Interactive project picker — arrow-key navigation with highlight.
+class AgentSelector(Widget):
+    """Interactive agent picker — arrow-key navigation with highlight.
 
-    Renders a list of projects from agents.yml with the selected one in
-    reverse video. Used by /rant when invoked without @project.
+    Renders a list of agents from agents.yml with the selected one in
+    reverse video. Used by /rant when invoked without @agent.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, projects: list[dict] | None = None):
-        self.projects: list[dict] = projects or []
+    def __init__(self, agents: list[dict] | None = None):
+        self.agents: list[dict] = agents or []
         self.selected_index: int = 0
         self._dirty: bool = True
 
@@ -683,25 +683,25 @@ def move_up(self) -> None:
             self._dirty = True
 
     def move_down(self) -> None:
-        if self.selected_index < len(self.projects) - 1:
+        if self.selected_index < len(self.agents) - 1:
             self.selected_index += 1
             self._dirty = True
 
     @property
-    def selected_project_name(self) -> str | None:
-        if 0 <= self.selected_index < len(self.projects):
-            return self.projects[self.selected_index].get("name", "")
+    def selected_agent_name(self) -> str | None:
+        if 0 <= self.selected_index < len(self.agents):
+            return self.agents[self.selected_index].get("name", "")
         return None
 
     def render(self, ctx):
         lines: list[Line] = []
         pstyle = Style.parse("bold cyan")
         avail = getattr(ctx, "height", 0) or 0
-        n = len(self.projects)
+        n = len(self.agents)
         chrome, start, end, markers = window_plan(avail, n, self.selected_index)
         if chrome:
             lines.append(Line(
-                spans=[Span("○ ", style="dim"), Span("Select a project (↑↓/j/k to move, Enter to confirm, Esc to cancel):", style="bold")],
+                spans=[Span("○ ", style="dim"), Span("Select an agent (↑↓/j/k to move, Enter to confirm, Esc to cancel):", style="bold")],
                 style=ctx.style,
             ))
         if markers and start > 0:
@@ -710,7 +710,7 @@ def render(self, ctx):
                 style=ctx.style,
             ))
         for i in range(start, end):
-            p = self.projects[i]
+            p = self.agents[i]
             name = p.get("name", "?")
             repo = p.get("repo", "")
             label = f"  {name}"
@@ -878,7 +878,7 @@ def selected_task_name(self) -> str | None:
 
     @property
     def selected_task(self) -> dict | None:
-        """The whole selected row — /task-session needs `project_path` and
+        """The whole selected row — /task-session needs `agent_path` and
         `session_id`, which `selected_task_name` does not carry."""
         if 0 <= self.selected_index < len(self.tasks):
             return self.tasks[self.selected_index]
@@ -1030,18 +1030,18 @@ def render(self, ctx):
     "/sessions": "Browse and switch between saved sessions (↑↓/j/k to navigate)",
     "/rewind":   "Rewind session — pick a user message to truncate history to",
     "/compact":  "Compress conversation history to save context",
-    "/memory":   "Browse and search memories [session|project|<id>]",
+    "/memory":   "Browse and search memories [session|agent|<id>]",
     "/rename":   "Rename current session [title]",
     "/delete":   "Delete a session [/delete | /delete <session_id>]",
     "/clear":    "Clear current session history and start fresh",
-    "/rant":     "Send feedback to the evolution system [/rant | /rant @<project> <msg>]",
+    "/rant":     "Send feedback to the evolution system [/rant | /rant @<agent> <msg>]",
     "/model":    "Switch LLM model [/model | /model <name>]",
     "/sandbox":  "Set this session's sandbox tier, or its extra writable roots "
                  "[/sandbox | /sandbox <mode> | /sandbox add|remove|list <path>] "
                  "[/sandbox add|remove --registry <key> names a registry key]",
     "/trigger":  "List or manually trigger scheduled tasks [/trigger | /trigger <name>]",
     "/task-session": "Open a scheduled task's session (no args = interactive picker)",
-    "/skills":   "List loaded skills (user + project)",
+    "/skills":   "List loaded skills (user + agent)",
     "/version":  "Show EMRG version and instance info",
     "/image":    "Insert clipboard image into input field",
     "/help":     "Show keyboard shortcuts and commands",
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ def render(self, ctx):
 
 
 class SelectorState:
-    """Unified state for interactive selectors (session, project, model).
+    """Unified state for interactive selectors (session, agent, model).
 
     Consolidates 9 separate variables into 3 typed instances to eliminate
     nonlocal declaration errors (rant #31).
@@ -1268,5 +1268,5 @@ class SelectorState:
 
     def __init__(self) -> None:
         self.active: bool = False
-        self.widget: 'SessionSelector | ProjectSelector | ModelSelector | None' = None
+        self.widget: 'SessionSelector | AgentSelector | ModelSelector | None' = None
         self.pending: bool = False
diff --git a/emrg/gui/daemon_client.js b/emrg/gui/daemon_client.js
index 789f8f48..77cd930c 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/daemon_client.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/daemon_client.js
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ function isSessionId(id) {
 const RESPONSE_TYPES = {
   list_sessions: "sessions_list",
   list_models: "models_list",
-  list_projects: "projects_list",
+  list_agents: "agents_list",
   list_history: "history_list",
   // The prompts the host typed in one session (issue #2349, part 2/2): the daemon
   // answers a `list_input_history` command with an `input_history` frame, so the
@@ -164,8 +164,8 @@ const RESPONSE_TYPES = {
  *
  * The daemon answers where a session lives so that a client does not have to
  * guess (issue #2484). Two answers are deliberately not the same value: `index`
- * carries the project the global session index holds, and `unknown` carries
- * `null` — the daemon cannot vouch for that session's project, so the requested
+ * carries the agent the global session index holds, and `unknown` carries
+ * `null` — the daemon cannot vouch for that session's agent, so the requested
  * cwd comes back only as a candidate and must not be relabelled as a fact.
  *
  * So everything except a non-empty `index` cwd answers the caller's fallback,
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ class DaemonClient {
         errFd === null ? null : EMRGD_START_ERR()
       );
     }
-    // G125：spawn 设 cwd=project_dir（daemon load_skills 用 Path.cwd() 加载项目级 skills）
+    // G125：spawn 设 cwd=agent_dir（daemon load_skills 用 Path.cwd() 加载项目级 skills）
     const python = this._findPython();
     const args = ["-m", "emrg.server"];
     this.logger.info(`[gui] spawning daemon: ${python} ${args.join(" ")} cwd=${os.homedir()}`);
@@ -1172,7 +1172,7 @@ class DaemonClient {
       // both (`app.py:1345` / `:1353`), so this layer was the only client that
       // dropped them: they matched no branch, fell to the unknown-frame log at
       // the bottom, and reached no renderer. The catch-all's list of *expected*
-      // drops (`templates_list` / `compact_result` / `projects_list`) never named
+      // drops (`templates_list` / `compact_result` / `agents_list`) never named
       // them.
       this._emit(frame.type, frame);
       return;
@@ -1200,7 +1200,7 @@ class DaemonClient {
     // 日志以 `type=` 开头，下一次可以 `grep 'unknown frame type=' | sort | uniq -c`
     // 直接数，而不必从截断的 JSON 里抠类型。
     // 注意：本支对某些帧是**预期**的——daemon 会把 `templates_list` / `compact_result`
-    // / `projects_list` 广播给全部订阅者（`daemon.py:1518`），而这是别的会话发出的
+    // / `agents_list` 广播给全部订阅者（`daemon.py:1518`），而这是别的会话发出的
     // 命令的回执，本连接既不认领也不该转发。
     const unknownType = frame.type === undefined ? "<no-type>" : String(frame.type);
     this.logger.warn(`[gui] unknown frame type=${unknownType}: ${JSON.stringify(frame).slice(0, 200)}`);
diff --git a/emrg/gui/gui-state.js b/emrg/gui/gui-state.js
index 0b270371..47607c91 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/gui-state.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/gui-state.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 // path (restore on boot + sidebar UI) lands in P4 slice 2.
 //
 // Design notes (from the rant):
-// - Open sessions = cross-project tabs (aligned with the TUI multi-open model).
+// - Open sessions = cross-agent tabs (aligned with the TUI multi-open model).
 // - Cap 20: never persist more than the cap; restore (slice 2) takes the most
 //   recent 20 by lastActive.
 // - Write is atomic (.tmp + rename) so a crash mid-write never corrupts state.
diff --git a/emrg/gui/main.js b/emrg/gui/main.js
index fa85733d..d370d9b4 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/main.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/main.js
@@ -576,8 +576,8 @@ vision = false
       }
       // P6（rant 15:07:19 边界）：projectPath 校验（跨项目打开时传项目路径）
       if (projectPath !== undefined && (typeof projectPath !== "string" || !projectPath.trim())) {
-        logger.warn(`[gui:switch] REJECT invalid project path=${projectPath}`);
-        throw new Error("invalid project path");
+        logger.warn(`[gui:switch] REJECT invalid agent path=${projectPath}`);
+        throw new Error("invalid agent path");
       }
       // P6（rant 15:07:19 上限 20）：显式打开新会话超限 → 提示不自动关（已打开 sid 复用不拦）
       if (openSessions.size >= DEFAULT_CAP && !openSessions.has(sessionId)) {
@@ -669,7 +669,7 @@ vision = false
     ipcMain.handle("emrg:newSession", async (_e, { projectPath } = {}) => {
       // P6（rant 15:07:19 边界）：projectPath 校验（新建会话指定项目时）
       if (projectPath !== undefined && (typeof projectPath !== "string" || !projectPath.trim())) {
-        throw new Error("invalid project path");
+        throw new Error("invalid agent path");
       }
       // G14/G81：本地生成 session_id（无 new_session 消息）
       const sid = generateSessionId();
@@ -747,7 +747,7 @@ vision = false
       //
       // `cwd` resolves from the session exactly as `emrg:listHistory` does (rant
       // 2026-08-25T17:38:56): a hardcoded DEFAULT_CWD reads every session from the
-      // wrong project and answers an empty list that looks like "nothing typed yet".
+      // wrong agent and answers an empty list that looks like "nothing typed yet".
       if (!validateSessionId(sessionId)) throw new Error("invalid session_id");
       const payload = { session_id: sessionId, cwd: resolveSessionCwd(sessionId) || DEFAULT_CWD };
       const frame = await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("list_input_history", payload, 5000);
@@ -782,9 +782,9 @@ vision = false
       return { ok: true, removedCount: frame.removed_count ?? 0 };
     });
 
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:listMemories", async (_e, { scope = "project", sessionId } = {}) => {
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:listMemories", async (_e, { scope = "agent", sessionId } = {}) => {
       // GUI / 指令 P3：/memory — 列出记忆（daemon list_memories → memories_list）
-      // 记忆命令同样按会话真实项目取 cwd（scope=session 时用该会话，project 时用当前会话）
+      // 记忆命令同样按会话真实项目取 cwd（scope=session 时用该会话，agent 时用当前会话）
       const memCwd = resolveSessionCwd(sessionId || currentSessionId) || DEFAULT_CWD;
       const params = { scope, cwd: memCwd };
       if (scope === "session") {
@@ -795,7 +795,7 @@ vision = false
       return frame.memories || [];
     });
 
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:readMemory", async (_e, { memoryId, scope = "project", sessionId } = {}) => {
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:readMemory", async (_e, { memoryId, scope = "agent", sessionId } = {}) => {
       // GUI / 指令 P3：/memory <id> — 读取单条记忆（daemon read_memory → memory_content）
       if (typeof memoryId !== "string" || !memoryId.trim()) throw new Error("invalid memory_id");
       const params = { scope, memory_id: memoryId.trim(), cwd: resolveSessionCwd(sessionId || currentSessionId) || DEFAULT_CWD };
@@ -860,11 +860,11 @@ vision = false
 
     ipcMain.handle("emrg:listSkills", async () => {
       // GUI / 指令 P3：/skills — 读取技能列表（TUI 本地 load_skills 等价物，daemon 无协议）
-      // 技能在 ~/.emrg/skills/*.md（user）与 <projectDir>/.emrg/skills/*.md（project）
+      // 技能在 ~/.emrg/skills/*.md（user）与 <projectDir>/.emrg/skills/*.md（agent）
       const skills = [];
       const dirs = [
         { dir: path.join(os.homedir(), ".emrg", "skills"), source: "user" },
-        { dir: path.join(DEFAULT_CWD, ".emrg", "skills"), source: "project" },
+        { dir: path.join(DEFAULT_CWD, ".emrg", "skills"), source: "agent" },
       ];
       for (const { dir, source } of dirs) {
         let files = [];
@@ -883,40 +883,40 @@ vision = false
       return skills;
     });
 
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:listProjects", async () => {
-      // GUI / 指令 P4：/rant 项目下拉 — daemon list_projects → projects_list
-      const frame = await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("list_projects", {}, 5000);
-      return frame.projects || [];
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:listAgents", async () => {
+      // GUI / 指令 P4：/rant 项目下拉 — daemon list_agents → agents_list
+      const frame = await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("list_agents", {}, 5000);
+      return frame.agents || [];
     });
 
     // P5（rant 15:07:19）：某项目的会话列表（list_sessions(cwd=projectPath)）
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:listProjectSessions", async (_e, { projectPath }) => {
-      if (typeof projectPath !== "string" || !projectPath) throw new Error("invalid project path");
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:listAgentSessions", async (_e, { projectPath }) => {
+      if (typeof projectPath !== "string" || !projectPath) throw new Error("invalid agent path");
       const frame = await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("list_sessions", { cwd: projectPath }, 5000);
       return { sessions: frame.sessions || [] };
     });
 
-    // P5：新建项目 = 轻量命令带 cwd → daemon 隐式 _touch_project 注册（零改动）
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:registerProject", async (_e, { path: p }) => {
-      if (typeof p !== "string" || !p) throw new Error("invalid project path");
+    // P5：新建项目 = 轻量命令带 cwd → daemon 隐式 _touch_agent 注册（零改动）
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:registerAgent", async (_e, { path: p }) => {
+      if (typeof p !== "string" || !p) throw new Error("invalid agent path");
       try {
         fs.accessSync(p, fs.constants.W_OK); // 目录可写校验（G121）
       } catch {
-        throw new Error("project directory not writable");
+        throw new Error("agent directory not writable");
       }
       await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("list_sessions", { cwd: p }, 5000); // 隐式注册
       return { ok: true, path: p };
     });
 
     // P5 slice 2：删除项目 = 只删 agents.yml 条目（保留磁盘数据）+ 关闭该项目已打开会话
-    // 受保护项目不可删除（内置 project emrg / 内置 task emrg-task → 演化依赖，删了悬空）；
-    // `.emrg` 是 _touch_project 历史记录**非内置 → 可删**（再次访问重新注册）。
+    // 受保护项目不可删除（内置 agent emrg / 内置 task emrg-task → 演化依赖，删了悬空）；
+    // `.emrg` 是 _touch_agent 历史记录**非内置 → 可删**（再次访问重新注册）。
     // 返回 { ok, removed, closed: [sids] }；renderer 收到后负责切换激活会话。
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:removeProject", async (_e, { name, path: p } = {}) => {
-      if (typeof name !== "string" || !name.trim()) throw new Error("invalid project name");
-      // 受保护项目：内置 project `emrg` + 内置 task `emrg-task`
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:removeAgent", async (_e, { name, path: p } = {}) => {
+      if (typeof name !== "string" || !name.trim()) throw new Error("invalid agent name");
+      // 受保护项目：内置 agent `emrg` + 内置 task `emrg-task`
       if (name === "emrg" || name === "emrg-task") {
-        return { ok: false, protected: true, error: "protected system project" };
+        return { ok: false, protected: true, error: "protected system agent" };
       }
       // 该项目已打开的会话 → 关闭连接 + 移除 + 写盘（激活中先切相邻由 renderer 处理）
       const closed = [];
@@ -930,7 +930,7 @@ vision = false
       if (currentSessionId && closed.includes(currentSessionId)) {
         currentSessionId = null; // 激活会话被关 → 无激活（renderer 切相邻）
       }
-      const frame = await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("remove_project", { name: name.trim() }, 5000);
+      const frame = await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("remove_agent", { name: name.trim() }, 5000);
       schedulePersistGuiState();
       broadcastOpenSessions();
       return { ok: true, removed: Boolean(frame.removed), closed, name };
@@ -1037,12 +1037,12 @@ vision = false
       return frame.rants || [];
     });
 
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:sendRant", async (_e, { message, project = "" } = {}) => {
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:sendRant", async (_e, { message, agent = "" } = {}) => {
       // GUI / 指令 P4：/rant — 提交反馈到演化系统（daemon rant 协议，字段序与 rants.jsonl 一致）
       if (typeof message !== "string" || !message.trim()) throw new Error("invalid rant message");
       const frame = await requireConn().sendCommandAndWait("rant", {
         message: message.trim().slice(0, 10000),
-        project: String(project || "").trim(),
+        agent: String(agent || "").trim(),
         // timestamp deliberately NOT sent: daemon stamps rants with local time
         // (rant 2026-08-07T13:34Z — GUI previously sent new Date().toISOString(),
         // which is UTC and 8h behind on UTC+8 hosts)
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ vision = false
       return { ok: true };
     });
 
-    ipcMain.handle("emrg:pickProjectDir", async () => {
+    ipcMain.handle("emrg:pickAgentDir", async () => {
       // G70/G115：只选不写盘（保存才落盘）
       const res = await dialog.showOpenDialog(win, { properties: ["openDirectory"] });
       return res.canceled ? null : res.filePaths[0];
diff --git a/emrg/gui/preload.js b/emrg/gui/preload.js
index a59f8488..30ac9aea 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/preload.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/preload.js
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ const api = {
   panelResized: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:panelResized", payload), // P2.3：面板布局上报 → bounds 同步
   getPreviewState: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:getPreviewState"), // P2.3：renderer 崩溃恢复拉取
   listSkills: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:listSkills"),
-  listProjects: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:listProjects"),
-  listProjectSessions: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:listProjectSessions", payload),
-  registerProject: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:registerProject", payload),
-  removeProject: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:removeProject", payload),
+  listAgents: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:listAgents"),
+  listAgentSessions: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:listAgentSessions", payload),
+  registerAgent: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:registerAgent", payload),
+  removeAgent: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:removeAgent", payload),
   listTasks: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:listTasks"),
   // 间隔下限由 daemon 上报（issue #2490）——渲染层不留第二份数字
   taskLimits: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:taskLimits"),
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ const api = {
   saveSettings: (payload) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:saveSettings", payload),
   getSettings: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:getSettings"),
   cancel: (sessionId) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:cancel", sessionId),
-  pickProjectDir: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:pickProjectDir"),
+  pickAgentDir: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:pickAgentDir"),
   // 渲染进程日志桥（rant 2026-08-24：打开会话链路排障——renderer 点击/调用步骤
   // 经 emrg:log IPC 上报，由 main 写入 ~/.emrg/emrg-gui.log，与 main 日志同文件时序对齐）
   log: (level, msg) => ipcRenderer.invoke("emrg:log", { level, msg }),
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/css/components.css b/emrg/gui/renderer/css/components.css
index 4362c607..eaafd885 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/css/components.css
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/css/components.css
@@ -930,8 +930,8 @@ dialog::backdrop {
 .rant-row .rant-col-time {
   flex: 0 0 150px;
 }
-.rant-head .rant-col-project,
-.rant-row .rant-col-project {
+.rant-head .rant-col-agent,
+.rant-row .rant-col-agent {
   flex: 0 0 90px;
 }
 .rant-head .rant-col-status,
@@ -950,7 +950,7 @@ dialog::backdrop {
 }
 .rant-head span,
 .rant-row .rant-col-time,
-.rant-row .rant-col-project,
+.rant-row .rant-col-agent,
 .rant-row .rant-col-progress,
 .rant-row .rant-col-content {
   overflow: hidden;
@@ -958,7 +958,7 @@ dialog::backdrop {
   white-space: nowrap;
 }
 .rant-row .rant-col-time,
-.rant-row .rant-col-project,
+.rant-row .rant-col-agent,
 .rant-row .rant-col-progress,
 .rant-row .rant-col-content {
   font-size: var(--fs-aux);
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.test.tsx
index 901a251d..a0236ccf 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.test.tsx
@@ -66,11 +66,11 @@ function mockEmrg(over: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
     return mock;
   };
   const bridge = {
-    listProjects: fn("listProjects", [{ name: "emrg", path: "/p/emrg" }, { name: "demo", path: "/p/demo", latest_session_at: "2026-08-27T00:00:00Z" }]),
-    listProjectSessions: fn("listProjectSessions", { sessions: [{ session_id: "s9", title: "Demo session" }] }),
+    listAgents: fn("listAgents", [{ name: "emrg", path: "/p/emrg" }, { name: "demo", path: "/p/demo", latest_session_at: "2026-08-27T00:00:00Z" }]),
+    listAgentSessions: fn("listAgentSessions", { sessions: [{ session_id: "s9", title: "Demo session" }] }),
     newSession: fn("newSession", { session_id: "s-new" }),
-    pickProjectDir: fn("pickProjectDir", { path: "/p/new" }),
-    registerProject: fn("registerProject", { ok: true, path: "/p/new" }),
+    pickAgentDir: fn("pickAgentDir", { path: "/p/new" }),
+    registerAgent: fn("registerAgent", { ok: true, path: "/p/new" }),
     switchSession: fn("switchSession", { ok: true }),
     deleteSession: fn("deleteSession", { ok: true }),
     renameSession: fn("renameSession", { ok: true }),
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ function mockEmrg(over: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
     listMemories: fn("listMemories", [{ id: "m1", title: "记忆一", summary: "摘要内容" }]),
     readMemory: fn("readMemory", { id: "m1", title: "记忆一", content: "详情正文" }),
     listSkills: fn("listSkills", [{ name: "browser-harness", description: "web automation", source: "user" }]),
-    removeProject: fn("removeProject", { ok: true }),
+    removeAgent: fn("removeAgent", { ok: true }),
     ...over,
   };
   (window as unknown as { emrg?: unknown }).emrg = bridge;
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ describe("DialogHost (Batch 5 slice 4)", () => {
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText("记忆一")).toBeInTheDocument());
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("记忆一"));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("memory-detail")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    expect(calls.readMemory[0][0]).toMatchObject({ memoryId: "m1", scope: "project" });
+    expect(calls.readMemory[0][0]).toMatchObject({ memoryId: "m1", scope: "agent" });
   });
 
   it("记忆详情按 vanilla 截断：title 80 / body 2000", async () => {
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ describe("DialogHost (Batch 5 slice 4)", () => {
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("open-session-dialog")).toBeInTheDocument());
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText("demo")).toBeInTheDocument());
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("demo"));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(calls.listProjectSessions.length).toBe(1));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(calls.listAgentSessions.length).toBe(1));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText("Demo session")).toBeInTheDocument());
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("Demo session"));
     await waitFor(() => expect(calls.switchSession.length).toBe(1));
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ describe("DialogHost (Batch 5 slice 4)", () => {
     const del = screen.getAllByTestId("open-session-delete");
     fireEvent.click(del[0]); // emrg 项目
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("confirm-dialog")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    expect(screen.getByText(/system project/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/system agent/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it("新建会话：点选项目 → newSession + onSwitchSession(新会话)", async () => {
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.tsx
index a8ba898d..7475baed 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/DialogHost.tsx
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ import { COMMANDS, hintText } from "../lib/commands";
 import { helpRows, type MemoryRow, type SkillRow } from "../lib/dialogLists";
 import { rewindPointRow, type RewindPoint } from "../lib/rewind";
 import {
-  isProtectedProject,
-  projectRowView,
+  isProtectedAgent,
+  agentRowView,
   sessionRowView,
-  type ProjectRow,
+  type AgentRow,
   type SessionRow,
 } from "../lib/openSession";
 import { dialogReducer, initialDialogState } from "../lib/dialog";
@@ -42,11 +42,11 @@ import { SandboxRootsDialog } from "./SandboxRootsDialog";
 
 /** DialogHost 用到的 preload 桥方法（与 preload.js 的 52 通道子集对齐） */
 interface EmrgBridge {
-  listProjects(): Promise<ProjectRow[]>;
-  listProjectSessions(p: { projectPath: string }): Promise<{ sessions: SessionRow[] }>;
+  listAgents(): Promise<AgentRow[]>;
+  listAgentSessions(p: { projectPath: string }): Promise<{ sessions: SessionRow[] }>;
   newSession(p: { projectPath: string }): Promise<{ session_id: string }>;
-  pickProjectDir(): Promise<{ path?: string } | null>;
-  registerProject(p: { path: string }): Promise<{ ok: boolean; path: string }>;
+  pickAgentDir(): Promise<{ path?: string } | null>;
+  registerAgent(p: { path: string }): Promise<{ ok: boolean; path: string }>;
   switchSession(p: { sessionId: string }): Promise<unknown>;
   deleteSession(p: { sessionId: string }): Promise<unknown>;
   renameSession(p: { sessionId: string; title: string }): Promise<unknown>;
@@ -54,14 +54,14 @@ interface EmrgBridge {
   compactSession(p: { sessionId: string }): Promise<unknown>;
   listHistory(p: { sessionId: string }): Promise<{ messages: RewindPoint[]; hasMore?: boolean }>;
   rewindSession(p: { sessionId: string; recordIndex: number }): Promise<unknown>;
-  listMemories(p: { scope: "session" | "project"; sessionId?: string }): Promise<MemoryRow[]>;
-  readMemory(p: { memoryId: string; scope: "session" | "project"; sessionId?: string }): Promise<{
+  listMemories(p: { scope: "session" | "agent"; sessionId?: string }): Promise<MemoryRow[]>;
+  readMemory(p: { memoryId: string; scope: "session" | "agent"; sessionId?: string }): Promise<{
     id?: string;
     title?: string;
     content?: string;
   }>;
   listSkills(): Promise<SkillRow[]>;
-  removeProject(p: { name: string; path: string }): Promise<{ ok: boolean; error?: string }>;
+  removeAgent(p: { name: string; path: string }): Promise<{ ok: boolean; error?: string }>;
 }
 
 function bridge(): EmrgBridge | undefined {
@@ -144,11 +144,11 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
   // confirm/rename 走 lib/dialog 的 reducer（vanilla showConfirm/showRename 请求槽）
   const [dialogState, dispatch] = useReducer(dialogReducer, initialDialogState);
   const [listDialog, setListDialog] = useState<ListDialogOpen>(CLOSED);
-  const [memoryScope, setMemoryScope] = useState<"session" | "project">("project");
+  const [memoryScope, setMemoryScope] = useState<"session" | "agent">("agent");
 
   // 列表数据（null = loading）
-  const [projects, setProjects] = useState<ProjectRow[] | null>(null);
-  const [openStep, setOpenStep] = useState<OpenSessionStep>("projects");
+  const [agents, setAgents] = useState<AgentRow[] | null>(null);
+  const [openStep, setOpenStep] = useState<OpenSessionStep>("agents");
   const [openSessions, setOpenSessions] = useState<SessionRow[] | null>(null);
   const [openProjectName, setOpenProjectName] = useState("");
   const [sessionsError, setSessionsError] = useState<string | null>(null);
@@ -172,17 +172,17 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
 
   // ── 数据加载（打开即拉取；bridge 缺失时 no-op 降级） ──
 
-  // projects：open-session / new-session 共用
+  // agents：open-session / new-session 共用
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!listDialog.sessions && !listDialog.newSession) return;
     const b = bridge();
     if (!b) return;
     let cancelled = false;
-    setProjects(null);
+    setAgents(null);
     setSessionsError(null);
-    b.listProjects()
+    b.listAgents()
       .then((rows) => {
-        if (!cancelled) setProjects(rows);
+        if (!cancelled) setAgents(rows);
       })
       .catch((e) => {
         if (!cancelled) setSessionsError((e as Error)?.message ?? String(e));
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
     };
   }, [listDialog.sessions, listDialog.newSession]);
 
-  // memories（/memory [session|project]）
+  // memories（/memory [session|agent]）
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!listDialog.memory) return;
     const b = bridge();
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
   // ── 命令路由动作 ──
 
   function openMemory(scopeArg?: string): void {
-    setMemoryScope(scopeArg === "session" ? "session" : "project");
+    setMemoryScope(scopeArg === "session" ? "session" : "agent");
     openDialog("memory");
   }
 
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
   }
 
   /** 打开会话两步流：项目 → 会话（vanilla showOpenSessionDialog） */
-  async function pickProject(p: ProjectRow): Promise<void> {
+  async function pickProject(p: AgentRow): Promise<void> {
     const b = bridge();
     if (!b || !p.path) return;
     setOpenStep("sessions");
@@ -331,21 +331,21 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
     setOpenSessions(null);
     setSessionsError(null);
     try {
-      const res = await b.listProjectSessions({ projectPath: p.path });
+      const res = await b.listAgentSessions({ projectPath: p.path });
       setOpenSessions(res.sessions ?? []);
     } catch (e) {
       setSessionsError((e as Error)?.message ?? String(e));
     }
   }
 
-  /** 删除项目：受保护 → 拒绝提示；否则确认后 removeProject + 重载列表 */
-  function deleteProject(p: ProjectRow): void {
-    if (isProtectedProject(p)) {
+  /** 删除项目：受保护 → 拒绝提示；否则确认后 removeAgent + 重载列表 */
+  function deleteAgent(p: AgentRow): void {
+    if (isProtectedAgent(p)) {
       dispatch({
         type: "open-confirm",
         payload: {
-          title: t("deleteProject.title"),
-          message: t("deleteProject.protectedBody", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }),
+          title: t("deleteAgent.title"),
+          message: t("deleteAgent.protectedBody", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }),
           okText: "dlg.gotIt",
           danger: false,
         },
@@ -355,36 +355,36 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
     dispatch({
       type: "open-confirm",
       payload: {
-        title: t("deleteProject.title"),
-        message: t("deleteProject.body", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }),
+        title: t("deleteAgent.title"),
+        message: t("deleteAgent.body", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }),
         okText: "dlg.delete",
         danger: true,
         onOk: async () => {
           const b = bridge();
           if (!b) return;
-          const res = await b.removeProject({ name: p.name || "", path: p.path || "" });
+          const res = await b.removeAgent({ name: p.name || "", path: p.path || "" });
           if (res && res.error) {
-            transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteProject.failed", { msg: String(res.error) }), sid);
+            transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteAgent.failed", { msg: String(res.error) }), sid);
           } else {
-            transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteProject.removed", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }), sid);
-            setProjects(null); // 重载项目列表
+            transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteAgent.removed", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }), sid);
+            setAgents(null); // 重载项目列表
           }
         },
       },
     });
   }
 
-  /** 新建项目 = 选目录 → 注册 → 重载项目列表（vanilla new-session 的 new-project 路径） */
-  async function newProject(): Promise<void> {
+  /** 新建项目 = 选目录 → 注册 → 重载项目列表（vanilla new-session 的 new-agent 路径） */
+  async function newAgent(): Promise<void> {
     const b = bridge();
     if (!b) return;
     try {
-      const res = await b.pickProjectDir();
+      const res = await b.pickAgentDir();
       if (!res?.path) return;
-      await b.registerProject({ path: res.path });
-      setProjects(null);
-      const rows = await b.listProjects();
-      setProjects(rows);
+      await b.registerAgent({ path: res.path });
+      setAgents(null);
+      const rows = await b.listAgents();
+      setAgents(rows);
     } catch (e) {
       setSessionsError((e as Error)?.message ?? String(e));
     }
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
     openRename,
     openDelete,
     openSessions: () => {
-      setOpenStep("projects");
+      setOpenStep("agents");
       openDialog("sessions");
     },
     openNewSession: () => openDialog("newSession"),
@@ -517,20 +517,20 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
       <OpenSessionDialog
         open={listDialog.sessions}
         step={openStep}
-        projects={openStep === "projects" ? projects : null}
+        agents={openStep === "agents" ? agents : null}
         sessions={openStep === "sessions" ? openSessions : null}
         projectName={openProjectName}
         currentSid={sid}
         error={sessionsError}
-        onPickProject={pickProject}
+        onPickAgent={pickProject}
         onPickSession={async (s) => {
           const b = bridge();
           if (b) await b.switchSession({ sessionId: s.session_id });
           onSwitchSession(s.session_id);
           closeDialog("sessions");
         }}
-        onDeleteProject={deleteProject}
-        onNewProject={newProject}
+        onDeleteAgent={deleteAgent}
+        onNewAgent={newAgent}
         onNewSession={() => {
           closeDialog("sessions");
           openDialog("newSession");
@@ -539,12 +539,12 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
       />
       <NewSessionDialog
         open={listDialog.newSession}
-        projects={projects}
+        agents={agents}
         error={sessionsError}
-        onPickProject={(p) => {
+        onPickAgent={(p) => {
           if (p.path) void createSession(p.path);
         }}
-        onNewProject={newProject}
+        onNewAgent={newAgent}
         onDismiss={() => closeDialog("newSession")}
       />
       <SandboxRootsDialog
@@ -564,4 +564,4 @@ export const DialogHost = forwardRef<DialogHostHandle, DialogHostProps>(function
 });
 
 // 类型 re-export（测试/调用方构造行视图用）
-export { projectRowView, sessionRowView, rewindPointRow };
+export { agentRowView, sessionRowView, rewindPointRow };
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.test.tsx
index 5f01ed89..cf63efcb 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.test.tsx
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ describe("MemoryDialog", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("memory-loading")).toHaveTextContent("加载中");
   });
 
-  it("空列表 → app.noMemories（project scope 文案）", () => {
+  it("空列表 → app.noMemories（agent scope 文案）", () => {
     setup({ memories: [] });
     expect(screen.getByTestId("memory-empty")).toHaveTextContent("项目");
   });
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.tsx
index 0078d9b0..fb5758fa 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/MemoryDialog.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { DialogActions } from "./HelpDialog";
  * MemoryDialog — /memory 记忆浏览器对话框（Batch 4 slice 2）。
  * 镜像 vanilla `showMemoryDialog(sub)`：
  * - loading（memories=null）→ dlg.loading 行
- * - 空列表 → app.noMemories（scope 区分 session/project 文案）
+ * - 空列表 → app.noMemories（scope 区分 session/agent 文案）
  * - 行 = 标题(40 截断) + 摘要(50 截断)；点击 → onSelect(id)（vanilla 内联 readMemory）
  * - detail 传入 → 显示详情块（title + pre body）
  * - error → app.memFailed
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export interface MemoryDialogProps {
   open: boolean;
   /** null = loading；[] = 空；有值 = 列表 */
   memories?: MemoryRow[] | null;
-  scope?: "session" | "project";
+  scope?: "session" | "agent";
   error?: string | null;
   detail?: MemoryDetailView | null;
   onSelect?: (id: string) => void;
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export interface MemoryDialogProps {
 export function MemoryDialog({
   open,
   memories = null,
-  scope = "project",
+  scope = "agent",
   error = null,
   detail = null,
   onSelect,
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx
index e10a9ed6..fa1bafb0 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx
@@ -3,21 +3,21 @@ import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 import { NewSessionDialog } from "./NewSessionDialog";
 import { I18nProvider } from "../lib/i18n";
-import type { ProjectRow } from "../lib/openSession";
+import type { AgentRow } from "../lib/openSession";
 
 /**
  * NewSessionDialog.test.tsx — 新建会话对话框测试（Batch 4 slice 3）。
  * 镜像 vanilla showNewSessionDialog：loading/空/error/列表 + 新建项目按钮。
  */
 
-const projects: ProjectRow[] = [
+const agents: AgentRow[] = [
   { name: "emrg", path: "/x/emrg", latest_session_at: new Date().toISOString() },
 ];
 
 function setup(props: Partial<Parameters<typeof NewSessionDialog>[0]> = {}) {
   return render(
     <I18nProvider lang="zh">
-      <NewSessionDialog open projects={projects} {...props} />
+      <NewSessionDialog open agents={agents} {...props} />
     </I18nProvider>,
   );
 }
@@ -33,12 +33,12 @@ describe("NewSessionDialog", () => {
   });
 
   it("loading → dlg.loading 行", () => {
-    setup({ projects: null });
+    setup({ agents: null });
     expect(screen.getByTestId("new-session-loading")).toHaveTextContent("加载中");
   });
 
-  it("空项目列表 → noProjects", () => {
-    setup({ projects: [] });
+  it("空项目列表 → noAgents", () => {
+    setup({ agents: [] });
     expect(screen.getByTestId("new-session-empty")).toHaveTextContent("还没有项目");
   });
 
@@ -47,21 +47,21 @@ describe("NewSessionDialog", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("new-session-error")).toHaveTextContent("加载失败：boom");
   });
 
-  it("项目行：name/path/活跃；点击 → onPickProject", async () => {
-    const onPickProject = vi.fn();
-    setup({ onPickProject });
-    const row = screen.getByTestId("new-session-project");
+  it("项目行：name/path/活跃；点击 → onPickAgent", async () => {
+    const onPickAgent = vi.fn();
+    setup({ onPickAgent });
+    const row = screen.getByTestId("new-session-agent");
     expect(row).toHaveTextContent("emrg");
     expect(row).toHaveTextContent("/x/emrg");
     await userEvent.click(row);
-    expect(onPickProject).toHaveBeenCalledWith(projects[0]);
+    expect(onPickAgent).toHaveBeenCalledWith(agents[0]);
   });
 
-  it("新建项目按钮 → onNewProject", async () => {
-    const onNewProject = vi.fn();
-    setup({ onNewProject });
-    await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("new-session-new-project"));
-    expect(onNewProject).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  it("新建项目按钮 → onNewAgent", async () => {
+    const onNewAgent = vi.fn();
+    setup({ onNewAgent });
+    await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("new-session-new-agent"));
+    expect(onNewAgent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
   it("关闭按钮 → onDismiss", async () => {
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.tsx
index 276b7cd3..a7163f66 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/NewSessionDialog.tsx
@@ -1,32 +1,32 @@
 import { useI18n } from "../lib/i18n";
-import { projectRowView, type ProjectRow } from "../lib/openSession";
+import { agentRowView, type AgentRow } from "../lib/openSession";
 import { Dialog } from "./Dialog";
 import { DialogActions } from "./HelpDialog";
 
 /**
  * NewSessionDialog — 新建会话对话框（Batch 4 slice 3）。
  * 镜像 vanilla `showNewSessionDialog()`：
- * - loading（projects=null）/ empty（noProjects）/ error（loadFailed）四态
- * - 项目行（name/path/最近活跃）→ 点击 onPickProject(p)（vanilla: newSession({projectPath})）
- * - 底部 "＋ 新建项目…" → onNewProject（vanilla: pickProjectDir → registerProject → newSession）
- * 数据注入式：projects 与回调由调用方（Batch 5 接线 window.emrg.listProjects/pickProjectDir）提供。
+ * - loading（agents=null）/ empty（noAgents）/ error（loadFailed）四态
+ * - 项目行（name/path/最近活跃）→ 点击 onPickAgent(p)（vanilla: newSession({projectPath})）
+ * - 底部 "＋ 新建项目…" → onNewAgent（vanilla: pickAgentDir → registerAgent → newSession）
+ * 数据注入式：agents 与回调由调用方（Batch 5 接线 window.emrg.listAgents/pickAgentDir）提供。
  */
 export interface NewSessionDialogProps {
   open: boolean;
   /** null = loading；[] = 空；有值 = 列表 */
-  projects?: ProjectRow[] | null;
+  agents?: AgentRow[] | null;
   error?: string | null;
-  onPickProject?: (p: ProjectRow) => void;
-  onNewProject?: () => void;
+  onPickAgent?: (p: AgentRow) => void;
+  onNewAgent?: () => void;
   onDismiss?: () => void;
 }
 
 export function NewSessionDialog({
   open,
-  projects = null,
+  agents = null,
   error = null,
-  onPickProject,
-  onNewProject,
+  onPickAgent,
+  onNewAgent,
   onDismiss,
 }: NewSessionDialogProps) {
   const { t } = useI18n();
@@ -39,29 +39,29 @@ export function NewSessionDialog({
         </div>
       );
     }
-    if (projects === null) {
+    if (agents === null) {
       return (
         <div className="help-row" data-testid="new-session-loading">
           <span className="help-hint">{t("dlg.loading")}</span>
         </div>
       );
     }
-    if (projects.length === 0) {
+    if (agents.length === 0) {
       return (
         <div className="help-row" data-testid="new-session-empty">
-          <span className="help-hint">{t("openSession.noProjects")}</span>
+          <span className="help-hint">{t("openSession.noAgents")}</span>
         </div>
       );
     }
-    return projects.map((p) => {
-      const v = projectRowView(p, t);
+    return agents.map((p) => {
+      const v = agentRowView(p, t);
       return (
         <button
           type="button"
           className="help-row"
           key={p.path || p.name || ""}
-          data-testid="new-session-project"
-          onClick={() => onPickProject?.(p)}
+          data-testid="new-session-agent"
+          onClick={() => onPickAgent?.(p)}
           style={{ width: "100%", textAlign: "left", cursor: "pointer", background: "none", border: "none" }}
         >
           <span className="help-cmd">{v.label}</span>
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ export function NewSessionDialog({
         {renderList()}
       </div>
       <div className="dialog-actions">
-        <button type="button" className="btn btn-ghost" data-testid="new-session-new-project" onClick={onNewProject}>
-          {t("newSession.newProject")}
+        <button type="button" className="btn btn-ghost" data-testid="new-session-new-agent" onClick={onNewAgent}>
+          {t("newSession.newAgent")}
         </button>
       </div>
       <DialogActions onDismiss={onDismiss} />
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.test.tsx
index d50948d3..5c8f63ed 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.test.tsx
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 import { OpenSessionDialog } from "./OpenSessionDialog";
 import { I18nProvider } from "../lib/i18n";
-import type { ProjectRow, SessionRow } from "../lib/openSession";
+import type { AgentRow, SessionRow } from "../lib/openSession";
 
 /**
  * OpenSessionDialog.test.tsx — 两步打开会话对话框测试（Batch 4 slice 3）。
- * 镜像 vanilla showOpenSessionDialog/showProjectSessions：项目列表（含删除）→ 会话列表。
+ * 镜像 vanilla showOpenSessionDialog/showAgentSessions：项目列表（含删除）→ 会话列表。
  */
 
-const projects: ProjectRow[] = [
+const agents: AgentRow[] = [
   { name: "emrg", path: "/x/emrg", latest_session_at: new Date().toISOString() },
   { name: "aitokenpool", path: "/x/aitokenpool" },
 ];
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ const sessions: SessionRow[] = [
 function setup(props: Partial<Parameters<typeof OpenSessionDialog>[0]> = {}) {
   return render(
     <I18nProvider lang="zh">
-      <OpenSessionDialog open step="projects" projects={projects} {...props} />
+      <OpenSessionDialog open step="agents" agents={agents} {...props} />
     </I18nProvider>,
   );
 }
@@ -32,19 +32,19 @@ describe("OpenSessionDialog", () => {
   it("open=false → 不渲染", () => {
     render(
       <I18nProvider lang="zh">
-        <OpenSessionDialog open={false} step="projects" />
+        <OpenSessionDialog open={false} step="agents" />
       </I18nProvider>,
     );
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("open-session-dialog")).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("projects loading → dlg.loading 行", () => {
-    setup({ projects: null });
+  it("agents loading → dlg.loading 行", () => {
+    setup({ agents: null });
     expect(screen.getByTestId("open-session-loading")).toHaveTextContent("加载中");
   });
 
-  it("空项目列表 → noProjects", () => {
-    setup({ projects: [] });
+  it("空项目列表 → noAgents", () => {
+    setup({ agents: [] });
     expect(screen.getByTestId("open-session-empty")).toHaveTextContent("还没有项目");
   });
 
@@ -53,22 +53,22 @@ describe("OpenSessionDialog", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("open-session-error")).toHaveTextContent("加载失败：boom");
   });
 
-  it("项目行：name/path/活跃 + 删除按钮；点击 → onPickProject", async () => {
-    const onPickProject = vi.fn();
-    setup({ onPickProject });
-    const rows = screen.getAllByTestId("open-session-project");
+  it("项目行：name/path/活跃 + 删除按钮；点击 → onPickAgent", async () => {
+    const onPickAgent = vi.fn();
+    setup({ onPickAgent });
+    const rows = screen.getAllByTestId("open-session-agent");
     expect(rows).toHaveLength(2);
     expect(rows[0]).toHaveTextContent("emrg");
     expect(rows[0]).toHaveTextContent("/x/emrg");
     await userEvent.click(screen.getAllByTestId("open-session-pick")[1]);
-    expect(onPickProject).toHaveBeenCalledWith(projects[1]);
+    expect(onPickAgent).toHaveBeenCalledWith(agents[1]);
   });
 
-  it("删除按钮 → onDeleteProject", async () => {
-    const onDeleteProject = vi.fn();
-    setup({ onDeleteProject });
+  it("删除按钮 → onDeleteAgent", async () => {
+    const onDeleteAgent = vi.fn();
+    setup({ onDeleteAgent });
     await userEvent.click(screen.getAllByTestId("open-session-delete")[0]);
-    expect(onDeleteProject).toHaveBeenCalledWith(projects[0]);
+    expect(onDeleteAgent).toHaveBeenCalledWith(agents[0]);
   });
 
   it("sessions 步：标题插值 + 会话行（当前标记）→ onPickSession", async () => {
@@ -91,11 +91,11 @@ describe("OpenSessionDialog", () => {
 
   it("底部：新建会话 + 新建项目按钮 → 各自回调", async () => {
     const onNewSession = vi.fn();
-    const onNewProject = vi.fn();
-    setup({ onNewSession, onNewProject });
+    const onNewAgent = vi.fn();
+    setup({ onNewSession, onNewAgent });
     await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("open-session-new-session"));
     expect(onNewSession).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("open-session-new-project"));
-    expect(onNewProject).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("open-session-new-agent"));
+    expect(onNewAgent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 });
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.tsx
index 19fb55f2..e73cba41 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/OpenSessionDialog.tsx
@@ -1,35 +1,35 @@
 import { useI18n } from "../lib/i18n";
-import { projectRowView, sessionRowView, type ProjectRow, type SessionRow } from "../lib/openSession";
+import { agentRowView, sessionRowView, type AgentRow, type SessionRow } from "../lib/openSession";
 import { Dialog } from "./Dialog";
 import { DialogActions } from "./HelpDialog";
 
 /**
  * OpenSessionDialog — 两步打开会话对话框（Batch 4 slice 3）。
- * 镜像 vanilla `showOpenSessionDialog()` / `showProjectSessions()`：
- * - step="projects"：项目行（name/path/最近活跃 + 删除按钮）→ onPickProject(p)
- * - step="sessions"：标题 = 打开会话 — {project}；会话行（title||id + 当前/活跃标记）→ onPickSession(s)
- * - loading / empty / error 四态对齐 vanilla（dlg.loading / openSession.noProjects / noSessions / loadFailed）
- * - 删除按钮 → onDeleteProject(p)（Batch 5 接线 confirmDeleteProject：受保护 → 拒绝；否则 ConfirmDialog）
- * 数据注入式：step/projects/sessions 由调用方（Batch 5 接线 window.emrg.listProjects/listProjectSessions）
+ * 镜像 vanilla `showOpenSessionDialog()` / `showAgentSessions()`：
+ * - step="agents"：项目行（name/path/最近活跃 + 删除按钮）→ onPickAgent(p)
+ * - step="sessions"：标题 = 打开会话 — {agent}；会话行（title||id + 当前/活跃标记）→ onPickSession(s)
+ * - loading / empty / error 四态对齐 vanilla（dlg.loading / openSession.noAgents / noSessions / loadFailed）
+ * - 删除按钮 → onDeleteAgent(p)（Batch 5 接线 confirmDeleteProject：受保护 → 拒绝；否则 ConfirmDialog）
+ * 数据注入式：step/agents/sessions 由调用方（Batch 5 接线 window.emrg.listAgents/listAgentSessions）
  * 驱动状态机。
  */
-export type OpenSessionStep = "projects" | "sessions";
+export type OpenSessionStep = "agents" | "sessions";
 
 export interface OpenSessionDialogProps {
   open: boolean;
   step: OpenSessionStep;
   /** null = loading；[] = 空；有值 = 列表 */
-  projects?: ProjectRow[] | null;
+  agents?: AgentRow[] | null;
   /** step="sessions" 时的会话列表 */
   sessions?: SessionRow[] | null;
   /** step="sessions" 时的当前项目名（标题插值） */
   projectName?: string;
   currentSid?: string | null;
   error?: string | null;
-  onPickProject?: (p: ProjectRow) => void;
+  onPickAgent?: (p: AgentRow) => void;
   onPickSession?: (s: SessionRow) => void;
-  onDeleteProject?: (p: ProjectRow) => void;
-  onNewProject?: () => void;
+  onDeleteAgent?: (p: AgentRow) => void;
+  onNewAgent?: () => void;
   onNewSession?: () => void;
   onDismiss?: () => void;
 }
@@ -37,20 +37,20 @@ export interface OpenSessionDialogProps {
 export function OpenSessionDialog({
   open,
   step,
-  projects = null,
+  agents = null,
   sessions = null,
   projectName = "",
   currentSid = null,
   error = null,
-  onPickProject,
+  onPickAgent,
   onPickSession,
-  onDeleteProject,
-  onNewProject,
+  onDeleteAgent,
+  onNewAgent,
   onNewSession,
   onDismiss,
 }: OpenSessionDialogProps) {
   const { t } = useI18n();
-  const title = step === "sessions" ? t("openSession.titleProject", { project: projectName || "…" }) : t("openSession.title");
+  const title = step === "sessions" ? t("openSession.titleAgent", { agent: projectName || "…" }) : t("openSession.title");
 
   const renderProjects = () => {
     if (error) {
@@ -60,29 +60,29 @@ export function OpenSessionDialog({
         </div>
       );
     }
-    if (projects === null) {
+    if (agents === null) {
       return (
         <div className="help-row" data-testid="open-session-loading">
           <span className="help-hint">{t("dlg.loading")}</span>
         </div>
       );
     }
-    if (projects.length === 0) {
+    if (agents.length === 0) {
       return (
         <div className="help-row" data-testid="open-session-empty">
-          <span className="help-hint">{t("openSession.noProjects")}</span>
+          <span className="help-hint">{t("openSession.noAgents")}</span>
         </div>
       );
     }
-    return projects.map((p) => {
-      const v = projectRowView(p, t);
+    return agents.map((p) => {
+      const v = agentRowView(p, t);
       return (
-        <div className="help-row" key={p.path || p.name || ""} data-testid="open-session-project" style={{ display: "flex", alignItems: "center", gap: "var(--sp-2)" }}>
+        <div className="help-row" key={p.path || p.name || ""} data-testid="open-session-agent" style={{ display: "flex", alignItems: "center", gap: "var(--sp-2)" }}>
           <button
             type="button"
             className="help-row-main"
             data-testid="open-session-pick"
-            onClick={() => onPickProject?.(p)}
+            onClick={() => onPickAgent?.(p)}
             style={{ flex: 1, textAlign: "left", cursor: "pointer", background: "none", border: "none", display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", alignItems: "flex-start", padding: 0 }}
           >
             <span className="help-cmd">{v.label}</span>
@@ -93,11 +93,11 @@ export function OpenSessionDialog({
             type="button"
             className="btn btn-ghost"
             data-testid="open-session-delete"
-            title={t("deleteProject.delete")}
-            onClick={() => onDeleteProject?.(p)}
+            title={t("deleteAgent.delete")}
+            onClick={() => onDeleteAgent?.(p)}
             style={{ padding: "2px 8px", flexShrink: 0 }}
           >
-            {t("deleteProject.delete")}
+            {t("deleteAgent.delete")}
           </button>
         </div>
       );
@@ -151,14 +151,14 @@ export function OpenSessionDialog({
         {t("openSession.desc")}
       </p>
       <div className="help-list" data-testid="open-session-list">
-        {step === "projects" ? renderProjects() : renderSessions()}
+        {step === "agents" ? renderProjects() : renderSessions()}
       </div>
       <div className="dialog-actions">
         <button type="button" className="btn btn-ghost" data-testid="open-session-new-session" onClick={onNewSession}>
           {t("newSession.openButton")}
         </button>
-        <button type="button" className="btn btn-ghost" data-testid="open-session-new-project" onClick={onNewProject}>
-          {t("openSession.newProject")}
+        <button type="button" className="btn btn-ghost" data-testid="open-session-new-agent" onClick={onNewAgent}>
+          {t("openSession.newAgent")}
         </button>
       </div>
       <DialogActions onDismiss={onDismiss} />
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.test.tsx
index a0f6d4b3..a8827bd1 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.test.tsx
@@ -2,19 +2,19 @@ import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { fireEvent, render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
 import { I18nProvider } from "../lib/i18n";
 import { RantDialog } from "./RantDialog";
-import type { ProjectRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
+import type { AgentRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
 
 /**
  * RantDialog.test.tsx — Batch 5 slice 8：Rant 提交对话框。
  * 镜像 vanilla openRantForm/submitRantForm 语义：打开清空 + 聚焦、消息必填、
- * 项目下拉（已注册项目）、提交 payload {message, project}。
+ * 项目下拉（已注册项目）、提交 payload {message, agent}。
  */
 
 function wrapper(node: React.ReactNode) {
   return <I18nProvider lang="en">{node}</I18nProvider>;
 }
 
-const PROJECTS: ProjectRec[] = [
+const AGENTS: AgentRec[] = [
   { name: "emrg", path: "/p/emrg" },
   { name: "sci", path: "/p/sci" },
 ];
@@ -25,39 +25,39 @@ afterEach(() => {
 
 describe("RantDialog", () => {
   it("open：渲染消息文本域 + 项目下拉（已注册项目）", () => {
-    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open projects={PROJECTS} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
+    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open agents={AGENTS} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
     expect(screen.getByTestId("rant-dialog")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect((screen.getByTestId("rant-message") as HTMLTextAreaElement).value).toBe("");
-    const sel = screen.getByTestId("rant-project") as HTMLSelectElement;
-    expect(sel.options.length).toBe(PROJECTS.length + 1); // + 空选项
+    const sel = screen.getByTestId("rant-agent") as HTMLSelectElement;
+    expect(sel.options.length).toBe(AGENTS.length + 1); // + 空选项
     expect(sel.options[1].value).toBe("emrg");
   });
 
   it("空消息 → 内联错误，不提交", () => {
     const onSubmit = vi.fn();
-    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open projects={PROJECTS} onSubmit={onSubmit} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
+    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open agents={AGENTS} onSubmit={onSubmit} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("rant-submit"));
     expect(screen.getByTestId("rant-error")).toHaveTextContent("required");
     expect(onSubmit).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("提交 payload {message, project}（选项目）", async () => {
+  it("提交 payload {message, agent}（选项目）", async () => {
     const onSubmit = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
-    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open projects={PROJECTS} onSubmit={onSubmit} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
+    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open agents={AGENTS} onSubmit={onSubmit} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("rant-message"), { target: { value: "侧栏太宽了" } });
-    fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("rant-project"), { target: { value: "emrg" } });
+    fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("rant-agent"), { target: { value: "emrg" } });
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("rant-submit"));
     await vi.waitFor(() => expect(onSubmit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
-    expect(onSubmit.mock.calls[0][0]).toEqual({ message: "侧栏太宽了", project: "emrg" });
+    expect(onSubmit.mock.calls[0][0]).toEqual({ message: "侧栏太宽了", agent: "emrg" });
   });
 
-  it("项目选填：留空提交 project=''", async () => {
+  it("项目选填：留空提交 agent=''", async () => {
     const onSubmit = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
-    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open projects={PROJECTS} onSubmit={onSubmit} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
+    render(wrapper(<RantDialog open agents={AGENTS} onSubmit={onSubmit} onDismiss={vi.fn()} />));
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("rant-message"), { target: { value: "hello" } });
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("rant-submit"));
     await vi.waitFor(() => expect(onSubmit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
-    expect(onSubmit.mock.calls[0][0]).toEqual({ message: "hello", project: "" });
+    expect(onSubmit.mock.calls[0][0]).toEqual({ message: "hello", agent: "" });
   });
 
   it("closed (open=false) → 不渲染", () => {
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.tsx
index 425bad64..9671b7b9 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/RantDialog.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { useI18n } from "../lib/i18n";
-import type { ProjectRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
+import type { AgentRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
 import { Dialog } from "./Dialog";
 
 /**
@@ -8,19 +8,19 @@ import { Dialog } from "./Dialog";
  * 镜像 vanilla `openRantForm()` / `submitRantForm()`（renderer/js/dialogs.js）：
  *
  * - 打开即清空消息、聚焦输入；
- * - 项目下拉 = 已注册项目（选填，value=name||path，与 daemon rant 协议 project 字段一致）；
+ * - 项目下拉 = 已注册项目（选填，value=name||path，与 daemon rant 协议 agent 字段一致）；
  * - 消息必填（空 → 内联错误；vanilla 用 showConfirm 提示）；
- * - 提交 → onSubmit({message, project})（调用方接线 sendRant + 刷新列表 + 反馈）。
+ * - 提交 → onSubmit({message, agent})（调用方接线 sendRant + 刷新列表 + 反馈）。
  */
 export interface RantDialogProps {
   open: boolean;
   /** 项目下拉选项（仅已注册项目；选填） */
-  projects?: ProjectRec[];
-  onSubmit?: (payload: { message: string; project: string }) => void | Promise<void>;
+  agents?: AgentRec[];
+  onSubmit?: (payload: { message: string; agent: string }) => void | Promise<void>;
   onDismiss?: () => void;
 }
 
-export function RantDialog({ open, projects = [], onSubmit, onDismiss }: RantDialogProps) {
+export function RantDialog({ open, agents = [], onSubmit, onDismiss }: RantDialogProps) {
   const { t } = useI18n();
   const [err, setErr] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const msgRef = useRef<HTMLTextAreaElement>(null);
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export function RantDialog({ open, projects = [], onSubmit, onDismiss }: RantDia
       return;
     }
     try {
-      await onSubmit?.({ message: msg, project: projectRef.current?.value ?? "" });
+      await onSubmit?.({ message: msg, agent: projectRef.current?.value ?? "" });
     } finally {
       onDismiss?.();
     }
@@ -76,10 +76,10 @@ export function RantDialog({ open, projects = [], onSubmit, onDismiss }: RantDia
           <textarea ref={msgRef} data-testid="rant-message" rows={5} placeholder={t("rants.placeholder")} />
         </label>
         <label className="form-row">
-          <span>{t("rants.project")}</span>
-          <select ref={projectRef} data-testid="rant-project">
+          <span>{t("rants.agent")}</span>
+          <select ref={projectRef} data-testid="rant-agent">
             <option value="">—</option>
-            {projects.map((p) => {
+            {agents.map((p) => {
               const v = p.name || p.path || "";
               return (
                 <option key={v} value={v}>
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.test.tsx
index 5fe78778..33c2b6f7 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.test.tsx
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ function mockEmrg() {
   // DialogHost 用到的 IPC 通道（Batch 5 slice 4）：对话框数据加载 + 直接执行类指令
   const clearSession = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true });
   const compactSession = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true });
-  const listProjects = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ name: "emrg", path: "/p/emrg" }]);
-  const listTasks = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ name: "evo", type: "evolution", enabled: true, session_id: "evo", project_path: "/p/emrg" }]);
-  const listRants = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ timestamp: "2026-08-26T12:00:00+08:00", project: "emrg", status: "pending", message: "x" }]);
+  const listAgents = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ name: "emrg", path: "/p/emrg" }]);
+  const listTasks = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ name: "evo", type: "evolution", enabled: true, session_id: "evo", agent_path: "/p/emrg" }]);
+  const listRants = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ timestamp: "2026-08-26T12:00:00+08:00", agent: "emrg", status: "pending", message: "x" }]);
   const listMemories = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
   const listSkills = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
   const listHistory = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ messages: [] });
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ function mockEmrg() {
     sendMessage,
     clearSession,
     compactSession,
-    listProjects,
+    listAgents,
     listTasks,
     listRants,
     listMemories,
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ function mockEmrg() {
     onEvent,
     sendMessage,
     clearSession,
-    listProjects,
+    listAgents,
     listTasks,
     listRants,
     listHistory,
@@ -591,15 +591,15 @@ describe("Shell (Batch 5 slice 3 chat wiring)", () => {
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("transcript-view")).toBeInTheDocument());
     expect(screen.getByTestId("composer")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("workspace-view")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.queryByTestId("panel-projects")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId("panel-agents")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
-  it("点击 nav-projects → 面板视图：显示项目面板，隐藏会话 chrome", async () => {
+  it("点击 nav-agents → 面板视图：显示项目面板，隐藏会话 chrome", async () => {
     render(wrapper(<Shell />));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("composer")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects"));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-projects")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects").className).toContain("active");
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents"));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-agents")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents").className).toContain("active");
     // 面板视图隐藏会话 chrome（vanilla setWorkspaceChrome("panel")）
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("transcript-view")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("composer")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -609,23 +609,23 @@ describe("Shell (Batch 5 slice 3 chat wiring)", () => {
   it("点击当前激活面板 → toggle 回会话视图（vanilla 语义）", async () => {
     render(wrapper(<Shell />));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("composer")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects"));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-projects")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents"));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-agents")).toBeInTheDocument());
     // 再点同一面板 → 关闭回会话
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects"));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.queryByTestId("panel-projects")).not.toBeInTheDocument());
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents"));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.queryByTestId("panel-agents")).not.toBeInTheDocument());
     expect(screen.getByTestId("composer")).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects").className).not.toContain("active");
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents").className).not.toContain("active");
   });
 
-  it("面板间切换：projects → tasks → settings", async () => {
+  it("面板间切换：agents → tasks → settings", async () => {
     render(wrapper(<Shell />));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("composer")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects"));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-projects")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents"));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-agents")).toBeInTheDocument());
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-tasks"));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-tasks")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    expect(screen.queryByTestId("panel-projects")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId("panel-agents")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-settings"));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-settings")).toBeInTheDocument());
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("panel-tasks")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ describe("Shell (Batch 5 slice 3 chat wiring)", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-sessions").className).toContain("active");
   });
 
-  // ── Batch 5 slice 7：workspace 面板数据接线（真实 listProjects/listTasks/listRants） ──
+  // ── Batch 5 slice 7：workspace 面板数据接线（真实 listAgents/listTasks/listRants） ──
 
   it("进入任务面板 → 加载 listTasks 并渲染任务行", async () => {
     const m = mockEmrg();
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@ describe("Shell (Batch 5 slice 3 chat wiring)", () => {
     // 因此断言的是真渲染产物：#### 【现象】 → <h4>。
     const m = mockEmrg();
     m.listRants.mockResolvedValue([
-      { timestamp: "2026-09-30T09:06:16+08:00", project: "emrg", status: "pending", message: "【现象】\n**加粗**正文" },
+      { timestamp: "2026-09-30T09:06:16+08:00", agent: "emrg", status: "pending", message: "【现象】\n**加粗**正文" },
     ]);
     render(wrapper(<Shell />));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("composer")).toBeInTheDocument());
@@ -706,24 +706,24 @@ describe("Shell (Batch 5 slice 3 chat wiring)", () => {
     expect(document.querySelector(".rant-md strong")).not.toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("进入项目面板 → 加载 listProjects；查看会话 → listProjectSessions 加载会话行", async () => {
+  it("进入项目面板 → 加载 listAgents；查看会话 → listAgentSessions 加载会话行", async () => {
     const m = mockEmrg();
-    m.listProjects.mockResolvedValue([{ name: "p1", path: "/p/p1" }]);
-    (window as unknown as { emrg: { listProjectSessions?: unknown } }).emrg.listProjectSessions =
+    m.listAgents.mockResolvedValue([{ name: "p1", path: "/p/p1" }]);
+    (window as unknown as { emrg: { listAgentSessions?: unknown } }).emrg.listAgentSessions =
       vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ sessions: [{ session_id: "s1", title: "会话一" }] });
     render(wrapper(<Shell />));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("composer")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects"));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(m.listProjects).toHaveBeenCalled());
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("project-row")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents"));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(m.listAgents).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-row")).toBeInTheDocument());
     // 查看会话 → 会话子视图加载（en 标题 "Sessions"；限定在项目行内避免与侧栏撞名）
-    const row = screen.getByTestId("project-row");
+    const row = screen.getByTestId("agent-row");
     fireEvent.click(row.querySelector('button[title="Sessions"]') as HTMLButtonElement);
     await waitFor(() =>
-      expect((window as unknown as { emrg: { listProjectSessions?: unknown } }).emrg.listProjectSessions).toHaveBeenCalled(),
+      expect((window as unknown as { emrg: { listAgentSessions?: unknown } }).emrg.listAgentSessions).toHaveBeenCalled(),
     );
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("project-session-row")).toBeInTheDocument());
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("project-session-row")).toHaveTextContent("会话一");
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-session-row")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-session-row")).toHaveTextContent("会话一");
   });
 
   // ── Batch 5 slice 8：任务表单 + Rant 对话框接线 ──
@@ -842,12 +842,12 @@ describe("Shell (Batch 5 slice 3 chat wiring)", () => {
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("＋ New rant"));
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByTestId("rant-dialog")).toBeInTheDocument());
     // 项目下拉含已注册项目 emrg
-    const sel = screen.getByTestId("rant-project") as HTMLSelectElement;
+    const sel = screen.getByTestId("rant-agent") as HTMLSelectElement;
     expect(Array.from(sel.options).some((o) => o.value === "emrg")).toBe(true);
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("rant-message"), { target: { value: "测试 rant" } });
-    fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("rant-project"), { target: { value: "emrg" } });
+    fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("rant-agent"), { target: { value: "emrg" } });
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("rant-submit"));
-    await waitFor(() => expect(m.sendRant).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ message: "测试 rant", project: "emrg" }));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(m.sendRant).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ message: "测试 rant", agent: "emrg" }));
     await waitFor(() => expect(m.listRants).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2));
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("rant-dialog")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
@@ -885,7 +885,7 @@ describe("Shell — 会话信息行 + /指令接线（rant 2026-09-01T20:16:55 /
     delete (window as unknown as { emrg?: unknown }).emrg;
   });
 
-  it("header 显示会话信息：title (sid) · project · N msgs（对齐 TUI 状态栏）", async () => {
+  it("header 显示会话信息：title (sid) · agent · N msgs（对齐 TUI 状态栏）", async () => {
     const m = mockEmrg();
     render(wrapper(<Shell />));
     await waitFor(() => expect(m.onEvent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
@@ -984,7 +984,7 @@ describe("Shell — 会话信息行 + /指令接线（rant 2026-09-01T20:16:55 /
     await waitFor(() => expect(m.listTasks).toHaveBeenCalled());
   });
 
-  it("/rant @emrg hello → sendRant 直发（对齐 TUI @project 前缀）", async () => {
+  it("/rant @emrg hello → sendRant 直发（对齐 TUI @agent 前缀）", async () => {
     const m = mockEmrg();
     render(wrapper(<Shell />));
     await waitFor(() => expect(m.onEvent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
@@ -994,7 +994,7 @@ describe("Shell — 会话信息行 + /指令接线（rant 2026-09-01T20:16:55 /
     const input = await screen.findByTestId("composer-input");
     input.dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Enter", bubbles: true, cancelable: true }));
     await waitFor(() =>
-      expect(m.sendRant).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ message: "hello world", project: "emrg" }),
+      expect(m.sendRant).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ message: "hello world", agent: "emrg" }),
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.tsx
index 8015cf8a..2daa880d 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Shell.tsx
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { ConfirmDialog } from "./ConfirmDialog";
 import { ApprovalDialog } from "./ApprovalDialog";
 import { TaskFormDialog, type TaskFormPayload } from "./TaskFormDialog";
 import { RantDialog } from "./RantDialog";
-import type { ProjectRec, RantRec, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
+import type { AgentRec, RantRec, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
 import type { SessionRow } from "../lib/openSession";
 import { Sidebar, type SidebarViewId } from "./Sidebar";
 import { ResultPanel } from "./ResultPanel";
@@ -47,25 +47,25 @@ import { replayHistoryRecords, replayHistoryRecordsPrepend, type HistoryRecord }
  * - DialogHost 统一持有对话框状态 + window.emrg 数据加载（vanilla dialogs.js 语义）。
  *
  * Batch 5 slice 5：workspace 视图切换——
- * - activeView 状态（"sessions" | projects | tasks | rants | settings），vanilla
+ * - activeView 状态（"sessions" | agents | tasks | rants | settings），vanilla
  *   app.js switchView 语义：点当前面板再点一次 → toggle 回会话视图；点其他面板 →
  *   切换；点 💬 → 回会话视图；
  * - 面板视图激活时隐藏会话 chrome（transcript/composer/result-panel —— vanilla
  *   setWorkspaceChrome("panel")），sessions 视图显示完整会话区；
  * - Sidebar nav rail（#side-nav）高亮当前视图 + onSwitchView 接线；
- * - WorkspaceView 数据接线：面板激活加载 listProjects/listTasks/listRants，项目会话子视图
- *   listProjectSessions，动作 switch-session / add-project / delete-project / trigger-task。
+ * - WorkspaceView 数据接线：面板激活加载 listAgents/listTasks/listRants，项目会话子视图
+ *   listAgentSessions，动作 switch-session / add-agent / delete-agent / trigger-task。
  */
 /** Shell 用到的 workspace 数据桥方法（与 preload.js 通道对齐） */
 interface WorkspaceBridge {
-  listProjects(): Promise<ProjectRec[]>;
-  listProjectSessions(p: { projectPath: string }): Promise<{ sessions: SessionRow[] }>;
+  listAgents(): Promise<AgentRec[]>;
+  listAgentSessions(p: { projectPath: string }): Promise<{ sessions: SessionRow[] }>;
   listTasks(): Promise<TaskRec[]>;
   listRants(p: { status?: string }): Promise<RantRec[]>;
   switchSession(p: { sessionId: string; projectPath?: string }): Promise<unknown>;
-  pickProjectDir(): Promise<{ path?: string } | null>;
-  registerProject(p: { path: string }): Promise<{ ok?: boolean; path?: string }>;
-  removeProject(p: { name: string; path?: string }): Promise<{ ok?: boolean; error?: string; protected?: boolean }>;
+  pickAgentDir(): Promise<{ path?: string } | null>;
+  registerAgent(p: { path: string }): Promise<{ ok?: boolean; path?: string }>;
+  removeAgent(p: { name: string; path?: string }): Promise<{ ok?: boolean; error?: string; protected?: boolean }>;
   triggerTask(p: { name: string }): Promise<unknown>;
   taskCreate(p: TaskFormPayload): Promise<unknown>;
   taskUpdate(p: TaskFormPayload): Promise<unknown>;
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ interface WorkspaceBridge {
   taskLimits?(): Promise<{ minInterval?: number }>;
   taskDelete(p: { name: string }): Promise<unknown>;
   taskTemplateList(): Promise<{ name: string }[]>;
-  sendRant(p: { message: string; project?: string }): Promise<{ ok?: boolean; count?: number }>;
+  sendRant(p: { message: string; agent?: string }): Promise<{ ok?: boolean; count?: number }>;
   /**
    * 升级横幅重启（rant 2026-09-01T20:09:41）：调 emrg:restartDaemon —— 完整 stop
    * 链（TUI→daemon，--skip-gui 跳过 GUI 防自杀）→ GUI 自己 relaunch → 新 GUI
@@ -125,11 +125,11 @@ export function Shell() {
   const [composerInsert, setComposerInsert] = useState<{ id: number; text: string } | null>(null);
   const composerInsertSeq = useRef(0);
   // workspace 面板数据（Batch 5 接线：项目/任务/Rant 真实列表 + 项目会话）
-  const [projects, setProjects] = useState<ProjectRec[]>([]);
+  const [agents, setAgents] = useState<AgentRec[]>([]);
   const [tasks, setTasks] = useState<TaskRec[]>([]);
   const [rants, setRants] = useState<RantRec[]>([]);
-  const [projectSessions, setProjectSessions] = useState<SessionRow[] | null>(null);
-  const [projectSessionsError, setProjectSessionsError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const [projectSessions, setAgentSessions] = useState<SessionRow[] | null>(null);
+  const [projectSessionsError, setAgentSessionsError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [dialogState, dispatch] = useReducer(dialogReducer, initialDialogState);
   // Batch 5 slice 8：任务表单 + Rant 对话框（vanilla openTaskForm/openRantForm 语义）
   const [taskForm, setTaskForm] = useState<{ task: TaskRec | null } | null>(null);
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ export function Shell() {
   // 同一版本，不重复弹）；restarting 防重复点击（relaunch 后进程即退出）。
   const [dismissedUpgrade, setDismissedUpgrade] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [restarting, setRestarting] = useState(false);
-  // 会话信息行（rant 2026-09-01T20:16:55：对齐 TUI 状态栏——id/name/project/消息数/轮计时）
+  // 会话信息行（rant 2026-09-01T20:16:55：对齐 TUI 状态栏——id/name/agent/消息数/轮计时）
   //
   // 计时基准是 **daemon 的轮开始时刻**（`turnStartBySid`，由 `turn_start` 帧、或打开会话时的
   // `resume_result` 快照 `meta.turn` 写入），不是本客户端见到 busy 的那一刻（rant
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ export function Shell() {
   const activeSessionEntry = appState.openSessions.find((o) => o.sid === activeSid);
   const activeKnown = appState.sessions.find((s) => s.session_id === activeSid);
   const activeTitle = activeSessionEntry?.title || activeKnown?.title || t("app.unnamed");
-  const activeProject = activeSessionEntry?.projectName || "";
+  const activeAgent = activeSessionEntry?.projectName || "";
   const activeMsgCount = (activeKnown as { message_count?: number } | undefined)?.message_count ?? 0;
   const elapsed =
     activeTurnStart === undefined
@@ -221,13 +221,13 @@ export function Shell() {
   }, [activeSid]);
 
   // ── workspace 面板数据加载（vanilla loadTaskMeta/renderRantList 语义） ──
-  async function loadProjects() {
+  async function loadAgents() {
     const b = wsBridge();
-    if (!b?.listProjects) return;
+    if (!b?.listAgents) return;
     try {
-      setProjects(await b.listProjects());
+      setAgents(await b.listAgents());
     } catch {
-      setProjects([]);
+      setAgents([]);
     }
   }
 
@@ -251,22 +251,22 @@ export function Shell() {
     }
   }
 
-  async function loadProjectSessions(p: ProjectRec) {
+  async function loadProjectSessions(p: AgentRec) {
     const b = wsBridge();
-    if (!b?.listProjectSessions || !p.path) return;
-    setProjectSessions(null);
-    setProjectSessionsError(null);
+    if (!b?.listAgentSessions || !p.path) return;
+    setAgentSessions(null);
+    setAgentSessionsError(null);
     try {
-      const res = await b.listProjectSessions({ projectPath: p.path });
-      setProjectSessions(res.sessions ?? []);
+      const res = await b.listAgentSessions({ projectPath: p.path });
+      setAgentSessions(res.sessions ?? []);
     } catch (e) {
-      setProjectSessionsError((e as Error)?.message ?? String(e));
+      setAgentSessionsError((e as Error)?.message ?? String(e));
     }
   }
 
   // 面板激活 → 加载对应数据（每次进入刷新，vanilla 面板激活时拉取）
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (activeView === "projects") void loadProjects();
+    if (activeView === "agents") void loadAgents();
     else if (activeView === "tasks") void loadTasks();
     else if (activeView === "rants") void loadRants();
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
@@ -287,40 +287,40 @@ export function Shell() {
   // ── workspace 面板动作（vanilla dialogs.js 语义） ──
   async function addProject() {
     const b = wsBridge();
-    if (!b?.pickProjectDir || !b?.registerProject) return;
+    if (!b?.pickAgentDir || !b?.registerAgent) return;
     try {
-      const res = await b.pickProjectDir();
+      const res = await b.pickAgentDir();
       if (!res?.path) return;
-      await b.registerProject({ path: res.path });
-      await loadProjects();
+      await b.registerAgent({ path: res.path });
+      await loadAgents();
     } catch (e) {
-      transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteProject.failed", { msg: (e as Error)?.message ?? String(e) }), activeSid);
+      transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteAgent.failed", { msg: (e as Error)?.message ?? String(e) }), activeSid);
     }
   }
 
-  function deleteProject(p: ProjectRec) {
+  function deleteAgent(p: AgentRec) {
     dispatch({
       type: "open-confirm",
       payload: {
-        title: t("deleteProject.title"),
-        message: t("deleteProject.body", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }),
+        title: t("deleteAgent.title"),
+        message: t("deleteAgent.body", { name: String(p.name || p.path || "") }),
         okText: "dlg.delete",
         danger: true,
         onOk: async () => {
           const b = wsBridge();
-          if (!b?.removeProject) return;
+          if (!b?.removeAgent) return;
           try {
-            await b.removeProject({ name: p.name || "", path: p.path || "" });
-            await loadProjects();
+            await b.removeAgent({ name: p.name || "", path: p.path || "" });
+            await loadAgents();
           } catch (e) {
-            transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteProject.failed", { msg: (e as Error)?.message ?? String(e) }), activeSid);
+            transcript.addSystemMessage(t("deleteAgent.failed", { msg: (e as Error)?.message ?? String(e) }), activeSid);
           }
         },
       },
     });
   }
 
-  async function selectProjectSession(p: ProjectRec, sid: string) {
+  async function selectProjectSession(p: AgentRec, sid: string) {
     const b = wsBridge();
     if (b?.switchSession) await b.switchSession({ sessionId: sid });
     setActiveSid(sid);
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ export function Shell() {
     const b = wsBridge();
     if (!b?.switchSession) return;
     try {
-      await b.switchSession({ sessionId: task.session_id, projectPath: task.project_path });
+      await b.switchSession({ sessionId: task.session_id, projectPath: task.agent_path });
       setActiveSid(task.session_id);
       setActiveView("sessions");
       void loadHistory(task.session_id);
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ export function Shell() {
       // 首次打开且模板加载失败 → 仍可用 evolution 内置类型
       setTaskTypes((prev) => (prev.length ? prev : ["evolution"]));
     }
-    if (!isEdit) await loadProjects(); // 新建需要项目下拉
+    if (!isEdit) await loadAgents(); // 新建需要项目下拉
     // 下限先问 daemon（issue #2490）：问不到保持 undefined，表单不预检
     if (b?.taskLimits) {
       try {
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ export function Shell() {
     });
   }
 
-  async function submitRant(payload: { message: string; project: string }) {
+  async function submitRant(payload: { message: string; agent: string }) {
     const b = wsBridge();
     if (!b?.sendRant) return;
     try {
@@ -440,9 +440,9 @@ export function Shell() {
     }
   }
 
-  /** 打开 Rant 对话框：vanilla openRantForm 语义 —— 显式 listProjects 填充项目下拉 */
+  /** 打开 Rant 对话框：vanilla openRantForm 语义 —— 显式 listAgents 填充项目下拉 */
   async function newRant() {
-    if (projects.length === 0) await loadProjects();
+    if (agents.length === 0) await loadAgents();
     setRantOpen(true);
   }
 
@@ -660,20 +660,20 @@ export function Shell() {
     }
   }
 
-  /** /rant：有参 → 直发（/@project 前缀指定项目，对齐 TUI）；无参/空内容 → 对话框。 */
+  /** /rant：有参 → 直发（/@name 前缀指定目标，对齐 TUI）；无参/空内容 → 对话框。 */
   async function handleRantCommand(args: string[]) {
     const first = args[0] ?? "";
-    let project = "";
+    let agent = "";
     let message = args.join(" ");
     if (first.startsWith("@")) {
-      project = first.slice(1);
+      agent = first.slice(1);
       message = args.slice(1).join(" ");
     }
     if (!message.trim()) {
       await newRant();
       return;
     }
-    await submitRant({ message, project });
+    await submitRant({ message, agent });
   }
 
   /** /trigger：有参 → 直发任务；无参 → 任务面板。 */
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ export function Shell() {
         {activeSid ? (
           <span className="react-shell-session" data-testid="session-info" title={activeSid}>
             {activeTitle} ({activeSid})
-            {activeProject ? ` · ${activeProject}` : ""}
+            {activeAgent ? ` · ${activeAgent}` : ""}
             {" · "}
             {t("app.msgCount", { count: activeMsgCount })}
             {activeTurnStart !== undefined ? ` [${mmss}]` : ""}
@@ -798,7 +798,7 @@ export function Shell() {
             <WorkspaceView
               activeView={activeView}
               onSwitch={switchView}
-              projects={projects}
+              agents={agents}
               tasks={tasks}
               rants={rants}
               projectSessions={projectSessions}
@@ -806,10 +806,10 @@ export function Shell() {
               currentSid={activeSid}
               version={appState.currentVersion}
               evolutionCount={appState.evolutionCount}
-              onViewProjectSessions={(p) => void loadProjectSessions(p)}
-              onSelectProjectSession={(p, sid) => void selectProjectSession(p, sid)}
-              onAddProject={() => void addProject()}
-              onDeleteProject={deleteProject}
+              onViewAgentSessions={(p) => void loadProjectSessions(p)}
+              onSelectAgentSession={(p, sid) => void selectProjectSession(p, sid)}
+              onAddAgent={() => void addProject()}
+              onDeleteAgent={deleteAgent}
               onTriggerTask={(task) => void triggerTask(task)}
               onOpenSessionTask={(task) => void openTaskSession(task)}
               onEditTask={(task) => void openTaskForm(task)}
@@ -893,14 +893,14 @@ export function Shell() {
         <TaskFormDialog
           request={taskForm}
           types={taskTypes}
-          projects={projects}
+          agents={agents}
           minInterval={minInterval}
           onSubmit={(payload) => void saveTask(payload)}
           onDismiss={() => setTaskForm(null)}
         />
         <RantDialog
           open={rantOpen}
-          projects={projects}
+          agents={agents}
           onSubmit={(payload) => void submitRant(payload)}
           onDismiss={() => setRantOpen(false)}
         />
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.test.tsx
index 4adbda5d..3db72e04 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.test.tsx
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ describe("Sidebar", () => {
     expect(screen.queryAllByTestId("open-session-item")).toHaveLength(0);
   });
 
-  it("条目格式：有标题 → project/title；无标题 → project/sid", () => {
+  it("条目格式：有标题 → agent/title；无标题 → agent/sid", () => {
     setup();
     const items = screen.getAllByTestId("open-session-item");
     expect(items[0].querySelector(".conv-title")).toHaveTextContent("emrg/聊天 A");
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ describe("Sidebar", () => {
     expect(items[1].querySelector(".conv-title")).toHaveTextContent("aitokenpool/本地会话 B");
   });
 
-  it("无标题且本地未知 → project/sid 降级格式", () => {
+  it("无标题且本地未知 → agent/sid 降级格式", () => {
     setup({ knownSessions: [] });
     const items = screen.getAllByTestId("open-session-item");
     expect(items[0].querySelector(".conv-title")).toHaveTextContent("emrg/聊天 A");
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ describe("Sidebar", () => {
 
   it("渲染五个导航按钮（data-view + i18n title，vanilla side-nav-item）", () => {
     setup();
-    for (const view of ["sessions", "projects", "tasks", "rants", "settings"]) {
+    for (const view of ["sessions", "agents", "tasks", "rants", "settings"]) {
       const btn = screen.getByTestId(`nav-${view}`);
       expect(btn).toHaveClass("side-nav-item");
       expect(btn).toHaveAttribute("data-view", view);
@@ -162,21 +162,21 @@ describe("Sidebar", () => {
     setup({ activeView: "tasks" });
     expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-tasks")).toHaveClass("active");
     expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-sessions")).not.toHaveClass("active");
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects")).not.toHaveClass("active");
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents")).not.toHaveClass("active");
   });
 
   it("无打开会话时 nav rail 仍渲染（空态入口）", () => {
     setup({ openSessions: [] });
     expect(screen.getByTestId("side-nav")).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("open-session-item")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it("点击 nav 按钮 → onSwitchView(view)", async () => {
     const onSwitchView = vi.fn();
     setup({ onSwitchView });
-    await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-projects"));
-    expect(onSwitchView).toHaveBeenCalledWith("projects");
+    await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-agents"));
+    expect(onSwitchView).toHaveBeenCalledWith("agents");
     await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("nav-settings"));
     expect(onSwitchView).toHaveBeenCalledWith("settings");
   });
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
index b444434e..d039fcf1 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
@@ -23,12 +23,12 @@ import {
  */
 
 /** 工作区视图 id（vanilla VIEWS 子集；sessions 为会话视图） */
-export type SidebarViewId = "sessions" | "projects" | "tasks" | "rants" | "settings";
+export type SidebarViewId = "sessions" | "agents" | "tasks" | "rants" | "settings";
 
 /** 导航按钮定义（vanilla index.html #side-nav 五个按钮，图标 + i18n title） */
 const NAV_ITEMS: { view: SidebarViewId; icon: string; labelKey: string }[] = [
   { view: "sessions", icon: "💬", labelKey: "nav.sessions" },
-  { view: "projects", icon: "📁", labelKey: "nav.projects" },
+  { view: "agents", icon: "📁", labelKey: "nav.agents" },
   { view: "tasks", icon: "⏱️", labelKey: "nav.tasks" },
   { view: "rants", icon: "📣", labelKey: "nav.rants" },
   { view: "settings", icon: "⚙️", labelKey: "nav.settings" },
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export interface SidebarProps {
   onSelect?: (sid: string) => void;
   onContextMenu?: (entry: OpenSessionEntry, event: React.MouseEvent) => void;
   /** 可注入的标题格式化函数（测试用；默认 sessionLabel） */
-  labelFn?: (project: string, title: string, sid: string) => string;
+  labelFn?: (agent: string, title: string, sid: string) => string;
   /** 每会话 turn 开始时刻（epoch ms；rant 2026-09-02T10:36:26 — busy 会话显示 [m:ss] 计时） */
   turnStartBySid?: Record<string, number>;
   /** 新对话按钮 → NewSessionDialog（Batch 5 slice 4） */
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ export function Sidebar({
   const entries = sortOpenSessions(openSessions);
   const nowMs = Date.now();
 
-  // vanilla #side-nav：五个导航按钮（sessions/projects/tasks/rants/settings）
+  // vanilla #side-nav：五个导航按钮（sessions/agents/tasks/rants/settings）
   const navRail = (
     <nav className="side-nav" aria-label="Navigation" data-testid="side-nav">
       {NAV_ITEMS.map(({ view, icon, labelKey }) => (
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/SkillsDialog.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/SkillsDialog.test.tsx
index 10461265..e5f5c7e0 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/SkillsDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/SkillsDialog.test.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import type { SkillRow } from "../lib/dialogLists";
  */
 
 const skills: SkillRow[] = [
-  { name: "browser-harness", source: "project", description: "Web automation" },
+  { name: "browser-harness", source: "agent", description: "Web automation" },
   { name: "skill-catalog", source: "user" },
 ];
 
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ describe("SkillsDialog", () => {
     const rows = screen.getAllByTestId("skill-row");
     expect(rows).toHaveLength(2);
     expect(rows[0]).toHaveTextContent("browser-harness");
-    expect(rows[0]).toHaveTextContent("project · Web automation");
+    expect(rows[0]).toHaveTextContent("agent · Web automation");
     expect(rows[1]).toHaveTextContent("skill-catalog");
     expect(rows[1]).toHaveTextContent("user");
   });
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.test.tsx
index ad38fa06..883ef6cd 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.test.tsx
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi, type Mock } from "vitest";
 import { fireEvent, render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
 import { I18nProvider } from "../lib/i18n";
 import { TaskFormDialog, type TaskFormPayload } from "./TaskFormDialog";
-import type { ProjectRec, ScheduleWindow, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
+import type { AgentRec, ScheduleWindow, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
 
 /**
  * TaskFormDialog.test.tsx — Batch 5 slice 8：任务表单（新建/编辑）。
  * 镜像 vanilla openTaskForm/saveTaskForm 语义：预填、name 编辑只读、间隔下限校验、
- * 提交 payload 形状（name/type/project/interval/enabled/repo/sandbox/schedule）。
+ * 提交 payload 形状（name/type/agent/interval/enabled/repo/sandbox/schedule）。
  *
  * issue #2490：下限不再写死 —— 每处断言都传一个**不是 60** 的 `minInterval`，
  * 于是组件里若有人再藏一份 `60`，下面「低于下限被拒 / 等于下限被收」两条必然红。
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ function wrapper(node: React.ReactNode) {
 }
 
 const TYPES = ["evolution", "journal"];
-const PROJECTS: ProjectRec[] = [
+const AGENTS: AgentRec[] = [
   { name: "emrg", path: "/p/emrg" },
   { name: "sci", path: "/p/sci" },
 ];
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ function renderForm(
       <TaskFormDialog
         request={{ task }}
         types={TYPES}
-        projects={PROJECTS}
+        agents={AGENTS}
         minInterval={FLOOR}
         onDismiss={vi.fn()}
         {...props}
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ describe("TaskFormDialog", () => {
         <TaskFormDialog
           request={{ task: null }}
           types={TYPES}
-          projects={PROJECTS}
+          agents={AGENTS}
           minInterval={FLOOR}
           onDismiss={vi.fn()}
         />,
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ describe("TaskFormDialog", () => {
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-name") as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe("");
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-name") as HTMLInputElement).disabled).toBe(false);
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-type") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("evolution");
-    expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-project") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("emrg");
+    expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-agent") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("emrg");
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-interval") as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe("1800");
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-enabled") as HTMLInputElement).checked).toBe(true);
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-sandbox") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("workspace-write");
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ describe("TaskFormDialog", () => {
         <TaskFormDialog
           request={{ task }}
           types={TYPES}
-          projects={PROJECTS}
+          agents={AGENTS}
           minInterval={FLOOR}
           onDismiss={vi.fn()}
         />,
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ describe("TaskFormDialog", () => {
     expect(name.value).toBe("windowed");
     expect(name.disabled).toBe(true);
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-type") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("journal");
-    expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-project") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("sci");
+    expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-agent") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("sci");
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-interval") as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe("3600");
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-enabled") as HTMLInputElement).checked).toBe(false);
     expect((screen.getByTestId("task-form-sandbox") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("read-only");
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ describe("TaskFormDialog", () => {
     const { onSubmit } = renderForm(null);
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("task-form-name"), { target: { value: "t1" } });
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("task-form-type"), { target: { value: "journal" } });
-    fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("task-form-project"), { target: { value: "sci" } });
+    fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("task-form-agent"), { target: { value: "sci" } });
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("task-form-interval"), { target: { value: "300" } });
     fireEvent.change(screen.getByTestId("task-form-sandbox"), { target: { value: "read-only" } });
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId("task-form-enabled"));
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ describe("TaskFormDialog", () => {
         <TaskFormDialog
           request={{ task: null }}
           types={TYPES}
-          projects={PROJECTS}
+          agents={AGENTS}
           onSubmit={onSubmit}
           onDismiss={vi.fn()}
         />,
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.tsx
index 941d5b0d..5f77e1ed 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TaskFormDialog.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { useI18n } from "../lib/i18n";
-import type { ProjectRec, ScheduleWindow, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
+import type { AgentRec, ScheduleWindow, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
 import { Dialog } from "./Dialog";
 
 /**
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export interface TaskFormDialogProps {
   /** 类型下拉选项（内置 + 自定义，由调用方经 taskTemplateList 加载） */
   types?: string[];
   /** 项目下拉选项（仅已注册项目） */
-  projects?: ProjectRec[];
+  agents?: AgentRec[];
   /**
    * 间隔下限，由 daemon 上报（`tasks_list` 帧的 `min_interval`）。
    * 缺省（未拿到）时不做客户端预检，交给 daemon 权威校验 —— 这样渲染层
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ function windowsOf(task: TaskRec | null): ScheduleWindow[] {
 export function TaskFormDialog({
   request,
   types = [],
-  projects = [],
+  agents = [],
   minInterval,
   onSubmit,
   onDismiss,
@@ -114,9 +114,9 @@ export function TaskFormDialog({
     const curType =
       (task?.type && types.includes(task.type) ? task.type : types[0]) || "evolution";
     if (typeRef.current) typeRef.current.value = curType;
-    const curProj = projects.some((p) => (p.name || p.path || "") === task?.config?.agent)
+    const curProj = agents.some((p) => (p.name || p.path || "") === task?.config?.agent)
       ? (task?.config?.agent as string)
-      : (projects[0]?.name || projects[0]?.path || "");
+      : (agents[0]?.name || agents[0]?.path || "");
     if (projectRef.current) projectRef.current.value = curProj;
     if (intervalRef.current) intervalRef.current.value = String(task?.interval ?? 1800);
     if (enabledRef.current) enabledRef.current.checked = task ? task.enabled !== false : true;
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ export function TaskFormDialog({
     setHadWindows(existing.length > 0);
     nameRef.current?.focus();
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-  }, [open, task, types.length, projects.length]);
+  }, [open, task, types.length, agents.length]);
 
   const patchRow = (index: number, field: keyof WindowRow, value: string) => {
     setRows((prev) => prev.map((row, i) => (i === index ? { ...row, [field]: value } : row)));
@@ -233,10 +233,10 @@ export function TaskFormDialog({
           </select>
         </label>
         <label className="form-row">
-          <span>{t("settings.taskProject")}</span>
-          <select ref={projectRef} data-testid="task-form-project">
-            {projects.length === 0 && <option value="">—</option>}
-            {projects.map((p) => {
+          <span>{t("settings.taskAgent")}</span>
+          <select ref={projectRef} data-testid="task-form-agent">
+            {agents.length === 0 && <option value="">—</option>}
+            {agents.map((p) => {
               const v = p.name || p.path || "";
               return (
                 <option key={v} value={v}>
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TranscriptView.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TranscriptView.tsx
index 336e7f7d..77726fd3 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TranscriptView.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/TranscriptView.tsx
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ function AssistantView({ entry, t, md }: { entry: AssistantEntry; t: TranslateFn
  * streamProject）把「✦ + div.md-stream（稳定块缓存 + 尾部 live 块）」增量写进 host——
  * 已闭合的段落/列表/代码围栏即时按 markdown 渲染，未闭合围栏（esp. 代码围栏）保持
  * 纯文本，不再等 done 才格式化。渲染器无 marked / 投影异常（返回 false）→ 回退纯文本
- * 追加（旧行为）。done/封存：project 模式 streamFinalize 一次性全量校正；plain 模式由
+ * 追加（旧行为）。done/封存：agent 模式 streamFinalize 一次性全量校正；plain 模式由
  * MarkdownText 整体渲染兜底。
  */
 function AssistantSegmentView({
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ function AssistantSegmentView({
     }
   }, [segment.typing, segment.text, md]);
 
-  // done/封存（typing 移除）：project 模式 → streamFinalize 把 live 块一次性校正为全量
+  // done/封存（typing 移除）：agent 模式 → streamFinalize 把 live 块一次性校正为全量
   // markdown（与旧 renderMarkdown 整体渲染同源）；plain 模式由 MarkdownText 兜底。
   useEffect(() => {
     if (segment.typing || projectedRef.current !== true) return;
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.test.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.test.tsx
index 06de7ad3..0b4ad933 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.test.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.test.tsx
@@ -10,18 +10,18 @@ import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 import { I18nProvider } from "../lib/i18n";
 import { WorkspaceView, type WorkspaceViewProps } from "./WorkspaceView";
 import type { MarkdownRenderer } from "../lib/markdown";
-import type { ProjectRec, RantRec, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
+import type { AgentRec, RantRec, TaskRec } from "../lib/workspaceView";
 
 function setup(props: Partial<WorkspaceViewProps> = {}) {
   const utils = render(
     <I18nProvider lang="zh">
-      <WorkspaceView activeView="projects" projects={[]} tasks={[]} rants={[]} {...props} />
+      <WorkspaceView activeView="agents" agents={[]} tasks={[]} rants={[]} {...props} />
     </I18nProvider>,
   );
   return { ...utils };
 }
 
-const project = (name: string, path?: string): ProjectRec => ({
+const agent = (name: string, path?: string): AgentRec => ({
   name,
   path: path || `/proj/${name}`,
 });
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ const task = (name: string, over: Partial<TaskRec> = {}): TaskRec => ({
 
 const rant = (over: Partial<RantRec> = {}): RantRec => ({
   timestamp: "2026-08-26T12:16:48+08:00",
-  project: "emrg",
+  agent: "emrg",
   status: "pending",
   progress: null,
   message: "## 测试 rant\n正文",
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ const fakeMd: MarkdownRenderer = {
 };
 
 describe("WorkspaceView", () => {
-  it("面板切换：projects/tasks/rants/settings 各自渲染", async () => {
+  it("面板切换：agents/tasks/rants/settings 各自渲染", async () => {
     const onSwitch = vi.fn();
     const { rerender } = setup({ onSwitch });
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-projects")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("panel-agents")).toBeInTheDocument();
 
     rerender(
       <I18nProvider lang="zh">
@@ -78,36 +78,36 @@ describe("WorkspaceView", () => {
   });
 
   it("项目列表：空态 → empty 提示；有数据 → 行 + auto_evolve 徽标", async () => {
-    setup({ projects: [] });
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("projects-empty")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    setup({ agents: [] });
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("agents-empty")).toBeInTheDocument();
 
-    const projects = [project("emrg"), project("aitokenpool", "/scm/aitokenpool")];
+    const agents = [agent("emrg"), agent("aitokenpool", "/scm/aitokenpool")];
     const tasks = [{ name: "emrg-task", config: { agent: "emrg" } }] as TaskRec[];
-    const { rerender } = setup({ projects, tasks });
-    expect(screen.getAllByTestId("project-row")).toHaveLength(2);
+    const { rerender } = setup({ agents, tasks });
+    expect(screen.getAllByTestId("agent-row")).toHaveLength(2);
     // emrg 有演化任务 → ⚡ 徽标；aitokenpool 无
-    const badges = screen.getAllByTestId("project-evolve-badge");
+    const badges = screen.getAllByTestId("agent-evolve-badge");
     expect(badges).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(badges[0]).toHaveTextContent("演化");
 
     rerender(
       <I18nProvider lang="zh">
-        <WorkspaceView activeView="projects" projects={[project("emrg")]} tasks={tasks} />
+        <WorkspaceView activeView="agents" agents={[agent("emrg")]} tasks={tasks} />
       </I18nProvider>,
     );
   });
 
   it("项目查看会话 → 子视图；返回 → 回列表", async () => {
-    const p = project("emrg");
+    const p = agent("emrg");
     const onViewSessions = vi.fn();
-    setup({ projects: [p], onViewProjectSessions: onViewSessions });
+    setup({ agents: [p], onViewAgentSessions: onViewSessions });
     await userEvent.click(screen.getByText("查看会话"));
     expect(onViewSessions).toHaveBeenCalledWith(p);
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("project-sessions")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-sessions")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("emrg 的会话")).toBeInTheDocument();
     // 返回
     await userEvent.click(screen.getByText("← 返回项目列表"));
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("project-list")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-list")).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it("任务列表：状态徽标 + 倒计时 + meta + 操作回调", async () => {
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ describe("WorkspaceView", () => {
     const startedAt = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) - 100; // 100s 前启动
     const tasks = [
       task("daily-report", { running: true, started_at: startedAt }),
-      task("evolve", { next_run_in_seconds: 83, session_id: "evolve", project_path: "/proj/evolve" }),
+      task("evolve", { next_run_in_seconds: 83, session_id: "evolve", agent_path: "/proj/evolve" }),
       task("idle", {}),
     ];
     setup({ activeView: "tasks", tasks, onTriggerTask: onTrigger, onOpenSessionTask: onOpenSession, onEditTask: onEdit, onDeleteTask: onDelete });
@@ -247,39 +247,39 @@ describe("WorkspaceView", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("rant-progress")).toHaveTextContent("（无进度说明）");
   });
 
-  // ── 项目会话子视图（Batch 5 接线：真实 listProjectSessions 数据） ──
+  // ── 项目会话子视图（Batch 5 接线：真实 listAgentSessions 数据） ──
 
   it("项目会话：loading → 会话行（title||id + 当前标记）→ 点击选择", async () => {
     const onSelect = vi.fn();
     const { rerender } = render(
       <I18nProvider lang="zh">
         <WorkspaceView
-          activeView="projects"
-          projects={[project("p1")]}
+          activeView="agents"
+          agents={[agent("p1")]}
           projectSessions={null}
-          onSelectProjectSession={onSelect}
+          onSelectAgentSession={onSelect}
         />
       </I18nProvider>,
     );
     await userEvent.click(screen.getByTitle("查看会话"));
     // loading 态
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("project-sessions-loading")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-sessions-loading")).toBeTruthy();
     // 数据到达 → 会话行
     rerender(
       <I18nProvider lang="zh">
         <WorkspaceView
-          activeView="projects"
-          projects={[project("p1")]}
+          activeView="agents"
+          agents={[agent("p1")]}
           projectSessions={[
             { session_id: "s1", title: "会话甲", updated_at: "2026-08-26T10:00:00+08:00" },
             { session_id: "s2", updated_at: null },
           ]}
           currentSid="s1"
-          onSelectProjectSession={onSelect}
+          onSelectAgentSession={onSelect}
         />
       </I18nProvider>,
     );
-    const rows = screen.getAllByTestId("project-session-row");
+    const rows = screen.getAllByTestId("agent-session-row");
     expect(rows.length).toBe(2);
     expect(rows[0]).toHaveTextContent("会话甲"); // title 优先
     expect(rows[0]).toHaveTextContent("当前"); // currentSid 标记
@@ -294,24 +294,24 @@ describe("WorkspaceView", () => {
     const { rerender } = render(
       <I18nProvider lang="zh">
         <WorkspaceView
-          activeView="projects"
-          projects={[project("p1")]}
+          activeView="agents"
+          agents={[agent("p1")]}
           projectSessions={[]}
         />
       </I18nProvider>,
     );
     await userEvent.click(screen.getByTitle("查看会话"));
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("project-sessions-empty")).toHaveTextContent("暂无会话");
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-sessions-empty")).toHaveTextContent("暂无会话");
     rerender(
       <I18nProvider lang="zh">
         <WorkspaceView
-          activeView="projects"
-          projects={[project("p1")]}
+          activeView="agents"
+          agents={[agent("p1")]}
           projectSessions={null}
           projectSessionsError="boom"
         />
       </I18nProvider>,
     );
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("project-sessions-error")).toHaveTextContent("boom");
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("agent-sessions-error")).toHaveTextContent("boom");
   });
 });
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.tsx b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.tsx
index 53fa9eec..c60329ce 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.tsx
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/components/WorkspaceView.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { MarkdownText } from "./MarkdownText";
 import { SettingsPanel } from "./SettingsPanel";
 import { sessionRowView, type SessionRow } from "../lib/openSession";
 import {
-  buildEvolveProjects,
+  buildEvolveAgents,
   preprocessRantMarkdown,
   projectHint,
   rantFirstLine,
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import {
   taskHint,
   taskMeta,
   taskStatusBadge,
-  type ProjectRec,
+  type AgentRec,
   type RantFilter,
   type RantRec,
   type TaskRec,
@@ -30,13 +30,13 @@ import {
  * - 设置面板仅渲染 tab 壳（Batch 4 对话框迁移时填充）
  * - 项目/任务/Rant 数据经 props 注入；操作经回调上抛（onSelectSession / onTriggerTask / …）
  */
-export type WorkspaceViewId = "projects" | "tasks" | "rants" | "settings";
+export type WorkspaceViewId = "agents" | "tasks" | "rants" | "settings";
 
 export interface WorkspaceViewProps {
-  projects?: ProjectRec[];
+  agents?: AgentRec[];
   tasks?: TaskRec[];
   rants?: RantRec[];
-  /** 当前项目会话列表（Batch 5 接线：Shell 经 listProjectSessions 加载） */
+  /** 当前项目会话列表（Batch 5 接线：Shell 经 listAgentSessions 加载） */
   projectSessions?: SessionRow[] | null;
   projectSessionsError?: string | null;
   /** 激活会话（会话行 "当前" 标记，vanilla App.state.sessionId 语义） */
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ export interface WorkspaceViewProps {
   /** 设置面板关于 tab 数据（Shell appState 注入，Batch 5 slice 6） */
   version?: string;
   evolutionCount?: number | null;
-  onSelectProjectSession?: (project: ProjectRec, sessionId: string) => void;
-  onViewProjectSessions?: (project: ProjectRec) => void;
-  onAddProject?: () => void;
-  onDeleteProject?: (project: ProjectRec) => void;
+  onSelectAgentSession?: (agent: AgentRec, sessionId: string) => void;
+  onViewAgentSessions?: (agent: AgentRec) => void;
+  onAddAgent?: () => void;
+  onDeleteAgent?: (agent: AgentRec) => void;
   onTriggerTask?: (task: TaskRec) => void;
   onEditTask?: (task: TaskRec) => void;
   onDeleteTask?: (task: TaskRec) => void;
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ const RANT_FILTERS: { value: RantFilter; labelKey: string }[] = [
 ];
 
 export function WorkspaceView({
-  projects = [],
+  agents = [],
   tasks = [],
   rants = [],
   projectSessions = null,
@@ -81,10 +81,10 @@ export function WorkspaceView({
   onSwitch,
   version,
   evolutionCount,
-  onSelectProjectSession,
-  onViewProjectSessions,
-  onAddProject,
-  onDeleteProject,
+  onSelectAgentSession,
+  onViewAgentSessions,
+  onAddAgent,
+  onDeleteAgent,
   onTriggerTask,
   onEditTask,
   onDeleteTask,
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ export function WorkspaceView({
   const { t } = useI18n();
   const [rantFilter, setRantFilter] = useState<RantFilter>("");
   const [expandedRant, setExpandedRant] = useState<string | null>(null);
-  const [sessionsProject, setSessionsProject] = useState<ProjectRec | null>(null);
+  const [sessionsProject, setSessionsProject] = useState<AgentRec | null>(null);
   // 任务面板激活时每秒 tick → 倒计时/运行时长实时更新（vanilla taskPollTimer 行为；
   // 评审 #1008：静态快照导致运行时长恒 0s）
   const [, setTick] = useState(0);
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ export function WorkspaceView({
     return () => clearInterval(id);
   }, [activeView]);
 
-  const evolveProjects = useMemo(() => buildEvolveProjects(tasks), [tasks]);
+  const evolveAgents = useMemo(() => buildEvolveAgents(tasks), [tasks]);
   const filteredRants = useMemo(
     () => (rantFilter ? rants.filter((r) => (r.status || "pending") === rantFilter) : rants),
     [rants, rantFilter],
@@ -113,35 +113,35 @@ export function WorkspaceView({
 
   function switchView(v: WorkspaceViewId) {
     // 离开项目会话子视图 → 重置回项目列表
-    if (v !== "projects" && sessionsProject) setSessionsProject(null);
+    if (v !== "agents" && sessionsProject) setSessionsProject(null);
     onSwitch?.(v);
   }
 
   return (
     <div className="workspace" data-testid="workspace-view">
-      {activeView === "projects" && (
-        <section className="workspace-view" data-view="projects" data-testid="panel-projects">
+      {activeView === "agents" && (
+        <section className="workspace-view" data-view="agents" data-testid="panel-agents">
           <div className="workspace-view-body">
-            <h2 className="workspace-view-title">{t("projects.title")}</h2>
+            <h2 className="workspace-view-title">{t("agents.title")}</h2>
             {sessionsProject ? (
-              <ProjectSessions
-                project={sessionsProject}
+              <AgentSessions
+                agent={sessionsProject}
                 sessions={projectSessions}
                 error={projectSessionsError}
                 currentSid={currentSid}
                 onBack={() => setSessionsProject(null)}
-                onSelect={(sid) => onSelectProjectSession?.(sessionsProject, sid)}
+                onSelect={(sid) => onSelectAgentSession?.(sessionsProject, sid)}
               />
             ) : (
-              <ProjectList
-                projects={projects}
-                evolveProjects={evolveProjects}
+              <AgentList
+                agents={agents}
+                evolveAgents={evolveAgents}
                 t={t}
                 onViewSessions={(p) => {
                   setSessionsProject(p);
-                  onViewProjectSessions?.(p);
+                  onViewAgentSessions?.(p);
                 }}
-                onDelete={onDeleteProject}
+                onDelete={onDeleteAgent}
               />
             )}
             <div style={{ display: "flex", gap: 8, marginTop: 8 }}>
@@ -149,9 +149,9 @@ export function WorkspaceView({
                 type="button"
                 className="btn btn-ghost"
                 style={{ flex: 1 }}
-                onClick={onAddProject}
+                onClick={onAddAgent}
               >
-                {t("projects.add")}
+                {t("agents.add")}
               </button>
             </div>
           </div>
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ export function WorkspaceView({
             </div>
             <div className="rant-head">
               <span className="rant-col-time">{t("rants.colTime")}</span>
-              <span className="rant-col-project">{t("rants.colProject")}</span>
+              <span className="rant-col-agent">{t("rants.colAgent")}</span>
               <span className="rant-col-status">{t("rants.colStatus")}</span>
               <span className="rant-col-progress">{t("rants.colProgress")}</span>
               <span className="rant-col-content">{t("rants.colContent")}</span>
@@ -230,51 +230,51 @@ export function WorkspaceView({
 
 /* ── 项目列表 ────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 
-function ProjectList({
-  projects,
-  evolveProjects,
+function AgentList({
+  agents,
+  evolveAgents,
   t,
   onViewSessions,
   onDelete,
 }: {
-  projects: ProjectRec[];
-  evolveProjects: Set<string>;
+  agents: AgentRec[];
+  evolveAgents: Set<string>;
   t: (k: string, v?: Record<string, unknown>) => string;
-  onViewSessions: (p: ProjectRec) => void;
-  onDelete?: (p: ProjectRec) => void;
+  onViewSessions: (p: AgentRec) => void;
+  onDelete?: (p: AgentRec) => void;
 }) {
-  if (!projects.length) {
-    return <div className="task-empty" data-testid="projects-empty">{t("projects.empty")}</div>;
+  if (!agents.length) {
+    return <div className="task-empty" data-testid="agents-empty">{t("agents.empty")}</div>;
   }
   return (
-    <div className="task-list" data-testid="project-list">
-      {projects.map((p) => {
+    <div className="task-list" data-testid="agent-list">
+      {agents.map((p) => {
         const name = p.name || p.path || "?";
         const hint = projectHint(p, t);
         return (
-          <div className="task-row" key={name} data-testid="project-row">
+          <div className="task-row" key={name} data-testid="agent-row">
             <span className="task-name">{name}</span>
-            {evolveProjects.has(name) && (
-              <span className="task-badge" data-testid="project-evolve-badge">⚡ {t("projects.autoEvolve")}</span>
+            {evolveAgents.has(name) && (
+              <span className="task-badge" data-testid="agent-evolve-badge">⚡ {t("agents.autoEvolve")}</span>
             )}
             {hint && <span className="task-hint">{hint}</span>}
             <span className="task-actions">
               <button
                 type="button"
                 className="model-action-btn"
-                title={t("projects.viewSessions")}
+                title={t("agents.viewSessions")}
                 onClick={() => onViewSessions(p)}
               >
-                {t("projects.viewSessions")}
+                {t("agents.viewSessions")}
               </button>
               {onDelete && (
                 <button
                   type="button"
                   className="model-action-btn danger"
-                  title={t("deleteProject.delete")}
+                  title={t("deleteAgent.delete")}
                   onClick={() => onDelete(p)}
                 >
-                  {t("deleteProject.delete")}
+                  {t("deleteAgent.delete")}
                 </button>
               )}
             </span>
@@ -286,15 +286,15 @@ function ProjectList({
 }
 
 /** 项目会话子视图（点击项目"查看会话"后展示） */
-function ProjectSessions({
-  project,
+function AgentSessions({
+  agent,
   sessions,
   error,
   currentSid,
   onBack,
   onSelect,
 }: {
-  project: ProjectRec;
+  agent: AgentRec;
   sessions: SessionRow[] | null;
   error?: string | null;
   currentSid?: string | null;
@@ -303,19 +303,19 @@ function ProjectSessions({
 }) {
   const { t } = useI18n();
   return (
-    <div className="task-list" data-testid="project-sessions">
+    <div className="task-list" data-testid="agent-sessions">
       <div className="task-row">
         <button type="button" className="model-action-btn" style={{ flexShrink: 0 }} onClick={onBack}>
-          {t("projects.back")}
+          {t("agents.back")}
         </button>
-        <span className="task-name">{t("projects.sessionsOf", { project: project.name || project.path || "" })}</span>
+        <span className="task-name">{t("agents.sessionsOf", { agent: agent.name || agent.path || "" })}</span>
       </div>
       {error ? (
-        <div className="task-empty" data-testid="project-sessions-error">{t("openSession.loadFailed", { msg: error })}</div>
+        <div className="task-empty" data-testid="agent-sessions-error">{t("openSession.loadFailed", { msg: error })}</div>
       ) : sessions === null ? (
-        <div className="task-empty" data-testid="project-sessions-loading">{t("dlg.loading")}</div>
+        <div className="task-empty" data-testid="agent-sessions-loading">{t("dlg.loading")}</div>
       ) : sessions.length === 0 ? (
-        <div className="task-empty" data-testid="project-sessions-empty">{t("projects.noSessions")}</div>
+        <div className="task-empty" data-testid="agent-sessions-empty">{t("agents.noSessions")}</div>
       ) : (
         sessions.map((s) => {
           const v = sessionRowView(s, currentSid ?? null, t);
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ function ProjectSessions({
               type="button"
               className="help-row"
               key={s.session_id}
-              data-testid="project-session-row"
+              data-testid="agent-session-row"
               style={{ width: "100%", textAlign: "left", cursor: "pointer", background: "none", border: "none" }}
               onClick={() => onSelect(s.session_id)}
             >
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ function RantList({
   return (
     <div className="task-list" data-testid="rant-list">
       {rants.map((r) => {
-        const key = String(r.timestamp || r.project || r.message || Math.random());
+        const key = String(r.timestamp || r.agent || r.message || Math.random());
         const ts = rantTimestamp(r.timestamp);
         const st = rantStatusMeta(r.status, t);
         const firstLine = rantFirstLine(r.message);
@@ -466,14 +466,14 @@ function RantList({
               onClick={() => onToggle(key)}
             >
               <span className="rant-col-time">{ts}</span>
-              <span className="rant-col-project">{r.project || "—"}</span>
+              <span className="rant-col-agent">{r.agent || "—"}</span>
               <span className={`task-badge ${st.badgeCls}`} data-testid="rant-status-badge">{st.text}</span>
               <span className="rant-col-progress">{r.progress ? String(r.progress) : "—"}</span>
               <span className="rant-col-content">{firstLine}</span>
             </div>
             {isExpanded && (
               <div className="rant-detail" style={{ padding: "6px 8px", borderTop: "1px solid var(--border)", fontSize: "var(--fs-secondary)" }}>
-                <div className="rant-meta">{ts} · {r.project || "—"} · {st.text}</div>
+                <div className="rant-meta">{ts} · {r.agent || "—"} · {st.text}</div>
                 <div className="rant-section">
                   <div className="rant-section-label">{t("rants.colContent")}</div>
                   {/* markdown 渲染（rant 2026-09-30T09:06:16 / #1763）：preprocessRantMarkdown 的
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/dialogLists.test.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/dialogLists.test.ts
index e075edfc..68b89ea0 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/dialogLists.test.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/dialogLists.test.ts
@@ -48,10 +48,10 @@ describe("memoryRowView", () => {
 
 describe("skillRowView", () => {
   it("label = name；hint = source · description(截50)", () => {
-    const s: SkillRow = { name: "browser-harness", source: "project", description: "D".repeat(60) };
+    const s: SkillRow = { name: "browser-harness", source: "agent", description: "D".repeat(60) };
     const v = skillRowView(s, "未命名");
     expect(v.label).toBe("browser-harness");
-    expect(v.hint).toBe(`project · ${"D".repeat(50)}`);
+    expect(v.hint).toBe(`agent · ${"D".repeat(50)}`);
   });
 
   it("无 name → unnamed；无 description → 仅 source", () => {
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/i18n-dicts.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/i18n-dicts.ts
index 82abf76a..63fee145 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/i18n-dicts.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/i18n-dicts.ts
@@ -11,21 +11,21 @@ export const ZH_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "sidebar.statusTitle": "连接状态",
   "sidebar.backToBottom": "回到底部",
   "nav.sessions": "会话",
-  "nav.projects": "项目",
+  "nav.agents": "项目",
   "nav.tasks": "任务",
   "nav.rants": "Rant",
   "nav.settings": "设置",
-  "projects.title": "项目管理",
-  "projects.add": "＋ 添加项目",
-  "projects.empty": "暂无项目（点击「添加项目」注册工作目录）",
-  "projects.added": "项目已添加：{path}",
-  "projects.addFailed": "添加项目失败：{msg}",
-  "projects.autoEvolve": "演化",
-  "projects.viewSessions": "查看会话",
-  "projects.noSessions": "该项目暂无会话",
-  "projects.sessionsOf": "{project} 的会话",
-  "projects.back": "← 返回项目列表",
-  "projects.current": "当前",
+  "agents.title": "项目管理",
+  "agents.add": "＋ 添加项目",
+  "agents.empty": "暂无项目（点击「添加项目」注册工作目录）",
+  "agents.added": "项目已添加：{path}",
+  "agents.addFailed": "添加项目失败：{msg}",
+  "agents.autoEvolve": "演化",
+  "agents.viewSessions": "查看会话",
+  "agents.noSessions": "该项目暂无会话",
+  "agents.sessionsOf": "{agent} 的会话",
+  "agents.back": "← 返回项目列表",
+  "agents.current": "当前",
   "empty.hello": "你好，我是 EMRG",
   "empty.sub": "你的 AI 工作伙伴。问我任何事——写东西、整理文件、规划任务，都可以。",
   "empty.example1": "帮我写一份本周的工作周报",
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ export const ZH_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "settings.taskName": "任务名",
   "settings.taskNameRequired": "任务名是必填的哦。",
   "settings.taskType": "类型",
-  "settings.taskProject": "项目",
+  "settings.taskAgent": "项目",
   "settings.taskInterval": "间隔（秒，≥{n}）",
   "settings.taskIntervalAny": "间隔（秒）",
   "settings.taskIntervalShort": "窗口间隔",
@@ -203,25 +203,25 @@ export const ZH_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "help.close": "关闭",
   "openSession.title": "打开会话",
   "openSession.desc": "选择项目后选择要打开的会话（跨项目多开）。",
-  "openSession.titleProject": "打开会话 — {project}",
-  "openSession.noProjects": "还没有项目。点下方「新建项目…」选择一个文件夹。",
+  "openSession.titleAgent": "打开会话 — {agent}",
+  "openSession.noAgents": "还没有项目。点下方「新建项目…」选择一个文件夹。",
   "openSession.noSessions": "该项目还没有会话，发送第一条消息会自动创建。",
   "openSession.loadFailed": "加载失败：{msg}",
-  "openSession.newProject": "＋ 新建项目…",
+  "openSession.newAgent": "＋ 新建项目…",
   "openSession.projectCreated": "项目已注册：{path}",
   "openSession.projectFailed": "新建项目失败：{msg}",
   "newSession.openButton": "＋ 新建会话…",
   "newSession.title": "新建会话",
   "newSession.desc": "选择项目新建会话（跨项目多开）。",
-  "newSession.newProject": "＋ 新建项目…",
+  "newSession.newAgent": "＋ 新建项目…",
   "newSession.loadFailed": "加载失败：{msg}",
   "newSession.projectFailed": "新建会话失败：{msg}",
-  "deleteProject.delete": "删除",
-  "deleteProject.title": "删除项目",
-  "deleteProject.body": "删除项目「{name}」？只删除项目记录，磁盘数据保留（可重新注册）。",
-  "deleteProject.protectedBody": "「{name}」是系统项目，不可删除。",
-  "deleteProject.removed": "项目已删除：{name}",
-  "deleteProject.failed": "删除项目失败：{msg}",
+  "deleteAgent.delete": "删除",
+  "deleteAgent.title": "删除项目",
+  "deleteAgent.body": "删除项目「{name}」？只删除项目记录，磁盘数据保留（可重新注册）。",
+  "deleteAgent.protectedBody": "「{name}」是系统项目，不可删除。",
+  "deleteAgent.removed": "项目已删除：{name}",
+  "deleteAgent.failed": "删除项目失败：{msg}",
   "relTime.justNow": "刚刚",
   "relTime.minutesAgo": "{n} 分钟前",
   "relTime.hoursAgo": "{n} 小时前",
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ export const ZH_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "skills.desc": "EMRG 已加载的技能。",
   "rants.title": "Rant 管理",
   "rants.colTime": "时间",
-  "rants.colProject": "项目",
+  "rants.colAgent": "项目",
   "rants.colStatus": "状态",
   "rants.colProgress": "进度",
   "rants.colContent": "内容",
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ export const ZH_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "rants.messageRequired": "Rant 内容不能为空。",
   "rants.placeholder": "给 EMRG 的反馈或改进建议…",
   "rants.submit": "发送",
-  "rants.project": "项目（选填）",
+  "rants.agent": "项目（选填）",
   "rants.empty": "暂无 Rant",
   "rants.emptyFiltered": "该状态下暂无 Rant",
   "rants.sent": "Rant 已提交（共 {count} 条）",
@@ -462,25 +462,25 @@ export const EN_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "sidebar.newChat": "＋ New chat",
   "sidebar.newChatTitle": "New chat (⌘N)",
   "sidebar.openChat": "Open session",
-  "sidebar.openChatTitle": "Open session (cross-project)",
+  "sidebar.openChatTitle": "Open session (cross-agent)",
   "sidebar.statusTitle": "Connection status",
   "sidebar.backToBottom": "Back to bottom",
   "nav.sessions": "Sessions",
-  "nav.projects": "Projects",
+  "nav.agents": "Agents",
   "nav.tasks": "Tasks",
   "nav.rants": "Rant",
   "nav.settings": "Settings",
-  "projects.title": "Project Management",
-  "projects.add": "＋ Add project",
-  "projects.empty": "No projects yet (click “Add project” to register a working directory)",
-  "projects.added": "Project added: {path}",
-  "projects.addFailed": "Failed to add project: {msg}",
-  "projects.autoEvolve": "Evolve",
-  "projects.viewSessions": "Sessions",
-  "projects.noSessions": "No sessions for this project yet",
-  "projects.sessionsOf": "Sessions of {project}",
-  "projects.back": "← Back to project list",
-  "projects.current": "Current",
+  "agents.title": "Agent Management",
+  "agents.add": "＋ Add agent",
+  "agents.empty": "No agents yet (click “Add agent” to register a working directory)",
+  "agents.added": "Agent added: {path}",
+  "agents.addFailed": "Failed to add agent: {msg}",
+  "agents.autoEvolve": "Evolve",
+  "agents.viewSessions": "Sessions",
+  "agents.noSessions": "No sessions for this agent yet",
+  "agents.sessionsOf": "Sessions of {agent}",
+  "agents.back": "← Back to agent list",
+  "agents.current": "Current",
   "empty.hello": "Hi, I'm EMRG",
   "empty.sub": "Your AI work partner. Ask me anything — write, organize files, plan tasks.",
   "empty.example1": "Write this week's work report",
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ export const EN_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "settings.taskName": "Task name",
   "settings.taskNameRequired": "A task name is required.",
   "settings.taskType": "Type",
-  "settings.taskProject": "Project",
+  "settings.taskAgent": "Agent",
   "settings.taskInterval": "Interval (sec, ≥{n})",
   "settings.taskIntervalAny": "Interval (sec)",
   "settings.taskIntervalShort": "window interval",
@@ -654,26 +654,26 @@ export const EN_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "help.desc": "Type a / command in the input box, or pick one from the autocomplete menu.",
   "help.close": "Close",
   "openSession.title": "Open session",
-  "openSession.desc": "Pick a project, then pick a session to open (multi-project tabs).",
-  "openSession.titleProject": "Open session — {project}",
-  "openSession.noProjects": "No projects yet. Use \"＋ New project…\" below to pick a folder.",
-  "openSession.noSessions": "No sessions in this project yet — the first message creates one.",
+  "openSession.desc": "Pick an agent, then pick a session to open (multi-agent tabs).",
+  "openSession.titleAgent": "Open session — {agent}",
+  "openSession.noAgents": "No agents yet. Use \"＋ New agent…\" below to pick a folder.",
+  "openSession.noSessions": "No sessions in this agent yet — the first message creates one.",
   "openSession.loadFailed": "Failed to load: {msg}",
-  "openSession.newProject": "＋ New project…",
-  "openSession.projectCreated": "Project registered: {path}",
-  "openSession.projectFailed": "Failed to create project: {msg}",
+  "openSession.newAgent": "＋ New agent…",
+  "openSession.projectCreated": "Agent registered: {path}",
+  "openSession.projectFailed": "Failed to create agent: {msg}",
   "newSession.openButton": "＋ New session…",
   "newSession.title": "New session",
-  "newSession.desc": "Pick a project to create a new session (multi-project tabs).",
-  "newSession.newProject": "＋ New project…",
+  "newSession.desc": "Pick an agent to create a new session (multi-agent tabs).",
+  "newSession.newAgent": "＋ New agent…",
   "newSession.loadFailed": "Failed to load: {msg}",
   "newSession.projectFailed": "Failed to create session: {msg}",
-  "deleteProject.delete": "Delete",
-  "deleteProject.title": "Delete project",
-  "deleteProject.body": "Delete project \"{name}\"? Only the project record is removed; on-disk data is kept (re-registerable).",
-  "deleteProject.protectedBody": "\"{name}\" is a system project and cannot be deleted.",
-  "deleteProject.removed": "Project removed: {name}",
-  "deleteProject.failed": "Failed to delete project: {msg}",
+  "deleteAgent.delete": "Delete",
+  "deleteAgent.title": "Delete agent",
+  "deleteAgent.body": "Delete agent \"{name}\"? Only the agent record is removed; on-disk data is kept (re-registerable).",
+  "deleteAgent.protectedBody": "\"{name}\" is a system agent and cannot be deleted.",
+  "deleteAgent.removed": "Agent removed: {name}",
+  "deleteAgent.failed": "Failed to delete agent: {msg}",
   "relTime.justNow": "just now",
   "relTime.minutesAgo": "{n} min ago",
   "relTime.hoursAgo": "{n} h ago",
@@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ export const EN_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "skills.desc": "Skills EMRG has loaded.",
   "rants.title": "Rant Management",
   "rants.colTime": "Time",
-  "rants.colProject": "Project",
+  "rants.colAgent": "Agent",
   "rants.colStatus": "Status",
   "rants.colProgress": "Progress",
   "rants.colContent": "Content",
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@ export const EN_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "rants.messageRequired": "Rant message is required.",
   "rants.placeholder": "Feedback or improvement ideas for EMRG…",
   "rants.submit": "Send",
-  "rants.project": "Project (optional)",
+  "rants.agent": "Agent (optional)",
   "rants.empty": "No rants yet",
   "rants.emptyFiltered": "No rants in this state",
   "rants.sent": "Rant submitted ({count} total)",
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ export const EN_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "cmd.resume.hint": "Switch / resume a conversation",
   "cmd.rewind.hint": "Rewind to a history point",
   "cmd.sessions.hint": "View all conversations",
-  "cmd.open.hint": "Open session (cross-project)",
+  "cmd.open.hint": "Open session (cross-agent)",
   "cmd.model.hint": "Switch model",
   "cmd.memory.hint": "Browse memory",
   "cmd.skills.hint": "View loaded skills",
@@ -834,7 +834,7 @@ export const EN_DICT: Record<string, string> = {
   "app.rewindFailed": "Rewind failed: {msg}",
   "app.noMemories": "No {scope} memories yet.",
   "app.sessionMem": "conversation",
-  "app.projectMem": "project",
+  "app.projectMem": "agent",
   "app.readMemFailed": "Failed to read memory: {msg}",
   "app.memFailed": "Failed to load memories: {msg}",
   "app.noSkills": "No skills loaded yet.",
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.test.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.test.ts
index 3c13c961..abf2a73d 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.test.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.test.ts
@@ -1,43 +1,43 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { isProtectedProject, projectRowView, sessionRowView } from "./openSession";
-import type { ProjectRow } from "./openSession";
+import { isProtectedAgent, agentRowView, sessionRowView } from "./openSession";
+import type { AgentRow } from "./openSession";
 
 /**
  * openSession.test.ts — 打开/新建会话行格式化测试（Batch 4 slice 3）。
- * 镜像 vanilla showOpenSessionDialog / showProjectSessions / isProtectedProject。
+ * 镜像 vanilla showOpenSessionDialog / showAgentSessions / isProtectedAgent。
  */
 
 const t = (key: string) => key; // 透传 i18n key（relTime 缺省即回退 key）
 
-describe("projectRowView", () => {
+describe("agentRowView", () => {
   it("label = name；hint = path；active = relTime", () => {
-    const v = projectRowView({ name: "emrg", path: "/x/emrg", latest_session_at: new Date().toISOString() }, t);
+    const v = agentRowView({ name: "emrg", path: "/x/emrg", latest_session_at: new Date().toISOString() }, t);
     expect(v.label).toBe("emrg");
     expect(v.hint).toBe("/x/emrg");
     expect(v.active).not.toBe("");
   });
 
   it("无 name → path 兜底；无 path → 空串", () => {
-    expect(projectRowView({ path: "/only/path" }).label).toBe("/only/path");
-    expect(projectRowView({ name: "n" }).hint).toBe("");
-    expect(projectRowView({}).label).toBe("");
+    expect(agentRowView({ path: "/only/path" }).label).toBe("/only/path");
+    expect(agentRowView({ name: "n" }).hint).toBe("");
+    expect(agentRowView({}).label).toBe("");
   });
 
   it("无 latest_session_at → active 空串", () => {
-    expect(projectRowView({ name: "a" }).active).toBe("");
+    expect(agentRowView({ name: "a" }).active).toBe("");
   });
 });
 
-describe("isProtectedProject", () => {
+describe("isProtectedAgent", () => {
   it("内置 emrg / emrg-task 受保护", () => {
-    expect(isProtectedProject({ name: "emrg" })).toBe(true);
-    expect(isProtectedProject({ name: "emrg-task" })).toBe(true);
+    expect(isProtectedAgent({ name: "emrg" })).toBe(true);
+    expect(isProtectedAgent({ name: "emrg-task" })).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it("其他项目不保护", () => {
-    expect(isProtectedProject({ name: "aitokenpool" })).toBe(false);
-    expect(isProtectedProject({})).toBe(false);
-    expect(isProtectedProject(undefined as unknown as ProjectRow)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isProtectedAgent({ name: "aitokenpool" })).toBe(false);
+    expect(isProtectedAgent({})).toBe(false);
+    expect(isProtectedAgent(undefined as unknown as AgentRow)).toBe(false);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.ts
index cd2c474c..77907307 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/openSession.ts
@@ -2,21 +2,21 @@ import { relTime, type TFunc } from "./workspaceView";
 
 /**
  * openSession.ts — 打开/新建会话对话框的纯行格式化逻辑（Batch 4 slice 3）。
- * 镜像 vanilla `js/dialogs.js` 的 showOpenSessionDialog / showProjectSessions /
- * showNewSessionDialog / isProtectedProject：
- * - projectRowView：label = name || path || ""；hint = path；active = relTime(latest_session_at)
+ * 镜像 vanilla `js/dialogs.js` 的 showOpenSessionDialog / showAgentSessions /
+ * showNewSessionDialog / isProtectedAgent：
+ * - agentRowView：label = name || path || ""；hint = path；active = relTime(latest_session_at)
  * - sessionRowView：label = title || session_id（name-or-id，不截短）；
  *   marks = [current?, relTime(updated_at)?]（vanilla marks.join(" · ")）
- * - isProtectedProject：内置 emrg / emrg-task（演化依赖）不可删
+ * - isProtectedAgent：内置 emrg / emrg-task（演化依赖）不可删
  */
 
-export interface ProjectRow {
+export interface AgentRow {
   name?: string;
   path?: string;
   latest_session_at?: string | null;
 }
 
-export interface ProjectRowView {
+export interface AgentRowView {
   label: string;
   hint: string;
   /** 相对时间（"刚刚 / 5 分钟前…"）；无 → "" */
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export interface ProjectRowView {
 }
 
 /** 项目行视图（vanilla showOpenSessionDialog/showNewSessionDialog 共用） */
-export function projectRowView(p: ProjectRow, t?: TFunc): ProjectRowView {
+export function agentRowView(p: AgentRow, t?: TFunc): AgentRowView {
   return {
     label: p.name || p.path || "",
     hint: p.path || "",
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ export function projectRowView(p: ProjectRow, t?: TFunc): ProjectRowView {
   };
 }
 
-/** 受保护项目（vanilla isProtectedProject）——内置项目，删除须拒绝 */
-export function isProtectedProject(p: ProjectRow): boolean {
+/** 受保护项目（vanilla isProtectedAgent）——内置项目，删除须拒绝 */
+export function isProtectedAgent(p: AgentRow): boolean {
   return Boolean(p && (p.name === "emrg" || p.name === "emrg-task"));
 }
 
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export interface SessionRowView {
   marks: string[];
 }
 
-/** 会话行视图（vanilla showProjectSessions） */
+/** 会话行视图（vanilla showAgentSessions） */
 export function sessionRowView(s: SessionRow, currentSid: string | null, t?: TFunc): SessionRowView {
   const marks: string[] = [];
   if (s.session_id === currentSid) marks.push(t ? t("app.current") : "current");
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.test.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.test.ts
index 9f641c31..0e9c4bb6 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.test.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.test.ts
@@ -14,15 +14,15 @@ import {
  */
 
 describe("sessionLabel", () => {
-  it("有标题 → project/title 格式", () => {
+  it("有标题 → agent/title 格式", () => {
     expect(sessionLabel("emrg", "我的会话", "s1")).toBe("emrg/我的会话");
   });
 
-  it("无标题 → project/sid 格式（不降级为标题，rant 2026-08-20T22:04:57）", () => {
+  it("无标题 → agent/sid 格式（不降级为标题，rant 2026-08-20T22:04:57）", () => {
     expect(sessionLabel("emrg", "", "s1")).toBe("emrg/s1");
   });
 
-  it("project 为空时仍输出 /sid 或 /title 分隔（保持与 vanilla 一致）", () => {
+  it("agent 为空时仍输出 /sid 或 /title 分隔（保持与 vanilla 一致）", () => {
     expect(sessionLabel("", "", "s1")).toBe("/s1");
   });
 });
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.ts
index ee46969e..be3cac02 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/sidebar.ts
@@ -22,14 +22,14 @@ export interface SessionInfo {
   [k: string]: unknown;
 }
 
-/** 会话条目统一格式：有标题显示 project/title，无标题显示 project/id（rant 2026-08-20T22:04:57）。 */
-export function sessionLabel(project: string, title: string, sid: string): string {
-  return title ? `${project}/${title}` : `${project}/${sid}`;
+/** 会话条目统一格式：有标题显示 agent/title，无标题显示 agent/id（rant 2026-08-20T22:04:57）。 */
+export function sessionLabel(agent: string, title: string, sid: string): string {
+  return title ? `${agent}/${title}` : `${agent}/${sid}`;
 }
 
 /**
  * 标题解析：entry.title 优先（跨项目自带），否则回退本地已知会话标题；
- * 两者皆无 → 空串（此时 label 降级为 project/sid）。
+ * 两者皆无 → 空串（此时 label 降级为 agent/sid）。
  * （sidebar.js renderOpenSessions: `entry.title || cur.title || ""`）
  */
 export function resolveEntryTitle(entry: OpenSessionEntry, knownSessions: SessionInfo[]): string {
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.test.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.test.ts
index 3a0db64d..33fad57c 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.test.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.test.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
  * workspaceView.test.ts — 工作区面板纯逻辑测试（Batch 3 WorkspaceView）。
  * 镜像 vanilla dialogs.js 行为：formatCountdown / formatRelativeTime / relTime /
  * rantTimestamp / rantFirstLine / rantStatusMeta / preprocessRantMarkdown /
- * buildEvolveProjects / projectHint / taskStatusBadge / taskHint / taskMeta。
+ * buildEvolveAgents / projectHint / taskStatusBadge / taskHint / taskMeta。
  */
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import {
-  buildEvolveProjects,
+  buildEvolveAgents,
   formatCountdown,
   formatRelativeTime,
   preprocessRantMarkdown,
@@ -116,21 +116,21 @@ describe("preprocessRantMarkdown", () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe("buildEvolveProjects", () => {
+describe("buildEvolveAgents", () => {
   it("收集 config.agent 集合（含 evolution 任务）", () => {
     const tasks: TaskRec[] = [
       { name: "a", config: { agent: "emrg" } },
       { name: "b", config: { agent: "aitokenpool" } },
       { name: "c", config: {} },
     ];
-    const set = buildEvolveProjects(tasks);
+    const set = buildEvolveAgents(tasks);
     expect(set.has("emrg")).toBe(true);
     expect(set.has("aitokenpool")).toBe(true);
     expect(set.size).toBe(2);
   });
   it("空/缺省安全", () => {
-    expect(buildEvolveProjects(null).size).toBe(0);
-    expect(buildEvolveProjects(undefined).size).toBe(0);
+    expect(buildEvolveAgents(null).size).toBe(0);
+    expect(buildEvolveAgents(undefined).size).toBe(0);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.ts b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.ts
index e54ed4a0..c7aa0e1c 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.ts
+++ b/emrg/gui/renderer/src/lib/workspaceView.ts
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ export type RantFilter = "" | "pending" | "in_progress" | "completed";
 
 export interface RantRec {
   timestamp?: string;
-  project?: string;
+  agent?: string;
   status?: string;
   progress?: string | null;
   message?: string;
 }
 
-export interface ProjectRec {
+export interface AgentRec {
   name?: string;
   path?: string;
   latest_session_at?: string | null;
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ export interface TaskRec {
   schedule?: ScheduleWindow[] | null;
   /** 任务面板「打开会话」所需字段（daemon TaskHandler.status() 返回，vanilla #924 迁移时丢失） */
   session_id?: string;
-  project?: string;
-  project_path?: string;
+  agent?: string;
+  agent_path?: string;
 }
 
 export type TFunc = (key: string, vars?: Record<string, unknown>) => string;
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ export function preprocessRantMarkdown(text?: string | null): string {
 /* ── 项目面板工具 ────────────────────────────────────────── */
 
 /** auto_evolve 徽标集合：tasks.yml 中 config.agent 与项目名相同（含 evolution 类型） */
-export function buildEvolveProjects(tasks: TaskRec[] | null | undefined): Set<string> {
+export function buildEvolveAgents(tasks: TaskRec[] | null | undefined): Set<string> {
   const set = new Set<string>();
   for (const t of tasks || []) {
     const proj = t?.config?.agent;
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ export function buildEvolveProjects(tasks: TaskRec[] | null | undefined): Set<st
 }
 
 /** 项目行 hint：路径 + 相对活跃时间（join " · "） */
-export function projectHint(p: ProjectRec, t?: TFunc): string {
+export function projectHint(p: AgentRec, t?: TFunc): string {
   const parts: string[] = [];
   if (p.path) parts.push(p.path);
   const act = relTime(p.latest_session_at, t);
diff --git a/emrg/gui/test/boot-contract.test.js b/emrg/gui/test/boot-contract.test.js
index b150bea0..77639c58 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/test/boot-contract.test.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/test/boot-contract.test.js
@@ -262,8 +262,8 @@ test("issue #2484: emrg:switchSession asks the daemon before it opens a session"
   assert.match(
     region,
     /asked \|\| projectPath \|\| resolveSessionCwd\(sessionId\)/,
-    "precedence must be daemon answer > the caller's project > the local index guess, so a " +
-      "session from another project opens where it really lives rather than where we guessed.",
+    "precedence must be daemon answer > the caller's agent > the local index guess, so a " +
+      "session from another agent opens where it really lives rather than where we guessed.",
   );
 });
 
diff --git a/emrg/gui/test/daemon_client.test.js b/emrg/gui/test/daemon_client.test.js
index 500dcc69..49343084 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/test/daemon_client.test.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/test/daemon_client.test.js
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ test("sendCommand 帧形状：payload 带 type 字段不覆盖消息类型（ran
   // 否则 daemon 路由失败返回 unknown message type，GUI 保存无响应。
   const client = new DaemonClient();
   await connectClient(client);
-  client.sendCommand("task_create", { type: "evolution", name: "t1", project: "p1" });
+  client.sendCommand("task_create", { type: "evolution", name: "t1", agent: "p1" });
   const frame = JSON.parse(currentMockWs.sent.at(-1));
   assert.strictEqual(frame.type, "task_create", "wire 消息类型必须保留，不被 payload 的 type 覆盖");
   assert.strictEqual(frame.name, "t1");
@@ -1172,7 +1172,7 @@ test("rant 18:23:15 P2/P3：RESPONSE_TYPES 覆盖任务/模板 CRUD（task_resul
   await connectClient(client);
   const send = (obj) => currentMockWs.emit("message", Buffer.from(JSON.stringify(obj)));
   // task_create → task_result
-  const p1 = client.sendCommandAndWait("task_create", { name: "t1", type: "evolution", project: "emrg", interval: 600 }, 2000);
+  const p1 = client.sendCommandAndWait("task_create", { name: "t1", type: "evolution", agent: "emrg", interval: 600 }, 2000);
   await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
   send({ type: "task_result", ok: true, task: { name: "t1" }, summary: { added: ["t1"] } });
   const r1 = await p1;
@@ -1235,13 +1235,13 @@ test("error 帧 FIFO reject 最早未决（G103）；无未决 error → 广播"
   client.onEvent((t, d) => seen.push([t, d]));
   // 两个未决命令，error 帧 reject 最早
   const p1 = client.sendCommandAndWait("list_sessions", { cwd: tmpHome }, 2000);
-  const p2 = client.sendCommandAndWait("list_projects", {}, 2000);
+  const p2 = client.sendCommandAndWait("list_agents", {}, 2000);
   await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
   currentMockWs.emit("message", Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ error: "first failed" })));
   await assert.rejects(p1, /first failed/);
   assert.strictEqual(client._pending.size, 1, "p2 仍未决");
   // resolve p2 后无未决，error → 广播事件
-  currentMockWs.emit("message", Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ type: "projects_list", projects: [] })));
+  currentMockWs.emit("message", Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ type: "agents_list", agents: [] })));
   await p2;
   currentMockWs.emit("message", Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ error: "broadcast error" })));
   assert.ok(seen.some(([t, d]) => t === "error" && d.error === "broadcast error"));
@@ -1387,7 +1387,7 @@ test("断连 pending 请求全部 reject + disconnected（G89）", async () => {
   await connectClient(client);
   const pending = [
     client.sendCommandAndWait("list_sessions", { cwd: tmpHome }, 5000),
-    client.sendCommandAndWait("list_projects", {}, 5000),
+    client.sendCommandAndWait("list_agents", {}, 5000),
   ];
   await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
   currentMockWs.emit("close");
diff --git a/emrg/gui/test/integration.test.js b/emrg/gui/test/integration.test.js
index 8157c26c..b33a9a47 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/test/integration.test.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/test/integration.test.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  *
  * 范围（全部只读或隔离内操作）：
  * - ensureConnected → ping → pong（ServerPong 结构）
- * - list_sessions / list_models / list_projects
+ * - list_sessions / list_models / list_agents
  * - resume_session（不存在）→ 错误帧（无破坏性）
  * - delete_session（不存在）→ 错误帧
  * - daemon 被杀 → ensureConnected 重连（G43 stale port 流程）
@@ -205,10 +205,10 @@ test("list_models → models_list", { skip: SKIP }, async () => {
     `models contain test-model: ${JSON.stringify(frame.models)}`);
 });
 
-test("list_projects → projects_list（空）", { skip: SKIP }, async () => {
-  const frame = await client.sendCommandAndWait("list_projects", { cwd: tmp }, 5000);
-  assert.strictEqual(frame.type, "projects_list");
-  assert.ok(Array.isArray(frame.projects));
+test("list_agents → agents_list（空）", { skip: SKIP }, async () => {
+  const frame = await client.sendCommandAndWait("list_agents", { cwd: tmp }, 5000);
+  assert.strictEqual(frame.type, "agents_list");
+  assert.ok(Array.isArray(frame.agents));
 });
 
 test("resume_session（不存在）→ 错误帧（无破坏性）", { skip: SKIP }, async () => {
diff --git a/emrg/gui/test/preload-api.test.js b/emrg/gui/test/preload-api.test.js
index de94b22a..a0f600ab 100644
--- a/emrg/gui/test/preload-api.test.js
+++ b/emrg/gui/test/preload-api.test.js
@@ -56,10 +56,10 @@ const EXPECTED_INVOKE_METHODS = [
   "panelResized",
   "getPreviewState",
   "listSkills",
-  "listProjects",
-  "listProjectSessions",
-  "registerProject",
-  "removeProject",
+  "listAgents",
+  "listAgentSessions",
+  "registerAgent",
+  "removeAgent",
   "listTasks",
   "taskLimits",
   "triggerTask",
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ const EXPECTED_INVOKE_METHODS = [
   "saveSettings",
   "getSettings",
   "cancel",
-  "pickProjectDir",
+  "pickAgentDir",
   "saveImage",
   "readClipboardImage",
   "log",
diff --git a/emrg/memory.py b/emrg/memory.py
index e5349928..273ab5fa 100644
--- a/emrg/memory.py
+++ b/emrg/memory.py
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 """Memory system for EMRG — persistent LLM knowledge across sessions.
 
 File-based YAML frontmatter + Markdown format, compatible with Claude Code.
-Two scopes: project (.emrg/memory/) and session (<session>/memory/).
+Two scopes: agent (.emrg/memory/) and session (<session>/memory/).
 
 Usage:
-    from emrg.memory import ProjectMemoryStore, SessionMemoryStore, MemoryFile
+    from emrg.memory import AgentMemoryStore, SessionMemoryStore, MemoryFile
 
-    # Project-level memories (shared across all sessions)
-    pstore = ProjectMemoryStore(cwd)
+    # Agent-level memories (shared across all sessions)
+    pstore = AgentMemoryStore(cwd)
 
     # Session-level memories (per-session)
     sstore = SessionMemoryStore(session_dir)
@@ -139,8 +139,8 @@ def _fm_line_owners(lines: list[str] | tuple[str, ...]) -> list[str | None]:
 
 # ── Constants ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-VALID_TYPES = {"user", "feedback", "project", "reference", "decision", "task"}
-VALID_SCOPES = {"session", "project"}
+VALID_TYPES = {"user", "feedback", "agent", "reference", "decision", "task"}
+VALID_SCOPES = {"session", "agent"}
 VALID_STATUSES = {"active", "superseded", "merged"}
 
 # Rant 2026-08-23T08:04:26 — memory index governance: keep MEMORY.md lines
@@ -163,13 +163,13 @@ def _fm_line_owners(lines: list[str] | tuple[str, ...]) -> list[str | None]:
 #
 # The direction that matters holds for **both** of the cap's subjects, and it holds
 # because the advisory sits on the base store, not on one of the two that inherit
-# from it: `MemoryStore._save_index` calls `_warn_index_thresholds`, so a project
+# from it: `MemoryStore._save_index` calls `_warn_index_thresholds`, so an agent
 # index and a session index are each flagged before the cap can see them. That is
 # structural rather than lucky — the cap can only truncate a file the advisory
 # already flagged, because UTF-8 never encodes a string in fewer bytes than
 # characters, so `chars > T` implies `bytes > T`. Until 2026-09-24 the advisory was a
-# `SessionMemoryStore` method and the project half went unwatched, measured on one
-# fixture: a 56,214-char project index was truncated with no advisory having looked
+# `SessionMemoryStore` method and the agent half went unwatched, measured on one
+# fixture: a 56,214-char agent index was truncated with no advisory having looked
 # at its size, while the same file as a session index fired the advisory first
 # (issue #1581, whose remedy is this wiring).
 #
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ def _fm_line_owners(lines: list[str] | tuple[str, ...]) -> list[str | None]:
 INDEX_SIZE_WARN = 51 * 1024
 
 # What makes a line a **row** of an index, by shape rather than by the store's entry
-# grammar. Two shapes, because the indexes this project carries are written in both: a
+# grammar. Two shapes, because the indexes this agent carries are written in both: a
 # `- ` list line (the store's own render, `MemoryIndex._render_entry`, and the pointer
 # lines an agent's compaction writes), and a **Markdown-table body row** — a line opening
 # with `|` that is not the table's delimiter row (`| --- | --- |`, punctuation rather than
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ def is_index_row(line: str) -> bool:
 # Order of the `## type` sections when the index has to be rendered from
 # entries alone (a rebuild, or entries the document never had). The parser
 # accepts any `## <valid type>` heading; this only decides where new rows file.
-INDEX_TYPE_ORDER = ("user", "feedback", "project", "reference", "decision", "task")
+INDEX_TYPE_ORDER = ("user", "feedback", "agent", "reference", "decision", "task")
 
 
 class NotARegularFile(OSError):
@@ -332,14 +332,14 @@ def from_file(cls, path: Path) -> MemoryFile:
         decides whether this call returns at all (`NotARegularFile`). Measured
         2026-10-11 on master `63ee3a54`, one fixture (a named pipe beside a regular
         memory), each call in its own process under a parent's 8 s cap:
-        ``ProjectMemoryStore.list()`` **did not return**, while the same fixture without
+        ``AgentMemoryStore.list()`` **did not return**, while the same fixture without
         the pipe returned in 0.00 s. Two client frames walk this reader — `list_memories`
         and `read_memory` — and the directory is the agent's own workspace, so anything
         running there can put a pipe in it.
 
         Every reader in this module comes through here, which is why the guard is one
         site rather than one per walker: `_scan`, `list`, `_rebuild_index`, `update`,
-        `merge`, `promote_to_project`, `get_by_filename`, `_resolve_filename`.
+        `merge`, `promote_to_agent`, `get_by_filename`, `_resolve_filename`.
         """
         if not path.exists():
             raise FileNotFoundError(f"Memory file not found: {path}")
@@ -583,7 +583,7 @@ def save(self, path: Path) -> None:
         the same path **written**. **An open is not a read, and a write is an open too** — a
         write to a FIFO waits for a reader, to a socket for a connection — so the call would
         never return, exactly as the reader would not have, and the store methods that reach
-        it (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `promote_to_project`) would not either.
+        it (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `promote_to_agent`) would not either.
 
         Measured 2026-10-12 (`cyc20261012-035249`) on master `f4fe92c3`, one child per arm
         under a parent's 10 s cap, the child printing `emrg.__file__` so the checkout is what
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ def save(self, path: Path) -> None:
                     f"directly, and opening this one blocks until a peer appears — a write "
                     f"to a FIFO waits for a reader, a socket for a connection, a device "
                     f"never ends — so the call would never return, and the store methods "
-                    f"that reach it (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `promote_to_project`) "
+                    f"that reach it (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `promote_to_agent`) "
                     f"would not either."
                 )
         path.write_text(self.to_markdown(), encoding="utf-8")
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ class this module keeps closing elsewhere (`get_with_reason`'s two absences). An
                     f"— a write to a FIFO waits for a reader, a socket for a connection, "
                     f"a device never ends — so the call would never return, and the store "
                     f"methods that reach it (`create`, `update`, `rebuild_index`, "
-                    f"`promote_to_project`) would not either."
+                    f"`promote_to_agent`) would not either."
                 )
         old_size = path.stat().st_size if path.exists() else 0
         content = self.to_markdown()
@@ -885,7 +885,7 @@ def from_file(cls, path: Path) -> MemoryIndex:
         is why this pair travels with `save` rather than alone (`#2075`'s "Not taken").
         Reachability is weaker than `MemoryFile`'s and is stated as such in issue `#2078`:
         no daemon frame reads the index today, so what reaches this is the store's own API
-        (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `rebuild_index`, `delete`, `promote_to_project`).
+        (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `rebuild_index`, `delete`, `promote_to_agent`).
         """
         if not path.exists():
             return cls()
@@ -975,7 +975,7 @@ def _normalize_date(d: str) -> str:
 class MemoryStore:
     """Manages memory files in a directory with a MEMORY.md index.
 
-    Base class — use :class:`ProjectMemoryStore` or :class:`SessionMemoryStore`.
+    Base class — use :class:`AgentMemoryStore` or :class:`SessionMemoryStore`.
     """
 
     def __init__(self, directory: Path, scope: str):
@@ -1006,10 +1006,10 @@ def _save_index(self, index: MemoryIndex, source: str = "") -> None:
     #
     # On the base class since 2026-09-24, because the embed cap truncates *both*
     # indexes a store writes and the advisory used to be wired to one of them: as a
-    # `SessionMemoryStore` method it left a project index to cross the cap with no
+    # `SessionMemoryStore` method it left an agent index to cross the cap with no
     # reader ever having measured its size, falsifying the ordering the cap's own
     # comment relied on (issue #1581; measured on one fixture — 56,214 chars, the
-    # project store silent, the same file as a session index flagged). Here it covers
+    # agent store silent, the same file as a session index flagged). Here it covers
     # whichever index the store owns, since it reads only `self.index_path` and
     # `self.count`.
     #
@@ -1128,7 +1128,7 @@ def create(
         """Create a new memory and persist to disk.
 
         Args:
-            type: One of user, feedback, project, reference, decision, task.
+            type: One of user, feedback, agent, reference, decision, task.
             title: Short descriptive title.
             body: Markdown body (What / Why / How to apply for decision types).
             event_at: When the event happened (ISO 8601). Defaults to now.
@@ -1325,21 +1325,21 @@ def count(self) -> int:
         """Number of .md memory files (excluding MEMORY.md)."""
         return len([p for p in self.directory.glob("*.md") if p.name != "MEMORY.md"])
 
-    def promote_to_project(
-        self, mem_id: str, project_store: MemoryStore
+    def promote_to_agent(
+        self, mem_id: str, agent_store: MemoryStore
     ) -> MemoryFile | None:
-        """Move a session-scoped memory to the project store.
+        """Move a session-scoped memory to the agent store.
 
         The original file is marked as ``merged`` with a .promoted marker.
-        The new project-level copy gets ``scope: project`` and is added
-        to the project MEMORY.md index.
+        The new agent-level copy gets ``scope: agent`` and is added
+        to the agent MEMORY.md index.
 
         Args:
             mem_id: The memory to promote.
-            project_store: A ProjectMemoryStore instance.
+            agent_store: A AgentMemoryStore instance.
 
         Returns:
-            The promoted MemoryFile (now in project store), or None if not found.
+            The promoted MemoryFile (now in agent store), or None if not found.
         """
         path = self._find_by_id(mem_id)
         if path is None:
@@ -1348,47 +1348,47 @@ def promote_to_project(
 
         mem = MemoryFile.from_file(path)
 
-        # Create project-level copy
-        mem.scope = "project"
+        # Create agent-level copy
+        mem.scope = "agent"
         mem.updated_at = now_iso()
 
-        new_path = project_store.directory / mem.filename
-        # Handle filename conflicts in project store
+        new_path = agent_store.directory / mem.filename
+        # Handle filename conflicts in agent store
         counter = 1
         while new_path.exists():
             stem = Path(mem.filename).stem
-            new_path = project_store.directory / f"{stem}-{counter}.md"
+            new_path = agent_store.directory / f"{stem}-{counter}.md"
             counter += 1
 
         # The copy lives at ``new_path``, not at the name its title derives —
-        # and on a collision those two differ. The project index keys its rows
+        # and on a collision those two differ. The agent index keys its rows
         # by filename, so a row added under the derived name would attach
         # itself to the resident memory of that title and leave this copy
         # referenced by nothing.
         mem._filename = new_path.name
         mem.save(new_path)
 
-        # Update project index
-        pindex = project_store._load_index()
+        # Update agent index
+        pindex = agent_store._load_index()
         pindex.add_entry(mem)
-        project_store._save_index(pindex, "promote_to_project")
+        agent_store._save_index(pindex, "promote_to_agent")
 
         # Mark original as merged + write marker
         mem_original = MemoryFile.from_file(path)
         mem_original.status = "merged"
         mem_original.updated_at = now_iso()
         mem_original.body += (
-            f"\n\n*Promoted to project memory: `{new_path}` on {now_iso()}.*\n"
+            f"\n\n*Promoted to agent memory: `{new_path}` on {now_iso()}.*\n"
         )
         mem_original.save(path)
 
         # Create .promoted marker
         #
         # Asked before it is opened, because a write is an open too: `write_text` on a FIFO
-        # waits for a reader and raises nothing, so it would hold `promote_to_project` — and
+        # waits for a reader and raises nothing, so it would hold `promote_to_agent` — and
         # the caller, which runs on the daemon's event loop — for ever. A *directory* is the
         # same defect one kind over: today it raises `IsADirectoryError` straight out of this
-        # method, **after** the copy and the project index row have already been written, so
+        # method, **after** the copy and the agent index row have already been written, so
         # the promotion is left half-reported by an exception. Measured 2026-10-12
         # (`cyc20261012-043725`) on master `f4fe92c3`, one child per arm under a 10 s cap: a
         # FIFO left this call **not returning**, a directory raised `IsADirectoryError`, and
@@ -1422,20 +1422,20 @@ def promote_to_project(
         # Update session index (remove the entry since it's now merged)
         sindex = self._load_index()
         sindex.remove_entry(path.name)
-        self._save_index(sindex, "promote_to_project_remove")
+        self._save_index(sindex, "promote_to_agent_remove")
 
-        logger.info("memory promoted to project: id=%s → %s", mem.id, new_path)
+        logger.info("memory promoted to agent: id=%s → %s", mem.id, new_path)
         return MemoryFile.from_file(new_path)
 
 
 # ── Concrete stores ─────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
-class ProjectMemoryStore(MemoryStore):
-    """Project-level memory: ``<cwd>/.emrg/memory/`` — shared across all sessions."""
+class AgentMemoryStore(MemoryStore):
+    """Agent-level memory: ``<cwd>/.emrg/memory/`` — shared across all sessions."""
 
     def __init__(self, cwd: Path):
-        super().__init__(as_agent(cwd).memory_dir, scope="project")
+        super().__init__(as_agent(cwd).memory_dir, scope="agent")
 
 
 class SessionMemoryStore(MemoryStore):
diff --git a/emrg/sandbox/contract.py b/emrg/sandbox/contract.py
index 4064a510..10783dd6 100644
--- a/emrg/sandbox/contract.py
+++ b/emrg/sandbox/contract.py
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ class RunnerFailureRule:
 
     :attr:`start_line` is the **third** reading, and the one the runner itself
     supplies rather than the parent observing it: the line a runner that this
-    project writes prints on its own stderr immediately before it mirrors the
+    agent writes prints on its own stderr immediately before it mirrors the
     command.  Its **absence** from a run's stderr, beside a nonzero exit, is the
     evidence — the runner reached neither its announcement nor its failure
     reporter, so nothing ran.  This is the reading a status cannot give: the
diff --git a/emrg/sandbox/fence.py b/emrg/sandbox/fence.py
index 2894fb7d..0b47963b 100644
--- a/emrg/sandbox/fence.py
+++ b/emrg/sandbox/fence.py
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ def file_refusal(file_path: str, policy: SandboxPolicy) -> str | None:
         return f"{policy.mode} sandbox: blocked write to protected daemon file {file_path!r}"
     try:
         # The enforcement question is asked here rather than left to
-        # ``writable_roots``, which projects paths and so has no answer for a
+        # ``writable_roots``, which agents paths and so has no answer for a
         # kind that contributes none. Asking it through the projection made it
         # refuse an *enforceability* problem, and the two became inseparable the
         # moment Windows began enforcing a key (PR #2498): the raise stopped, and
diff --git a/emrg/sandbox/providers/win32.py b/emrg/sandbox/providers/win32.py
index 27adbf2a..7c6f2bb8 100644
--- a/emrg/sandbox/providers/win32.py
+++ b/emrg/sandbox/providers/win32.py
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ def runner_invocation() -> list[str]:
     **working directory** at the head of ``sys.path``, ahead of ``PYTHONPATH``,
     and the seam spawns this runner with ``cwd`` set to the session's workdir
     (:mod:`emrg.tools.pwsh_tool_v2`, :mod:`emrg.tools.bash_tool_v2`).  A workdir
-    that is itself an EMRG checkout — the ordinary state of this project's own
+    that is itself an EMRG checkout — the ordinary state of this agent's own
     sessions — therefore shadows the installed package, and the runner dies at
     import before it has spawned anything: measured on Windows Server 2022
     under both confined tiers,
diff --git a/emrg/server/__main__.py b/emrg/server/__main__.py
index db764fc7..2731f446 100644
--- a/emrg/server/__main__.py
+++ b/emrg/server/__main__.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 from emrg.logfiles import migrate_legacy_logs
 from emrg.server.daemon import DaemonExit, _non_regular_kind, run_server
 from emrg.server.logcontext import session_label
+from emrg.server.rants import migrate_rant_agent_field
 from emrg.server.scheduler import migrate_task_config_keys
 from emrg.tool_path import ensure_tool_dirs
 
@@ -210,6 +211,18 @@ def main() -> None:
         # daemon still reading the old key. Asking a record for its agent never
         # writes; only this call does.
         migrate_task_config_keys()
+        # The rant ledger's target key moved from `project` to `agent` (issue #2533),
+        # and it moves here for the reason the two calls above do: this process owns
+        # the file, it runs before the daemon opens the ledger, and no test path
+        # reaches it. It is not a reader-side fallback on purpose — a row still
+        # carrying the old key normalizes to `agent: None`, and `append_rant` is a
+        # read-modify-write, so the first submission after the rename would have
+        # rewritten the ledger and dropped every pre-rename target.
+        migrated_rants = migrate_rant_agent_field()
+        if migrated_rants:
+            logging.getLogger("emrg.server").info(
+                "rant ledger: moved %d row(s) from `project` to `agent`", migrated_rants
+            )
         result = asyncio.run(run_server(config.llm))
     except KeyboardInterrupt:
         # SIGINT delivered at the event-loop poll point escapes the main
diff --git a/emrg/server/competition_prompt.md b/emrg/server/competition_prompt.md
index e88f652a..3d83c08f 100644
--- a/emrg/server/competition_prompt.md
+++ b/emrg/server/competition_prompt.md
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ Cross-round continuity comes from what the daemon already gives you: it loads th
 
 Rants are how the host sends instructions directly to a task.
 
-- A rant matches **only if its `project` field is exactly `{{ task.agent }}`**. Rants that do not match are ignored completely.
+- A rant matches **only if its `agent` field is exactly `{{ task.agent }}`**. Rants that do not match are ignored completely.
 - Unmatched but seemingly relevant rants must be **counted and reported to the host** — never silently dropped.
 - A matching rant is an instruction for this round: it takes priority over the round's planned work.
 
diff --git a/emrg/server/daemon.py b/emrg/server/daemon.py
index 64cc813f..8d54ef10 100644
--- a/emrg/server/daemon.py
+++ b/emrg/server/daemon.py
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@
     INDEX_COUNT_WARN,
     INDEX_SIZE_WARN,
     INDEX_TITLE_MAX_CHARS,
-    ProjectMemoryStore,
+    AgentMemoryStore,
     SessionMemoryStore,
     is_index_row,
 )
@@ -289,15 +289,15 @@ def _get_jinja_env() -> "jinja2.Environment":
 
 
 # ── Module-level constants ──
-# Which files `_collect_project_context` reads out of a session's cwd into the prompt,
+# Which files `_collect_agent_context` reads out of a session's cwd into the prompt,
 # in precedence order. Named rather than inline for the same reason the cap below is:
 # a guard that reads this list — that the files it embeds name paths this repository
-# still has (`tests/test_project_context_paths.py`) — would otherwise carry a second
+# still has (`tests/test_agent_context_paths.py`) — would otherwise carry a second
 # spelling of the set, and the two could disagree about what is embedded at all.
 PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES = ("CLAUDE.md", "AGENTS.md", "Agent.md", "MANIFESTO.md")
 
-# How much of each project-context file (Agent.md and its siblings — see
-# `_collect_project_context`) reaches the prompt. Named rather than inline so the
+# How much of each agent-context file (Agent.md and its siblings — see
+# `_collect_agent_context`) reaches the prompt. Named rather than inline so the
 # guard that keeps this repo's own `Agent.md` inside it reads the same number the
 # truncation uses: a second spelling could disagree with the code that cuts.
 PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS = 8000
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ def _get_jinja_env() -> "jinja2.Environment":
 # not changed, on every request. The bodies ride in the per-round `[context]` message
 # instead (`_memory_context_block`) — the placement `current_time` took on 2026-08-23
 # (rant 2026-08-23T13:54:14), which is the precedent this follows.
-MEMORY_INDEX_BODY_KEYS = ("project_memory_index", "session_memory_index")
+MEMORY_INDEX_BODY_KEYS = ("agent_memory_index", "session_memory_index")
 
 
 def _static_memory_context(data: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
@@ -566,7 +566,7 @@ def _memory_index_compaction_note(paths) -> str:
     One section per index, because the subjects are separate files with separate
     readers, and an instruction naming the wrong one would send the agent to compact a
     file that is not over the cap. The caller's list is the same set as the two indexes
-    `_collect_memory_data` embeds: the session's own and the project's. Until 2026-09-28
+    `_collect_memory_data` embeds: the session's own and the agent's. Until 2026-09-28
     it also carried the instance root's index (issue #1606) for a session running inside
     the root; D9 moved the cycle records onto `{{ source_dir }}`, so that index is a file
     no writer of this session appends to, and the mechanism went with it.
@@ -1050,10 +1050,10 @@ async def serve(self) -> None:
         self._scheduler = TaskScheduler(self.identity)
         self._scheduler.load_and_start()
 
-        # Global cross-project session index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22):
-        # backfill the index from every on-disk session (registered projects +
+        # Global cross-agent session index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22):
+        # backfill the index from every on-disk session (registered agents +
         # unregistered ones under ~/.emrg) so sessions created before this
-        # feature are discoverable by other projects. Best-effort — never
+        # feature are discoverable by other agents. Best-effort — never
         # crashes startup.
         self._rebuild_sessions_index()
 
@@ -1111,7 +1111,7 @@ async def _serve_until_stopped(self) -> None:
         Both sites now name it with ``_serve_stop_reason``, so they cannot drift
         apart again. Split out of ``serve()`` because this decision touches no
         socket, scheduler or background loop: a test can drive it with the
-        teardown mocked, rather than booting the daemon this project forbids
+        teardown mocked, rather than booting the daemon this agent forbids
         stopping.
         """
         try:
@@ -1246,18 +1246,18 @@ def _assert_token_file(self) -> None:
         )
 
     def _rebuild_sessions_index(self) -> None:
-        """Backfill the global cross-project session index at startup.
+        """Backfill the global cross-agent session index at startup.
 
         Rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22: sessions created before this feature (or in
-        projects not registered in agents.yml) would otherwise be invisible
-        to other projects. Best-effort — failures are logged at debug level
+        agents not registered in agents.yml) would otherwise be invisible
+        to other agents. Best-effort — failures are logged at debug level
         and never crash the daemon.
         """
         from emrg.sessions_index import rebuild_sessions_index
 
         try:
-            project_paths: list[str] = self._agents.paths()
-            count = rebuild_sessions_index(config_dir(), project_paths)
+            agent_paths: list[str] = self._agents.paths()
+            count = rebuild_sessions_index(config_dir(), agent_paths)
             logger.info("sessions index rebuilt: %d sessions indexed", count)
         except Exception:
             logger.debug("sessions index rebuild failed", exc_info=True)
@@ -1626,7 +1626,7 @@ async def _handle_client(self, ws) -> None:
                         #
                         # Measured 2026-10-08 (`cyc20261008-170402`): the exact TUI
                         # sequence, A (the ask carries the client's cwd) → frames NONE,
-                        # approval frames NONE; B (the ask carries the project's cwd) →
+                        # approval frames NONE; B (the ask carries the agent's cwd) →
                         # `turn_start`, stream, `turn_end`, `approval_request` +
                         # `approval_resolved`. Only the ask's cwd differed.
                         #
@@ -2465,7 +2465,7 @@ def _build_system_prompt(self, session: Session | None = None) -> str:
         # prompt must say what is mounted, not what the gate would have chosen.
         ctx["shell_tool"] = self._mounted_shell_tool_name()
         # Global config dir (~/.emrg) — injected so system.j2 can reference the
-        # cross-project sessions index and other global data files by path.
+        # cross-agent sessions index and other global data files by path.
         ctx["config_dir"] = str(config_dir())
         # The memory index's per-row bound. It is a bound on a line of a file the
         # *agent* writes, so its carrier has to be one every session reads — and the
@@ -2494,14 +2494,14 @@ def _build_system_prompt(self, session: Session | None = None) -> str:
         if session:
             ctx["working_dir"] = str(session.cwd)
 
-        # ── Project Context Files ──
+        # ── Agent Context Files ──
         if session:
-            ctx["project_context"] = self._collect_project_context(session)
+            ctx["agent_context"] = self._collect_agent_context(session)
 
         # ── Skills ──
         # Read live, from **this session's** working directory: a skill installed,
         # edited or deleted on disk has to reach the next prompt without a daemon
-        # restart, and a session's project skills are the ones under its own root
+        # restart, and a session's agent skills are the ones under its own root
         # rather than under the directory the daemon was started in.
         skills = load_skills(session.cwd if session else None)
         if skills:
@@ -2560,8 +2560,8 @@ def _build_system_prompt(self, session: Session | None = None) -> str:
 
         return rendered
 
-    def _collect_project_context(self, session: Session) -> list[dict[str, str]]:
-        """Read project context files, return structured data for template.
+    def _collect_agent_context(self, session: Session) -> list[dict[str, str]]:
+        """Read agent context files, return structured data for template.
 
         An over-long file is cut at the last complete line inside the cap, and the
         notice names the file and says the tail is still on disk. Measured
@@ -2597,7 +2597,7 @@ def _collect_project_context(self, session: Session) -> list[dict[str, str]]:
                         # (rant 2026-09-14T13:23:04).
                         content = content[:cut] + (
                             f"\n\n... [truncated {over} chars — {name} exceeds the "
-                            "project-context limit; the rest is on disk, readable "
+                            "agent-context limit; the rest is on disk, readable "
                             "via the read tool]"
                         )
                     found.append({"name": name, "content": content})
@@ -2637,15 +2637,15 @@ def _cap_memory_index(self, path) -> str:
         # measured 2026-09-24, a 30,024-char / 61,160-byte CJK index fires the
         # advisory and leaves this cap silent. So the units stay as they are.
         #
-        # This method has **two** callers (`_collect_memory_data`: the project index
+        # This method has **two** callers (`_collect_memory_data`: the agent index
         # and the session index) and, since 2026-09-24, an advisory for both: the
         # check lives on `MemoryStore` — the base of the two stores — and its
         # `_save_index` calls it, which is what makes the ordering above a property of
         # *the cap* rather than of one of its two subjects. It was a
-        # `SessionMemoryStore` method until then, and the project half was measurably
-        # unwatched: on one fixture a 56,214-char project index was truncated here with
+        # `SessionMemoryStore` method until then, and the agent half was measurably
+        # unwatched: on one fixture a 56,214-char agent index was truncated here with
         # no advisory having looked at its size, while the same file as a session index
-        # fired it first (issue #1581, remedy: wire the project index to the same
+        # fired it first (issue #1581, remedy: wire the agent index to the same
         # advisory). So this can truncate nothing an advisory left unflagged — for an
         # index a **store** wrote. One the agent wrote with `write`/`edit` reaches
         # neither advisory, and the notice below naming the file it cut (#1578) is its
@@ -2712,7 +2712,7 @@ def _cap_memory_index(self, path) -> str:
         # cap keeping the head alone left the reader with the oldest part of the file
         # and hid the newest rows — the rows that exist to stop it re-doing work.
         # Saying where the text is without saying which part of it is gone leaves that
-        # to be guessed. Measured 2026-09-25 on a project index this cap really
+        # to be guessed. Measured 2026-09-25 on an agent index this cap really
         # truncates (73,484 chars, 24 of its 163 rows kept out of the prompt — issue
         # #1554 holds that reading and its numbers). *Which* part should survive was
         # that issue's open decision and is now taken (issue #1676; the constant above
@@ -2732,12 +2732,12 @@ def _collect_memory_data(self, session: Session) -> dict[str, Any] | None:
         """Read memory indexes, return structured data for template."""
         data: dict[str, Any] = {"has_memories": False}
 
-        project_dir = session.agent.memory_dir
-        pindex_path = project_dir / "MEMORY.md"
+        agent_dir = session.agent.memory_dir
+        pindex_path = agent_dir / "MEMORY.md"
         if pindex_path.exists():
-            data["project_memory_index"] = self._index_for_prompt(pindex_path)
-            data["project_memory_dir"] = str(project_dir)
-            data["project_memory_index_path"] = str(pindex_path)
+            data["agent_memory_index"] = self._index_for_prompt(pindex_path)
+            data["agent_memory_dir"] = str(agent_dir)
+            data["agent_memory_index_path"] = str(pindex_path)
             data["has_memories"] = True
 
         smem_dir = session.memory_dir
@@ -2774,7 +2774,7 @@ def _index_for_prompt(self, path) -> str:
         rewritten.
 
         The two sibling readers in this module already answer this question the
-        same way — `_collect_project_context` catches `(OSError, UnicodeDecodeError)`
+        same way — `_collect_agent_context` catches `(OSError, UnicodeDecodeError)`
         per context file, and the file-preview handler answers `UnicodeDecodeError`
         with a `binary` flag — so this was the one reader of a comparable file with
         no answer, on the path where a raise costs everything.
@@ -2843,13 +2843,13 @@ async def _refuse_an_unsafe_session_id(
         below: `_get_or_create_session` (eleven callers) writes it, the resume reader and
         the two memory readers open it, and `delete_session` hands the resolved path to
         `shutil.rmtree`. Measured 2026-10-21: `Session.delete("../..", cwd)` walked
-        `cwd/.emrg/sessions/../..` and left the project tree empty.
+        `cwd/.emrg/sessions/../..` and left the agent tree empty.
 
         **Two dispatchers, not one.** `_handle_client` intercepts `{"type": "task"}`
         itself and never reaches `_process_message`, so a check placed only in the latter
         left the one message type that *creates* a session directory unguarded — measured
         on this branch before the fix: a `task` carrying `../../../evil` created a
-        directory one level above the project root and started its turn, telling the
+        directory one level above the agent root and started its turn, telling the
         client nothing. Both call sites ask this method, so the rule has one writer even
         though it has two doors.
         """
@@ -3153,7 +3153,7 @@ async def _process_message(
             })
 
         elif msg_type == "list_memories":
-            scope = msg.get("scope", "project")
+            scope = msg.get("scope", "agent")
             session_id = msg.get("session_id", "")
             cwd = msg.get("cwd", "")
 
@@ -3167,7 +3167,7 @@ async def _process_message(
             await self._handle_list_memories(scope, session_id, cwd, ws)
 
         elif msg_type == "read_memory":
-            scope = msg.get("scope", "project")
+            scope = msg.get("scope", "agent")
             memory_id = msg.get("memory_id", "")
             session_id = msg.get("session_id", "")
             cwd = msg.get("cwd", "")
@@ -3222,17 +3222,17 @@ async def _process_message(
                 await self._send(ws, {"error": "rant requires a message"})
                 return
 
-            # Optional project targeting (multi-project support)
-            project = msg.get("project", "").strip()
+            # Optional agent targeting (multi-agent support)
+            agent = msg.get("agent", "").strip()
 
             # Shared write logic (rant 2026-08-17T11:51:59): daemon ``rant``
             # command and the submit_rant tool use the same append_rant, so
             # the file format / sort / daemon-authoritative timestamp stay
             # consistent no matter which path recorded the rant.
-            count = append_rant(self._rants_log, rant_message, project)
+            count = append_rant(self._rants_log, rant_message, agent)
 
             logger.info("rant recorded (%d total)%s: %s",
-                count, f" project={project}" if project else "", redact_prefix(rant_message, 100))
+                count, f" agent={agent}" if agent else "", redact_prefix(rant_message, 100))
             await self._send(ws, {"ok": True, "count": count})
 
         elif msg_type == "list_rants":
@@ -3273,7 +3273,7 @@ async def _process_message(
             entries = load_catalog_skills()
             # Live, not a snapshot: the question is whether a skill is on disk *now*,
             # which is the same reason the prompt reads them live. This frame carries
-            # no cwd, so the project half is the daemon's own directory — the catalog
+            # no cwd, so the agent half is the daemon's own directory — the catalog
             # installs into the user root, which is read either way.
             installed = {s.name for s in load_skills()}
             result = [
@@ -3343,21 +3343,21 @@ async def _process_message(
                 msg.get("kind") or None,
             )
 
-        elif msg_type == "list_projects":
-            await self._handle_list_projects(ws)
+        elif msg_type == "list_agents":
+            await self._handle_list_agents(ws)
 
-        elif msg_type == "remove_project":
+        elif msg_type == "remove_agent":
             # P1 GUI multi-session (rant 2026-08-10T15:07:19): drop a
             # agents.yml entry by name (disk session data preserved).
             name = msg.get("name", "").strip()
             if not name:
                 await self._send(ws, {
-                    "type": "project_removed",
+                    "type": "agent_removed",
                     "removed": False,
-                    "error": "remove_project requires name",
+                    "error": "remove_agent requires name",
                 })
                 return
-            await self._handle_remove_project(name, ws)
+            await self._handle_remove_agent(name, ws)
 
         elif msg_type == "evolution_summary":
             # WorkBuddy P3 (rant 21:35): self-evolution visibility.
@@ -4209,7 +4209,7 @@ def _inject_tool_arguments(
           cause rather than a new concept.
         * **the read-only discovery tools take it as a default.** Neither runs a
           command nor writes a file, so their directory decides a preference
-          rather than a boundary — and both schemas say so ("default: project
+          rather than a boundary — and both schemas say so ("default: agent
           root"). ``grep`` has been written that way from the start; ``glob`` was
           not, and its pinning was never decided: it shared the shell branch by
           adjacency, so when the guard above was dropped from that one shared line
@@ -5352,8 +5352,8 @@ def _memory_context_block(self, session: Session) -> str:
             "prefix so that writing a memory does not invalidate the prompt cache)"
         ]
         for body_key, title, dir_key, path_key in (
-            ("project_memory_index", "Project Memory (long-term, cross-session)",
-             "project_memory_dir", "project_memory_index_path"),
+            ("agent_memory_index", "Agent Memory (long-term, cross-session)",
+             "agent_memory_dir", "agent_memory_index_path"),
             ("session_memory_index", "Session Memory (this session only)",
              "session_memory_dir", "session_memory_index_path"),
         ):
@@ -5484,7 +5484,7 @@ def _invalidate_usage_anchors_on_switch(self) -> None:
 
         Community feedback 2026-08-26T18:21:30 (Dev.to comment 3dh3g): the
         anchor is keyed by session_id only, so a mid-session model switch
-        would project the OLD provider's real prompt_tokens + the NEW
+        would agent the OLD provider's real prompt_tokens + the NEW
         estimate delta — a mixed base that can silently miss the auto-compact
         gate across providers (the #946 failure mode). Invalidate anchors and
         any pending drift window, and mark sessions so the fail-LOUD
@@ -6589,7 +6589,7 @@ async def _handle_list_sessions(
             "sessions": sessions,
         })
 
-    async def _handle_list_projects(
+    async def _handle_list_agents(
         self, ws
     ) -> None:
         """Return every registered Agent, ordered by its latest session activity.
@@ -6601,7 +6601,7 @@ async def _handle_list_projects(
 
         No evolution-workspace filter (rant 2026-08-07T10:48:00): the register holds the
         directories this installation has opened sessions in, and on packaged installs
-        the emrg project's only path IS ~/.emrg/evolution/emrg — filtering it hid emrg
+        the emrg agent's only path IS ~/.emrg/evolution/emrg — filtering it hid emrg
         from /rant entirely.
         """
         entries = self._agents.entries()
@@ -6622,13 +6622,13 @@ async def _latest_session_at(entry: dict) -> str:
         ats = await asyncio.gather(*(_latest_session_at(e) for e in entries))
         ordered = sorted(zip(entries, ats), key=lambda t: t[1], reverse=True)
         # rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47 — _detect_git_remote runs a sync git subprocess per
-        # project; offload to worker threads so a slow git probe never freezes the
-        # event loop (websocket clients would otherwise time out during list_projects).
+        # agent; offload to worker threads so a slow git probe never freezes the
+        # event loop (websocket clients would otherwise time out during list_agents).
         repos = await asyncio.gather(*(
             asyncio.to_thread(_detect_git_remote, p.get("path", ""))
             for p, _ in ordered
         ))
-        projects: list[dict] = [
+        agents: list[dict] = [
             {"name": p.get("name", ""),
              "repo": repo,
              "path": p.get("path", ""),
@@ -6636,26 +6636,26 @@ async def _latest_session_at(entry: dict) -> str:
             for (p, at), repo in zip(ordered, repos)
         ]
         await self._send(ws, {
-            "type": "projects_list",
-            "projects": projects,
+            "type": "agents_list",
+            "agents": agents,
         })
 
-    async def _handle_remove_project(self, name: str, ws) -> None:
+    async def _handle_remove_agent(self, name: str, ws) -> None:
         """Drop one row from the register by name; the directory's data stays.
 
         Deletes only the ``agents.yml`` row — what is on disk under
         ``<path>/.emrg/sessions/`` is preserved, and opening a session there again
         registers the directory anew (P1 of the GUI multi-session feature,
         rant 2026-08-10T15:07:19). Responses:
-          {"type": "project_removed", "removed": true,  "name": name}
-          {"type": "project_removed", "removed": false, "name": name, ...}
+          {"type": "agent_removed", "removed": true,  "name": name}
+          {"type": "agent_removed", "removed": false, "name": name, ...}
         """
         try:
             removed = self._agents.remove(name)
         except OSError:
             logger.exception("remove: failed to write %s", self._agents_log)
             await self._send(ws, {
-                "type": "project_removed",
+                "type": "agent_removed",
                 "removed": False,
                 "name": name,
                 "error": "failed to write agents.yml",
@@ -6666,14 +6666,14 @@ async def _handle_remove_project(self, name: str, ws) -> None:
             # decided. Answering `removed: false` here would tell the host there is no
             # such row about a file this method never read (`#2062`).
             await self._send(ws, {
-                "type": "project_removed",
+                "type": "agent_removed",
                 "removed": False,
                 "name": name,
                 "error": "failed to read agents.yml",
             })
             return
         await self._send(ws, {
-            "type": "project_removed",
+            "type": "agent_removed",
             "removed": bool(removed),
             "name": name,
         })
@@ -7073,7 +7073,7 @@ async def _handle_resume_session(
         # The rule the three file tools (`#2062`), this daemon's other readers
         # (`#2073`), the memory store (`#2076`) and `Session`'s own files (`#2085`) all
         # share, applied to the one open here that does not go through `Session`; the
-        # path family is the same one, and it is **inside the project the agent works
+        # path family is the same one, and it is **inside the agent the agent works
         # in**, so a `mkfifo` there is the agent's own doing.
         #
         # An **open is not a read**: on a FIFO this `read_text` waits at the open until a
@@ -7143,7 +7143,7 @@ async def _handle_resume_session(
                     "type": "resume_result",
                     "session_id": session_id,
                     "error": f"Session {session_id} not found (no messages at this cwd; "
-                             "real session lives in its project — open from the project's session list)",
+                             "real session lives in its agent — open from the agent's session list)",
                 })
                 return
 
@@ -7188,7 +7188,7 @@ async def _handle_resume_session(
         })
 
     def _canonical_session_cwd(self, session_id: str) -> str | None:
-        """Resolve a session's canonical project cwd from the global sessions index.
+        """Resolve a session's canonical agent cwd from the global sessions index.
 
         Index maps sid → absolute session dir (<cwd>/.emrg/sessions/<sid>);
         the cwd is the dir 3 levels up (covers home-level sessions too:
@@ -7214,7 +7214,7 @@ async def _handle_resolve_session_cwd(
 
         Rant 2026-09-29T15:52:49 (requirement 6, the client half): the TUI sent
         its **own** cwd with `resume_session`, so a session belonging to another
-        project — a scheduled task's cycle above all — could not be opened from
+        agent — a scheduled task's cycle above all — could not be opened from
         `/resume <id>`, and the live frames never arrived for one that could,
         because the broadcast filter is keyed by (session, cwd). The daemon has
         held the fact all along (`_canonical_session_cwd`, the same global index
@@ -7222,7 +7222,7 @@ async def _handle_resolve_session_cwd(
         had nothing to ask.
 
         Two states, and they are deliberately not the same value: `index` when
-        the global index knows the session's project, `unknown` when it does
+        the global index knows the session's agent, `unknown` when it does
         not. The requested cwd is **echoed only as a candidate** in the unknown
         case — never relabelled as canonical — because the daemon cannot vouch
         for it, and a client that treats a guess as a fact is the defect this
@@ -7461,9 +7461,9 @@ async def _handle_list_memories(
         self, scope: str, session_id: str, cwd: str, ws
     ) -> None:
         """List memories: return the MEMORY.md index and memory directory info."""
-        if scope == "project":
+        if scope == "agent":
             cwd_path = Path(cwd) if cwd else Path.cwd()
-            store = ProjectMemoryStore(cwd_path)
+            store = AgentMemoryStore(cwd_path)
             index_path = store.index_path
         else:
             session_path = session_dir(cwd, session_id)
@@ -7505,9 +7505,9 @@ async def _handle_read_memory(
         ws,
     ) -> None:
         """Read a specific memory file by id and return its full content."""
-        if scope == "project":
+        if scope == "agent":
             cwd_path = Path(cwd) if cwd else Path.cwd()
-            store = ProjectMemoryStore(cwd_path)
+            store = AgentMemoryStore(cwd_path)
         else:
             session_path = session_dir(cwd, session_id)
             if not session_path.exists():
@@ -7767,7 +7767,7 @@ async def _run_subagent_child(
         # The slot directory is the child's **cwd**, so the child's own session
         # directory is built inside it like any other session's. That is what keeps
         # a child's memory inside the parent's session tree without a second
-        # project root, and it is why nothing here fights `is_safe_session_id`,
+        # agent root, and it is why nothing here fights `is_safe_session_id`,
         # which constrains the id alone.
         slot_cwd = (
             session_dir(parent_cwd, parent_session_id) / "sub-agent" / f"sub{slot}"
@@ -8233,14 +8233,14 @@ async def _reflect():
                 # embeds, counted by line. Read here rather than beside the entry
                 # count above because the subjects differ — that one measures the
                 # session store's entries and bytes, this one measures each index
-                # file, and only this one can name the project index at all.
+                # file, and only this one can name the agent index at all.
                 #
                 # The session half is asked of the store that writes it instead of
                 # being spelled again here, so the file counted and the file written
-                # are one expression. The project half is spelled out on purpose:
-                # `ProjectMemoryStore.__init__` → `MemoryStore.__init__` mkdirs the
+                # are one expression. The agent half is spelled out on purpose:
+                # `AgentMemoryStore.__init__` → `MemoryStore.__init__` mkdirs the
                 # directory it is handed, and a count that creates `<cwd>/.emrg/
-                # memory/` in every session's cwd — including sessions whose project
+                # memory/` in every session's cwd — including sessions whose agent
                 # has no memory at all — would be a reading with a side effect.
                 #
                 # Two subjects, and only these. A third — the instance root's own
@@ -8266,19 +8266,19 @@ async def _reflect():
                     f"{existing_summary}\n\n"
                     "## Memory directories\n"
                     f"Session: `{session.memory_dir}/` (session-scope, this session only)\n"
-                    f"Project: `{session.cwd}/.emrg/memory/` (project-scope, cross-session)\n\n"
+                    f"Agent: `{session.cwd}/.emrg/memory/` (agent-scope, cross-session)\n\n"
                     "## Exchange to reflect on\n"
                     f"User: {user_prompt[:500]}\n"
                     f"Assistant: {assistant_content[:1000]}\n\n"
                     "**Instructions**:\n"
                     "- If the user shared a preference or gave feedback → create a `user` or `feedback` memory\n"
                     "- If a technical decision was made → create a `decision` memory\n"
-                    "- If something was learned about the project → create a `project` memory\n"
+                    "- If something was learned about the agent → create a `agent` memory\n"
                     "- If a task was started/in progress/done → create a `task` memory\n"
                     "- Update existing memories if this exchange supersedes or refines them\n"
                     "- If nothing worth remembering happened, just reply 'no new memories' briefly\n"
                     "- Prefer session-scope for tentative/evolving knowledge; "
-                    "project-scope for stable, cross-session facts\n"
+                    "agent-scope for stable, cross-session facts\n"
                     "- Keep MEMORY.md a pure index: one short line per entry; "
                     "update entries in place rather than appending\n"
                     f"{hygiene_note}"
@@ -8290,8 +8290,8 @@ async def _reflect():
                     'event_at: "<ISO 8601>"\n'
                     'created_at: "<ISO 8601>"\n'
                     'updated_at: "<ISO 8601>"\n'
-                    'type: "<user|feedback|project|reference|decision|task>"\n'
-                    'scope: "<session|project>"\n'
+                    'type: "<user|feedback|agent|reference|decision|task>"\n'
+                    'scope: "<session|agent>"\n'
                     'status: "active"\n'
                     "---\n\n"
                     "# Title\n\nBody content.\n"
diff --git a/emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md b/emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md
index 3fd3e34b..08c26c75 100644
--- a/emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md
+++ b/emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ Two ways this source goes quiet, and both are legitimate: an installation whose
 - **Issue**: something needing a reply or triage, or a resolved one to close — the close itself is §3.1. What finishes an issue, and how the link reading is read, is R5.
 - **Rant**: take each one through three questions.
   - **Has it been handled?** `git log --oneline -20` for a commit naming its timestamp or keywords. Naming proves only that it was **touched**, never that it is finished — check for unmet acceptance items, unmerged branches, and a stage that landed without finishing the work.
-  - **Does it match this task?** A rant's `project` matches if it is `{{ task.agent }}` or `{{ owner }}/{{ repo }}`; a rant that names neither is not this instance's to act on — **ignore rants without a `project` field entirely**.
+  - **Does it match this task?** A rant's `agent` matches if it is `{{ task.agent }}` or `{{ owner }}/{{ repo }}`; a rant that names neither is not this instance's to act on — **ignore rants without a `agent` field entirely**.
   - **Is it work?** A rant this cycle decides against is closed with the reason in its progress; a rant taken on becomes an issue before any code is written (R5). The lifecycle is R6. **Before any reason is written down as the host's ruling, R7.**
 
 #### 2.3 Decide this cycle's work
diff --git a/emrg/server/feishu_prompt.md b/emrg/server/feishu_prompt.md
index 0ff43a84..c968d955 100644
--- a/emrg/server/feishu_prompt.md
+++ b/emrg/server/feishu_prompt.md
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ in the usual install locations before calling it blocked.
   task instructions.
 - Take the messages that arrived after the last one you handled. Remember that boundary
   yourself; there is no state file to keep and none to trust.
-- Rants whose `project` is `{{ task.agent }}` are the host's instructions for this round
+- Rants whose `agent` is `{{ task.agent }}` are the host's instructions for this round
   and outrank the plan; those that do not match are counted, not acted on.
 - A CLI that cannot run is a `blocked` item reported to the host, and so is an account that
   really cannot authenticate — but `missing identity` is a symptom, not a cause. The CLI
diff --git a/emrg/server/git_utils.py b/emrg/server/git_utils.py
index 1f36f286..36b57a72 100644
--- a/emrg/server/git_utils.py
+++ b/emrg/server/git_utils.py
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ def git_cmd(*args: str, cwd: str | None = None, timeout: int = 10) -> subprocess
 # The dirt is EMRG's, not the repository's, so the repository's *local*
 # ignore file is where it belongs: `.git/info/exclude` is per-clone, is
 # never committed, and never touches the upstream `.gitignore` — which is
-# the file a project's maintainers own.
+# the file an agent's maintainers own.
 
 # An anchored entry, and *relative to the repository root*: a task directory one
 # level down writes its runtime data into `<root>/work/clone/.emrg`, which the
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ def ensure_local_exclude(repo_dir: str) -> str:
     * ``"error: <reason>"`` — the file could not be read or written.
 
     Only the repository's *local* exclude is touched. The upstream
-    ``.gitignore`` belongs to the project and is left alone (rant
+    ``.gitignore`` belongs to the agent and is left alone (rant
     2026-09-21T10:12:01).
     """
     repo = Path(repo_dir)
diff --git a/emrg/server/ios_app_prompt.md b/emrg/server/ios_app_prompt.md
index 5d3c1077..c01a8834 100644
--- a/emrg/server/ios_app_prompt.md
+++ b/emrg/server/ios_app_prompt.md
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ Everything needed to build, sign and upload an iOS app is installed. **Adding a
 
 Rants are how the host sends instructions directly to a task.
 
-- A rant matches **only if its `project` field is exactly `{{ task.agent }}`**. Rants that do not match are ignored completely.
+- A rant matches **only if its `agent` field is exactly `{{ task.agent }}`**. Rants that do not match are ignored completely.
 - Unmatched but seemingly relevant rants must be **counted and reported to the host**, never silently dropped.
 - A matching rant is an instruction for this round and takes priority over the round's planned work.
 
diff --git a/emrg/server/journal_prompt.md b/emrg/server/journal_prompt.md
index 7129b9a0..a284ead5 100644
--- a/emrg/server/journal_prompt.md
+++ b/emrg/server/journal_prompt.md
@@ -120,16 +120,16 @@ Durable lessons (a direction that proved barren, a policy reading the journal se
 
 #### 0.5 Rant scan (host development instructions)
 
-**Rants are the host's work orders.** A rant whose `project` field equals this task's `config.project` (tasks.yml) is an instruction for THIS journal.
+**Rants are the host's work orders.** A rant whose `agent` field equals this task's `config.agent` (tasks.yml) is an instruction for THIS journal.
 
 ```bash
 cat ~/.emrg/rants.jsonl 2>/dev/null || echo "[no rants.jsonl — skip rant scan]"
 ```
 
 Filter rules (same as open-source tasks):
-- Match rant's `project` against exactly `{{ task.agent }}` — equal counts, anything else does not
-- Ignore rants without a `project` field; only `pending` / `in_progress` count
-- **Irrelevant-rant exclusion (HARD)**: any rant that does NOT match `project` exactly, or whose content is not about THIS journal, must be **ignored entirely** — do NOT read it into your thinking, do NOT adopt it as a research direction, do NOT cite it. **An irrelevant rant must never become a topic anchor.** Only a rant with `project` = `{{ task.agent }}` AND content actually directed at this journal enters the candidate pool / Phase Ops.
+- Match rant's `agent` against exactly `{{ task.agent }}` — equal counts, anything else does not
+- Ignore rants without a `agent` field; only `pending` / `in_progress` count
+- **Irrelevant-rant exclusion (HARD)**: any rant that does NOT match `agent` exactly, or whose content is not about THIS journal, must be **ignored entirely** — do NOT read it into your thinking, do NOT adopt it as a research direction, do NOT cite it. **An irrelevant rant must never become a topic anchor.** Only a rant with `agent` = `{{ task.agent }}` AND content actually directed at this journal enters the candidate pool / Phase Ops.
 - **Dedup check** before treating any rant as actionable: search the journal repo commit log for the rant's timestamp/keywords — a commit referencing the rant only counts as handled when ALL acceptance items are satisfied AND related PRs merged
 - **Rant status machine**: `pending → in_progress → completed` (never jump pending → completed). When starting work on a rant: set `in_progress` + progress note. When all its PRs merged + self-verification passes: set `completed` + ISO timestamp. Host feedback that a fix is insufficient → revert to `in_progress` with reason.
 - Rant-driven journal ops (e.g. "adjust CfP", "revise review policy") are processed in Phase Ops with highest priority.
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ Nothing pending?                                      → Phase Research (new di
      - Read the 2–3 most relevant recent abstracts (last 6 months), record their limitations → this forms your gap. If browser-harness is available, prefer it for reading full texts.
    - **The editor's CfP / journal themes**: README, CfP issue, editorial comments — topics the journal explicitly wants.
    - **Your own papers' future work**: Discussion / Future-Work paragraphs of your published or in-review manuscripts. **Own-work relevance is NOT by itself a topic reason** — it is only one candidate among many.
-   - **Host rants with `project` = {{ task.agent }}**: directional feedback, not just bug reports. (Per §0.5, irrelevant rants are excluded entirely.)
+   - **Host rants with `agent` = {{ task.agent }}**: directional feedback, not just bug reports. (Per §0.5, irrelevant rants are excluded entirely.)
    - **Uncovered gaps in the journal**: open issues / published papers that raise questions nobody has answered yet.
    - **Data-source debias**: having data for a particular project on hand is NOT a topic reason. Prefer directions backed by external data sources (public datasets, open-source repositories, simulations) or where data can be obtained/created during the research.
 2. **Research-hotspot identification** (using the current-time anchor; run in parallel with the candidate pool):
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ cd {{ source_dir }} && gh issue list -R {{ owner }}/{{ repo }} --label in-review
 
 1. **Never touch host dirt**: never stash/reset/clean host work — the daemon converges the tree itself before the prompt, so a tree still dirty here is a convergence that failed (and the round is then read-only); `papers/*/research/` being present is normal
 2. **git add exact path**: submission/revision commits use `git add papers/issue-<N>/` — never `-A` / `.`
-3. **Rant handling**: follow 0.5 — project must equal `{{ task.agent }}`; pending → in_progress → completed
+3. **Rant handling**: follow 0.5 — agent must equal `{{ task.agent }}`; pending → in_progress → completed
 4. **Language policy**: external journal-facing text (issues/PRs/reviews/decisions) in English; internal records (session history, memory entries, the closing summary) in the author's language
 5. **One thing at a time**: advance exactly one phase per cycle; don't aim for completeness, just for progress
 6. **Never claim/review your own submission** (author)
diff --git a/emrg/server/open_source_prompt.md b/emrg/server/open_source_prompt.md
index 405d106d..5148173b 100644
--- a/emrg/server/open_source_prompt.md
+++ b/emrg/server/open_source_prompt.md
@@ -111,9 +111,9 @@ For each one: **merged** → read what landed and whether anything follows from
 
 The queue is read **through the tool** — `submit_rant(action="list")` — never by opening the file by hand; the file is the store, the tool is the reader.
 
-A rant is a **work order for THIS repository** when its `project` field equals this task's `config.project` — **`{{ task.agent }}`** — and nothing else counts: a rant filed as `{{ owner }}/{{ repo }}` does **NOT** match, and a rant with no `project` field at all is ignored entirely. Only `pending` and `in_progress` rants are candidates.
+A rant is a **work order for THIS repository** when its `agent` field equals this task's `config.agent` — **`{{ task.agent }}`** — and nothing else counts: a rant filed as `{{ owner }}/{{ repo }}` does **NOT** match, and a rant with no `agent` field at all is ignored entirely. Only `pending` and `in_progress` rants are candidates.
 
-**Unmatched-rant hint**: if rants are still pending whose `project` merely *starts with* `{{ task.agent }}` or `{{ owner }}/{{ repo }}`, record the count in the closing summary so the host can correct the field — never pass over them in silence.
+**Unmatched-rant hint**: if rants are still pending whose `agent` merely *starts with* `{{ task.agent }}` or `{{ owner }}/{{ repo }}`, record the count in the closing summary so the host can correct the field — never pass over them in silence.
 
 **Dedup check — before treating any candidate as actionable:**
 
diff --git a/emrg/server/promote_prompt.md b/emrg/server/promote_prompt.md
index 6abe0528..32d26d4f 100644
--- a/emrg/server/promote_prompt.md
+++ b/emrg/server/promote_prompt.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ You are EMRG's community promotion module. **Every cycle you MUST fully execute
 
 ### Mission & Values (accountability — read first)
 
-**Mission**: promotion exists so that **{{ project.name }} is discovered and adopted by the people who need it**. Content quality is a **means** — the end is **discoverability and growth**. You are accountable for **results** (is the project actually being discovered?), not for the actions you performed (how many comments you posted).
+**Mission**: promotion exists so that **{{ agent.name }} is discovered and adopted by the people who need it**. Content quality is a **means** — the end is **discoverability and growth**. You are accountable for **results** (is the project actually being discovered?), not for the actions you performed (how many comments you posted).
 
 - **Accountable for results, not actions**: the working question is not "did I promote this round?" but "is promotion actually working?". Every promotion action is a **hypothesis to be tested** — post, then check whether it reached anyone.
 - **No action-washing**: posting high-quality value comments without ever checking whether they produce any reach is executing without a purpose. **Measuring and reflecting are part of the job**, not optional extras — a promotion round without a measurement is incomplete.
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ Run this loop every round; never stop at "executed":
 ---
 
 ### Current State
-- Promotion target: {{ project.name }}（{% if project.description %}{{ project.description }}{% else %}see agents.yml for description{% endif %}）
-- Project path: `{{ project.path }}`
+- Promotion target: {{ agent.name }}（{% if agent.description %}{{ agent.description }}{% else %}see agents.yml for description{% endif %}）
+- Project path: `{{ agent.path }}`
 - Session ID: `{{ session_id }}`
 
 ---
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ Durable facts — `channel accounts`, `blog posts`, `blog drafts`, `banned list`
 
 #### 0.2 Read the project config
 
-Read the full config of `{{ project.name }}` from `~/.emrg/agents.yml` (path, name, description, custom fields) as context. The `project` variable in the template (name/path/description and other fields) is already injected into this prompt.
+Read the full config of `{{ agent.name }}` from `~/.emrg/agents.yml` (path, name, description, custom fields) as context. The `agent` variable in the template (name/path/description and other fields) is already injected into this prompt.
 
 #### 0.3 Confirm promotion channel availability
 
@@ -81,9 +81,9 @@ Read the full config of `{{ project.name }}` from `~/.emrg/agents.yml` (path, na
 
 > ⚠️ Prerequisite: **re-learn the project's latest state before every promotion round**. All promotion content must be built on the facts you just verified — never rely on memory or stale version knowledge.
 
-**Before promoting, quickly learn the project's current state** (project path `{{ project.path }}`):
+**Before promoting, quickly learn the project's current state** (project path `{{ agent.path }}`):
 
-1. **Pull the latest code**: `cd {{ project.path }} && git fetch -q origin && git log --oneline -10 origin/HEAD` (or the default branch) — read the latest ~10 commits to understand recent progress and direction
+1. **Pull the latest code**: `cd {{ agent.path }} && git fetch -q origin && git log --oneline -10 origin/HEAD` (or the default branch) — read the latest ~10 commits to understand recent progress and direction
 2. **Read the repo root**: README / docs / directory structure → understand the project's positioning and module layout (if it differs from the description, trust the actual code)
 3. **Scan key modules**: walk the directory tree to understand each core module's responsibility (no need to read everything, but you must be able to accurately answer "what this project does, how it works, what it supports")
 4. **Refresh your understanding**: if this round reveals major changes vs. the last round (new features / mechanism changes / deprecations), reflect the latest state in promotion content and follow-up replies
@@ -100,11 +100,11 @@ Read the full config of `{{ project.name }}` from `~/.emrg/agents.yml` (path, na
 3. **No spamming, no harassment**: at most 2 promotion actions per round; participate in the same topic once; do not DM the same person repeatedly.
 4. **Honest and transparent, disclosure default OFF**: don't pretend to be human, don't hide your identity — but disclosure is **conditional, not the default**:
    - **Normal participation** (answering questions, sharing experience, supplementing perspective) → **NO disclosure, NO project mention**. Pure technical participation. Criterion: deleting every promotional trace from the reply leaves it complete and natural.
-   - **Directly recommending the project** (someone asks for a solution and {{ project.name }} genuinely fits) **or being asked about yourself** ("are you the author?" / "what's your solution?") → disclose **one sentence at the END** (e.g. "disclosure: I help maintain a similar Python agent harness"), no banner, no opening statement.
+   - **Directly recommending the project** (someone asks for a solution and {{ agent.name }} genuinely fits) **or being asked about yourself** ("are you the author?" / "what's your solution?") → disclose **one sentence at the END** (e.g. "disclosure: I help maintain a similar Python agent harness"), no banner, no opening statement.
    - **Forbidden**: fixed-formula disclosure as the first sentence of every reply; disclosure always bundled with a project link; disclosure repeated in the same wording across replies (pattern recognition → flags).
    - When speaking as a project maintainer, say so truthfully.
 5. **Respect community rules**: every community has its own rules. Violating a rule → mark that community as "banned", never touch it again.
-6. **No competitor bashing**: only talk about {{ project.name }}'s differentiators; don't disparage similar products.
+6. **No competitor bashing**: only talk about {{ agent.name }}'s differentiators; don't disparage similar products.
 7. **Long-term mindset**: after promoting, you MUST keep following up — reply when someone responds, join discussions, clarify when questioned. **No "post and run"**. No short-term results is normal; never escalate intensity or give up because of short-term silence. **Registered accounts are long-term assets**: maintain and keep using accounts you registered (no register-and-abandon); keep each account single-purpose (one channel) to avoid cross-channel bulk registration raising community suspicion.
 
 ---
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ Read the full config of `{{ project.name }}` from `~/.emrg/agents.yml` (path, na
 
 #### Secondary channels (one-off)
 
-- **awesome lists** — submit a PR to lists in {{ project.name }}'s domain
+- **awesome lists** — submit a PR to lists in {{ agent.name }}'s domain
 - **GitHub topics** — ensure the project repo has proper topics tags
 - **Project directories / comparison sites**
 
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ does not fake a persona.
 ### 2.y Blog Publishing (deep content output)
 
 **Long-form output on your own turf** — blogs are a formal channel for deep content written for
-the audience this account is building. {{ project.name }}'s design philosophy and latest progress
+the audience this account is building. {{ agent.name }}'s design philosophy and latest progress
 are its most reliable sources, because you know them first-hand; they are not its only sources.
 Different from participatory forum replies: this is long-form output on your own turf.
 
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ Different from participatory forum replies: this is long-form output on your own
   maintainers say they are stuck on, an analysis of who this audience is and what it wants, why
   a competing design works the way it does, and an idea that arrived for no traceable reason at
   all. A topic has to pass one test — **value × appeal for that reader** — and "is this about
-  {{ project.name }}?" is not that test.
+  {{ agent.name }}?" is not that test.
 - **Content requirements**: depth > length; real technical substance (decision
   motivation, trade-offs, data); honest, no overclaiming; consistent with #798 de-hardening —
   give value first, project mention natural (this is a home turf, but still not a hard ad).
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ gh api repos/<owner>/<repo>/issues/<n>/comments --jq '.[-1] | "\(.user.login) @
 
 A maintainer who asks for a rebase, a test, clearer wording, or an answer has addressed a **request to this account**, and carrying it out is the round's first work — ahead of any new participation. A thread left waiting while the same account opens another costs twice from one cause: the request stands unanswered, and there is one more thread to keep up with. A request this round cannot carry out does not drop out of sight — it enters `promotion tracking` as the to-do, with the link and what was asked (§4.1).
 
-Then look outward. Search for topics related to {{ project.name }}:
+Then look outward. Search for topics related to {{ agent.name }}:
 
 ```bash
 # Reddit example: search topics related to the project's domain
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ curl -s "https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=<keywords>&tags=story"
 ```
 
 - Keywords default to inference from the project description; customize with `{{ task.keywords }}` (task = the config dict of this task in tasks.yml)
-- Criteria: the topic is **directly relevant** to what this audience is trying to do — the problem {{ project.name }} solves is one such area, not the only one — has real discussion, and the community allows participation (read the community rules)
+- Criteria: the topic is **directly relevant** to what this audience is trying to do — the problem {{ agent.name }} solves is one such area, not the only one — has real discussion, and the community allows participation (read the community rules)
 
 #### Step 2 — Join the discussion (homework first, natural mention)
 
@@ -248,12 +248,12 @@ curl -s "https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=<keywords>&tags=story"
 4. **Find your angle**: based on the homework, find "what unique value can I contribute" (first-hand experience, verified data, an added perspective) — not "where can I squeeze in a project link".
 5. **If homework is too costly or time is limited → skip that discussion** (record it in this round's closing summary as a `promotion opportunities` entry, join when you can do it properly) rather than posting a low-quality reply.
 
-Speak as a real participant, **give value first**. Mention {{ project.name }} only if it genuinely fits, and only per the disclosure rules of red line 4:
+Speak as a real participant, **give value first**. Mention {{ agent.name }} only if it genuinely fits, and only per the disclosure rules of red line 4:
 
 - Good: a user asks about a related problem → answer their question directly with verified facts first; only if your project genuinely fits, one natural sentence at the end
 - Good: someone shares a similar solution → reply with your technical experience ("we hit this problem too; our approach was …") — mention the project only if the conversation naturally invites it
-- Bad: unrelated "check out {{ project.name }}!"
-- Bad: a one-liner "you could look at {{ project.name }}" with zero technical value
+- Bad: unrelated "check out {{ agent.name }}!"
+- Bad: a one-liner "you could look at {{ agent.name }}" with zero technical value
 - Bad: unprompted lecture-style architecture essay ("That's the strongest argument I know for the daemon architecture") — reply conversationally, respond to the questioner's specific concern ("for your scenario X, …"); short answers are fine
 
 **value-first criterion (upgraded)**: first impression is "answer / participation", not "advertisement"; deleting the identity sentence leaves the reply complete. If not → don't post.
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ Promotion is two-way. Community feedback gathered during promotion — **proacti
 **Writing rules** — one tool call, and never a hand-written rewrite of the file:
 
 ```
-submit_rant(action="submit", project="{{ project.name }}",
+submit_rant(action="submit", agent="{{ agent.name }}",
             message="community feedback (<channel> <link>): <summary of the user's intent>")
 ```
 
@@ -307,8 +307,8 @@ here, because a second copy of a rule is a copy that can disagree. So there is
 nothing for this prompt to write by hand — and no reason to open the file at all,
 not even to read it.
 
-- `project` = the promoted project's registered short name (as in `~/.emrg/agents.yml`); the rant is then handled by that project's evolution task. The tool warns when the name is not registered.
-- Deduplicate before submitting: `submit_rant(action="list", project="{{ project.name }}")` and skip feedback that is already queued.
+- `agent` = the promoted project's registered short name (as in `~/.emrg/agents.yml`); the rant is then handled by that project's evolution task. The tool warns when the name is not registered.
+- Deduplicate before submitting: `submit_rant(action="list", agent="{{ agent.name }}")` and skip feedback that is already queued.
 - Each message notes the source (channel + link) so the evolution task can trace back.
 
 **Also file a public GitHub issue on the promoted project** (PR #932, rant 2026-08-22T08:14:31) — a rant is an internal queue (no issue number, not community-visible); a public issue is transparent, traceable, and lets the community participate. For **valuable feedback** (same table above — feature request / bug report / negative experience / new problem / inspiration):
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ Organize the fields into four zones and keep each zone consistent:
 
 - **Repo growth**: star/fork counts and their deltas since the last recorded values
   ```bash
-  gh repo view {owner}/{{ project.name }} --json stargazerCount,forkCount
+  gh repo view {owner}/{{ agent.name }} --json stargazerCount,forkCount
   ```
 - **Article/blog exposure & interaction**: views, reactions, comments, follows on published posts (read the platform's own stats page/API)
 - **Comment interaction rate**: of the replies you posted, how many got responses / upvotes / continued discussion vs. dead silence
diff --git a/emrg/server/prompts/system.j2 b/emrg/server/prompts/system.j2
index 854e6f3e..4ca53365 100644
--- a/emrg/server/prompts/system.j2
+++ b/emrg/server/prompts/system.j2
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ You are EMRG, an evolving AI agent running as a micro-kernel daemon (`emrgd`) on
 - **Working directory**: `{{ working_dir }}`
 {% endif %}
 {% endif %}
-{% if project_context %}
+{% if agent_context %}
 
-## Project context
+## Agent context
 
 Instruction files found in the working directory. Follow them.
-{% for file in project_context %}
+{% for file in agent_context %}
 
 **{{ file.name }}**
 
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ Each skill is a file of instructions. When one bears on what the host asked, rea
 A memory is frontmatter, then a Markdown body under a title; an existing entry shows the fields and the values they take. After a response, write or update one when something in the exchange belongs there.
 {% if has_memories %}
 
-- **Two stores**: project memory is long-term and shared across sessions; session memory belongs to this session alone.
-{% if project_memory_index_path %}
-- **Project memory**: `{{ project_memory_dir }}/`, index `{{ project_memory_index_path }}`
+- **Two stores**: agent memory is long-term and shared across sessions; session memory belongs to this session alone.
+{% if agent_memory_index_path %}
+- **Agent memory**: `{{ agent_memory_dir }}/`, index `{{ agent_memory_index_path }}`
 {% endif %}
 {% if session_memory_index_path %}
 - **Session memory**: `{{ session_memory_dir }}/`, index `{{ session_memory_index_path }}`
@@ -55,11 +55,11 @@ A memory is frontmatter, then a Markdown body under a title; an existing entry s
 - **The index is a pointer list**: one short line per entry, at most {{ index_title_max_chars }} characters each, no duplicated content. Past {{ memory_index_row_cap }} lines it is consolidated — detail files may be long, the index may not.
 - **Organise rather than accumulate**: fragments on one topic become one memory, their old files marked `merged` or `superseded`; a refinement edits the entry it refines; a file carrying unrelated topics splits into one entry per topic.
 - **How settled an entry is decides how freely it is rewritten**: `event_at` says when the event happened and `updated_at` when the file last moved. When in doubt, append and note what changed; a body calling itself temporary may go.
-- **Promotion**: a session memory worth keeping moves to the project store, and both indexes learn of it.
+- **Promotion**: a session memory worth keeping moves to the agent store, and both indexes learn of it.
 - **The index rows arrive every round** in the `[context]` message, not here: read them there.
 {% else %}
 
-*No memories yet. Create the project memory directory with its index, or start in this session's memory directory.*
+*No memories yet. Create the agent memory directory with its index, or start in this session's memory directory.*
 {% endif %}{% if session %}
 
 ## Session and history
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Session `{{ session.id }}` lives in `{{ session.dir_path }}/`.
 - **`history.jsonl` may be compacted; `history_{{ session.date_str }}.jsonl` never is** — daily files are named `history_YYMMDD.jsonl`. Read the compacted file for the current context and a daily file for older messages.
 - **Every line is a JSON record** with `type`, `role`, `content` and `timestamp`.
 - **`llm.jsonl` is the raw log**, rotated with two backups.
-- **Throwaway scripts and payloads go under `{{ session.dir_path }}/tmp/`** — never the project root, the working directory or the config root — and are deleted once they have run.
+- **Throwaway scripts and payloads go under `{{ session.dir_path }}/tmp/`** — never the agent root, the working directory or the config root — and are deleted once they have run.
 {% if config_dir %}
 - **Another session's conversation**: `{{ config_dir }}/sessions_index.json` maps every session on this machine to its directory. Find it there, then read its `meta.json`, its history and its memory index.
 {% endif %}
@@ -84,15 +84,15 @@ Session `{{ session.id }}` lives in `{{ session.dir_path }}/`.
 
 ## Rants
 
-A rant (吐槽) is the host's feedback — a complaint, a bug, a feature request, a suggestion about EMRG or about any registered project. It arrives as ordinary conversation ("this is bad", "there's a bug", "it should…", "why not…"), so there is no mode to enter and no prefix to wait for.
+A rant (吐槽) is the host's feedback — a complaint, a bug, a feature request, a suggestion about EMRG or about any registered agent. It arrives as ordinary conversation ("this is bad", "there's a bug", "it should…", "why not…"), so there is no mode to enter and no prefix to wait for.
 
-- **Ask which project and what change** when that is unclear: `submit_rant` needs a project.
+- **Ask which agent and what change** when that is unclear: `submit_rant` needs an agent name — the short `name` registered in `agents.yml`.
 - **Polish it** into a description someone could act on, and show that description.
 - **Call `submit_rant` only once the host agrees** — the call is the confirmation. If the host says never mind, do not call it.
 
 ## Your own prompt
 
-A task cannot change its own prompt: the copy a running round reads belongs to the `emrg` project, sits outside every workspace, and is replaced whole by the next upgrade — so editing it changes nothing. File a rant against `emrg`, and the change arrives in a round when it ships.
+A task cannot change its own prompt: the copy a running round reads belongs to the `emrg` agent, sits outside every workspace, and is replaced whole by the next upgrade — so editing it changes nothing. File a rant against `emrg`, and the change arrives in a round when it ships.
 
 ## Hard limits
 
diff --git a/emrg/server/prompts/upgrade_prompt.j2 b/emrg/server/prompts/upgrade_prompt.j2
index 0577b60e..57e34eac 100644
--- a/emrg/server/prompts/upgrade_prompt.j2
+++ b/emrg/server/prompts/upgrade_prompt.j2
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ Follow these steps in order:
 Read the source you checked out. Fully understand:
 - the installer's install logic (make-installer.sh / build-runtime.sh / bin
   launcher scripts / dist/runtime structure),
-- the current project architecture and details,
+- the current agent architecture and details,
 - the current state of {{ install_dir }} (version.txt, source/, bin/, lib/,
   assets/).
 Do NOT start installing until you understand what "equivalent to the
diff --git a/emrg/server/rants.py b/emrg/server/rants.py
index 7a827037..12ba601f 100644
--- a/emrg/server/rants.py
+++ b/emrg/server/rants.py
@@ -16,15 +16,19 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import json
+import logging
+import os
 from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from emrg.memory import NotARegularFile
 from emrg.tools.base import non_regular_kind
 
-# Canonical field order: timestamp → project → status → progress → completed → message
-# (project right after timestamp per user feedback; message last)
-_RANT_FIELDS = ("timestamp", "project", "status", "progress", "completed", "message")
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# Canonical field order: timestamp → agent → status → progress → completed → message
+# (agent right after timestamp per user feedback; message last)
+_RANT_FIELDS = ("timestamp", "agent", "status", "progress", "completed", "message")
 
 # State machine: pending → in_progress → completed (never skip a level)
 _ALLOWED_STATUS_TRANSITIONS = {
@@ -38,9 +42,16 @@ def _normalize_rant(raw) -> dict | None:
     """Normalize one parsed line to the canonical 6-field dict.
 
     Accepts dict rows (canonical). Converts legacy array rows
-    ``[timestamp, project, status, progress, completed, message]`` back to
+    ``[timestamp, agent, status, progress, completed, message]`` back to
     dicts (the 2026-08-18 format-drift incident). Unknown field shapes /
     corrupt rows return None and are skipped.
+
+    The array form maps by **position**, and the rename left that position where it was:
+    the second slot still holds the target's name, so a row written before the rename
+    converts to ``agent`` with no move of its own. Nothing here reads a dict row's
+    ``project`` key — a ledger still carrying it is moved by
+    :func:`migrate_rant_agent_field` before any reader sees it, and a fallback here
+    would keep both spellings alive, which is what the move exists to end.
     """
     if isinstance(raw, dict):
         return {k: raw.get(k) for k in _RANT_FIELDS}
@@ -130,13 +141,110 @@ def _write_rants(rants_log: Path, rants: list[dict]) -> None:
             f.write(json.dumps(r, ensure_ascii=False) + "\n")
 
 
-def append_rant(rants_log: Path, message: str, project: str = "") -> int:
+def migrate_rant_agent_field(rants_log: Path | None = None) -> int:
+    """Move every row's target from ``project`` to ``agent``, in place.
+
+    Returns how many rows this call rewrote, so the caller can say whether it did
+    anything rather than guess.
+
+    **This is the half the rename cannot do by itself.** :func:`_normalize_rant` builds
+    every row as ``{k: raw.get(k) for k in _RANT_FIELDS}``, so a row still carrying the
+    old key reads back with ``agent: None`` — and :func:`_write_rants` is the only writer
+    while :func:`append_rant` is a read-modify-write, so the next submission would
+    rewrite the whole ledger and drop every pre-rename target. That is also why the move
+    is code rather than a fallback in the reader: a fallback would keep both spellings
+    alive, which is the ambiguity the rename exists to end.
+
+    **Called from the daemon's process entry and nowhere else** — the separation
+    :func:`emrg.config.migrate_legacy_registry` and
+    :func:`emrg.server.scheduler.migrate_task_config_keys` both use, for the same reason:
+    the suite drives this store against ledgers of its own, and a migration reachable
+    from those paths would rewrite a host's live feedback channel under a daemon still
+    reading the old key. The reader never writes — :func:`_read_rants` answers a row
+    exactly as written, old key and all — which is the property the migration's tests pin.
+
+    The key moves **at its own position**, so every other key, its order and its value
+    travel across unchanged, and a line that needs no move is written back verbatim
+    rather than re-serialized. A row already carrying ``agent`` keeps it and loses the
+    stale ``project``; a row with neither key, an array row (:func:`_normalize_rant`
+    already maps it by position) and an unparsable line are left exactly as they are.
+    The rewrite is one atomic ``os.replace`` of a sibling file, so a reader sees the old
+    ledger or the new one and never a half-written one, and a ledger with nothing to move
+    is never opened for writing at all.
+
+    ``rants_log`` defaults to the one derivation of the host's ledger
+    (``config_dir()/rants.jsonl``), imported here rather than at module scope so this
+    store does not depend on the config module to be importable.
+    """
+    if rants_log is None:
+        from emrg.config import config_dir
+
+        rants_log = config_dir() / "rants.jsonl"
+    try:
+        kind = non_regular_kind(rants_log)
+    except OSError:
+        # Absent: nothing to move, and this migrates a ledger — it never seeds one.
+        return 0
+    if kind:
+        # A FIFO would block this open until a writer appears, and this runs at startup.
+        logger.warning("%s not migrated — %s", rants_log, _rant_log_refusal(rants_log, kind))
+        return 0
+    try:
+        with open(rants_log, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+            lines = f.readlines()
+    except OSError as exc:
+        logger.warning("%s not migrated — %s", rants_log, exc)
+        return 0
+
+    out: list[str] = []
+    changed = 0
+    for line in lines:
+        stripped = line.strip()
+        if not stripped:
+            out.append(line)
+            continue
+        try:
+            raw = json.loads(stripped)
+        except json.JSONDecodeError:
+            out.append(line)
+            continue
+        if not isinstance(raw, dict) or "project" not in raw:
+            out.append(line)
+            continue
+        moved: dict = {}
+        for key, value in raw.items():
+            if key == "project":
+                if "agent" not in raw:
+                    moved["agent"] = value
+                continue
+            moved[key] = value
+        out.append(json.dumps(moved, ensure_ascii=False) + ("\n" if line.endswith("\n") else ""))
+        changed += 1
+    if not changed:
+        return 0
+
+    tmp = rants_log.with_name(rants_log.name + ".migrating")
+    try:
+        with open(tmp, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+            f.writelines(out)
+        os.replace(tmp, rants_log)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        logger.warning("%s not migrated — %s", rants_log, exc)
+        try:
+            tmp.unlink()
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+        return 0
+    return changed
+
+
+def append_rant(rants_log: Path, message: str, agent: str = "") -> int:
     """Append a rant entry to ``rants_log``, sorted by timestamp.
 
     Args:
         rants_log: Path to rants.jsonl (e.g. ``~/.emrg/rants.jsonl``).
         message: The rant body (already user-confirmed / polished).
-        project: Optional target project name (empty = EMRG itself).
+        agent: Optional target agent name (empty = EMRG itself).
 
     Returns:
         The new total rant count.
@@ -148,7 +256,7 @@ def append_rant(rants_log: Path, message: str, project: str = "") -> int:
     # consistent regardless of which client submitted the rant.
     entry: dict = {
         "timestamp": datetime.now().astimezone().isoformat(),
-        "project": project,
+        "agent": agent,
         "status": "pending",
         "progress": None,
         "completed": None,
@@ -166,13 +274,13 @@ def append_rant(rants_log: Path, message: str, project: str = "") -> int:
 def list_rants(
     rants_log: Path,
     status: str | None = None,
-    project: str | None = None,
+    agent: str | None = None,
 ) -> list[dict]:
-    """Return rant entries, optionally filtered by status and/or project."""
+    """Return rant entries, optionally filtered by status and/or agent."""
     return [
         r for r in _read_rants(rants_log)
         if (status is None or r.get("status") == status)
-        and (project is None or r.get("project") == project)
+        and (agent is None or r.get("agent") == agent)
     ]
 
 
diff --git a/emrg/server/redaction.py b/emrg/server/redaction.py
index fe55913e..4937022c 100644
--- a/emrg/server/redaction.py
+++ b/emrg/server/redaction.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 * a **key-name/value pair** (``api_key=...``, ``token: ...``) — masked by pattern;
 * a credential with no label at all (``sk-``, ``ghp_``, ``xox``, ``AKIA``, a JWT, a
-  ``Bearer`` header) — the cross-project lesson was that a base64-wrapped ``access_token``
+  ``Bearer`` header) — the cross-agent lesson was that a base64-wrapped ``access_token``
   body carries no plaintext label for a pattern to catch, so a long base64 run that *decodes*
   into one is masked whole.
 
diff --git a/emrg/server/scheduler.py b/emrg/server/scheduler.py
index b6a2eaa9..54d05dd8 100644
--- a/emrg/server/scheduler.py
+++ b/emrg/server/scheduler.py
@@ -992,13 +992,13 @@ def _resolve_task_template(task_type: str) -> Path:
     return Path(__file__).parent / "evolution_prompt.md"
 
 
-def _resolve_project_path(name: str) -> str | None:
-    """Resolve a project name to its path from agents.yml."""
-    projects_file = agents_file(config_dir())
-    if not projects_file.exists():
+def _resolve_agent_path(name: str) -> str | None:
+    """Resolve an agent name to its path from agents.yml."""
+    register = agents_file(config_dir())
+    if not register.exists():
         return None
     try:
-        data = yaml.safe_load(_read_text(projects_file))
+        data = yaml.safe_load(_read_text(register))
     except (yaml.YAMLError, OSError):
         return None
     if not isinstance(data, list):
@@ -1009,19 +1009,19 @@ def _resolve_project_path(name: str) -> str | None:
     return None
 
 
-def _load_project_config(name: str, source_dir: str) -> dict:
-    """Return the full agents.yml entry matching the current project.
+def _load_agent_config(name: str, source_dir: str) -> dict:
+    """Return the full agents.yml entry matching the current agent.
 
     Matches by ``name`` first, then by ``path`` against ``source_dir``.
     Returns an empty dict when no match is found. Custom fields added by
     the user in agents.yml are preserved, so templates can reference
-    them via ``{{ project.<field> }}`` without code changes.
+    them via ``{{ agent.<field> }}`` without code changes.
     """
-    projects_file = agents_file(config_dir())
-    if not projects_file.exists():
+    register = agents_file(config_dir())
+    if not register.exists():
         return {}
     try:
-        data = yaml.safe_load(_read_text(projects_file))
+        data = yaml.safe_load(_read_text(register))
     except (yaml.YAMLError, OSError):
         return {}
     if not isinstance(data, list):
@@ -1040,13 +1040,13 @@ def _load_project_config(name: str, source_dir: str) -> dict:
 
 
 class TaskHandler:
-    """Self-contained evolution loop for one project (or emrg itself).
+    """Self-contained evolution loop for one agent (or emrg itself).
 
     Each handler runs its own while+sleep(interval) coroutine,
     independent of all other handlers.
 
     **A handler holds a name and nothing that can go stale** (rant 2026-09-28T09:54:10).
-    It used to be constructed from the task's cfg — type, interval, config, project
+    It used to be constructed from the task's cfg — type, interval, config, agent
     path, owner/repo, template path, sandbox — and kept all of it, which is why editing
     `extra_prompt` in tasks.yml had no effect until a daemon restart, and why the only
     way to apply a config change was to cancel and rebuild the handler mid-cycle.
@@ -1190,10 +1190,10 @@ def _apply_record(self, record: dict) -> None:
         """
         self._task = dict(record)
         cfg = record.get("config") if isinstance(record.get("config"), dict) else {}
-        # Resolve project path from config (new schema) or fall back to
+        # Resolve agent path from config (new schema) or fall back to
         # config.path for backward-compat with old tasks.yml entries.
-        project_name = cfg.get("agent", "")
-        path = _resolve_project_path(project_name) if project_name else cfg.get("path", "")
+        agent_name = cfg.get("agent", "")
+        path = _resolve_agent_path(agent_name) if agent_name else cfg.get("path", "")
         # Derive owner/repo/git from config override → path git remote → defaults.
         # (rant 2026-08-19T14:20:52: workspace self-heal deleted — these fields
         # remain for prompt context {repo}/{owner} and task-config resolution;
@@ -1212,12 +1212,12 @@ def _apply_record(self, record: dict) -> None:
         else:
             owner, repo = self.OWNER, self.REPO
             repo_url = self.EMRG_REPO_URL
-            repo_configured = project_name == "emrg"
+            repo_configured = agent_name == "emrg"
         sandbox = self._resolve_sandbox(cfg, record.get("sandbox"))
         self._derived = {
             "config": cfg,
-            "project_name": project_name,
-            "project_path": path or self.name,  # default to name for emrg itself
+            "agent_name": agent_name,
+            "agent_path": path or self.name,  # default to name for emrg itself
             "owner": owner,
             "repo": repo,
             "repo_url": repo_url,
@@ -1243,12 +1243,12 @@ def interval(self) -> int:
         return self._task.get("interval", DEFAULT_INTERVAL)
 
     @property
-    def _project_name(self) -> str:
-        return self._derived.get("project_name", "")
+    def _agent_name(self) -> str:
+        return self._derived.get("agent_name", "")
 
     @property
-    def project_path(self) -> str:
-        return self._derived.get("project_path", self.name)
+    def agent_path(self) -> str:
+        return self._derived.get("agent_path", self.name)
 
     @property
     def _owner(self) -> str:
@@ -1310,7 +1310,7 @@ def _exclude_own_runtime_dir(self) -> None:
 
         The entry goes in the repository's *local* ``.git/info/exclude``: per-clone,
         never committed, and never the upstream ``.gitignore``, which belongs to the
-        project's maintainers. Both halves are asked of git rather than derived from
+        agent's maintainers. Both halves are asked of git rather than derived from
         the path (``repo_scope`` / ``ensure_local_exclude``), because "is this
         directory the root of a checkout?" is not the question: a task directory one
         level down has no ``<dir>/.git`` and still writes its runtime data *inside* a
@@ -2509,7 +2509,7 @@ async def _refresh_record(self) -> str:
         interval is the whole cost of having no cache: measured, a full read of this
         file is 1.593 ms.
 
-        Both steps run in a worker thread: deriving the record probes the project's git
+        Both steps run in a worker thread: deriving the record probes the agent's git
         remote, which is a subprocess, and this coroutine runs on the event loop
         (rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47).
         """
@@ -2551,7 +2551,7 @@ async def run(self) -> None:
 
         The record is read from tasks.yml at every wake rather than held from
         construction (rant 2026-09-28T09:54:10): editing `interval`, `config`,
-        `project` or `type` in the file takes effect at the next cycle boundary with
+        `agent` or `type` in the file takes effect at the next cycle boundary with
         nothing to invalidate, and deleting the record (or setting `enabled: false`)
         ends the handler at its next wake instead of leaving it running a task nothing
         declares. A cycle already underway always runs to completion — this loop only
@@ -2823,10 +2823,10 @@ def status(self) -> dict:
             "saturation": saturation,
             # rant 2026-08-21T17:46:12: expose the task→session link so the GUI
             # tasks panel can add an "open session" action. All in-memory —
-            # project name (config.project), resolved project path, and the
+            # agent name (config.agent), resolved agent path, and the
             # fixed task session_id (the task name).
-            "project": self._project_name,
-            "project_path": self.project_path,
+            "agent": self._agent_name,
+            "agent_path": self.agent_path,
             "session_id": self._session_id,
         }
 
@@ -3373,8 +3373,8 @@ def _build_evolution_prompt(self) -> str:
         context renders as an empty string instead of raising (the old
         ``str.format()`` crashed with KeyError on missing placeholders).
         Templates also receive ``task`` (the tasks.yml config dict) and
-        ``project`` (the matching agents.yml entry) so users can reference
-        custom fields via ``{{ task.x }}`` / ``{{ project.x }}`` without
+        ``agent`` (the matching agents.yml entry) so users can reference
+        custom fields via ``{{ task.x }}`` / ``{{ agent.x }}`` without
         code changes.
         """
         import jinja2
@@ -3395,7 +3395,7 @@ def _build_evolution_prompt(self) -> str:
             "timestamp": datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d-%H%M%S"),
             "current_time_human": datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M"),
             "task": _template_task_context(self._config, self._task),
-            "project": _load_project_config(self._project_name, str(self._source_dir)),
+            "agent": _load_agent_config(self._agent_name, str(self._source_dir)),
         }
 
         env = jinja2.Environment(undefined=jinja2.Undefined)
@@ -3555,12 +3555,12 @@ async def reconcile_loop(self) -> None:
             await asyncio.sleep(TABLE_POLL_SECONDS)
 
     def load_and_start(self) -> list[asyncio.Task]:
-        """Ensure the emrg project entry, start the enabled tasks, start reconciliation."""
+        """Ensure the emrg agent entry, start the enabled tasks, start reconciliation."""
         # Packaged installs may have no tasks.yml at all: `read_table` seeds the
         # default table for that case, which is also the only case in which a missing
         # `emrg-task` is restored. A file that exists without that record is the host's
         # decision and stays that way (design decision D2).
-        self._ensure_emrg_project_entry()
+        self._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()
         self.reconcile()
         self._reconcile_task = asyncio.create_task(self.reconcile_loop())
         return [*self._coros.values(), self._reconcile_task]
@@ -3613,7 +3613,7 @@ def list_tasks(self) -> list[dict]:
             handler = self._live.get(name)
             status = handler.status() if handler is not None else self._idle_status(record)
             # The GUI tasks panel + edit form need the task's declared fields to render
-            # type badges, enabled hints, project links, and prefill the edit form.
+            # type badges, enabled hints, agent links, and prefill the edit form.
             # They come from the record now, not from a start-time copy of it.
             status["type"] = record.get("type", "evolution")
             status["enabled"] = record.get("enabled", True)
@@ -3642,7 +3642,7 @@ def _idle_status(self, record: dict) -> dict:
         started before it can render the row.
         """
         cfg = record.get("config") if isinstance(record.get("config"), dict) else {}
-        project = cfg.get("agent", "")
+        agent = cfg.get("agent", "")
         # Issue #2486 ⑦: the same three cadence keys the live handler reports — a
         # client must not have to know whether a task has been started before it can
         # render the frequency that is in force, or when it next changes.
@@ -3659,8 +3659,8 @@ def _idle_status(self, record: dict) -> dict:
             "last_run_at": None,
             "recent_runs": [],
             "saturation": {},
-            "project": project,
-            "project_path": _resolve_project_path(project) if project else "",
+            "agent": agent,
+            "agent_path": _resolve_agent_path(agent) if agent else "",
             "session_id": record.get("name"),
         }
 
@@ -3691,7 +3691,7 @@ def _write_table(self, records: list[dict]) -> None:
         """
         write_table(records, self._tasks_file)
 
-    def _ensure_emrg_project_entry(self) -> None:
+    def _ensure_emrg_agent_entry(self) -> None:
         """Ensure agents.yml has an emrg entry.
 
         Not a task seeder any more (design decision D2, rant 2026-09-28T09:54:10): the
@@ -3699,8 +3699,8 @@ def _ensure_emrg_project_entry(self) -> None:
         deleted from a file that exists is terminal — re-adding it here would resurrect
         exactly what the host deleted.
 
-        What is still needed is the project entry (rant 02:58): if agents.yml lacks
-        `emrg`, `_resolve_project_path("emrg")` returns None and the handler's
+        What is still needed is the agent entry (rant 02:58): if agents.yml lacks
+        `emrg`, `_resolve_agent_path("emrg")` returns None and the handler's
         `_source_dir` degenerates to the relative string "emrg" (a dangling cwd). The
         path is fixed to ~/.emrg/evolution/emrg; an existing entry is preserved as-is
         (dev machines may configure a custom path).
@@ -3719,7 +3719,7 @@ def _ensure_emrg_project_entry(self) -> None:
             # Repair a stale emrg entry whose path no longer exists
             # (2026-08-12 incident: a pytest temp dir leaked into agents.yml by a test
             # run; the dir is deleted after the suite, leaving the entry pointing at a
-            # dead path forever — list_projects/GUI pickers show a wrong path and the
+            # dead path forever — list_agents/GUI pickers show a wrong path and the
             # handler re-resolves a dangling dir every cycle). Dev machines with a real
             # custom checkout keep their path (is_dir() True).
             existing = row.get("path")
@@ -3745,7 +3745,7 @@ def _validate_task_fields(
             return f"invalid task name {name!r} ({TASK_NAME_PATTERN}, <= {TASK_NAME_MAX} chars)"
         if task_type not in TASK_TEMPLATES and task_type not in _custom_templates():
             return f"unknown task type {task_type!r} (not builtin, no custom template)"
-        if not agent or _resolve_project_path(agent) is None:
+        if not agent or _resolve_agent_path(agent) is None:
             return f"agent {agent!r} is not registered in agents.yml"
         if not isinstance(interval, int) or isinstance(interval, bool) or interval < MIN_INTERVAL:
             return f"interval must be an integer >= {MIN_INTERVAL}"
diff --git a/emrg/session.py b/emrg/session.py
index e70eeb2a..61f72172 100644
--- a/emrg/session.py
+++ b/emrg/session.py
@@ -261,8 +261,8 @@ def _refuse_a_non_regular_subject(path: Path) -> None:
     """Raise when ``path`` is not a regular file — an open on it would never return.
 
     Every file this module opens lives in the session's own directory
-    (``<cwd>/.emrg/sessions/<id>/``), and that directory is **inside the project the
-    agent works in**: the workspace fence grants the project root, so the subject of
+    (``<cwd>/.emrg/sessions/<id>/``), and that directory is **inside the agent the
+    agent works in**: the workspace fence grants the agent root, so the subject of
     these opens can be any kind of thing. Measured 2026-10-11 (``cyc20261011-071202``) on
     master ``3386f239``, one call per child process under this parent's 8 s cap, with only
     the file that call reads made non-regular:
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ def is_safe_session_id(session_id: object) -> bool:
     `Path(cwd) / ".emrg" / "sessions" / session_id` hands `..` and an absolute id to the
     kernel, which resolves them, and the caller then removes what it resolved to. Measured
     2026-10-21: `Session.delete("../..", cwd)` walked `cwd/.emrg/sessions/../..` — the
-    project tree — and left it empty, `victim/` and `.emrg/` alike, then raised from
+    agent tree — and left it empty, `victim/` and `.emrg/` alike, then raised from
     `shutil.rmtree`'s final `os.rmdir`.
 
     So the id is checked before a path is built: non-empty, no NUL, not `.` or `..`, no
@@ -1197,8 +1197,8 @@ def _save_meta_with_title(self, title: str | None) -> None:
                     pass
         _refuse_a_non_regular_subject(self._meta_path)
         self._meta_path.write_text(json.dumps(meta, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
-        # Global cross-project index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22): record this
-        # session so other projects can locate it. Idempotent (no-op when the
+        # Global cross-agent index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22): record this
+        # session so other agents can locate it. Idempotent (no-op when the
         # path is unchanged) and never raises — a failed index write must not
         # break session creation or message persistence.
         upsert_session_index(self.session_id, self._dir)
diff --git a/emrg/sessions_index.py b/emrg/sessions_index.py
index 800643d6..1661716e 100644
--- a/emrg/sessions_index.py
+++ b/emrg/sessions_index.py
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-"""Global cross-project session index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22).
+"""Global cross-agent session index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22).
 
 Maintains a single JSON map ``session_id -> absolute session directory`` at
 ``~/.emrg/sessions_index.json`` so that any session (or the agent in any
-session) can locate and read another project's conversation records.
+session) can locate and read another agent's conversation records.
 
 Design (host-finalized, minimal index):
 - The index stores ONLY the session_id → directory mapping. Everything else
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 - Write hooks live in ``Session._save_meta_with_title`` (create/append/compact/
   rename/clear all funnel through it) and ``Session.delete``.
 - A startup scan in the daemon (``rebuild_sessions_index``) backfills sessions
-  that predate this feature, including unregistered projects under ~/.emrg.
+  that predate this feature, including unregistered agents under ~/.emrg.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ def _read_meta_session_id(meta_path: Path) -> str | None:
     whether this call returns at all: `read_text` on a FIFO blocks at the *open* until a
     writer appears, so the `except OSError` below cannot bound the consequence — nothing is
     raised and the walk simply never ends. Measured 2026-10-11 (`cyc20261011-070311`): a
-    `mkfifo` at `<project>/.emrg/sessions/s1/meta.json` made `_iter_project_sessions` **not
-    return in 8 s**. Both walkers call through here (`_iter_project_sessions`,
+    `mkfifo` at `<agent>/.emrg/sessions/s1/meta.json` made `_iter_agent_sessions` **not
+    return in 8 s**. Both walkers call through here (`_iter_agent_sessions`,
     `_iter_nested_sessions`), and the path is under the *workspace*, which is the agent's
     own write surface — the argument `#2076` made for `.emrg/memory/`.
 
@@ -184,9 +184,9 @@ def _read_meta_session_id(meta_path: Path) -> str | None:
     return str(sid) if sid else None
 
 
-def _iter_project_sessions(project_path: Path):
-    """Yield (session_id, session_dir) from <project>/.emrg/sessions/*/meta.json."""
-    sessions_dir = as_agent(project_path).sessions_dir
+def _iter_agent_sessions(agent_path: Path):
+    """Yield (session_id, session_dir) from <agent>/.emrg/sessions/*/meta.json."""
+    sessions_dir = as_agent(agent_path).sessions_dir
     if not sessions_dir.is_dir():
         return
     for entry in sorted(sessions_dir.iterdir()):
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ def _iter_nested_sessions(root: Path):
     """Yield (session_id, session_dir) for every <x>/.emrg/sessions under root.
 
     Recursively walks ``root`` (pruning heavy subtrees) so unregistered
-    projects under ~/.emrg (e.g. ~/.emrg itself, ~/.emrg/source) are covered,
+    agents under ~/.emrg (e.g. ~/.emrg itself, ~/.emrg/source) are covered,
     not just paths listed in agents.yml.
     """
     for dirpath, dirnames, _ in os.walk(root, followlinks=False):
@@ -225,12 +225,12 @@ def _iter_nested_sessions(root: Path):
 
 
 def rebuild_sessions_index(
-    config_root: Path, project_paths: list[str] | None = None
+    config_root: Path, agent_paths: list[str] | None = None
 ) -> int:
     """Backfill the index from on-disk sessions (daemon startup scan).
 
     Scans ``config_root`` recursively (covers ~/.emrg and anything nested under
-    it) plus each explicit project path (covers projects outside ~/.emrg), and
+    it) plus each explicit agent path (covers agents outside ~/.emrg), and
     upserts every discovered session into ``config_root/sessions_index.json``.
     Entries whose session directory no longer exists on disk are pruned (e.g.
     sessions deleted out-of-band); entries pointing to live directories are
@@ -243,11 +243,11 @@ def rebuild_sessions_index(
     found: dict[str, str] = {}
     for sid, sdir in _iter_nested_sessions(config_root):
         found[sid] = sdir
-    for p in project_paths or []:
+    for p in agent_paths or []:
         if not p:
             continue
         try:
-            for sid, sdir in _iter_project_sessions(Path(p)):
+            for sid, sdir in _iter_agent_sessions(Path(p)):
                 found[sid] = sdir
         except OSError:
             continue
diff --git a/emrg/skills/loader.py b/emrg/skills/loader.py
index 6c70b542..dbdb89a6 100644
--- a/emrg/skills/loader.py
+++ b/emrg/skills/loader.py
@@ -3,12 +3,12 @@
 Skills are filesystem-based Markdown packages. They live in two roots:
 
   - ~/.emrg/skills/         (user skills)
-  - <project>/.emrg/skills/ (project skills)
+  - <agent>/.emrg/skills/ (agent skills)
 
 and each root is read in **both** layouts, `<name>.md` and `<name>/SKILL.md`
-(`_skill_files_in`). `<project>` is the nearest ancestor of the *session's*
-working directory carrying a `.git` (`_project_root`) — not the process's cwd,
-which for the daemon is `~/.emrg` and would give every session one project's
+(`_skill_files_in`). `<agent>` is the nearest ancestor of the *session's*
+working directory carrying a `.git` (`_agent_root`) — not the process's cwd,
+which for the daemon is `~/.emrg` and would give every session one agent's
 skills.
 
 Nothing here is cached: every `load_skills` call re-reads the files, so a skill
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class Skill:
     description: str
     path: Path          # source file path
     body: str           # markdown body (after frontmatter)
-    source: str         # "user" or "project"
+    source: str         # "user" or "agent"
 
 
 def _parse_frontmatter(text: str) -> dict[str, str]:
@@ -104,10 +104,10 @@ def _parse_skill_file(file_path: Path, source: str) -> Optional[Skill]:
     # caller of this function runs on the daemon's event loop (`load_skills` is called from
     # `_handle_message`'s install branch, the skills auto-update loop, and startup), so the
     # block is the whole server. Measured 2026-10-11 (`cyc20261011-070311`): a `mkfifo`
-    # named `wedged.md` beside a usable skill made `load_skills(project_dir)` **not return
+    # named `wedged.md` beside a usable skill made `load_skills(agent_dir)` **not return
     # in 8 s**, while the same fixture without it returned in 0.00 s.
     #
-    # The project directory is the agent's own write surface (`.emrg/skills/` under the
+    # The agent directory is the agent's own write surface (`.emrg/skills/` under the
     # workspace), which is what makes this reachable rather than theoretical — the same
     # argument `#2076` made for `.emrg/memory/`.
     #
@@ -168,11 +168,11 @@ def _parse_skill_file(file_path: Path, source: str) -> Optional[Skill]:
     )
 
 
-def _project_root(start: Path) -> Path:
+def _agent_root(start: Path) -> Path:
     """The nearest ancestor of ``start`` carrying a ``.git``, else ``start`` itself.
 
-    A session is normally opened *inside* a project rather than at its top, while the
-    project's skills sit at the top — so the root has to be resolved rather than
+    A session is normally opened *inside* an agent rather than at its top, while the
+    agent's skills sit at the top — so the root has to be resolved rather than
     assumed to be the directory the session happens to be in. A directory with no
     repository above it is its own root, which is what a scratch or temp directory
     wants and what keeps a skills directory beside the files being worked on usable.
@@ -241,16 +241,16 @@ def _skills_under(root: Path, source: str, into: dict[str, Skill]) -> None:
             logger.debug("skill loaded: %s (%s) from %s", skill.name, source, skill_file)
 
 
-def load_skills(project_dir: Optional[Path] = None) -> list[Skill]:
-    """Load every skill from the user root and one project root, read live.
+def load_skills(agent_dir: Optional[Path] = None) -> list[Skill]:
+    """Load every skill from the user root and one agent root, read live.
 
-    User skills (``~/.emrg/skills/``) are read first, then the project's
-    (``<root>/.emrg/skills/``); a skill of the same name: the project's wins.
+    User skills (``~/.emrg/skills/``) are read first, then the agent's
+    (``<root>/.emrg/skills/``); a skill of the same name: the agent's wins.
 
-    ``project_dir`` is the **session's** working directory — deliberately not the
+    ``agent_dir`` is the **session's** working directory — deliberately not the
     process's, which for the daemon is whatever it was started in and made every
-    session read the same project's skills. It resolves to the nearest ancestor
-    carrying a ``.git`` (`_project_root`). Called with nothing, it falls back to the
+    session read the same agent's skills. It resolves to the nearest ancestor
+    carrying a ``.git`` (`_agent_root`). Called with nothing, it falls back to the
     process cwd, for a caller that has no session at all.
 
     Nothing is cached, here or above: every call re-reads the files, so a skill
@@ -260,17 +260,17 @@ def load_skills(project_dir: Optional[Path] = None) -> list[Skill]:
     unchanged tree renders a byte-identical prompt prefix, so the provider's cache
     still matches.
     """
-    start = Path(project_dir) if project_dir is not None else Path.cwd()
-    project_root = _project_root(start)
+    start = Path(agent_dir) if agent_dir is not None else Path.cwd()
+    agent_root = _agent_root(start)
 
     all_skills: dict[str, Skill] = {}
     user_root = _user_skills_root()
     if user_root.is_dir():
         _skills_under(user_root, "user", all_skills)
 
-    project_skills_root = project_root / ".emrg" / "skills"
-    if project_skills_root.is_dir():
-        _skills_under(project_skills_root, "project", all_skills)
+    agent_skills_root = agent_root / ".emrg" / "skills"
+    if agent_skills_root.is_dir():
+        _skills_under(agent_skills_root, "agent", all_skills)
 
     return sorted(all_skills.values(), key=lambda s: s.name)
 
diff --git a/emrg/tool_path.py b/emrg/tool_path.py
index 44ea8391..2f89b613 100644
--- a/emrg/tool_path.py
+++ b/emrg/tool_path.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """The daemon's tool reachability must not depend on what launched it.
 
-Rant 2026-09-27T19:45:54 (project ``emrg``), defect B — measured on this host.
+Rant 2026-09-27T19:45:54 (agent ``emrg``), defect B — measured on this host.
 The host restarted the daemon from the GUI, and the new daemon's parent was
 ``EMRG.app/Contents/MacOS/EMRG`` (ppid 1): a GUI started from the Dock, which
 inherits launchd's minimal environment. Its ``PATH`` was
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
 VERSION_KEYED_TOOL_DIRS: tuple[str, ...] = ("~/.nvm/versions/node/<version>/bin",)
 
 #: The same convention on Windows: ``~/.local/bin`` is still the user-script
-#: directory this project's own tooling names (``emrg/gui/main.js``). The
+#: directory this agent's own tooling names (``emrg/gui/main.js``). The
 #: bundled ``git``/``gh`` directories need no entry — ``bin/emrgd.cmd`` already
 #: prepends them, and this module runs after it, in the same child process.
 WINDOWS_TOOL_DIRS: tuple[str, ...] = ("~/.local/bin",)
diff --git a/emrg/tools/command_scan.py b/emrg/tools/command_scan.py
index d0a5c612..fe1b995b 100644
--- a/emrg/tools/command_scan.py
+++ b/emrg/tools/command_scan.py
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ def check_containment_escape(cmd: str) -> str | None:
 
 # ── The daemon's own life (host red line, issue #1324) ──────────────────────
 #
-# Never stopping or restarting the emrg server is the project's highest-priority
+# Never stopping or restarting the emrg server is the agent's highest-priority
 # rule (`MANIFESTO.md` 第四条附则二, host 2026-08-18T22:58), and until this rule it
 # was enforced in one place (the test harness) and stated in two (the manifesto
 # and a host-configured session prompt) — but classified **nowhere a shell
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ def check_containment_escape(cmd: str) -> str | None:
 # workspace-write tier: `emrg server stop`, `emrg server restart`,
 # `pkill -f emrg.server`, `killall emrgd` and `kill $(pgrep -f "python -m emrg")`
 # were all ordinary allowed commands. That is the shape the host actually hit —
-# on 2026-08-21T09:41 a session in another project ran a "measurement" whose
+# on 2026-08-21T09:41 a session in another agent ran a "measurement" whose
 # subprocess signalled the daemon, the TUI answered `server connection lost`, and
 # the host asked *"你怎么验证的，怎么把 emrg server重启了？"*.
 #
diff --git a/emrg/tools/glob_tool.py b/emrg/tools/glob_tool.py
index 893022db..5cfd3e76 100644
--- a/emrg/tools/glob_tool.py
+++ b/emrg/tools/glob_tool.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ def definition(self) -> ToolDefinition:
             description=(
                 "Find files matching a glob pattern. "
                 "Supports standard glob patterns: *, ?, [seq], ** for recursive. "
-                "Use this to discover files in a project by name pattern — e.g., "
+                "Use this to discover files in an agent by name pattern — e.g., "
                 "'**/*.py' for all Python files, 'src/**/*.ts' for TypeScript, "
                 "'**/*test*' for test files. "
                 "Results are capped at 500 matches, sorted by path. "
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ def definition(self) -> ToolDefinition:
                     "pattern": {
                         "type": "string",
                         "description": (
-                            "Glob pattern relative to the project root. "
+                            "Glob pattern relative to the agent root. "
                             "Examples: '**/*.py', 'src/**/*.rs', '**/*test*.py', "
                             "'*.md', 'emrg/tools/*.py'. The walk does not expand "
                             "`{a,b}` brace alternation, and a pattern that carries one "
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ def definition(self) -> ToolDefinition:
                     "workdir": {
                         "type": "string",
                         "description": (
-                            "Working directory for the pattern (default: project root). "
+                            "Working directory for the pattern (default: agent root). "
                             "The hidden/noise skipping is relative to it, so point it at "
                             "the directory you mean to search — that is how to read "
                             "inside a skipped one. `grep` names this same parameter "
diff --git a/emrg/tools/grep_tool.py b/emrg/tools/grep_tool.py
index 721583fa..2f504bde 100644
--- a/emrg/tools/grep_tool.py
+++ b/emrg/tools/grep_tool.py
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def definition(self) -> ToolDefinition:
                         "type": "string",
                         "description": (
                             "File or directory to search. If a directory, searches "
-                            "recursively. Default: current project root. `glob` names "
+                            "recursively. Default: current agent root. `glob` names "
                             "this same parameter `workdir`; this tool reads that "
                             "spelling too, so a call naming either one searches the "
                             "tree it named."
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ async def execute(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
         # returned `No matches … (searched 0 files)` with `error=False`, while the
         # sibling `glob` refused the same path (`Error: workdir not found or not a
         # directory`). The subject is reachable the way the rest of this family is —
-        # `mkfifo` succeeds inside a tracked project's workspace, which is the agent's
+        # `mkfifo` succeeds inside a tracked agent's workspace, which is the agent's
         # own write surface — and the path is one the caller names in the call itself.
         # So the kind is asked, and a subject that is neither is refused by name.
         kind = special_file_kind(info.st_mode)
diff --git a/emrg/tools/subagent_tool.py b/emrg/tools/subagent_tool.py
index c9f52300..de17dc35 100644
--- a/emrg/tools/subagent_tool.py
+++ b/emrg/tools/subagent_tool.py
@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@
 model that picks its own slot picks a wrong one. So this tool refuses a call that
 arrives without them, which is what happens outside a daemon turn.
 
-The slot path is the child's **project cwd**, not its own session directory — the
+The slot path is the child's **agent cwd**, not its own session directory — the
 child's directory is built from its cwd like any other session's
 (``<slot>/.emrg/sessions/<child id>``), which is how the child's memory lands
-inside the parent's session directory without a second project root.
+inside the parent's session directory without a second agent root.
 
 The rest of the mechanism — the nine slots, the least-recently-closed choice, the
 depth limit, the sandbox inherited from the parent, and the close stamp taken
diff --git a/emrg/tools/submit_rant_tool.py b/emrg/tools/submit_rant_tool.py
index 588136fb..44a8e3b8 100644
--- a/emrg/tools/submit_rant_tool.py
+++ b/emrg/tools/submit_rant_tool.py
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ def definition(self) -> ToolDefinition:
                 "on it. Must obtain explicit user consent before calling — "
                 "clarify the target and polish the text, show the user the "
                 "result, and only then call. "
-                "**action=list**: list rants (optional status/project/full "
-                "filters). Every rant gets a row carrying timestamp/project/"
+                "**action=list**: list rants (optional status/agent/full "
+                "filters). Every rant gets a row carrying timestamp/agent/"
                 "status/a progress excerpt/completed and a message excerpt — "
                 "the scan view, and the default for an unfiltered read, "
                 "because the queue is scanned to decide *which* rant to act "
@@ -158,14 +158,14 @@ def definition(self) -> ToolDefinition:
                             "Which action to perform. Default: submit."
                         ),
                     },
-                    "project": {
+                    "agent": {
                         "type": "string",
                         "description": (
-                            "REQUIRED for submit — target project name = the "
+                            "REQUIRED for submit — the target agent's name = the "
                             "short `name` registered in ~/.emrg/agents.yml "
                             "(e.g. 'emrg', 'aitokenpool') — NOT the GitHub "
                             "owner/repo form (rant 2026-08-24T10:54:04). If "
-                            "you cannot determine which project the rant "
+                            "you cannot determine which agent the rant "
                             "targets, ask the user before calling. Optional "
                             "filter for list."
                         ),
@@ -276,35 +276,35 @@ def _execute_submit(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
                 content="Error: submit_rant requires a message",
                 error=True,
             )
-        project = str(arguments.get("project", "") or "").strip()
-        if not project:
+        agent = str(arguments.get("agent", "") or "").strip()
+        if not agent:
             return ToolResult(
                 name="submit_rant",
                 content=(
-                    "Error: project is required — ask the user which project "
+                    "Error: agent is required — ask the user which agent "
                     "this rant targets before submitting"
                 ),
                 error=True,
             )
         try:
-            count = append_rant(self._rants_log(), message, project)
+            count = append_rant(self._rants_log(), message, agent)
         except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001 — tool errors must never crash the loop
             return ToolResult(
                 name="submit_rant",
                 content=f"Error: failed to record rant: {e}",
                 error=True,
             )
-        target = f" ({project})" if project else ""
-        # Rant 2026-08-24T10:54:04: project must be the short name registered
+        target = f" ({agent})" if agent else ""
+        # Rant 2026-08-24T10:54:04: the name must be the short one registered
         # in ~/.emrg/agents.yml — not the GitHub owner/repo form. When the
         # given name is not registered, append a non-blocking warning with the
         # registered candidates so a copy-pasted wrong name is caught at
         # submit time instead of requiring a manual re-submit + void.
-        registered = self._registered_project_names()
-        if registered and project not in registered:
+        registered = self._registered_agent_names()
+        if registered and agent not in registered:
             candidates = " | ".join(sorted(registered))
             warning = (
-                f"\n⚠ project {project!r} is not a registered name in "
+                f"\n⚠ agent {agent!r} is not a registered name in "
                 f"~/.emrg/agents.yml (registered: {candidates}) — use the "
                 f"short `name` (e.g. 'emrg' or 'aitokenpool')."
             )
@@ -315,11 +315,11 @@ def _execute_submit(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
             content=f"Rant recorded{target}. Total rants: {count}.{warning}",
         )
 
-    def _registered_project_names(self) -> list[str]:
+    def _registered_agent_names(self) -> list[str]:
         """Short names registered in ~/.emrg/agents.yml (config dir).
 
-        The daemon registers projects there on first use; the list is the
-        authoritative source for the rant ``project`` field. Any read error
+        The daemon registers a directory there on first use; the list is the
+        authoritative source for the rant ``agent`` field. Any read error
         degrades to "no candidates" (validation is advisory, never blocking).
 
         The subject's kind is asked before it is opened: `exists()` is true for a FIFO, and
@@ -353,11 +353,11 @@ def _registered_project_names(self) -> list[str]:
 
     def _execute_list(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
         status = arguments.get("status")
-        project = arguments.get("project")
+        agent = arguments.get("agent")
         if status is not None:
             status = str(status).strip() or None
-        if project is not None:
-            project = str(project).strip() or None
+        if agent is not None:
+            agent = str(agent).strip() or None
         # Read by the shared reader, not by truthiness — issue #1935's family, which
         # #2294's schema-derived sweep extends to every parameter a tool declares
         # `"type": "boolean"`. This one was a hand-rolled spelling list, so nothing was
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ def _execute_list(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
         if refusal is not None:
             return ToolResult(name="submit_rant", content=refusal, error=True)
         try:
-            rants = list_rants(self._rants_log(), status=status, project=project)
+            rants = list_rants(self._rants_log(), status=status, agent=agent)
         except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001
             return ToolResult(
                 name="submit_rant",
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ def _execute_list(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
                 content=(
                     "No rants match."
                     + (f" (status={status})" if status else "")
-                    + (f" (project={project})" if project else "")
+                    + (f" (agent={agent})" if agent else "")
                 ),
             )
         # The message is the rant, and the row is the scan view of it. `[…][:100]` used to
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ def _execute_list(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
         # 「就定 a + b（c 去掉）」 — item (a) is the scan row, item (b) the text on demand, and
         # rant 2026-10-15T12:35:03 item (b) writes that requirement out as
         # 「正文只在按 status 过滤或显式要求时给」 — the text comes when the caller filters by
-        # status or asks explicitly), or `full=True`. `project=` deliberately does **not**
+        # status or asks explicitly), or `full=True`. `agent=` deliberately does **not**
         # unlock it: it is the dedup filter `promote_prompt.md` uses, and on the queue
         # measured 2026-10-15 it selects 48 of 50 rows — it narrows the *subject*, not the
         # cost. Every withheld row names the call that returns its body, and the read closes
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ def _execute_list(self, arguments: dict) -> ToolResult:
             summary = _excerpt(" ".join(message.split()))
             progress_row = _excerpt(" ".join(progress.split()))
             lines.append(
-                f"{r.get('timestamp')} | {r.get('project')} | "
+                f"{r.get('timestamp')} | {r.get('agent')} | "
                 f"status={r.get('status')} | progress={progress_row} | "
                 f"completed={r.get('completed')} | {summary}"
             )
diff --git a/scripts/bump-version.py b/scripts/bump-version.py
index 189f4bc1..9f936410 100644
--- a/scripts/bump-version.py
+++ b/scripts/bump-version.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
 #: ``git for-each-ref refs/remotes/origin``: ``release/v0.3.2``, ``release/v0.3.3``
 #: and ``release/v0.3.4`` are what the flow creates now, while the older spelling
 #: survives only on branches that were created back then). A tool that prints an
-#: instruction is a carrier of the project's rules, so the spelling is named once
+#: instruction is a carrier of the agent's rules, so the spelling is named once
 #: here and read by both the run's next-steps and the test that pins it.
 RELEASE_BRANCH = "release/v{version}"
 
diff --git a/scripts/check-doc-count.py b/scripts/check-doc-count.py
index 6e508b44..b955744a 100644
--- a/scripts/check-doc-count.py
+++ b/scripts/check-doc-count.py
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
     2  `could not measure` - no file was read at all, the file listing failed, or
        `--measure` could not collect a count (a missing pytest counts here)
 
-Run it with the project interpreter: `--measure` shells out to pytest, so a bare
+Run it with the agent interpreter: `--measure` shells out to pytest, so a bare
 `python3` that cannot import pytest fails loud with that reason rather than
 reporting a bogus count.
 """
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ def measured_count() -> int:
         raise DocCountError(
             f"pytest --collect-only failed (rc={proc.returncode}):\n"
             + detail
-            + "\n\nhint: run this with the project interpreter, e.g."
+            + "\n\nhint: run this with the agent interpreter, e.g."
             f" `{INVOCATION} --measure`"
         )
     match = COLLECTED.search(proc.stdout)
diff --git a/scripts/check-extension-load.py b/scripts/check-extension-load.py
index 8d4233b1..ecca77fd 100644
--- a/scripts/check-extension-load.py
+++ b/scripts/check-extension-load.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 * `packaging/smoke-test.sh` item 14 - a venv is created and `pip --version` runs -
   neither of which loads a `.so`.
 
-The cost of that gap is not hypothetical: a different project on this host carried
+The cost of that gap is not hypothetical: a different agent on this host carried
 "any compiled C extension cannot load here" as a hard environment fact for weeks and
 worked around it (a pure-Python brute force replacing an ILP solver, mypy/pyright
 dropped). One command that loads a wheel's `.so` decides it in a single step, which
diff --git a/scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py b/scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py
index 6de98ae0..d1961456 100644
--- a/scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py
+++ b/scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py
@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@
 Usage
 -----
     python3 scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py                    # this checkout's emrg/gui
-    python3 scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py --root <GUIPROJ>   # another project dir
+    python3 scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py --root <GUIPROJ>   # another GUI package dir
     python3 scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py --platform linux   # only the refs that build reads
 
 Why this exists
 ---------------
 electron-builder resolves every `from` in `extraResources`, and `directories.buildResources`,
-relative to the **project dir** — the directory holding `package.json`, here `emrg/gui` — and a
+relative to the **package dir** — the directory holding `package.json`, here `emrg/gui` — and a
 source that is not there is a **warning, not a failure**. Measured on the v0.3.9 tag build
 (`build-release.yml` run 37723424917, job 113136083119):
 
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 guard's own fault arrives is a **declaration** going missing (`extraResources` dropped from
 `package.json`), which leaves the artifact without its payload and was reported as clean.
 
-The first line is `tree: <project dir>`, printed before **any** verdict — the family's
+The first line is `tree: <package dir>`, printed before **any** verdict — the family's
 convention for a guard that reads a working tree, so that the same report is not true of
 this checkout, of a worktree and of a directory a test built.
 """
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ def _refs(build: dict, block: str) -> list[str]:
 def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
     default_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "emrg" / "gui"
     ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Resolve electron-builder's GUI path references and report missing sources.")
-    ap.add_argument("--root", default=str(default_root), help="the GUI project dir (default: this checkout's emrg/gui)")
+    ap.add_argument("--root", default=str(default_root), help="the GUI package dir (default: this checkout's emrg/gui)")
     ap.add_argument(
         "--platform",
         default=PLATFORM_BLOCKS.get(sys.platform, "linux"),
diff --git a/scripts/check-issue-links.py b/scripts/check-issue-links.py
index 463f4b64..915628e2 100644
--- a/scripts/check-issue-links.py
+++ b/scripts/check-issue-links.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 The rule, and where it came from
 --------------------------------
-Host 2026-09-26T18:52:57 (`submit_rant`, project `emrg`):
+Host 2026-09-26T18:52:57 (`submit_rant`, agent `emrg`):
 
 > 每个issue应该在一个pr里处理完毕。每个pr都应该明确对应哪个issue，并在对应的issue里
 > 说明。也就是双方应该有明确的双向连接。发生pr被拒绝或者要求更正时，应该还是在这个pr里更新。
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@
 the issue.
 
 So the issue side reads a **claim phrase**: a closing verb in the passive voice (`closed
-by`, `fixed by`, `resolved by`) or one of the two verbs this project actually writes under
+by`, `fixed by`, `resolved by`) or one of the two verbs this agent actually writes under
 an issue (`handled by`, `taken by`), followed by the reference. The vocabulary is measured
 rather than invented — the live rows that must keep reading `ok` are #1658/#1661/#1663/
 #1665 (`Handled by #N`, all four in a **comment**) and #1654 (`Taken by **#1655**`,
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@
 
 #: The issue side's claim form, and the mirror of `_CLOSING_KEYWORD`: a closing verb in
 #: the **passive** voice — the form an issue can write about a PR — plus the two verbs
-#: this project actually writes under an issue. Measured 2026-09-27 against the live
+#: this agent actually writes under an issue. Measured 2026-09-27 against the live
 #: queue rather than invented, because the vocabulary decides which live rows stay `ok`:
 #: `Handled by #1659` (#1658), `Handled by #1662` (#1661), `Handled by #1664` (#1663),
 #: `Handled by #1666` (#1665) — all four in a **comment**, which is why the claim
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@ def issue_claims(text: str | None) -> set[int]:
     fenced blocks are blanked out first (`_without_code`), a claim the clause negates is
     not one (`_NEGATED_KEYWORD`), and `None` declares nothing. What differs is the
     vocabulary, because GitHub defines none on this side — the closing verbs in the
-    passive voice, plus the two this project writes (`_CLAIMED_BY`, whose comment carries
+    passive voice, plus the two this agent writes (`_CLAIMED_BY`, whose comment carries
     the measurement).
 
     Public for the same reason its counterpart is: this is the reading the whole tool
diff --git a/scripts/check-memory-index.py b/scripts/check-memory-index.py
index 5ad79be6..2b93da2f 100644
--- a/scripts/check-memory-index.py
+++ b/scripts/check-memory-index.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 (`emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md` §6, in this checkout.) Nothing reads those
 numbers off an index. The two mechanisms that do look at one are both elsewhere,
 and each covers a different file: the reflection round's compaction note counts
-the session cwd's project index and the session's own index
+the session cwd's agent index and the session's own index
 (`EmrgServer._maybe_reflect_memory`), while the store's write-time advisory fires
 only on a **store write** - its own comment in `emrg/memory.py` names what that
 leaves out, "an index the agent edits with `write`/`edit`, which is how the memory
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 What a row is, and why by shape
 -------------------------------
-A row is a line in one of **two** shapes, because this project's indexes are
+A row is a line in one of **two** shapes, because this agent's indexes are
 written in both:
 
 * a ``- `` list line - the store's own render (`MemoryIndex._render_entry`) and
@@ -109,14 +109,14 @@
   issue #1606's measured divergence - so the path form is not a convenience but
   the way to reach it.
 * A row's target file **is** checked, and this is the third reading: a row link
-  that resolves to no file beside the index. The rule is the one this project
-  already asserts in three other carriers - `tests/test_project_context_paths.py`
+  that resolves to no file beside the index. The rule is the one this agent
+  already asserts in three other carriers - `tests/test_agent_context_paths.py`
   for the paths `Agent.md`/`MANIFESTO.md` name, `check-citation-resolves.py` for
   test node ids, `check-rant-citations.py` for the files a rant names - and the
   index's own rows are the carrier none of them reads. Measured 2026-09-26 before
   it was added: 245 links across this host's three live indexes, **0** unresolved,
   so the value is the next rename, not a repair (the shape
-  `test_project_context_paths.py` was written in).
+  `test_agent_context_paths.py` was written in).
 * The character bound applies to **rows**. A title, a `>` note or a paragraph past
   512 chars is not a row and is not reported - the rule's subject is rows, which is
   what `100 x 512` bounds, and the renderer that writes them bounds the same thing.
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ def _resolve_root() -> Path:
 # holds that: a number that resolves *outside* the named tree is reported as
 # unmeasurable rather than printed as the tree's own.
 #
-# The import is also the one thing here that needs the project interpreter, so its
+# The import is also the one thing here that needs the agent interpreter, so its
 # failure is carried to `main()` as data instead of raised at import time: a bare
 # `python3` that cannot import the package must still print its `tree:` line and
 # say what is missing, not die before naming the tree or a reason. The same shape
@@ -400,11 +400,11 @@ def measure(path: Path) -> Reading:
 def default_indexes(root: Path) -> list[Path]:
     """The indexes the tree at `root` carries, in a stable order.
 
-    Both levels the memory instructions name for a tree: the project's index and
+    Both levels the memory instructions name for a tree: the agent's index and
     one per session under it. Derived by *globbing the filesystem*, never by
     constructing a store - `MemoryStore.__init__` mkdirs the directory it is
     handed, and a reading with a side effect is how a count comes to create the
-    thing it counts (the reason `_maybe_reflect_memory` spells its project path
+    thing it counts (the reason `_maybe_reflect_memory` spells its agent path
     out rather than asking a store for it).
 
     :param root: the tree to look in.
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ def main(argv: Optional[list[str]] = None) -> int:
     if THRESHOLD_ERROR:
         print(
             "could not measure: the rule's two numbers could not be imported from "
-            f"this checkout ({THRESHOLD_ERROR}) - run this with the project "
+            f"this checkout ({THRESHOLD_ERROR}) - run this with the agent "
             f"interpreter ({RUNNER} scripts/check-memory-index.py)",
             file=sys.stderr,
         )
diff --git a/scripts/check-memory-rotation.py b/scripts/check-memory-rotation.py
index a2642023..c80bfcc8 100644
--- a/scripts/check-memory-rotation.py
+++ b/scripts/check-memory-rotation.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
-"""Which registered projects' memory moved since their bookmark - step 0 of the rotation.
+"""Which registered agents' memory moved since their bookmark - step 0 of the rotation.
 
 Usage
 -----
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 Why this exists
 ---------------
 The evolution prompt's §1.5 makes every cycle answer one question before it reads
-anything: **which registered projects' memory is newer than that project's
+anything: **which registered agents' memory is newer than that agent's
 bookmark line, and what is the newest file**. Step 0 is the step that is never
 skipped, and nothing in this repository performed it - `check-memory-index.py`
 measures an index against the index rule's two numbers and never looks at
@@ -22,18 +22,18 @@
 
 **Keying.** A probe that keys rows by `agents.yml`'s `name` field cannot
 resolve every row the bookmark carries. The bookmark writes a row's key as
-whatever disambiguates that project, and this host's bookmark has three forms:
+whatever disambiguates that agent, and this host's bookmark has three forms:
 `emrg` (a bare name), `aitokenpool (github)` (a name plus the parenthetical that
-separates two projects sharing it) and `gitlab/shaoaq/mem` (a path suffix, for a
-project whose name alone would be ambiguous). Measured in the cycle that filed
-issue #2408: a name-keyed probe reported **12 of 31** projects as changed or
+separates two agents sharing it) and `gitlab/shaoaq/mem` (a path suffix, for a
+agent whose name alone would be ambiguous). Measured in the cycle that filed
+issue #2408: a name-keyed probe reported **12 of 31** agents as changed or
 unvisited, of which **10** were artefacts of the keying - the rows existed, keyed
-another way, so ten projects were invisible to the rotation while the reading
+another way, so ten agents were invisible to the rotation while the reading
 said they had nothing to show.
 
 **The comparison.** `find <dir> -newermt '<stamp>'` parses a stamp written
 `%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S` and answers **0 files** for the ISO `T` form - the shell
-form's silent failure, which makes every project read as unchanged for ever and
+form's silent failure, which makes every agent read as unchanged for ever and
 is why the bookmark states that measurement as a rule. This tool does not hand
 the stamp to any external parser: it parses the stamp itself and compares it
 against an `os.stat` mtime, so the format is a reading this file can be wrong
@@ -42,49 +42,49 @@
 What it reads, and what it prints first
 --------------------------------------
 Two subjects, both named before any verdict: the `agents.yml` (the register of
-projects this installation tracks) and the **bookmark** (one Markdown-table row
-per project: the newest memory modification time already read, and the cycle
-that read it). Per project it looks under `.emrg/memory/**/*.md` and under
+agents this installation tracks) and the **bookmark** (one Markdown-table row
+per agent: the newest memory modification time already read, and the cycle
+that read it). Per agent it looks under `.emrg/memory/**/*.md` and under
 `.emrg/sessions/*/memory/**/*.md` - the two places the rotation's rule names - and
-keeps the newest file strictly newer than that project's stamp.
+keeps the newest file strictly newer than that agent's stamp.
 
 **The rotation's third key has a carrier here too.** §1.5 orders the rotation by changed
-projects first and **least recently visited** after that, and the second key can only be
+agents first and **least recently visited** after that, and the second key can only be
 ordered from a bookmark that records which cycle read which row. This tool therefore reads
-a row's cycle id wherever the row puts it and prints it beside the project, plus one line
+a row's cycle id wherever the row puts it and prints it beside the agent, plus one line
 saying how many of the table's rows record one - so a bookmark that records none says so,
-instead of leaving every project looking equally recent (issue #2525). The field is read,
+instead of leaving every agent looking equally recent (issue #2525). The field is read,
 never required: a row written before the column existed is not unreadable, it is a row that
 does not answer this question yet.
 
 **The bookmark is not memory content.** On this host it lives under the evolution
-project's own memory root, so counting it would make that project's newest file the clock
-itself: the row could never be current, and every run would report the project changed on
+agent's own memory root, so counting it would make that agent's newest file the clock
+itself: the row could never be current, and every run would report the agent changed on
 the strength of the file that asks the question (issue #2422). It is excluded from the
 scan wherever it sits - inside a scanned root, or outside every root, where the exclusion
 is a no-op - and that exclusion is a stated rule rather than an invisible subtraction.
 
-Each project lands in exactly one state:
+Each agent lands in exactly one state:
 
     changed          a memory file is newer than its stamp; the newest is printed
     unchanged        nothing newer under either memory root
-    no memory root   the project is on disk and holds no memory file at all (a memory
+    no memory root   the agent is on disk and holds no memory file at all (a memory
                      directory with nothing in it is nothing to read)
-    path missing     the project's registered path is not on disk
+    path missing     the agent's registered path is not on disk
 
 The last two are states a row may **carry as a note** instead of a stamp, and a note is a reading
 taken on a day rather than a property: both are re-measured on every run, and a note the disk now
 contradicts (`row says path missing`, `row says no memory root`) is a fault with the row named.
-Repeating a note would hide a project that came back, or one that started writing memory, for
+Repeating a note would hide a agent that came back, or one that started writing memory, for
 ever - the same stale-past-state defect as comparing a whole second against a sub-second mtime.
-    no bookmark row  the project has a line in `agents.yml` and none in the
+    no bookmark row  the agent has a line in `agents.yml` and none in the
                      bookmark: it has never been visited, and §1.5 reads it
 
 Exit codes
 ----------
-    0  a reading was taken, every project has a row, and every row belongs to a project
-    1  the coverage the bookmark exists to guarantee is broken: a project with no row,
-       a row naming no project, a row that matches more than one, or a row whose state
+    0  a reading was taken, every agent has a row, and every row belongs to a agent
+    1  the coverage the bookmark exists to guarantee is broken: a agent with no row,
+       a row naming no agent, a row that matches more than one, or a row whose state
        field is none of the three forms above
     2  nothing was measured: no `agents.yml`, no bookmark, or a stamp that cannot be
        ordered against an mtime - a value that does not parse, or one later than the
@@ -101,15 +101,15 @@
 back: when `agents.yml` is absent and `projects.yml` is present, the reading is taken
 on `projects.yml`, a note on stderr says so, and the first line of the report names
 that file as the subject. Once the daemon has moved the register the fallback is
-never reached, and a run that names `--projects` explicitly is never second-guessed.
+never reached, and a run that names `--agents` explicitly is never second-guessed.
 
 What it does not do
 -------------------
 It **measures and never repairs**: it does not rewrite the bookmark, add a row, or
-touch any project's memory. Advancing a row needs a reader's judgement (which
-project was actually read, and to what depth), and §1.5 already says who makes it.
+touch any agent's memory. Advancing a row needs a reader's judgement (which
+agent was actually read, and to what depth), and §1.5 already says who makes it.
 
-`--all` lists every project with its state; the default lists the projects that
+`--all` lists every agent with its state; the default lists the agents that
 moved plus every fault, because the ordinary cycle has two or three of the first
 and none of the second, and 31 unchanged lines are 31 lines of noise in a prompt.
 """
@@ -135,8 +135,8 @@ def now() -> datetime:
 
     It exists to answer one question a stamp cannot answer about itself: **is this row's
     instant in the future?** `newest_memory` keeps the files strictly newer than a row's
-    stamp, so a stamp later than the clock keeps *nothing*, every project reads
-    `unchanged`, and the report prints "every project is at or before its stamp" with exit
+    stamp, so a stamp later than the clock keeps *nothing*, every agent reads
+    `unchanged`, and the report prints "every agent is at or before its stamp" with exit
     0 - a clean verdict that never changes, because the row stays in the future until
     somebody edits it (issue #2421). A function rather than a `datetime.now()` call at the
     one site that needs it, so the boundary can be measured instead of raced.
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ def now() -> datetime:
     return datetime.now()
 
 #: The two states a row may carry instead of a stamp. Both are the reader's own note
-#: about the project rather than a time, so neither can be ordered against an mtime.
+#: about the agent rather than a time, so neither can be ordered against an mtime.
 NO_MEMORY_ROOT = "no memory root"
 PATH_MISSING_PREFIX = "path missing"
 
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ def now() -> datetime:
 #: inside the span or just after it. Both forms are in this host's bookmark -
 #: `aitokenpool (github)` and `` `1` (Downloads/1) `` - and a parser that insisted on one
 #: of them dropped the other row in silence: measured in the cycle that filed issue #2408,
-#: a span-only pattern read 30 of 31 rows and reported the missing project as never
+#: a span-only pattern read 30 of 31 rows and reported the missing agent as never
 #: visited.
 KEY_CELL = re.compile(r"^`(?P<key>[^`]+)`\s*(?:\((?P<hint>[^)]*)\))?$")
 
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def now() -> datetime:
 #: so that "least recently visited" - the rotation's third key - can be ordered from the
 #: bookmark instead of from recollection. Found, never required: this installation's 32 rows
 #: carried none when the field was added (issue #2525), and a reader that refused them would
-#: have called every live project unreadable. A row without one is reported as not recording
+#: have called every live agent unreadable. A row without one is reported as not recording
 #: it, which is a fact about that row rather than a fault in the reading.
 READ_BY_CELL = re.compile(r"\bcyc\d{8}-\d{6}\b")
 
@@ -174,29 +174,38 @@ def now() -> datetime:
 SEPARATOR_CELL = re.compile(r"^:?-+:?$")
 
 #: What a stamp cell looks like **before** it is parsed: a leading date. The cell is located
-#: by this shape and then parsed strictly by `project_state`, so a stamp written in a form
+#: by this shape and then parsed strictly by `agent_state`, so a stamp written in a form
 #: this tool cannot order - the ISO `T` form, whose silent failure is one of the reasons the
 #: tool exists - is located here and refused there, with the value named in the message.
 #: Parsing here instead would answer "this row is unreadable", which is true but says less.
 DATE_SHAPED = re.compile(r"^\d{4}-\d{1,2}-\d{1,2}[ T]")
 
-#: A row is **not** a fixed number of cells. §1.5 fixes what a row *states* - the project,
+#: A row is **not** a fixed number of cells. §1.5 fixes what a row *states* - the agent,
 #: the stamp, and the cycle that read it - not how many columns a table lays those out in:
 #: this installation writes three (`| `emrg` | stamp | files |`) and another writes four
-#: (`| project | path | stamp | read by |`). Measured on the three-cell-anchored pattern an
+#: (`| agent | path | stamp | read by |`). Measured on the three-cell-anchored pattern an
 #: earlier revision carried, the four-column file matched **0 rows**, and the reading that
-#: followed was a false statement about live data ("every project is at or before its
+#: followed was a false statement about live data ("every agent is at or before its
 #: stamp") rather than an unmeasurable one. So the value cell is found rather than counted:
 #: it is the first cell after the key that carries a stamp or a note, whatever its index.
 
-#: A project's memory, in the two places §1.5's rule names.
+#: A agent's memory, in the two places §1.5's rule names.
 MEMORY_SUBDIR = (".emrg", "memory")
 SESSIONS_SUBDIR = (".emrg", "sessions")
 
 #: Both defaults are this host's paths. They are defaults rather than required
 #: arguments because step 0 runs every cycle on this installation; any other
 #: layout is reached by naming the two paths, and the report says which it read.
-DEFAULT_PROJECTS = "~/.emrg/agents.yml"
+DEFAULT_AGENTS = "~/.emrg/agents.yml"
+#: The bookmark keeps its **pre-rename basename**, and the difference from the
+#: register above is the whole point: the register's move is a migration
+#: (`emrg.config` performs it), so naming the new file and falling back over the
+#: window is right. The bookmark is moved by **nothing** — no code in this tree
+#: renames it, it is a file this installation writes and this tool reads — so a
+#: renamed constant renames no file and answers `not measurable` on every cycle
+#: from then on. A name whose value is host state is preserved verbatim, which is
+#: the same rule the register already obeys one line down: its fallback still
+#: spells the **old** name (`projects.yml`) rather than translating it.
 DEFAULT_BOOKMARK = "~/.emrg/evolution/emrg/.emrg/memory/project-memory-rotation-bookmark.md"
 
 #: The register's name before an Agent became the record of the directory a
@@ -213,34 +222,34 @@ def now() -> datetime:
 #: `not measurable` on every cycle of that window and stop the rotation's clock;
 #: the fallback reads what is there and **says which file it read**, so the
 #: reading never claims a subject it did not open.
-LEGACY_PROJECTS = "~/.emrg/projects.yml"
+LEGACY_AGENTS = "~/.emrg/projects.yml"
 
 
 class Unmeasurable(Exception):
     """A reading could not be taken. Reported as exit 2, never as a pass."""
 
 
-def load_projects(path: Path) -> list[dict]:
-    """The register: one record per tracked project, each with a `name` and a `path`."""
+def load_agents(path: Path) -> list[dict]:
+    """The register: one record per tracked agent, each with a `name` and a `path`."""
     try:
         import yaml
     except ImportError as exc:  # pragma: no cover - the repository depends on PyYAML
         raise Unmeasurable(f"PyYAML is not importable, so no register can be read: {exc}") from exc
     if not path.is_file():
-        raise Unmeasurable(f"no project register at {path}")
+        raise Unmeasurable(f"no agent register at {path}")
     try:
         data = yaml.safe_load(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     except (OSError, ValueError) as exc:
-        raise Unmeasurable(f"the project register at {path} could not be read: {exc}") from exc
+        raise Unmeasurable(f"the agent register at {path} could not be read: {exc}") from exc
     if not isinstance(data, list):
-        raise Unmeasurable(f"the project register at {path} is not a list of records")
+        raise Unmeasurable(f"the agent register at {path} is not a list of records")
     records = []
     for record in data:
         if isinstance(record, dict) and record.get("name") is not None:
-            # A register is machine-written YAML, so a project whose name looks numeric
+            # A register is machine-written YAML, so a agent whose name looks numeric
             # (`1`, this host has one) arrives as an `int`. Coerced here because the
             # bookmark writes that key as text: left alone, the row is a `str` and the
-            # project an `int`, so `==` answers no and the project reads as never visited.
+            # agent an `int`, so `==` answers no and the agent reads as never visited.
             records.append(dict(record, name=str(record["name"])))
     return records
 
@@ -263,7 +272,7 @@ def _value_of(cells: list[str]) -> str | None:
     writing the bookmark and not to §1.5's rule (see the block above `SEPARATOR_CELL`). A
     cell qualifies when it is one of the two notes or opens on a date, so a path, a count
     or a cycle id in the same row is skipped instead of mistaken for the value. Whether a
-    date-shaped cell is a stamp this tool can order is `project_state`'s question.
+    date-shaped cell is a stamp this tool can order is `agent_state`'s question.
     """
     for cell in cells:
         for candidate in (CELL_PARENTHETICAL.sub("", cell).strip(), cell):
@@ -306,22 +315,22 @@ def parse_bookmark(path: Path) -> list[dict]:
 
     A table this reader cannot read is **not** an empty table, and neither is a file this
     reader cannot read as a table. Both are reported as unmeasurable, because reading
-    either as "no row" would report its projects as never visited while their rows sit in
+    either as "no row" would report its agents as never visited while their rows sit in
     the file, and that is the defect this tool was written to end (issue #2408). Two
     shapes are refused for that reason (issue #2419):
 
     * a file that carries **no table line at all** - the shape §1.5's prose describes,
-      "one line per project", which says nothing about a markdown table. Measured before
+      "one line per agent", which says nothing about a markdown table. Measured before
       this arm existed: a `- `alpha` <stamp>` file, a prose file and a table of rows
       written without code spans all read as `0 row(s)` and produced one "never been
-      visited" fault per registered project (exit 1), whose remedy is to re-read every
-      project rather than to fix the bookmark's shape;
-    * a **body** row that names its project in no code span, each offending line named.
+      visited" fault per registered agent (exit 1), whose remedy is to re-read every
+      agent rather than to fix the bookmark's shape;
+    * a **body** row that names its agent in no code span, each offending line named.
       A header is not a body row: markdown decides that by the separator under it, so a
       header is skipped whether or not its first cell is a code span.
 
     A table that really is empty - a header and no body rows - keeps the honest reading:
-    every project never visited, exit 1. That is a true statement about a first-ever
+    every agent never visited, exit 1. That is a true statement about a first-ever
     bookmark, and the guard above must not swallow it; a test pins both directions,
     because those two files produce the same `0 row(s)` line and differ only in shape.
     """
@@ -379,7 +388,7 @@ def parse_bookmark(path: Path) -> list[dict]:
             detail = (
                 "not one of them is a `| ... |` row - so there are no rows here to read: a "
                 "bookmark in another shape is not an empty bookmark, and reading it as one "
-                "would report every registered project as never visited"
+                "would report every registered agent as never visited"
             )
         raise Unmeasurable(
             f"the bookmark at {path} carries no markdown table - {len(lines)} line(s) read "
@@ -388,15 +397,15 @@ def parse_bookmark(path: Path) -> list[dict]:
     if keyless:
         raise Unmeasurable(
             f"the bookmark at {path} carries {len(keyless)} row(s) this reader cannot "
-            f"read - a table row names its project in its first cell, and these do not "
-            f"name it in a code span - so the reading below would call their projects "
+            f"read - a table row names its agent in its first cell, and these do not "
+            f"name it in a code span - so the reading below would call their agents "
             f"never visited: " + "; ".join(keyless)
         )
     if unreadable:
         raise Unmeasurable(
             f"the bookmark at {path} carries {len(unreadable)} row(s) this reader cannot "
-            f"read - a row names its project in a code span and then no stamp and no note "
-            f"in any cell - so the reading below would call their projects never visited: "
+            f"read - a row names its agent in a code span and then no stamp and no note "
+            f"in any cell - so the reading below would call their agents never visited: "
             + "; ".join(unreadable)
         )
     return rows
@@ -457,30 +466,30 @@ def _segments(path: str) -> list[str]:
     return [s for s in re.split(r"[\\/]+", path) if s]
 
 
-def _key_matches_path(key: str, project_path: str) -> bool:
-    """Whether a path-suffix key names this project's path.
+def _key_matches_path(key: str, agent_path: str) -> bool:
+    """Whether a path-suffix key names this agent's path.
 
     The bookmark's third form is a suffix (`gitlab/shaoaq/mem`), written because the
-    project's own name would not identify it. A segment matches when it equals the
+    agent's own name would not identify it. A segment matches when it equals the
     path's own segment or is a prefix of it, so `gitlab` names `gitlab.xinluex.com`
     without the row having to repeat the host's whole domain.
     """
     key_segments = _segments(key)
-    path_segments = _segments(project_path)
+    path_segments = _segments(agent_path)
     if not key_segments or len(key_segments) > len(path_segments):
         return False
     tail = path_segments[-len(key_segments):]
     return all(k == p or p.startswith(k) for k, p in zip(key_segments, tail))
 
 
-def resolve_rows(rows: list[dict], projects: list[dict]) -> tuple[dict, list[dict], list[dict]]:
-    """Match each row to the project it names.
+def resolve_rows(rows: list[dict], agents: list[dict]) -> tuple[dict, list[dict], list[dict]]:
+    """Match each row to the agent it names.
 
     Three forms, tried in this order and for this reason: a bare `name` first (the
-    common case, and it cannot be ambiguous while only one project carries that name);
+    common case, and it cannot be ambiguous while only one agent carries that name);
     then a name with a parenthetical disambiguator, resolved by matching the hint
-    against the project's path (`aitokenpool (github)`); then a path suffix
-    (`gitlab/shaoaq/mem`). A row that matches no project, or more than one, is
+    against the agent's path (`aitokenpool (github)`); then a path suffix
+    (`gitlab/shaoaq/mem`). A row that matches no agent, or more than one, is
     returned rather than guessed at.
     """
     by_key: dict[str, dict] = {}
@@ -491,7 +500,7 @@ def resolve_rows(rows: list[dict], projects: list[dict]) -> tuple[dict, list[dic
         candidates: list[dict] = []
         name, _, hint = key.partition(" (")
         hint = hint.rstrip(")")
-        named = [p for p in projects if p["name"] == name]
+        named = [p for p in agents if p["name"] == name]
         if named and not hint:
             candidates = named
         elif named and hint:
@@ -499,11 +508,11 @@ def resolve_rows(rows: list[dict], projects: list[dict]) -> tuple[dict, list[dic
             if not candidates:
                 candidates = [p for p in named if _key_matches_path(hint, p.get("path") or "")]
         if not candidates:
-            candidates = [p for p in projects
+            candidates = [p for p in agents
                           if _key_matches_path(key, p.get("path") or "")
                           and p["name"] != key]
         if len(candidates) > 1:
-            ambiguous.append({"key": key, "projects": [p["name"] for p in candidates],
+            ambiguous.append({"key": key, "agents": [p["name"] for p in candidates],
                               "paths": [p.get("path") for p in candidates]})
             continue
         if not candidates:
@@ -514,7 +523,7 @@ def resolve_rows(rows: list[dict], projects: list[dict]) -> tuple[dict, list[dic
 
 
 def memory_roots(root: Path) -> list[Path]:
-    """The project's memory directories: its own, and each of its sessions'."""
+    """The agent's memory directories: its own, and each of its sessions'."""
     found = []
     own = root.joinpath(*MEMORY_SUBDIR)
     if own.is_dir():
@@ -541,16 +550,16 @@ def _same_file(a: Path, b: Path) -> bool:
 
 
 def memory_files(root: Path, exclude: Path | None = None) -> list[Path]:
-    """Every `.md` under the project's memory roots - the files the rotation's rule binds.
+    """Every `.md` under the agent's memory roots - the files the rotation's rule binds.
 
     A directory is not a reading. Measured in the cycle that filed issue #2408: three
-    projects on this host carry an **empty** `.emrg/sessions/*/memory/` directory, and a
-    reading that counted the directory as "this project keeps memory" reported all three as
+    agents on this host carry an **empty** `.emrg/sessions/*/memory/` directory, and a
+    reading that counted the directory as "this agent keeps memory" reported all three as
     contradicting their `no memory root` note. Nothing was there to read.
 
     `exclude` is the bookmark itself, which is the clock and not memory content: on this
-    host it sits under the evolution project's own memory root, so counting it made that
-    project's row permanently stale and reported it changed on the strength of the file that
+    host it sits under the evolution agent's own memory root, so counting it made that
+    agent's row permanently stale and reported it changed on the strength of the file that
     asks the question (issue #2422).
     """
     found = []
@@ -567,18 +576,18 @@ def memory_files(root: Path, exclude: Path | None = None) -> list[Path]:
 
 
 def newest_memory(root: Path, since: int, exclude: Path | None = None) -> tuple[Path, float] | None:
-    """The newest `.md` under the project's memory roots that is strictly newer than `since`.
+    """The newest `.md` under the agent's memory roots that is strictly newer than `since`.
 
     `since` is a **whole second**, and an mtime is truncated to one before it is compared.
     The bookmark is written from `stat`'s `%Sm`, which carries no fraction, so a
     sub-second comparison reports the very file a row was written from as newer for ever:
-    measured in the cycle that filed issue #2408, **21 of 23** projects read as changed
+    measured in the cycle that filed issue #2408, **21 of 23** agents read as changed
     against stamps that already named their newest file - `.real` at `10:19:27.829` against
     a `10:19:27` row. Truncating both sides is what makes the reading idempotent, and it
     loses nothing: a file that really moved lands in a later second.
 
     `exclude` is passed through to `memory_files`: the bookmark is the clock, and a scan
-    that counted it would report its own project changed every time it was written.
+    that counted it would report its own agent changed every time it was written.
     """
     best: tuple[Path, float] | None = None
     for path in memory_files(root, exclude):
@@ -593,14 +602,14 @@ def newest_memory(root: Path, since: int, exclude: Path | None = None) -> tuple[
     return best
 
 
-def project_state(project: dict, row: dict | None, bookmark_path: Path | None = None) -> dict:
-    """One project's line: its state, and the reading behind it.
+def agent_state(agent: dict, row: dict | None, bookmark_path: Path | None = None) -> dict:
+    """One agent's line: its state, and the reading behind it.
 
     `bookmark_path` is excluded from both memory scans below, because the bookmark is
     this reading's clock and not one of its subjects (issue #2422).
     """
-    name = project["name"]
-    raw_path = project.get("path") or ""
+    name = agent["name"]
+    raw_path = agent.get("path") or ""
     state = {"name": name, "path": raw_path, "key": row["key"] if row else None,
              "read_by": row.get("read_by") if row else None}
     if row is None:
@@ -610,7 +619,7 @@ def project_state(project: dict, row: dict | None, bookmark_path: Path | None =
     root = Path(os.path.expanduser(raw_path))
     if value == NO_MEMORY_ROOT:
         # A note is a reading taken on a day, so it is re-measured rather than repeated: a
-        # project that has since written a memory root is one the note would hide for ever,
+        # agent that has since written a memory root is one the note would hide for ever,
         # which is the same class of stale-past-state defect as the truncated stamp above.
         state.update(state=NO_MEMORY_ROOT if not memory_files(root, bookmark_path)
                      else "row says no memory root",
@@ -630,13 +639,13 @@ def project_state(project: dict, row: dict | None, bookmark_path: Path | None =
     taken = now()
     if stamp > taken:
         # Ordered, but against nothing real: an mtime cannot be later than what a cycle has
-        # read, so every file on disk is older than this row's instant and the project would
+        # read, so every file on disk is older than this row's instant and the agent would
         # read `unchanged` for as long as the row stands (issue #2421).
         raise Unmeasurable(
             f"the row for {name} carries the stamp {value}, later than "
             f"{taken.strftime(STAMP_FORMAT)} - the instant this reading was taken - so it "
             f"records a memory modification that has not happened yet: every file on disk is "
-            f"older than it, and the project would read `unchanged` for as long as the row "
+            f"older than it, and the agent would read `unchanged` for as long as the row "
             f"stands"
         )
     state["bookmark"] = stamp.strftime(STAMP_FORMAT)
@@ -655,13 +664,13 @@ def project_state(project: dict, row: dict | None, bookmark_path: Path | None =
     return state
 
 
-def read(projects_path: Path, bookmark_path: Path) -> dict:
-    """The whole reading: both subjects, every project's state, and the coverage faults."""
-    projects = load_projects(projects_path)
+def read(agents_path: Path, bookmark_path: Path) -> dict:
+    """The whole reading: both subjects, every agent's state, and the coverage faults."""
+    agents = load_agents(agents_path)
     rows = parse_bookmark(bookmark_path)
-    by_path, orphans, ambiguous = resolve_rows(rows, projects)
-    states = [project_state(p, by_path.get(p.get("path") or p["name"]), bookmark_path)
-              for p in projects]
+    by_path, orphans, ambiguous = resolve_rows(rows, agents)
+    states = [agent_state(p, by_path.get(p.get("path") or p["name"]), bookmark_path)
+              for p in agents]
     faults = []
     sections = cycle_sections(bookmark_path)
     structure = structure_faults(sections)
@@ -679,14 +688,14 @@ def read(projects_path: Path, bookmark_path: Path) -> dict:
                           f"{state['path']} has one now: the row is a note from an earlier day and "
                           f"needs a real stamp")
     for row in orphans:
-        faults.append(f"the bookmark's row {row['key']!r} names no registered project")
+        faults.append(f"the bookmark's row {row['key']!r} names no registered agent")
     for item in ambiguous:
-        faults.append(f"the bookmark's row {item['key']!r} names {len(item['projects'])} projects "
-                      f"({', '.join(item['projects'])}): the key has to disambiguate them")
+        faults.append(f"the bookmark's row {item['key']!r} names {len(item['agents'])} agents "
+                      f"({', '.join(item['agents'])}): the key has to disambiguate them")
     return {
-        "projects_file": str(projects_path),
+        "agents_file": str(agents_path),
         "bookmark_file": str(bookmark_path),
-        "project_count": len(projects),
+        "agent_count": len(agents),
         "row_count": len(rows),
         "rows_with_cycle": sum(1 for row in rows if row.get("read_by")),
         "states": states,
@@ -697,9 +706,9 @@ def read(projects_path: Path, bookmark_path: Path) -> dict:
 
 
 def _cycle_of(state: dict) -> str:
-    """The cycle that read this project's row, or a phrase saying the row recorded none.
+    """The cycle that read this agent's row, or a phrase saying the row recorded none.
 
-    A phrase rather than a blank, because the two are different readings: a project read by
+    A phrase rather than a blank, because the two are different readings: a agent read by
     `cyc…` and one whose row predates the column must not print alike.
     """
     return state.get("read_by") or "no cycle recorded"
@@ -708,7 +717,7 @@ def _cycle_of(state: dict) -> str:
 def render(reading: dict, show_all: bool) -> str:
     """The report, with both subjects named before any verdict."""
     out = [
-        f"projects: {reading['projects_file']} ({reading['project_count']} project(s))",
+        f"agents: {reading['agents_file']} ({reading['agent_count']} agent(s))",
         f"bookmark: {reading['bookmark_file']} ({reading['row_count']} row(s))",
     ]
     changed = [s for s in reading["states"] if s["state"] == "changed"]
@@ -721,11 +730,11 @@ def render(reading: dict, show_all: bool) -> str:
             out.append(f"  {state['name']}  {state['bookmark']} -> {state['newest']['mtime']}  "
                        f"{state['newest']['path']}  read by {_cycle_of(state)}")
     else:
-        out.append("changed since their bookmark: 0 - every project is at or before its stamp")
+        out.append("changed since their bookmark: 0 - every agent is at or before its stamp")
     if show_all:
         others = [s for s in reading["states"] if s["state"] != "changed"]
         if others:
-            out.append("every other project:")
+            out.append("every other agent:")
             for state in others:
                 out.append(f"  {state['state']:<16} {state['name']}  {state['path']}  "
                            f"read by {_cycle_of(state)}")
@@ -742,11 +751,11 @@ def render(reading: dict, show_all: bool) -> str:
     if reading["faults"]:
         out.append(f"coverage faults: {len(reading['faults'])}")
         out.extend(f"  {fault}" for fault in reading["faults"])
-        out.append("a project with no row is read this cycle, and the bookmark's next write carries "
-                   "a line for it; a row naming no project is a stale or mistyped key")
+        out.append("a agent with no row is read this cycle, and the bookmark's next write carries "
+                   "a line for it; a row naming no agent is a stale or mistyped key")
     else:
-        out.append(f"coverage: every project has a row and every row names a project "
-                   f"({reading['project_count']} of {reading['project_count']})")
+        out.append(f"coverage: every agent has a row and every row names a agent "
+                   f"({reading['agent_count']} of {reading['agent_count']})")
     if reading["structure"]:
         out.append(f"structure faults: {len(reading['structure'])}")
         out.extend(f"  {fault}" for fault in reading["structure"])
@@ -760,33 +769,33 @@ def render(reading: dict, show_all: bool) -> str:
 
 def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
-        description="Which registered projects' memory moved since their bookmark line.")
-    parser.add_argument("--projects", default=DEFAULT_PROJECTS,
-                        help=f"the project register (default {DEFAULT_PROJECTS})")
+        description="Which registered agents' memory moved since their bookmark line.")
+    parser.add_argument("--agents", default=DEFAULT_AGENTS,
+                        help=f"the agent register (default {DEFAULT_AGENTS})")
     parser.add_argument("--bookmark", default=DEFAULT_BOOKMARK,
                         help=f"the rotation bookmark (default {DEFAULT_BOOKMARK})")
     parser.add_argument("--all", action="store_true",
-                        help="list every project with its state, not only the ones that moved")
+                        help="list every agent with its state, not only the ones that moved")
     parser.add_argument("--json", action="store_true", help="the same reading, as one document")
     args = parser.parse_args(argv)
 
-    projects_path = Path(os.path.expanduser(args.projects))
+    agents_path = Path(os.path.expanduser(args.agents))
     bookmark_path = Path(os.path.expanduser(args.bookmark))
     # The one window where two names exist, and never a second guess at an
     # explicit argument: only the default is allowed to fall back, so a caller
     # that named a register is answered about that register.
-    if args.projects == DEFAULT_PROJECTS and not projects_path.exists():
-        legacy_path = Path(os.path.expanduser(LEGACY_PROJECTS))
+    if args.agents == DEFAULT_AGENTS and not agents_path.exists():
+        legacy_path = Path(os.path.expanduser(LEGACY_AGENTS))
         if legacy_path.exists():
             print(
-                f"note: {projects_path} does not exist yet - reading {legacy_path}, "
+                f"note: {agents_path} does not exist yet - reading {legacy_path}, "
                 f"the register's pre-rename name (it moves when the daemon that owns it "
                 f"next starts)",
                 file=sys.stderr,
             )
-            projects_path = legacy_path
+            agents_path = legacy_path
     try:
-        reading = read(projects_path, bookmark_path)
+        reading = read(agents_path, bookmark_path)
     except Unmeasurable as exc:
         print(f"not measurable: {exc}", file=sys.stderr)
         return 2
diff --git a/scripts/check-merge-freshness.py b/scripts/check-merge-freshness.py
index a9b97310..579cca5b 100644
--- a/scripts/check-merge-freshness.py
+++ b/scripts/check-merge-freshness.py
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
   The merge, not a rebase: a rebase rewrites commits the remote already holds, so
   `git push` refuses it as non-fast-forward and the only way to publish one is the
-  force-push this project forbids, an overwritten remote commit being often
+  force-push this agent forbids, an overwritten remote commit being often
   unrecoverable - measured 2026-09-19 (`cyc20260919-065231`) on `#1404`, whose
   rebase was rejected exactly that way while merging master in and pushing the
   same tree moved the head cleanly. Every refresh in this repo's history is that
@@ -919,7 +919,7 @@ def _remedy(pr: int, kind: str, price: Price, run_id: str = "") -> str:
                 "and push the merge (`git fetch origin master`, `git merge FETCH_HEAD`, "
                 "`git push origin <branch>`) so CI judges the real merged tree - the merge, "
                 "not a rebase: a rebase of a pushed branch is refused as non-fast-forward, "
-                "and publishing one needs the force-push this project forbids. Nothing to "
+                "and publishing one needs the force-push this agent forbids. Nothing to "
                 "*void* is not nothing to *lose*: the push puts the head inside the "
                 "abstention window of the cycle that makes it - a cycle neither votes on "
                 "nor merges a head it pushed, and that window is the cycle's own run - so "
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@ def _remedy(pr: int, kind: str, price: Price, run_id: str = "") -> str:
                 "gone (`git fetch origin master`, `git merge FETCH_HEAD`, "
                 "`git push origin <branch>`) - the merge, not a rebase: a rebase of a "
                 "pushed branch is refused as non-fast-forward, and publishing one needs "
-                "the force-push this project forbids"
+                "the force-push this agent forbids"
             )
         beside = f" (and the {price.veto_clause} standing there)" if price.vetoes else ""
         return (
@@ -1092,7 +1092,7 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
         print(
             "\nA stale verdict has no free remedy: refreshing a branch (re-merge master "
             "in, then push it - a rebase cannot be published without the force-push this "
-            "project forbids) moves its head, and `check-vote-count.py` voids every vote "
+            "agent forbids) moves its head, and `check-vote-count.py` voids every vote "
             "predating a head push. Per stale PR:",
             file=sys.stderr,
         )
diff --git a/scripts/check-merge-plan-suite.py b/scripts/check-merge-plan-suite.py
index 046cd014..3299e3c0 100644
--- a/scripts/check-merge-plan-suite.py
+++ b/scripts/check-merge-plan-suite.py
@@ -47,12 +47,12 @@
 A freshly added worktree has no populated `.venv` - `uv run` inside one creates an
 empty environment, measured repeatedly in this repo - so the suite is run with an
 interpreter resolved once by `_suite_interpreter`: `sys.executable` when it can
-import pytest, else the project's own `.venv` beside this checkout, else
+import pytest, else the agent's own `.venv` beside this checkout, else
 `sys.executable` again so the refusal that follows names an interpreter that was
 really tried. The worktree is still the cwd; only the interpreter is chosen.
 
 The fallback is not decoration. The invocation these gates document,
-`uv run --no-sync python3 scripts/<gate>.py`, reaches the project environment on
+`uv run --no-sync python3 scripts/<gate>.py`, reaches the agent environment on
 POSIX but a bare host `python3` on a machine whose `python3` is a shim - measured
 2026-09-28 on Windows, where it resolved to `~/.emrg/install/bin/python3.exe` (no
 pytest) while `uv run --no-sync python` reached this checkout's `.venv`, and the
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ def _checkout_root() -> Path:
     """The checkout this gate lives in - the directory that owns `scripts/`.
 
     One definition, because two readers need the same answer: the interpreter search
-    looks for the project environment under it, and the refusal names the candidates
+    looks for the agent environment under it, and the refusal names the candidates
     it looked at. A second spelling of `parent.parent` is how the two drift apart.
     """
     return Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ def _can_import_pytest(python: str) -> bool:
 def _suite_interpreter(
     own: str | None = None, repo_root: Path | None = None
 ) -> str:
-    """The interpreter the suite runs with: this tool's own, or the project's `.venv`.
+    """The interpreter the suite runs with: this tool's own, or the agent's `.venv`.
 
     `own` and `repo_root` exist so a test can ask about a layout it owns instead of
     about this machine's (the same shape `_suite_env`'s caller and `augment_path`'s
@@ -762,7 +762,7 @@ def _no_suite_verdict(out: str) -> str:
 
     Two causes, and the obvious one is not the only one: a bare host `python3` has
     no pytest, while an unsynced worktree's `.venv` is empty - so the invocation
-    this tool documents fails byte-identically there, and answering "use the project
+    this tool documents fails byte-identically there, and answering "use the agent
     interpreter" sends the reader in a circle (`check-doc-count.py` measured exactly
     that, cyc20260913-122923). Both causes are named, and so is the command to run:
     a remedy that names no invocation leaves the reader where they were. This is
@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@ def _no_suite_verdict(out: str) -> str:
     Every interpreter that was tried is named, and the remedy is spelled `python`
     rather than `python3`: on a machine whose `python3` is a host shim the two reach
     different interpreters (measured 2026-09-28 on Windows - see the header), while
-    `uv run` maps `python` to the project environment on every platform it supports.
+    `uv run` maps `python` to the agent environment on every platform it supports.
     """
     tried = ", ".join(
         [sys.executable]
@@ -785,7 +785,7 @@ def _no_suite_verdict(out: str) -> str:
             "the suite could not be run: pytest is not installed in any interpreter "
             f"this gate can use, so nothing judged the tree. Tried: {tried}.\n"
             + tail
-            + "\n\nRun it with the project environment instead:\n"
+            + "\n\nRun it with the agent environment instead:\n"
             f"    {invocation} <PR> [<PR> ...]\n"
             "A fresh worktree or clone gets an empty `.venv`, where that same command "
             "fails identically - there, `uv sync` first."
@@ -794,7 +794,7 @@ def _no_suite_verdict(out: str) -> str:
         "the suite exited 1 without a failure line in its own output, so this is not "
         "a verdict about the tree:\n" + tail + "\n\nCheck the invocation with "
         f"`{_suite_interpreter()} -m pytest --version`, then run this tool with the "
-        f"project environment:\n    {invocation} <PR> [<PR> ...]"
+        f"agent environment:\n    {invocation} <PR> [<PR> ...]"
     )
 
 
@@ -1022,7 +1022,7 @@ def _suite_env(worktree: Path) -> dict[str, str]:
     `EMRG_TASK_DIRTY_OVERRIDE`. It is the evolution cycle's own escape hatch - a
     cycle whose tree is dirty exports it to keep working, and `scheduler.py` reads
     it from the environment - while `tests/test_scheduler.py` has four tests that
-    assert the *unoverridden* verdict for a dirty tree, reaching the real project
+    assert the *unoverridden* verdict for a dirty tree, reaching the real agent
     rather than the worktree. Measured 2026-09-17 (`cyc20260917-142057`): with a
     dirty caller tree and the override exported, those four fail and the run reports
     `suite FAILED` for a plan whose tree is green; with the override unset they pass,
diff --git a/scripts/review-queue.py b/scripts/review-queue.py
index 6bbff14c..a4708577 100644
--- a/scripts/review-queue.py
+++ b/scripts/review-queue.py
@@ -87,14 +87,14 @@
 `open_rant_rows` returns every open rant — the reading stays whole, and the JSON below keeps
 every row too, each labelled `rendered` — but the prose renders only the rows this repo can
 act on, and says how many it withheld. The rule is `rendered_here`: this task's own rants
-(by either spelling), plus the ones naming **no** project. Withheld are the rows naming
-another project, which is the whole of the bulk and none of the work: measured 2026-10-04 on
+(by either spelling), plus the ones naming **no** agent. Withheld are the rows naming
+another agent, which is the whole of the bulk and none of the work: measured 2026-10-04 on
 this host, 40 open rants of which 39 were `silicon-science-cs`, ~8.7KB of the report's
 ~9.7KB, printed every cycle for a reader the template has already told those rows are not
 its own. `--all-rants` prints every row.
 
-A row naming no project is deliberately still printed, though no issue here can declare it:
-undeclared is not another project's work, and the rows this section exists for were added
+A row naming no agent is deliberately still printed, though no issue here can declare it:
+undeclared is not another agent's work, and the rows this section exists for were added
 after a cycle read "nothing to review" while pending rants without issues sat in the ledger
 (measured 2026-09-29) — so hiding an undeclared one would restore that defect for the row
 most likely to be this task's.
@@ -164,39 +164,39 @@
 REPO = "argszero/emrg"
 
 
-def could_declare_here(project: str, repo: str = REPO) -> bool:
+def could_declare_here(agent: str, repo: str = REPO) -> bool:
     """Whether an issue in `repo` could carry the handle that pairs a rant with it.
 
-    A rant's declaring issue is filed by its own project's task, in that project's
-    repository, so the pairing is the project name (`emrg`) or its `owner/repo` form
+    A rant's declaring issue is filed by its own agent's task, in that agent's
+    repository, so the pairing is the agent name (`emrg`) or its `owner/repo` form
     (`argszero/emrg`) — the two spellings the template matches a rant to a task by. A rant
-    naming no project belongs to nobody, and one naming another project is another
+    naming no agent belongs to nobody, and one naming another agent is another
     repository's issue list: this repo can no more declare it than it can read it.
 
     This is the one place the pairing is code rather than prose, and it exists to bound a
     *reading*: see `open_rant_rows`, where the difference is 48.8s of `gh` against 5.8s.
     """
-    return bool(project) and project in (repo, repo.rsplit("/", 1)[-1])
+    return bool(agent) and agent in (repo, repo.rsplit("/", 1)[-1])
 
 
-def rendered_here(project: str, repo: str = REPO) -> bool:
+def rendered_here(agent: str, repo: str = REPO) -> bool:
     """Whether this rant gets a row in the report **by default**.
 
-    This task's own rants, and the ones naming **no** project at all. The withheld case is
-    the one the prompt decides for us in as many words — a rant naming another project is
+    This task's own rants, and the ones naming **no** agent at all. The withheld case is
+    the one the prompt decides for us in as many words — a rant naming another agent is
     not this instance's to act on — and on this host that is also the whole of the bulk
     (measured 2026-10-04: 40 open rants, 39 of them `silicon-science-cs`, ~8.7KB of the
     report's ~9.7KB, paid by every cycle).
 
-    A row naming **no** project is deliberately *not* withheld, even though
+    A row naming **no** agent is deliberately *not* withheld, even though
     `could_declare_here` is false for it: that predicate is about whether an issue **in this
-    repo** could carry the pairing, and a project-less row is not another
-    project's work — it is undeclared, which is a thing the cycle has to look at. The rows
+    repo** could carry the pairing, and a agent-less row is not another
+    agent's work — it is undeclared, which is a thing the cycle has to look at. The rows
     this table prints exist because a cycle reading the queue *alone* concluded "nothing to
     review" while three pending rants had no issue (measured 2026-09-29), so hiding an
     undeclared rant would restore that defect for the rows most likely to be this task's.
     """
-    return could_declare_here(project, repo) or not project
+    return could_declare_here(agent, repo) or not agent
 
 #: How the family's tools are invoked (`Agent.md`, "Test Commands"). Printed
 #: commands carry the runner the docstrings and the docs prescribe — a bare
@@ -500,8 +500,8 @@ class Rant:
     several issues claim one rant, a fault `check-issue-links.py` reports as a duplicate
     rather than something to merge here, so this row names them all and picks none.
 
-    `project` is the ledger row's own field, carried because it is what §2.2 decides on:
-    a rant belongs to this cycle when it names this task's project or its `owner/repo`,
+    `agent` is the ledger row's own field, carried because it is what §2.2 decides on:
+    a rant belongs to this cycle when it names this task's agent or its `owner/repo`,
     and to somebody else when it names another one. Measured 2026-10-01 on this host, the
     queue rendered **39** open rants — every one of them `silicon-science-cs` — as work
     the emrg cycle owed an issue and a PR, while the emrg rows in that ledger were all
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ class Rant:
     issues: list[int] = field(default_factory=list)
     closed_issues: list[int] = field(default_factory=list)
     unread_issues: list[int] = field(default_factory=list)
-    project: str = ""
+    agent: str = ""
 
 
 #: The handle R5 writes into a rant's `progress`: the word `issue` and the number. Anchored
@@ -613,7 +613,7 @@ def open_rant_rows(rants: str | None = None, repo: str = REPO) -> list[Rant]:
     # filed in.
     #
     # "Those rants" is this repo's rants, not the whole ledger. The bound below is the
-    # oldest instant that can *place* a row, and another project's rants cannot be placed
+    # oldest instant that can *place* a row, and another agent's rants cannot be placed
     # here at any bound — so letting them set the window buys nothing and costs the whole
     # ledger's history. Measured 2026-10-02 on this host: 40 open rants, of which 39 were
     # `silicon-science-cs` with the oldest reaching back to 2026-09-11,
@@ -625,7 +625,7 @@ def open_rant_rows(rants: str | None = None, repo: str = REPO) -> list[Rant]:
         for row in wanted
         if not named[str(row.get("timestamp", ""))]
         and not by_timestamp.get(str(row.get("timestamp", "")))
-        and could_declare_here(str(row.get("project", "") or ""), repo)
+        and could_declare_here(str(row.get("agent", "") or ""), repo)
     ]
     if unplaced:
         since = min(
@@ -680,7 +680,10 @@ def open_rant_rows(rants: str | None = None, repo: str = REPO) -> list[Rant]:
                 issues=sorted(open_here),
                 closed_issues=sorted(closed_here),
                 unread_issues=sorted(unread_here),
-                project=str(row.get("project", "") or ""),
+                # The ledger's own key is `agent` (the record's target); the name
+                # this model keeps for the concept is its own, and the output rows below
+                # still label it `agent`.
+                agent=str(row.get("agent", "") or ""),
             )
         )
     return sorted(out, key=lambda rant: rant.timestamp, reverse=True)
@@ -1305,15 +1308,15 @@ def render(reading: Reading, action: Action) -> str:
 
 
 def render_rant(rant: Rant) -> str:
-    """One rant's row: its handle, its state, the issue it was paired with, and its project.
+    """One rant's row: its handle, its state, the issue it was paired with, and its agent.
 
     The excerpt is flattened to a single line and capped, because a rant body is prose
     with headings and newlines and this row's job is to be *recognisable* in a list —
     `submit_rant(action="list")` is the reading that shows it whole.
 
-    The project is last and keyed rather than bare, so it cannot be read as part of the
+    The agent is last and keyed rather than bare, so it cannot be read as part of the
     status or as an issue number, and so a row without one is visible as such: §2.2 makes
-    a rant that names no project *(nor this task's)* one to ignore entirely.
+    a rant that names no agent *(nor this task's)* one to ignore entirely.
 
     `no issue yet` means what it says: the entry names no issue and no issue in **either**
     state declares this rant. An issue that was closed — normally by the merge of its own
@@ -1334,7 +1337,7 @@ def render_rant(rant: Rant) -> str:
         excerpt = excerpt[:109] + "…"
     lines = [
         f"rant {rant.timestamp}  {rant.status}  {where}  "
-        f"project={rant.project or '(none)'}"
+        f"agent={rant.agent or '(none)'}"
     ]
     if excerpt:
         lines.append(f"    {excerpt}")
@@ -1446,14 +1449,14 @@ def _as_json(
             "closed_issues": rant.closed_issues,
             "unread_issues": rant.unread_issues,
             "message": rant.message,
-            "project": rant.project,
-            # The prose rendering withholds another project's rows (a cycle's report is
+            "agent": rant.agent,
+            # The prose rendering withholds another agent's rows (a cycle's report is
             # the surface whose size is paid, and the prompt says those rows are not its
             # work), but the **document keeps every row** and labels it here instead: a
             # consumer that lost rows silently would be reading a short list as a whole
             # one, which is this family's "never a pass" defect in its JSON form. The
             # field is the prose's own predicate, spelled once - `rendered_here`.
-            "rendered": rendered_here(rant.project, repo),
+            "rendered": rendered_here(rant.agent, repo),
         }
         for rant in (rants or [])
     )
@@ -1517,10 +1520,10 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
     parser.add_argument(
         "--all-rants",
         action="store_true",
-        help="print every open rant's row, including other projects' - the default "
+        help="print every open rant's row, including other agents' - the default "
              "renders the rows `rendered_here` accepts (this repo's, and the rows "
-             "naming no project: naming no project is still printed, because "
-             "undeclared is not another project's work) and counts the rest",
+             "naming no agent: naming no agent is still printed, because "
+             "undeclared is not another agent's work) and counts the rest",
     )
     parser.add_argument(
         "--json", action="store_true", help="emit the readings as JSON instead of prose"
@@ -1636,43 +1639,43 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
             print()
             counts: dict[str, int] = {}
             for rant in rants:
-                name = rant.project or "(no project)"
+                name = rant.agent or "(no agent)"
                 counts[name] = counts.get(name, 0) + 1
             across = ", ".join(
                 f"{name} {count}"
                 for name, count in sorted(counts.items(), key=lambda kv: (-kv[1], kv[0]))
             )
             print(
-                f"{len(rants)} open rant(s) across {len(counts)} project(s) - {across} - "
+                f"{len(rants)} open rant(s) across {len(counts)} agent(s) - {across} - "
                 "each needs an issue and its PR (R5) once it is this task's; the prompt's "
-                "rant section matches a rant to a task by `project` (this task's project, "
-                "or its owner/repo), so a row naming another project is not this cycle's "
-                "work and is withheld by default - one naming no project is undeclared "
-                "rather than another project's, and is rendered (`rendered_here` decides "
+                "rant section matches a rant to a task by `agent` (this task's agent, "
+                "or its owner/repo), so a row naming another agent is not this cycle's "
+                "work and is withheld by default - one naming no agent is undeclared "
+                "rather than another agent's, and is rendered (`rendered_here` decides "
                 "both):"
             )
             # Rendered by default: the rows `rendered_here` accepts - this repo's, and the
-            # ones naming no project (a second predicate, `could_declare_here`, is **not**
-            # the rendering rule: it is false for a project-less row too, so it separates
-            # nothing here). Another project's rows are **counted above and not printed** —
+            # ones naming no agent (a second predicate, `could_declare_here`, is **not**
+            # the rendering rule: it is false for a agent-less row too, so it separates
+            # nothing here). Another agent's rows are **counted above and not printed** —
             # the header keeps the ledger whole, so nothing is hidden, and their bodies are
             # what this section's cost was made of (measured 2026-10-04 on this host: 40 open
             # rants, 39 of them `silicon-science-cs`, ~8.7KB of a ~9.7KB report, paid by a
             # cycle for whom the prompt itself says they are not its work). `--all-rants`
             # prints them all.
             rendered = rants if args.all_rants else [
-                rant for rant in rants if rendered_here(rant.project, args.repo)
+                rant for rant in rants if rendered_here(rant.agent, args.repo)
             ]
             withheld = len(rants) - len(rendered)
             if withheld:
                 print(
                     f"{withheld} of them "
                     + ("names" if withheld == 1 else "name")
-                    + " another project, so "
+                    + " another agent, so "
                     + ("its row is" if withheld == 1 else "their rows are")
                     + " counted above and not printed here: `rendered_here` withholds "
-                    "another project's rows and only those - a row naming no project is "
-                    "undeclared, not another project's, so it is not withheld either. "
+                    "another agent's rows and only those - a row naming no agent is "
+                    "undeclared, not another agent's, so it is not withheld either. "
                     f"`{RUNNER} scripts/review-queue.py --all-rants` prints every row."
                 )
             print()
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 84d91e72..8b25856b 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@
 workspace self-heal family), subsequent tests re-read it and re-write
 it, advancing the pytest-N counter on every full run. The daemon's
 per-cycle repair (#734) eventually cleans it, but until then the host's
-GUI project picker shows a dead path.
+GUI agent picker shows a dead path.
 
 CI finding (PR #738): test_ws_e2e._boot_server only patched
 daemon/connect config_dir, but EmrgServer.serve() builds a real
-TaskScheduler whose load_and_start() → _ensure_emrg_project_entry()
+TaskScheduler whose load_and_start() → _ensure_emrg_agent_entry()
 writes config_dir()/agents.yml, and whose reader/writer (`read_table`,
 `write_table`) touch tasks.yml — all through scheduler.py's own
 (unpatched) config_dir → on a fresh runner this hits the real ~/.emrg/
diff --git a/tests/task_handler_factory.py b/tests/task_handler_factory.py
index 7c75f60e..c50f7bf8 100644
--- a/tests/task_handler_factory.py
+++ b/tests/task_handler_factory.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """Build a TaskHandler the way the scheduler does — from its record.
 
 A handler holds a name and nothing else (rant 2026-09-28T09:54:10): at every wake it
-reads its own record out of tasks.yml and derives type / interval / config / project /
+reads its own record out of tasks.yml and derives type / interval / config / agent /
 sandbox from that, rather than from a snapshot taken at construction. So a test that
 needs a handler with a particular configuration hands the record it wants to
 `make_handler`, and the production derivation runs unchanged.
diff --git a/tests/test_a_tree_reading_guard_names_its_tree.py b/tests/test_a_tree_reading_guard_names_its_tree.py
index a6870035..d0f73d97 100644
--- a/tests/test_a_tree_reading_guard_names_its_tree.py
+++ b/tests/test_a_tree_reading_guard_names_its_tree.py
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@
 #: that make "run it and look" the way to ask the question instead of reading its
 #: source for a print statement. `check-memory-index.py` is the second kind: its
 #: two numbers come from `emrg.memory` and `emrg.server.daemon`, so it needs the
-#: project interpreter (which this suite is), and it reads the `.emrg/` trees under
+#: agent interpreter (which this suite is), and it reads the `.emrg/` trees under
 #: the checkout it stands in.
 RUN_HERE = (
     "check-doc-count.py",
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ def _refusal_reason(out: str) -> str:
         "not been through those steps, which is the packaging job's reading rather than this "
         "suite's. It reads a working tree (`--root`, default its own emrg/gui) and names it "
         "before the verdict, and that naming IS verified rather than classified: "
-        "`tests/test_check_gui_package_refs.py` runs it against `tmp_path` project dirs and pins "
+        "`tests/test_check_gui_package_refs.py` runs it against `tmp_path` package dirs and pins "
         "the tree line plus each exit code (0 every reference resolves / 1 one does not / 2 "
         "unreadable manifest)"
     ),
@@ -313,17 +313,17 @@ def _refusal_reason(out: str) -> str:
     ),
     "check-patch-files.py": "reads the patch files it is given as arguments",
     "check-memory-rotation.py": (
-        "reads two host-state subjects it names before any verdict - the project register "
+        "reads two host-state subjects it names before any verdict - the agent register "
         "(`~/.emrg/agents.yml`) and the rotation bookmark (a Markdown table of the newest "
-        "memory modification time already read per project) - then walks each project's "
+        "memory modification time already read per agent) - then walks each agent's "
         "`.emrg/memory/` and `.emrg/sessions/*/memory/`, which are gitignored host data no "
         "checkout carries. A working tree is not its subject and no tree's name would answer "
-        "anything: the questions are which projects moved and whether every registered "
-        "project has a row, and both are answered about the host's data. Its unmeasurable "
+        "anything: the questions are which agents moved and whether every registered "
+        "agent has a row, and both are answered about the host's data. Its unmeasurable "
         "answer (rc 2: no register, no bookmark, a stamp that cannot be ordered) and its "
         "coverage faults (rc 1) are pinned by tests/test_check_memory_rotation.py - added by "
         "issue #2408, where step 0 was a hand-written probe that read 30 of 31 rows and "
-        "reported 21 projects as changed against rows that already named their newest file"
+        "reported 21 agents as changed against rows that already named their newest file"
     ),
     "check-batching-share.py": (
         "reads a corpus of session history files - `history_*.jsonl` under the roots given "
diff --git a/tests/test_agent.py b/tests/test_agent.py
index cf4a331a..991b3145 100644
--- a/tests/test_agent.py
+++ b/tests/test_agent.py
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from emrg.agent import Agent, as_agent
-from emrg.memory import ProjectMemoryStore
+from emrg.memory import AgentMemoryStore
 from emrg.session import Session, generate_session_id, session_dir
-from emrg.sessions_index import _iter_project_sessions
+from emrg.sessions_index import _iter_agent_sessions
 
 
 class TestBaseDirIsStoredAsGiven:
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def test_a_dotdot_survives(self):
 
     def test_a_home_placeholder_is_not_expanded(self):
         """`expanduser()` would answer a real home directory; the `~` must survive."""
-        assert Agent("~/project").base_dir == "~/project"
+        assert Agent("~/agent").base_dir == "~/agent"
 
     def test_the_type_is_part_of_the_value(self, tmp_path):
         """A str stays a str and a Path stays a Path: two spellings are two values."""
@@ -116,8 +116,8 @@ def test_list_sessions_answers_the_same_rows_for_either_spelling(self, tmp_path)
         assert from_agent == Session.list_sessions(tmp_path)
         assert [row["session_id"] for row in from_agent] == ["s1"]
 
-    def test_the_project_memory_store_is_the_agents_memory_dir(self, tmp_path):
-        store = ProjectMemoryStore(tmp_path)
+    def test_the_agent_memory_store_is_the_agents_memory_dir(self, tmp_path):
+        store = AgentMemoryStore(tmp_path)
         assert store.directory == Agent(tmp_path).memory_dir
         assert store.directory == tmp_path / ".emrg" / "memory"
 
@@ -128,4 +128,4 @@ def test_the_session_index_walk_reads_the_agents_sessions_dir(self, tmp_path):
             '{"session_id": "s1"}', encoding="utf-8"
         )
 
-        assert list(_iter_project_sessions(tmp_path)) == [("s1", str(session_dir_path))]
+        assert list(_iter_agent_sessions(tmp_path)) == [("s1", str(session_dir_path))]
diff --git a/tests/test_agent_md_prompt_cap.py b/tests/test_agent_md_prompt_cap.py
index 1501cc5e..a33b711f 100644
--- a/tests/test_agent_md_prompt_cap.py
+++ b/tests/test_agent_md_prompt_cap.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 原则") reported the drift; the measurement here is what let it happen unnoticed.
 
 Measured on master `e644cf6` (2026-09-14, this cycle):
-`EmrgServer._collect_project_context` reads each file in `PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES`
+`EmrgServer._collect_agent_context` reads each file in `PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES`
 out of the session cwd and
 keeps at most `PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS` of it, appending a truncation notice —
 so an over-long file still parses, and what it loses is the **tail**. `Agent.md`
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 
 
 def _make_server() -> EmrgServer:
-    """A minimal server; its project log is redirected off the real `~/.emrg`."""
+    """A minimal server; its agent log is redirected off the real `~/.emrg`."""
     server = EmrgServer(LlmConfig(base_url="http://localhost", api_key="test"))
     server._agents_log = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp()) / "agents.yml"
     return server
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ def test_this_repos_agent_md_reaches_the_prompt_whole() -> None:
     text = (REPO_ROOT / "Agent.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
     assert len(text) <= PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS, (
         f"Agent.md is {len(text)} chars, and the daemon keeps at most "
-        f"{PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS} of each project-context file — so its last "
+        f"{PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS} of each agent-context file — so its last "
         f"{len(text) - PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS} chars never reach the model. "
         "Keep the file a brief (principles and conventions); move measurements, "
         "PR numbers and cycle ids to the memory records and the scripts' own "
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def test_one_char_over_the_cap_is_cut(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     (tmp_path / "Agent.md").write_text(body, encoding="utf-8")
     session = Session.create_with_id("agent-md-cap-over", tmp_path)
 
-    content = server._collect_project_context(session)[0]["content"]
+    content = server._collect_agent_context(session)[0]["content"]
     assert content.startswith(body[:PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS])
     assert len(content) > PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS  # the notice is added, not swallowed
     assert "truncated 1 chars" in content
@@ -100,14 +100,14 @@ def test_the_cut_lands_on_a_line_boundary(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     contains no fragment of the line the cut fell in.
     """
     server = _make_server()
-    whole_line = project_line = "a" * 7000
+    whole_line = agent_line = "a" * 7000
     next_line_marker = "SECOND-LINE-MARKER"
-    body = project_line + "\n" + (next_line_marker * 500)
+    body = agent_line + "\n" + (next_line_marker * 500)
     assert len(body) > PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS
     (tmp_path / "Agent.md").write_text(body, encoding="utf-8")
     session = Session.create_with_id("agent-md-line-cut", tmp_path)
 
-    content = server._collect_project_context(session)[0]["content"]
+    content = server._collect_agent_context(session)[0]["content"]
     head = content.split("\n\n... [truncated", 1)[0]
     assert head == whole_line, f"head is not the complete first line: {head[-40:]!r}"
     assert next_line_marker not in head, "a fragment of the cut line reached the prompt"
@@ -121,6 +121,6 @@ def test_a_file_at_the_cap_is_not_cut(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     (tmp_path / "Agent.md").write_text(body, encoding="utf-8")
     session = Session.create_with_id("agent-md-cap-at", tmp_path)
 
-    content = server._collect_project_context(session)[0]["content"]
+    content = server._collect_agent_context(session)[0]["content"]
     assert content == body
     assert "truncated" not in content
diff --git a/tests/test_agent_registry.py b/tests/test_agent_registry.py
index e7996d09..e163f3be 100644
--- a/tests/test_agent_registry.py
+++ b/tests/test_agent_registry.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """The agent register: one directory, one row, one name — and no normalisation.
 
-What these pin is the whole of the rule the daemon's older ``_touch_project`` did not
+What these pin is the whole of the rule the daemon's older ``_touch_agent`` did not
 follow: ``path`` is the string the session holds, a directory under another Agent's
 ``.emrg/`` is that Agent's bookkeeping rather than a workspace, and a name is unique
 because a task resolves its directory by name.
diff --git a/tests/test_agents_registry_migration.py b/tests/test_agents_registry_migration.py
index 8954d30d..c39016a5 100644
--- a/tests/test_agents_registry_migration.py
+++ b/tests/test_agents_registry_migration.py
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ def test_the_old_name_is_spelled_only_where_the_move_is():
     One carrier is exempt, and it is enumerated rather than matched: the rotation
     script runs stdlib-only, so it cannot ask `emrg.config`, and it must keep
     answering while a checkout is ahead of the daemon that performs the move
-    (`agents.yml` travels in a release, and installing one is what restarts that
+    (`projects.yml` travels in a release, and installing one is what restarts that
     daemon). Its exemption is checked to be live below — an exemption that no
     longer names anything fails, so this list cannot rot into a permission.
     """
@@ -185,10 +185,10 @@ def test_the_old_name_is_spelled_only_where_the_move_is():
             text = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
             if "projects.yml" in text:
                 offenders.append(f"{relative}: old name")
-            if "agents.yml" in text and "config_dir()" in text:
+            if "projects.yml" in text and "config_dir()" in text:
                 # A path built from the config directory again, rather than asked for.
                 for line in text.splitlines():
-                    if "agents.yml" in line and "config_dir()" in line:
+                    if "projects.yml" in line and "config_dir()" in line:
                         offenders.append(f"{relative}: {line.strip()}")
     assert not offenders, "the register's path is built outside its one producer:\n" + "\n".join(
         offenders
diff --git a/tests/test_app_replay_rows.py b/tests/test_app_replay_rows.py
index 77c5a4dd..5ccede5d 100644
--- a/tests/test_app_replay_rows.py
+++ b/tests/test_app_replay_rows.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 
 
 def test_a_message_record_becomes_its_own_role_row():
-    """The roles the records mode projects map through with their content intact.
+    """The roles the records mode agents map through with their content intact.
 
     The old disk path truncated nothing for a message either, and the reason it matters
     is the same defect that made `preview` unacceptable in the daemon's records mode: a
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ def test_a_message_record_becomes_its_own_role_row():
 def test_a_system_note_and_a_compaction_boundary_are_rows():
     """Issue #2351: the two record kinds the live stream announced, replayed as asked.
 
-    This client renders exactly what the daemon's records mode projects, and nothing it
-    does not — that is the drift requirement 4 removes. The mode now projects a
+    This client renders exactly what the daemon's records mode agents, and nothing it
+    does not — that is the drift requirement 4 removes. The mode now agents a
     `role: "system"` message and a `kind: "summary"` record, so both are rows here:
 
     * the system note takes the **record's own text** (that is all the live note for
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ def test_a_system_note_and_a_compaction_boundary_are_rows():
          "Summary: the earlier turns...",
          "2026-09-20T00:00:20"),
         ("user", "kept", ""),
-    ], "a role the mode does not project must still be skipped, and the two it now "
-    "projects must arrive with their own text and moment"
+    ], "a role the mode does not agent must still be skipped, and the two it now "
+    "agents must arrive with their own text and moment"
 
 
 def test_a_summary_without_a_count_still_renders_as_a_boundary():
diff --git a/tests/test_app_resume_cwd.py b/tests/test_app_resume_cwd.py
index f5972dac..04d89446 100644
--- a/tests/test_app_resume_cwd.py
+++ b/tests/test_app_resume_cwd.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 The defect this pins: every `resume_session` the TUI sent carried the client's
 **own** cwd. That is only right by accident. A session belonging to another
-project — a scheduled task's cycle above all — lives under a different
+agent — a scheduled task's cycle above all — lives under a different
 `.emrg/sessions/`, and the daemon's broadcast filter is keyed by `(session, cwd)`,
 so the wrong cwd both fails to open it and, where it does open, leaves the live
 frames addressed to nobody. The daemon held the fact all along
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def test_an_unknown_answer_keeps_the_cwd_the_client_has():
 
     The daemon does not vouch for a session the global index has never seen. The
     client's own cwd is then the only candidate and is the right one for a session
-    in the current project — so it is used, but as a fallback rather than being
+    in the current agent — so it is used, but as a fallback rather than being
     written down as if the daemon had said it.
     """
     target = _resume_target_from_resolution(
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def test_an_answer_about_another_session_moves_nobody():
     The answer names its session for exactly this check — the same discipline
     `_task_open_switch` applies at the other end of the round trip. Without it, a
     `/resume A` whose answer never came would let a later `/resume B` drag the
-    host into A's project.
+    host into A's agent.
     """
     assert _resume_target_from_resolution(
         {"session_id": "other", "cwd": "/proj/a"}, "s1", "/host/cwd"
diff --git a/tests/test_app_selector_state.py b/tests/test_app_selector_state.py
index 69c85d15..d59000f2 100644
--- a/tests/test_app_selector_state.py
+++ b/tests/test_app_selector_state.py
@@ -21,14 +21,14 @@ def test_independent_instances(self):
         """Each instance is independent — setting one doesn't affect another."""
         from emrg.client.app import SelectorState
         session_sel = SelectorState()
-        project_sel = SelectorState()
+        agent_sel = SelectorState()
         model_sel = SelectorState()
 
         session_sel.active = True
         session_sel.pending = True
 
-        assert project_sel.active is False
-        assert project_sel.pending is False
+        assert agent_sel.active is False
+        assert agent_sel.pending is False
         assert model_sel.active is False
         assert model_sel.pending is False
 
@@ -64,18 +64,18 @@ def test_three_selectors_different_widget_types(self):
         class SessionSelector:
             pass
 
-        class ProjectSelector:
+        class AgentSelector:
             pass
 
         session_sel = SelectorState()
         session_sel.widget = SessionSelector()
 
-        project_sel = SelectorState()
-        project_sel.widget = ProjectSelector()
+        agent_sel = SelectorState()
+        agent_sel.widget = AgentSelector()
 
         # Each widget type is independent
         assert isinstance(session_sel.widget, SessionSelector)
-        assert isinstance(project_sel.widget, ProjectSelector)
+        assert isinstance(agent_sel.widget, AgentSelector)
 
     def test_pending_flag_independent_from_active(self):
         """pending and active are independent — a selector can be pending without being active."""
diff --git a/tests/test_app_task_session.py b/tests/test_app_task_session.py
index 47bdad68..9e78e044 100644
--- a/tests/test_app_task_session.py
+++ b/tests/test_app_task_session.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 What is testable without a terminal, and why that is enough: the keystroke loop
 in `app.py` needs a TTY (raw mode, SIGWINCH), so a test cannot drive Enter and
 watch the cwd move. What it *can* pin is every decision that branch makes — the
-widget it reads its intent from, the row it reads `project_path`/`session_id`
+widget it reads its intent from, the row it reads `agent_path`/`session_id`
 from, and the predicate that decides whether a task has a session at all. The
 untestable remainder is the wiring between them, which is why the wiring is
 three straight-line statements and the decisions are not.
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@
 def make_task(name: str = "t", **extra) -> dict:
     row = {
         "name": name,
-        "project": "emrg",
-        "project_path": "/Users/x/projects/emrg",
+        "agent": "emrg",
+        "agent_path": "/Users/x/agents/emrg",
         "session_id": "emrg",
         "running": False,
         "interval": 300,
@@ -128,9 +128,9 @@ def test_selected_task_is_none_when_nothing_is_selected():
 # ── the predicate that decides whether a session can be opened ──
 
 
-def test_a_real_row_yields_the_tasks_project_and_session():
+def test_a_real_row_yields_the_tasks_agent_and_session():
     assert _task_session_target(make_task()) == (
-        "/Users/x/projects/emrg",
+        "/Users/x/agents/emrg",
         "emrg",
     )
 
@@ -142,12 +142,12 @@ def test_a_real_row_yields_the_tasks_project_and_session():
         {},
         # A task that has never run: the daemon's status carries no session.
         make_task(session_id=""),
-        make_task(project_path=""),
+        make_task(agent_path=""),
         make_task(session_id=None),
-        make_task(project_path=None),
+        make_task(agent_path=None),
         # Whitespace is not a path either — a cwd of " " would put the history
         # replay somewhere that does not exist.
-        make_task(project_path="   "),
+        make_task(agent_path="   "),
         # Not a dict at all: the row comes off the wire.
         "emrg",
     ],
@@ -163,8 +163,8 @@ def test_a_row_that_cannot_name_a_session_yields_nothing(row):
 
 
 def test_the_cwd_moves_only_for_the_session_the_open_requested():
-    pending = ("/Users/x/projects/emrg", "emrg")
-    assert _task_open_switch(pending, "emrg") == "/Users/x/projects/emrg"
+    pending = ("/Users/x/agents/emrg", "emrg")
+    assert _task_open_switch(pending, "emrg") == "/Users/x/agents/emrg"
 
 
 def test_no_open_means_no_switch():
@@ -175,9 +175,9 @@ def test_no_open_means_no_switch():
 def test_a_stale_open_does_not_ride_along_on_an_unrelated_resume():
     """The case a truthiness check gets wrong: an open whose verdict never arrived
     (connection dropped) is still pending when a different session resumes, and
-    moving the host into that stale project would put every later message and the
+    moving the host into that stale agent would put every later message and the
     history replay in the wrong directory."""
-    stale = ("/Users/x/projects/other", "other")
+    stale = ("/Users/x/agents/other", "other")
     assert _task_open_switch(stale, "s_260917_1200_abcd") is None
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_app_widgets.py b/tests/test_app_widgets.py
index da4b4079..ba57ace5 100644
--- a/tests/test_app_widgets.py
+++ b/tests/test_app_widgets.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Unit tests for app widgets — ProjectSelector and ModelSelector navigation and rendering."""
+"""Unit tests for app widgets — AgentSelector and ModelSelector navigation and rendering."""
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -10,42 +10,42 @@
 pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="app 交互测试依赖 POSIX 终端行为（SIGWINCH/raw mode）")
 
 from emrg.client.python_tui.widgets.base import Line, RenderContext, Span, Widget
-from emrg.client.app import ProjectSelector, ModelSelector
+from emrg.client.app import AgentSelector, ModelSelector
 from emrg.client.widgets import ChatHistory
 
-# ── ProjectSelector tests ──
+# ── AgentSelector tests ──
 
 
-def make_project(name: str, repo: str = "", auto_evolve: bool = False) -> dict:
+def make_agent(name: str, repo: str = "", auto_evolve: bool = False) -> dict:
     return {"name": name, "repo": repo, "path": f"/tmp/{name}", "auto_evolve": auto_evolve}
 
 
-def test_project_selector_empty():
-    """Empty project list renders header only, selected_project_name is None."""
-    ps = ProjectSelector([])
+def test_agent_selector_empty():
+    """Empty agent list renders header only, selected_agent_name is None."""
+    ps = AgentSelector([])
     ctx = RenderContext(width=80)
     lines = ps.render(ctx)
 
     assert len(lines) == 1  # header only
-    assert ps.selected_project_name is None
+    assert ps.selected_agent_name is None
     assert not ps.dirty
 
 
-def test_project_selector_single():
-    """Single project renders with header + project, initial index 0."""
-    ps = ProjectSelector([make_project("foo")])
+def test_agent_selector_single():
+    """Single agent renders with header + agent, initial index 0."""
+    ps = AgentSelector([make_agent("foo")])
     ctx = RenderContext(width=80)
     lines = ps.render(ctx)
 
-    assert len(lines) == 2  # header + 1 project
-    assert ps.selected_project_name == "foo"
+    assert len(lines) == 2  # header + 1 agent
+    assert ps.selected_agent_name == "foo"
     assert not ps.dirty
 
 
-def test_project_selector_navigation():
+def test_agent_selector_navigation():
     """move_up/move_down clamp correctly and mark dirty."""
-    projects = [make_project("a"), make_project("b"), make_project("c")]
-    ps = ProjectSelector(projects)
+    agents = [make_agent("a"), make_agent("b"), make_agent("c")]
+    ps = AgentSelector(agents)
     assert ps.selected_index == 0
 
     ps.move_up()
@@ -59,48 +59,48 @@ def test_project_selector_navigation():
     ps.move_down()
     assert ps.selected_index == 2  # clamped at last
 
-    assert ps.selected_project_name == "c"
+    assert ps.selected_agent_name == "c"
 
 
-def test_project_selector_selected_project_name():
-    """selected_project_name returns the correct name at each index."""
-    projects = [make_project("x"), make_project("y"), make_project("z")]
-    ps = ProjectSelector(projects)
-    assert ps.selected_project_name == "x"
+def test_agent_selector_selected_agent_name():
+    """selected_agent_name returns the correct name at each index."""
+    agents = [make_agent("x"), make_agent("y"), make_agent("z")]
+    ps = AgentSelector(agents)
+    assert ps.selected_agent_name == "x"
 
     ps.selected_index = 2
-    assert ps.selected_project_name == "z"
+    assert ps.selected_agent_name == "z"
 
     ps.selected_index = 99
-    assert ps.selected_project_name is None  # out of bounds
+    assert ps.selected_agent_name is None  # out of bounds
 
 
-def test_project_selector_rendering_indicators():
-    """Project name and repo are shown in the selector."""
-    projects = [
-        make_project("auto", repo="u/auto", auto_evolve=True),
-        make_project("manual", auto_evolve=False),
+def test_agent_selector_rendering_indicators():
+    """Agent name and repo are shown in the selector."""
+    agents = [
+        make_agent("auto", repo="u/auto", auto_evolve=True),
+        make_agent("manual", auto_evolve=False),
     ]
-    ps = ProjectSelector(projects)
+    ps = AgentSelector(agents)
     ctx = RenderContext(width=80)
     lines = ps.render(ctx)
 
-    assert len(lines) == 3  # header + 2 projects
+    assert len(lines) == 3  # header + 2 agents
 
-    # First project: name and repo
+    # First agent: name and repo
     spans_text_0 = "".join(s.text for s in lines[1].spans)
     assert "auto" in spans_text_0
     assert "(u/auto)" in spans_text_0
 
-    # Second project: name, no repo
+    # Second agent: name, no repo
     spans_text_1 = "".join(s.text for s in lines[2].spans)
     assert "manual" in spans_text_1
 
 
-def test_project_selector_selected_highlight():
-    """Selected project has reverse video and '>' prefix."""
-    projects = [make_project("sel"), make_project("unsel")]
-    ps = ProjectSelector(projects)
+def test_agent_selector_selected_highlight():
+    """Selected agent has reverse video and '>' prefix."""
+    agents = [make_agent("sel"), make_agent("unsel")]
+    ps = AgentSelector(agents)
     ctx = RenderContext(width=80)
     lines = ps.render(ctx)
 
@@ -113,9 +113,9 @@ def test_project_selector_selected_highlight():
     assert lines[2].spans[1].style == ctx.style
 
 
-def test_project_selector_dirty_flag():
+def test_agent_selector_dirty_flag():
     """Dirty flag resets after render, set by navigation."""
-    ps = ProjectSelector([make_project("a"), make_project("b")])
+    ps = AgentSelector([make_agent("a"), make_agent("b")])
 
     # Initially dirty
     assert ps.dirty
@@ -133,14 +133,14 @@ def test_project_selector_dirty_flag():
     assert ps.dirty
 
 
-def test_project_selector_no_name_field():
-    """Project without 'name' field shows '?'."""
-    ps = ProjectSelector([{"path": "/tmp/x"}])
+def test_agent_selector_no_name_field():
+    """Agent without 'name' field shows '?'."""
+    ps = AgentSelector([{"path": "/tmp/x"}])
     ctx = RenderContext(width=80)
     lines = ps.render(ctx)
 
     assert "?" in "".join(s.text for s in lines[1].spans)
-    assert ps.selected_project_name == ""  # no name field → ""
+    assert ps.selected_agent_name == ""  # no name field → ""
 
 
 # ── ModelSelector tests ──
@@ -901,9 +901,9 @@ def _rewind_case(count: int = 40):
     return widget, count
 
 
-def _project_case(count: int = 40):
-    from emrg.client.widgets import ProjectSelector
-    return ProjectSelector([make_project(f"proj{i}") for i in range(count)]), count
+def _agent_case(count: int = 40):
+    from emrg.client.widgets import AgentSelector
+    return AgentSelector([make_agent(f"proj{i}") for i in range(count)]), count
 
 
 def _task_case(count: int = 40):
@@ -942,7 +942,7 @@ def _sandbox_case():
 # (builder, rows the terminal gives the widget, rows of chrome the widget declares)
 CASES = [
     pytest.param(_rewind_case, 15, 2, id="rewind"),
-    pytest.param(_project_case, 15, 1, id="project"),
+    pytest.param(_agent_case, 15, 1, id="agent"),
     pytest.param(_task_case, 15, 1, id="task"),
     pytest.param(_model_case, 15, 1, id="model"),
     pytest.param(_command_case, 15, 1, id="command-dropdown"),
diff --git a/tests/test_bash_v2_win32.py b/tests/test_bash_v2_win32.py
index cba50369..600a92bc 100644
--- a/tests/test_bash_v2_win32.py
+++ b/tests/test_bash_v2_win32.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 **Why most of this file runs on macOS.** The Windows *mechanism* — creating the
 restricted token and applying the DACL — needs the Win32 API, so its end-to-end
 measurement is the Windows-only test at the bottom. Everything above that line is
-the layer P4 adds to *this* project and it is ordinary Python, but it is not
+the layer P4 adds to *this* agent and it is ordinary Python, but it is not
 decoration: the capability-SID derivation decides who can write where, the two
 grant lifetimes decide what outlives a session, and the policy→argv rendering
 decides what the runner is even told. A defect in any of them ships silently on
@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@ def test_the_runner_argv_keeps_the_workdir_out_of_sys_path():
 
     The seam spawns this runner with ``cwd`` set to the session's workdir, and
     ``-m`` resolves the module *through* ``sys.path``, whose head is that
-    workdir.  A workdir that is itself an EMRG checkout — this project's own
+    workdir.  A workdir that is itself an EMRG checkout — this agent's own
     flagship session — then answers the import, and because a checkout need not
     carry ``emrg/sandbox`` the runner dies before it has spawned anything; the
     confined run reports it as the caller's command failing.  ``-P`` removes
@@ -1895,7 +1895,7 @@ def test_a_workdir_that_shadows_the_package_does_not_stop_the_runner(tmp_path):
     workdir on ``sys.path`` dies here with
     ``No module named 'emrg.sandbox'`` (exit 1), because the workdir holds an
     ``emrg`` package of its own that resolution finds first.  That is not a
-    hypothetical checkout: it is the ordinary state of this project's own
+    hypothetical checkout: it is the ordinary state of this agent's own
     sessions, and because such a checkout need not carry ``emrg/sandbox`` at all,
     the run loses its boundary and reports the loss as the caller's command
     failing.  The second arm is that failure, asserted rather than described, so
diff --git a/tests/test_bump_version.py b/tests/test_bump_version.py
index 47007a70..11ea4281 100644
--- a/tests/test_bump_version.py
+++ b/tests/test_bump_version.py
@@ -851,7 +851,7 @@ def test_a_directory_with_only_half_the_shape_is_not_a_checkout(
 ):
     """Both markers are required, so a stray base file does not claim the tree.
 
-    The check is a heuristic for "this is a checkout of this project"; requiring
+    The check is a heuristic for "this is a checkout of this agent"; requiring
     both the base source and the scripts directory keeps it from matching, say,
     an extracted copy of the package that happens to sit under a temp dir.
     """
@@ -864,7 +864,7 @@ def test_a_directory_with_only_half_the_shape_is_not_a_checkout(
 
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# the branch the flow prints — a carrier of the project's convention
+# the branch the flow prints — a carrier of the agent's convention
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
@@ -879,7 +879,7 @@ def test_the_printed_next_steps_name_the_release_branch_the_flow_creates(
     the spelling this module printed until then — survives only on branches
     created under the older convention (the newest is ``feature/release-v0.3.0``).
     A cycle that follows the printed line would cut the next release under a name
-    the project stopped using six releases ago.
+    the agent stopped using six releases ago.
 
     Pinned as the *claim* rather than as the sentence: the branch name and the
     absence of the old one, so that re-numbering the steps (a check inserted
diff --git a/tests/test_check_doc_count.py b/tests/test_check_doc_count.py
index 423faded..e5d3b792 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_doc_count.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_doc_count.py
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ def test_guard_failure_names_the_tool_it_points_at(mod, capsys) -> None:
     assert "--measure" in capsys.readouterr().out
 
 
-def test_every_printed_invocation_uses_the_project_runner(mod) -> None:
+def test_every_printed_invocation_uses_the_agent_runner(mod) -> None:
     """A hint that cannot import pytest sends the reader into a second failure.
 
     Measured (cycle cyc20260910-191242, main clone): the canonical form exits 0
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ def test_every_printed_invocation_uses_the_project_runner(mod) -> None:
         prefix = source[max(0, hit.start() - len("uv run --no-sync ")) : hit.start()]
         assert prefix == "uv run --no-sync ", (
             "a hint in scripts/check-doc-count.py spells the invocation without the "
-            f"project runner: ...{source[max(0, hit.start() - 40) : hit.end() + 20]!r}"
+            f"agent runner: ...{source[max(0, hit.start() - 40) : hit.end() + 20]!r}"
         )
 
     doc = (REPO_ROOT / "Agent.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ def test_a_missing_pytest_is_diagnosed_as_an_unsynced_checkout(monkeypatch) -> N
     review worktree the tool printed its own `INVOCATION` as the fix, and running
     that spelling produced byte-identical output, rc 2 - `uv run --no-sync` had
     left an empty `.venv` there and both `python` and `python3` resolve to it, so
-    "use the project interpreter" is a circle. The message must name the
+    "use the agent interpreter" is a circle. The message must name the
     environment instead.
     """
     fresh = _load_module()
diff --git a/tests/test_check_extension_load.py b/tests/test_check_extension_load.py
index 63455f53..18d17036 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_extension_load.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_extension_load.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 The defect this tool exists for is a guard that asserts the **shape** of the macOS
 entitlement and never the **effect** it was added for: a wheel's compiled module
-loading under the bundled interpreter. The cost is not hypothetical — another project
+loading under the bundled interpreter. The cost is not hypothetical — another agent
 on this host carried "no compiled C extension can load here" as an environment fact
 for weeks and worked around it.
 
diff --git a/tests/test_check_gui_package_refs.py b/tests/test_check_gui_package_refs.py
index 6dd52e28..1feaadc5 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_gui_package_refs.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_gui_package_refs.py
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
 SCRIPT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "scripts" / "check-gui-package-refs.py"
 
 
-def _gui_project(tmp_path: Path, *, app_from: str = "../../dist/runtime", icon: str = "../../packaging/assets/icon.png") -> Path:
-    """A GUI project dir shaped like emrg/gui, plus the repo-root products its refs name."""
+def _gui_agent(tmp_path: Path, *, app_from: str = "../../dist/runtime", icon: str = "../../packaging/assets/icon.png") -> Path:
+    """A GUI package dir shaped like emrg/gui, plus the repo-root products its refs name."""
     repo = tmp_path / "repo"
     gui = repo / "emrg" / "gui"
     gui.mkdir(parents=True)
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ def _run(gui: Path, platform: str = "linux") -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]
 
 
 def test_every_reference_resolving_is_a_pass(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
-    gui = _gui_project(tmp_path)
+    gui = _gui_agent(tmp_path)
     done = _run(gui)
     assert done.returncode == 0, done.stdout + done.stderr
     assert "OK: " in done.stdout
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def test_every_reference_resolving_is_a_pass(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
 
 def test_a_reference_one_level_short_is_a_fault(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     """The measured shape: `../dist/runtime` resolves inside emrg/ while the product is at the root."""
-    gui = _gui_project(tmp_path, app_from="../dist/runtime")
+    gui = _gui_agent(tmp_path, app_from="../dist/runtime")
     done = _run(gui)
     assert done.returncode == 1, done.stdout + done.stderr
     # the reading names the place the short path lands (inside emrg/), not just "something is wrong"
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ def test_a_reference_one_level_short_is_a_fault(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
 
 def test_a_platform_block_is_read_only_where_its_build_runs(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     """The mac icons exist on macOS alone (iconutil), so a Linux reading must not fault on them."""
-    gui = _gui_project(tmp_path)
+    gui = _gui_agent(tmp_path)
     (gui.parent.parent / "packaging" / "assets" / "icon.icns").unlink()
     assert _run(gui, platform="linux").returncode == 0
     mac = _run(gui, platform="mac")
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ def test_a_platform_block_is_read_only_where_its_build_runs(tmp_path: Path) -> N
 
 
 def test_an_unreadable_manifest_is_not_a_pass(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
-    gui = _gui_project(tmp_path)
+    gui = _gui_agent(tmp_path)
     (gui / "package.json").write_text("{ not json", encoding="utf-8")
     done = _run(gui)
     assert done.returncode == 2, done.stdout + done.stderr
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ def test_a_manifest_without_build_resources_is_not_a_pass(tmp_path: Path) -> Non
     Uncovered until 2026-10-10 — the second of the guard's two unmeasurable paths, with no
     test reading it.
     """
-    gui = _gui_project(tmp_path)
+    gui = _gui_agent(tmp_path)
     manifest = json.loads((gui / "package.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     del manifest["build"]["directories"]["buildResources"]
     (gui / "package.json").write_text(json.dumps(manifest), encoding="utf-8")
diff --git a/tests/test_check_issue_links.py b/tests/test_check_issue_links.py
index bee610a5..34910f3f 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_issue_links.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_issue_links.py
@@ -1648,7 +1648,7 @@ def _ledger(tmp_path, *timestamps: str):
             json.dumps(
                 {
                     "timestamp": ts,
-                    "project": "emrg",
+                    "agent": "emrg",
                     "status": "pending",
                     "progress": "",
                     "completed": None,
@@ -1786,7 +1786,7 @@ def _completed_row(ts: str, completed: str) -> str:
     return json.dumps(
         {
             "timestamp": ts,
-            "project": "emrg",
+            "agent": "emrg",
             "status": "completed",
             "progress": "",
             "completed": completed,
@@ -1890,7 +1890,7 @@ def test_an_origin_that_cannot_be_ordered_against_the_ledger_says_so(
     rows = [
         {
             "timestamp": RANT_TS,
-            "project": "emrg",
+            "agent": "emrg",
             "status": "completed",
             "progress": "",
             "completed": "2026-09-30T00:00:00+08:00",
@@ -1946,7 +1946,7 @@ def _reversed_order_ledger(tmp_path, count: int = 12):
     rows = [
         {
             "timestamp": f"2026-01-{i + 1:02d}T00:00:00+08:00",
-            "project": "emrg",
+            "agent": "emrg",
             "status": "completed",
             "progress": "",
             "completed": f"2026-12-{count - i:02d}T00:00:00+08:00",
@@ -1991,7 +1991,7 @@ def test_the_premise_the_count_rests_on_is_enforced_by_the_writer(
         json.dumps(
             {
                 "timestamp": "2026-05-01T00:00:00+00:00",
-                "project": "emrg",
+                "agent": "emrg",
                 "status": "in_progress",
                 "progress": "",
                 "completed": None,
@@ -2014,7 +2014,7 @@ def test_the_premise_the_count_rests_on_is_enforced_by_the_writer(
     # *first* — the newest submission and the lowest rank.
     violation = {
         "timestamp": "2026-12-31T00:00:00+00:00",
-        "project": "emrg",
+        "agent": "emrg",
         "status": "completed",
         "progress": "",
         "completed": "2025-01-01T00:00:00+00:00",
@@ -2023,7 +2023,7 @@ def test_the_premise_the_count_rests_on_is_enforced_by_the_writer(
     rows = [
         {
             "timestamp": f"2026-05-{i + 1:02d}T00:00:00+00:00",
-            "project": "emrg",
+            "agent": "emrg",
             "status": "completed",
             "progress": "",
             "completed": f"2026-06-{i + 1:02d}T00:00:00+00:00",
@@ -2123,7 +2123,7 @@ def test_a_completed_row_without_a_stamp_ranks_by_its_submission(
     rows = [
         {
             "timestamp": f"2026-01-{i + 1:02d}T00:00:00+08:00",
-            "project": "emrg",
+            "agent": "emrg",
             "status": "completed",
             "progress": "",
             "completed": None,
@@ -2161,7 +2161,7 @@ def test_a_record_completing_exactly_at_the_citation_counts(
     rows = [
         {
             "timestamp": f"2026-01-{i + 1:02d}T00:00:00+08:00",
-            "project": "emrg",
+            "agent": "emrg",
             "status": "completed",
             "progress": "",
             "completed": cited,
diff --git a/tests/test_check_memory_index.py b/tests/test_check_memory_index.py
index d51b7f86..492c01b7 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_memory_index.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_memory_index.py
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ def test_one_unreadable_subject_makes_the_whole_reading_incomplete(
 
 
 def test_the_default_subject_is_both_levels_the_tree_carries(mod) -> None:
-    """The project's index and one per session, and nothing else."""
+    """The agent's index and one per session, and nothing else."""
     import tempfile
 
     with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as raw:
diff --git a/tests/test_check_memory_rotation.py b/tests/test_check_memory_rotation.py
index ea135d73..c3ce6308 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_memory_rotation.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_memory_rotation.py
@@ -2,33 +2,33 @@
 
 What this file holds
 --------------------
-The tool answers §1.5's step 0 - which registered projects' memory is newer than that
-project's bookmark row - and it exists because two hand-written probes answered it
+The tool answers §1.5's step 0 - which registered agents' memory is newer than that
+agent's bookmark row - and it exists because two hand-written probes answered it
 wrongly while reading as clean (issue #2408). So the assertions here are the three
 halves of "does it answer that question, and can a wrong answer look right":
 
 * **each boundary is read in both states, and they are built from what the tool reads,
   never from a literal** - a file *at* its stamp is `unchanged` and one *after* it is
   `changed`; the file a row was written from, carrying a sub-second fraction, is
-  `unchanged` (a comparison that kept the fraction reported **21 of 23** projects as
-  changed on this host while their rows already named that very file); a project with a
+  `unchanged` (a comparison that kept the fraction reported **21 of 23** agents as
+  changed on this host while their rows already named that very file); a agent with a
   memory root and one without; a path on disk and a path that is gone.
 * **all three key forms the bookmark writes are resolved** - a bare name, a name with a
   parenthetical disambiguator (inside the code span and just after it, because this
-  host's bookmark carries both), and a path suffix. A form the parser drops is a project
+  host's bookmark carries both), and a path suffix. A form the parser drops is a agent
   that leaves the rotation in silence, which is the failure the tool was written for.
 * **a reading that could not be taken is never a pass** - no register, no bookmark, a
-  stamp that does not parse, and a row that matches two projects all answer exit **2**
+  stamp that does not parse, and a row that matches two agents all answer exit **2**
   or exit **1** with the reason named, and `0` is reserved for a reading that covered
-  every project and every row;
+  every agent and every row;
 * **the rotation's third key has a carrier or it is not a key** - a row's reading cycle is
-  found wherever the table puts it and printed beside its project, and a row that records
+  found wherever the table puts it and printed beside its agent, and a row that records
   none is reported as recording none rather than left looking recently read: §1.5 orders the
   rotation by "least recently visited", which no bookmark without that field can answer
   (issue #2525);
 * **a note from an earlier day is re-measured, not repeated** - `no memory root` and
   `path missing` are readings, so a row carrying one the disk now contradicts is a fault
-  rather than a verdict that hides a project for ever.
+  rather than a verdict that hides a agent for ever.
 
 It **measures and never repairs**: one assertion reads the bookmark's bytes before and
 after a run, because a tool that quietly rewrote rows would hide exactly the drift its
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ def _write_memory(root: Path, relative: str, mtime: float) -> Path:
     return path
 
 
-def _projects(path: Path, records: list[dict]) -> Path:
+def _agents(path: Path, records: list[dict]) -> Path:
     """The register, written the way the daemon writes it: every scalar quoted."""
     text = "".join(f"- name: '{r['name']}'\n  path: '{r['path']}'\n" for r in records)
     path.write_text(text, encoding="utf-8")
@@ -95,20 +95,20 @@ def _projects(path: Path, records: list[dict]) -> Path:
 
 def _bookmark(path: Path, rows: list[tuple[str, str]]) -> Path:
     """A bookmark with a title, the table's two header lines, and one row per pair."""
-    lines = ["# Bookmark", "", "| project | newest read | files |", "| --- | --- | --- |"]
+    lines = ["# Bookmark", "", "| agent | newest read | files |", "| --- | --- | --- |"]
     lines += [f"| {key} | {value} | 0 |" for key, value in rows]
     path.write_text("\n".join(lines) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
     return path
 
 
-def _reading(mod, tmp_path: Path, projects: list[dict], rows: list[tuple[str, str]]):
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", projects)
+def _reading(mod, tmp_path: Path, agents: list[dict], rows: list[tuple[str, str]]):
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", agents)
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", rows)
     return mod.read(register, book)
 
 
 def _root(tmp_path: Path, name: str) -> str:
-    root = tmp_path / "projects" / name
+    root = tmp_path / "agents" / name
     root.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     return str(root)
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ def test_a_sub_second_fraction_does_not_re_flag_the_file_its_row_was_written_fro
     """The row is written from `stat`'s second-precision `%Sm`; the file keeps a fraction.
 
     This is the defect the tool was written against: a comparison that kept the fraction
-    reported 21 of 23 projects as changed on this host while their rows already named the
+    reported 21 of 23 agents as changed on this host while their rows already named the
     very files it was reporting.
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "fraction")
@@ -167,23 +167,23 @@ def test_the_newest_of_several_is_the_one_named(mod, tmp_path):
     assert reading["states"][0]["newest"]["path"] == str(newest)
 
 
-def test_the_bookmark_does_not_count_as_memory_of_the_project_that_holds_it(mod, tmp_path):
+def test_the_bookmark_does_not_count_as_memory_of_the_agent_that_holds_it(mod, tmp_path):
     """The clock is not a subject: the bookmark sits under the memory root it scans.
 
-    On this host the bookmark lives under the evolution project's own memory root, so a scan
-    that counted it made that project's row permanently stale — measured in the cycle that
+    On this host the bookmark lives under the evolution agent's own memory root, so a scan
+    that counted it made that agent's row permanently stale — measured in the cycle that
     filed issue #2422: a row written at `22:01:14` read as changed at `00:09:25`, naming the
-    bookmark itself. Here the project's memory file is older than its row and the bookmark
-    newer, so the bookmark is the only file that could make the project look changed.
+    bookmark itself. Here the agent's memory file is older than its row and the bookmark
+    newer, so the bookmark is the only file that could make the agent look changed.
     """
     root = Path(_root(tmp_path, "holder"))
     _write_memory(root, ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "holder", "path": str(root)}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "holder", "path": str(root)}])
     book = _bookmark(root / ".emrg/memory/bookmark.md", [("`holder`", BASE)])
     os.utime(book, (_stamp(mod, 60), _stamp(mod, 60)))
     reading = mod.read(register, book)
     assert reading["states"][0]["state"] == "unchanged", reading["states"][0]
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 0
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 0
 
 
 def test_a_memory_file_newer_than_the_row_still_reads_changed_beside_the_bookmark(mod, tmp_path):
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ def test_a_memory_file_newer_than_the_row_still_reads_changed_beside_the_bookmar
     """
     root = Path(_root(tmp_path, "holder-with-news"))
     newer = _write_memory(root, ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 60))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml",
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml",
                          [{"name": "holder-with-news", "path": str(root)}])
     book = _bookmark(root / ".emrg/memory/bookmark.md", [("`holder-with-news`", BASE)])
     os.utime(book, (_stamp(mod, 30), _stamp(mod, 30)))
@@ -207,8 +207,8 @@ def test_a_row_stamped_later_than_the_clock_is_unmeasurable(mod, tmp_path, monke
     """A row stamped after the reading refuses, because it would keep every file for ever.
 
     `newest_memory` keeps the files strictly newer than the row's instant, so a row stamped
-    later than the clock keeps *nothing*: its project reads `unchanged`, and a bookmark with
-    a row for every project prints "every project is at or before its stamp" and exits 0 —
+    later than the clock keeps *nothing*: its agent reads `unchanged`, and a bookmark with
+    a row for every agent prints "every agent is at or before its stamp" and exits 0 —
     the silently-forever failure the module docstring already catalogues for the ISO `T`
     form and for the sub-second comparison, with a stamp that parses. Measured in the cycle
     that filed issue #2421: rows stamped `2099-01-01 00:00:00` answered `changed since their
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ def test_a_row_stamped_later_than_the_clock_is_unmeasurable(mod, tmp_path, monke
     taken = datetime.strptime(BASE, mod.STAMP_FORMAT)
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "now", lambda: taken)
     ahead = (taken + timedelta(seconds=1)).strftime(mod.STAMP_FORMAT)
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "ahead", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "ahead", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "ahead.md", [("`ahead`", ahead)])
     with pytest.raises(mod.Unmeasurable) as excinfo:
         mod.read(register, book)
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ def test_a_row_stamped_later_than_the_clock_is_unmeasurable(mod, tmp_path, monke
     assert ahead in message, message
     assert taken.strftime(mod.STAMP_FORMAT) in message, message
     assert "ahead" in message, message
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 2
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 2
 
 
 def test_a_row_stamped_at_the_clock_is_read_normally(mod, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
@@ -246,17 +246,17 @@ def test_a_row_stamped_at_the_clock_is_read_normally(mod, tmp_path, monkeypatch)
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
     taken = datetime.strptime(BASE, mod.STAMP_FORMAT)
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "now", lambda: taken)
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "at-the-clock", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "at-the-clock", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "at.md", [("`at-the-clock`", BASE)])
     reading = mod.read(register, book)
     assert reading["states"][0]["state"] == "unchanged"
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 0
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 0
 
 
-def test_a_project_with_no_memory_root_and_one_whose_path_is_gone(mod, tmp_path):
+def test_a_agent_with_no_memory_root_and_one_whose_path_is_gone(mod, tmp_path):
     """Two states that are not a time: neither can be ordered against an mtime."""
     bare = _root(tmp_path, "bare")
-    gone = str(tmp_path / "projects" / "gone")
+    gone = str(tmp_path / "agents" / "gone")
     reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path,
                        [{"name": "bare", "path": bare}, {"name": "gone", "path": gone}],
                        [("`bare`", "no memory root"), ("`gone`", "path missing (gone from disk)")])
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ def test_a_project_with_no_memory_root_and_one_whose_path_is_gone(mod, tmp_path)
 
 def test_a_note_the_disk_contradicts_is_a_fault_in_both_directions(mod, tmp_path):
     """A row may carry `no memory root` / `path missing` instead of a stamp - and those are
-    readings from a day, not properties. Repeating a note would hide a project that started
+    readings from a day, not properties. Repeating a note would hide a agent that started
     writing memory or came back on disk, for ever: the class of stale-past-state defect the
     sub-second comparison belongs to as well. Each direction is asserted, and each is
     asserted where the note is still *true* too, so the fault cannot fire unconditionally.
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ def test_a_note_the_disk_contradicts_is_a_fault_in_both_directions(mod, tmp_path
     _write_memory(Path(now_memory), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
     still_bare = _root(tmp_path, "still-bare")
     back = _root(tmp_path, "back")
-    still_gone = str(tmp_path / "projects" / "still-gone")
+    still_gone = str(tmp_path / "agents" / "still-gone")
 
     reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path,
                        [{"name": "now-memory", "path": now_memory},
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ def test_a_note_the_disk_contradicts_is_a_fault_in_both_directions(mod, tmp_path
 
 
 def test_an_empty_memory_directory_is_nothing_to_read(mod, tmp_path):
-    """A directory is not a reading: three projects on this host carry an empty
+    """A directory is not a reading: three agents on this host carry an empty
     `.emrg/sessions/*/memory/`, and counting the directory reported all three as
     contradicting their `no memory root` note while nothing was there to read."""
     empty = _root(tmp_path, "empty-root")
@@ -313,12 +313,12 @@ def test_an_empty_memory_directory_is_nothing_to_read(mod, tmp_path):
 
 
 def test_all_three_key_forms_the_bookmark_writes_resolve(mod, tmp_path):
-    """A bare name, a parenthetical that separates two same-named projects, a path suffix.
+    """A bare name, a parenthetical that separates two same-named agents, a path suffix.
 
     The middle form is asserted in **both** spellings, because this host's bookmark
     carries both: the disambiguator inside the code span (`aitokenpool (github)`) and just
     after it (`1` (Downloads/1)). A parser that insisted on one dropped the other row and
-    reported its project as never visited.
+    reported its agent as never visited.
     """
     git = _root(tmp_path, "github/aitokenpool")
     lab = _root(tmp_path, "gitlab.xinluex.com/shaoaq/aitokenpool")
@@ -326,13 +326,13 @@ def test_all_three_key_forms_the_bookmark_writes_resolve(mod, tmp_path):
     download = _root(tmp_path, "Downloads/1")
     for root in (git, lab, mem, download):
         _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
-    projects = [
+    agents = [
         {"name": "aitokenpool", "path": git},
         {"name": "aitokenpool", "path": lab},
         {"name": "mem", "path": mem},
         {"name": "1", "path": download},
     ]
-    reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path, projects, [
+    reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path, agents, [
         ("`aitokenpool` (github)", BASE),          # a name, hint inside the span
         ("`gitlab/shaoaq/aitokenpool`", BASE),     # a path suffix, same name as the first
         ("`gitlab/shaoaq/mem`", BASE),             # a path suffix for an unambiguous name
@@ -346,11 +346,11 @@ def test_all_three_key_forms_the_bookmark_writes_resolve(mod, tmp_path):
     assert reading["faults"] == [], reading["faults"]
 
 
-def test_a_project_whose_name_looks_numeric_still_matches_its_row(mod, tmp_path):
+def test_a_agent_whose_name_looks_numeric_still_matches_its_row(mod, tmp_path):
     """Machine-written YAML hands `1` over as an `int`, and the row writes it as text.
 
-    Left as the loader found it, the comparison is `int == str` and answers no: the project
-    reads as never visited while its row sits in the file. This host registers a project by
+    Left as the loader found it, the comparison is `int == str` and answers no: the agent
+    reads as never visited while its row sits in the file. This host registers a agent by
     exactly that name.
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "numeric")
@@ -364,14 +364,14 @@ def test_a_project_whose_name_looks_numeric_still_matches_its_row(mod, tmp_path)
     assert reading["faults"] == []
 
 
-def test_a_bare_name_shared_by_two_projects_is_reported_rather_than_guessed(mod, tmp_path):
-    """Two projects, one name, one bare row: which was read is a judgement, not a match."""
+def test_a_bare_name_shared_by_two_agents_is_reported_rather_than_guessed(mod, tmp_path):
+    """Two agents, one name, one bare row: which was read is a judgement, not a match."""
     one, two = _root(tmp_path, "one"), _root(tmp_path, "two")
     reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path,
                        [{"name": "twin", "path": one}, {"name": "twin", "path": two}],
                        [("`twin`", BASE)])
     assert len(reading["faults"]) == 3, reading["faults"]      # ambiguous row + two unrowed
-    assert any("names 2 projects" in f for f in reading["faults"])
+    assert any("names 2 agents" in f for f in reading["faults"])
     assert sum(1 for f in reading["faults"] if "never been visited" in f) == 2
 
 # -------------------------------------------------------- measuring, and never a pass
@@ -381,10 +381,10 @@ def test_a_row_is_found_in_a_table_of_any_width(mod, tmp_path):
     """§1.5 fixes what a row states, not how many columns the table lays it out in.
 
     This installation writes three cells (`| `name` | stamp | files |`); another writes
-    four (`| project | path | stamp | read by |`), and three cells was the whole of the
+    four (`| agent | path | stamp | read by |`), and three cells was the whole of the
     pattern an earlier revision matched on. Measured against a four-column bookmark, that
-    pattern read **0 rows**, so every project came back `no bookmark row` and the report
-    said "every project is at or before its stamp" - a false statement about live data,
+    pattern read **0 rows**, so every agent came back `no bookmark row` and the report
+    said "every agent is at or before its stamp" - a false statement about live data,
     where the shape is exactly what the repository has twice refused to answer (#2275,
     #2277: *could not read* narrowed into *read as empty*). Both files must read alike.
     """
@@ -392,17 +392,17 @@ def test_a_row_is_found_in_a_table_of_any_width(mod, tmp_path):
     narrow = _root(tmp_path, "narrow")
     for root in (wide, narrow):
         _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 60))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [
         {"name": "wide", "path": wide}, {"name": "narrow", "path": narrow}])
 
     # The same two rows, in the two tables the two installations write. The wide one puts
-    # the project's path and the reading cycle on either side of the stamp, so a reader
+    # the agent's path and the reading cycle on either side of the stamp, so a reader
     # that counted cells would take the path for the value.
     narrow_book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "narrow.md", [("`wide`", BASE), ("`narrow`", BASE)])
     wide_book = tmp_path / "wide.md"
     wide_book.write_text("\n".join([
         "# Bookmark", "",
-        "| project | path | newest | read by |",
+        "| agent | path | newest | read by |",
         "| --- | --- | --- | --- |",
         f"| `wide` | {wide} | {BASE} (`MEMORY.md`) | cyc20261020-141450 |",
         f"| `narrow` | {narrow} | {BASE} | cyc20261020-141450 |",
@@ -421,13 +421,13 @@ def test_a_row_is_found_in_a_table_of_any_width(mod, tmp_path):
 def test_a_row_that_carries_no_stamp_is_unmeasurable_rather_than_dropped(mod, tmp_path):
     """The other half: a table this reader cannot read must not answer as an empty one.
 
-    With the rows located by shape, the remaining failure is a row that names its project
+    With the rows located by shape, the remaining failure is a row that names its agent
     in a code span and then carries neither a stamp nor a note in any cell. Dropping it
-    would report that project as never visited while its row sits in the file - the
+    would report that agent as never visited while its row sits in the file - the
     original defect - so it is exit 2, and the message names the line it could not read.
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "unreadable")
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "unreadable", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "unreadable", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", [("`unreadable`", "read on Tuesday")])
     with pytest.raises(mod.Unmeasurable) as excinfo:
         mod.read(register, book)
@@ -439,18 +439,18 @@ def test_a_row_that_carries_no_stamp_is_unmeasurable_rather_than_dropped(mod, tm
 def test_a_header_written_with_a_code_span_is_not_a_body_row(mod, tmp_path):
     """The rows are located by shape, so the header is the one shape that must not qualify.
 
-    A table may label its columns with code spans (`| `project` | `newest` |`), and read as a
+    A table may label its columns with code spans (`| `agent` | `newest` |`), and read as a
     body row that header would ask for a stamp the header does not carry - turning a
     readable bookmark into an unmeasurable one. Markdown decides a header by the separator
     under it, which is what this pins, and the body rows beneath it still read.
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "spanned")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 60))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "spanned", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "spanned", "path": root}])
     book = tmp_path / "bookmark.md"
     book.write_text("\n".join([
         "# Bookmark", "",
-        "| `project` | `newest` | `files` |",
+        "| `agent` | `newest` | `files` |",
         "| --- | --- | --- |",
         f"| `spanned` | {BASE} | 0 |",
     ]) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
@@ -461,19 +461,19 @@ def test_a_header_written_with_a_code_span_is_not_a_body_row(mod, tmp_path):
 
 
 def test_a_bookmark_in_another_shape_is_unmeasurable_rather_than_empty(mod, tmp_path):
-    """The shape §1.5's prose asks for - "one line per project" - is not a table.
+    """The shape §1.5's prose asks for - "one line per agent" - is not a table.
 
     Nothing in that sentence says markdown table with a code span in the first cell, so a
     cycle that follows it writes a file this reader cannot parse. Read as an empty bookmark
-    that file produces one "never been visited" fault per project (exit 1), whose remedy is
+    that file produces one "never been visited" fault per agent (exit 1), whose remedy is
     to re-read all of them — the opposite of the truth, which is that the bookmark's shape
     needs fixing. Measured on this host in the cycle that filed issue #2419: a bullet-list
-    bookmark and a prose-only bookmark both answered `0 row(s)` with a fault per project.
+    bookmark and a prose-only bookmark both answered `0 row(s)` with a fault per agent.
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "unlisted")
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "unlisted", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "unlisted", "path": root}])
     for shape, text in (
-            ("one line per project",
+            ("one line per agent",
              f"# Rotation bookmark\n\n- `unlisted` {BASE} (cyc20261020-214924)\n"),
             ("prose only", "# Rotation bookmark\n\nNothing has been read yet.\n")):
         book = tmp_path / f"{shape.replace(' ', '-')}.md"
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ def test_a_bookmark_in_another_shape_is_unmeasurable_rather_than_empty(mod, tmp_
         assert "never visited" in message, shape
 
 
-def test_a_body_row_that_names_its_project_in_no_code_span_is_unmeasurable(mod, tmp_path):
+def test_a_body_row_that_names_its_agent_in_no_code_span_is_unmeasurable(mod, tmp_path):
     """The same silence one level in: a real table whose keys are written plainly.
 
     `KEY_CELL` requires the span, so such a row was skipped by the loop with no record
@@ -494,11 +494,11 @@ def test_a_body_row_that_names_its_project_in_no_code_span_is_unmeasurable(mod,
     refusals are the same defect - a shape the reader does not know answered as an absence.
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "plain")
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "plain", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "plain", "path": root}])
     book = tmp_path / "bookmark.md"
     book.write_text("\n".join([
         "# Bookmark", "",
-        "| project | newest read | files |",
+        "| agent | newest read | files |",
         "| --- | --- | --- |",
         f"| plain | {BASE} | 0 |",
     ]) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ def test_a_body_row_that_names_its_project_in_no_code_span_is_unmeasurable(mod,
     assert "line 5" in message and "| plain |" in message
 
 
-def test_a_bookmark_that_really_is_empty_still_reports_every_project_never_visited(mod, tmp_path):
+def test_a_bookmark_that_really_is_empty_still_reports_every_agent_never_visited(mod, tmp_path):
     """The control for the arm above: the same `0 row(s)`, and the honest answer.
 
     A header and no body rows is a first-ever bookmark, so "never been visited" is true
@@ -519,11 +519,11 @@ def test_a_bookmark_that_really_is_empty_still_reports_every_project_never_visit
     rotation would never start.
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "fresh")
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "fresh", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "fresh", "path": root}])
     book = tmp_path / "bookmark.md"
     book.write_text("\n".join([
         "# Bookmark", "",
-        "| project | newest read | files |",
+        "| agent | newest read | files |",
         "| --- | --- | --- |",
     ]) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
     reading = mod.read(register, book)
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ def test_a_bookmark_that_really_is_empty_still_reports_every_project_never_visit
     assert "never been visited" in reading["faults"][0]
 
 
-def test_a_project_with_no_row_is_a_fault_and_is_reported_as_never_visited(mod, tmp_path):
+def test_a_agent_with_no_row_is_a_fault_and_is_reported_as_never_visited(mod, tmp_path):
     root = _root(tmp_path, "unrowded")
     reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path, [{"name": "unrowded", "path": root}], [])
     assert reading["states"][0]["state"] == "no bookmark row"
@@ -541,12 +541,12 @@ def test_a_project_with_no_row_is_a_fault_and_is_reported_as_never_visited(mod,
     assert "never been visited" in reading["faults"][0]
 
 
-def test_a_row_that_names_no_project_is_a_fault(mod, tmp_path):
+def test_a_row_that_names_no_agent_is_a_fault(mod, tmp_path):
     root = _root(tmp_path, "kept")
     reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path, [{"name": "kept", "path": root}],
                        [("`kept`", BASE), ("`ghost`", BASE)])
     assert len(reading["faults"]) == 1
-    assert "names no registered project" in reading["faults"][0]
+    assert "names no registered agent" in reading["faults"][0]
 
 
 def test_a_stamp_that_does_not_parse_is_unmeasurable_never_unchanged(mod, tmp_path):
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ def test_a_stamp_that_does_not_parse_is_unmeasurable_never_unchanged(mod, tmp_pa
 
 def test_no_register_and_no_bookmark_are_unmeasurable(mod, tmp_path):
     for subject in ("register", "bookmark"):
-        register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "x", "path": str(tmp_path)}])
+        register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "x", "path": str(tmp_path)}])
         book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", [("`x`", BASE)])
         if subject == "register":
             register.unlink()
@@ -570,14 +570,14 @@ def test_no_register_and_no_bookmark_are_unmeasurable(mod, tmp_path):
             book.unlink()
         with pytest.raises(mod.Unmeasurable) as excinfo:
             mod.read(register, book)
-        assert "no project register" in str(excinfo.value) or "no bookmark" in str(excinfo.value)
+        assert "no agent register" in str(excinfo.value) or "no bookmark" in str(excinfo.value)
 
 
 def test_the_bookmark_is_not_rewritten(mod, tmp_path):
     """It measures and never repairs: the bytes are the same after a run."""
     root = _root(tmp_path, "stable")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 4))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "stable", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "stable", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", [("`stable`", BASE)])
     before = book.read_bytes()
     mod.read(register, book)
@@ -592,10 +592,10 @@ def test_both_subjects_are_named_before_any_verdict(mod, tmp_path):
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 2))
     reading = _reading(mod, tmp_path, [{"name": "named", "path": root}], [("`named`", BASE)])
     lines = mod.render(reading, False).splitlines()
-    assert lines[0].startswith("projects: ") and str(tmp_path) in lines[0]
+    assert lines[0].startswith("agents: ") and str(tmp_path) in lines[0]
     assert lines[1].startswith("bookmark: ") and "1 row(s)" in lines[1]
     assert "changed since their bookmark: 1" in lines[2]
-    assert "coverage: every project has a row" in "\n".join(lines)
+    assert "coverage: every agent has a row" in "\n".join(lines)
 
 
 def test_an_empty_reading_says_zero_rather_than_printing_nothing(mod, tmp_path):
@@ -610,25 +610,25 @@ def test_the_exit_codes_are_0_1_and_2_and_2_is_never_a_pass(mod, tmp_path):
     """The contract a caller reads: clean, a coverage fault, unmeasurable."""
     root = _root(tmp_path, "codes")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "codes", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "codes", "path": root}])
     clean = _bookmark(tmp_path / "clean.md", [("`codes`", BASE)])
     faulty = _bookmark(tmp_path / "faulty.md", [("`codes`", BASE), ("`ghost`", BASE)])
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(clean)]) == 0
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(faulty)]) == 1
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(tmp_path / "absent.yml"),
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(clean)]) == 0
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(faulty)]) == 1
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(tmp_path / "absent.yml"),
                      "--bookmark", str(clean)]) == 2
 
 
 def test_json_is_one_document_that_names_its_subjects(mod, tmp_path, capsys):
     root = _root(tmp_path, "documented")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 1))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "documented", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "documented", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", [("`documented`", BASE)])
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book), "--json"]) == 0
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(book), "--json"]) == 0
     document = json.loads(capsys.readouterr().out)
-    assert document["project_count"] == 1
+    assert document["agent_count"] == 1
     assert document["states"][0]["state"] == "changed"
-    assert document["projects_file"] == str(register)
+    assert document["agents_file"] == str(register)
 
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- its structure
@@ -643,7 +643,7 @@ def _sectioned(path: Path, rows: list[tuple[str, str]], sections: int) -> Path:
     lines = ["# Bookmark", ""]
     for n in range(sections):
         lines += [f"{SECTION}-{n}", "", "one line of narration", ""]
-    lines += ["| project | newest read | files |", "| --- | --- | --- |"]
+    lines += ["| agent | newest read | files |", "| --- | --- | --- |"]
     lines += [f"| {key} | {value} | 0 |" for key, value in rows]
     path.write_text("\n".join(lines) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
     return path
@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@ def test_a_second_cycle_section_is_a_fault_the_rows_cannot_show(mod, tmp_path):
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "growing")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "growing", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "growing", "path": root}])
     one = _sectioned(tmp_path / "one.md", [("`growing`", BASE)], 1)
     two = _sectioned(tmp_path / "two.md", [("`growing`", BASE)], 2)
 
@@ -677,8 +677,8 @@ def test_a_second_cycle_section_is_a_fault_the_rows_cannot_show(mod, tmp_path):
     assert "2 cycle sections" in doubled["structure"][0]
 
     assert "structure faults: 1" in mod.render(doubled, False)
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(two)]) == 1
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(one)]) == 0
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(two)]) == 1
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(one)]) == 0
 
 
 def test_one_cycle_section_is_the_contract_and_none_is_legitimate(mod, tmp_path):
@@ -691,11 +691,11 @@ def test_one_cycle_section_is_the_contract_and_none_is_legitimate(mod, tmp_path)
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "shapes")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "shapes", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "shapes", "path": root}])
     bare = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bare.md", [("`shapes`", BASE)])
     noted = tmp_path / "noted.md"
     noted.write_text("# Bookmark\n\n## Notes\n\n- the qualifier matters\n\n"
-                     "| project | newest read | files |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n"
+                     "| agent | newest read | files |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n"
                      f"| `shapes` | {BASE} | 0 |\n", encoding="utf-8")
 
     for path in (bare, noted):
@@ -703,7 +703,7 @@ def test_one_cycle_section_is_the_contract_and_none_is_legitimate(mod, tmp_path)
         assert reading["structure"] == [], (path.name, reading["structure"])
         assert reading["cycle_sections"] == 0, path.name
         assert "structure: 0 cycle section(s)" in mod.render(reading, False), path.name
-        assert mod.main(["--projects", str(register), "--bookmark", str(path)]) == 0
+        assert mod.main(["--agents", str(register), "--bookmark", str(path)]) == 0
 
 
 def test_a_bookmark_truncated_at_its_section_is_diagnosed_as_truncation(mod, tmp_path):
@@ -715,7 +715,7 @@ def test_a_bookmark_truncated_at_its_section_is_diagnosed_as_truncation(mod, tmp
     remedies, so the section-carrying case gets its own sentence, and the table-less file
     with no section keeps the original one.
     """
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "cut", "path": str(tmp_path)}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "cut", "path": str(tmp_path)}])
     cut = tmp_path / "cut.md"
     cut.write_text(f"# Bookmark\n\n{SECTION}\n\nthe rewrite stopped here\n", encoding="utf-8")
     with pytest.raises(mod.Unmeasurable) as excinfo:
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ def _bookmark_with_read_by(path: Path, rows: list[tuple[str, str, str]]) -> Path
     writer rather than a changed one.
     """
     lines = ["# Bookmark", "",
-             "| project | newest read | files | read by |",
+             "| agent | newest read | files | read by |",
              "| --- | --- | --- | --- |"]
     lines += [f"| {key} | {value} | 0 | {cycle} |" for key, value, cycle in rows]
     path.write_text("\n".join(lines) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
@@ -754,12 +754,12 @@ def _bookmark_with_read_by(path: Path, rows: list[tuple[str, str, str]]) -> Path
 def test_a_row_that_records_its_reading_cycle_is_reported_with_it(mod, tmp_path):
     """A bookmark that records the cycle and a report that drops it is the same as neither.
 
-    §1.5 orders the rotation by "least recently visited" once the changed projects are
+    §1.5 orders the rotation by "least recently visited" once the changed agents are
     taken, so the field is the only carrier that key has (issue #2525).
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "cycled")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "projects.yml", [{"name": "cycled", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "cycled", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark_with_read_by(tmp_path / "book.md", [("`cycled`", BASE, "cyc20261020-141450")])
     reading = mod.read(register, book)
     assert [s["read_by"] for s in reading["states"]] == ["cyc20261020-141450"]
@@ -790,7 +790,7 @@ def test_a_cell_that_only_resembles_a_cycle_is_not_read_as_one(mod, tmp_path):
     right width, or nothing. A near miss must not become an ordering key."""
     root = _root(tmp_path, "almost")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod))
-    register = _projects(tmp_path / "projects.yml", [{"name": "almost", "path": root}])
+    register = _agents(tmp_path / "agents.yml", [{"name": "almost", "path": root}])
     for near_miss in ("cyc2026102-14145", "cyc20261020-1414", "cyc20261020-1414500",
                       "cycle 20261020-141450", "2026-10-20 14:14:50"):
         book = _bookmark_with_read_by(tmp_path / "book.md", [("`almost`", BASE, near_miss)])
@@ -817,10 +817,10 @@ def test_the_default_reads_the_registers_old_name_while_the_move_is_pending(
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 3))
     # `agents.yml` is never created: the move has not happened on this host yet.
     new_name = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    legacy = _projects(tmp_path / "projects.yml", [{"name": "pending", "path": root}])
+    legacy = _agents(tmp_path / "projects.yml", [{"name": "pending", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", [("`pending`", BASE)])
-    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_PROJECTS", str(new_name))
-    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "LEGACY_PROJECTS", str(legacy))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_AGENTS", str(new_name))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "LEGACY_AGENTS", str(legacy))
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_BOOKMARK", str(book))
 
     assert mod.main([]) == 0
@@ -842,13 +842,13 @@ def test_an_explicit_register_is_never_second_guessed(mod, tmp_path, monkeypatch
     """
     root = _root(tmp_path, "explicit")
     _write_memory(Path(root), ".emrg/memory/MEMORY.md", _stamp(mod, 1))
-    decoy = _projects(tmp_path / "projects.yml", [{"name": "decoy", "path": root}])
-    wanted = _projects(tmp_path / "named-by-caller.yml", [{"name": "explicit", "path": root}])
+    decoy = _agents(tmp_path / "projects.yml", [{"name": "decoy", "path": root}])
+    wanted = _agents(tmp_path / "named-by-caller.yml", [{"name": "explicit", "path": root}])
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", [("`explicit`", BASE)])
-    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_PROJECTS", str(tmp_path / "agents.yml"))
-    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "LEGACY_PROJECTS", str(decoy))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_AGENTS", str(tmp_path / "agents.yml"))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "LEGACY_AGENTS", str(decoy))
 
-    assert mod.main(["--projects", str(wanted), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 0
+    assert mod.main(["--agents", str(wanted), "--bookmark", str(book)]) == 0
 
     captured = capsys.readouterr()
     assert str(wanted) in captured.out.splitlines()[0]
@@ -860,8 +860,8 @@ def test_with_neither_name_the_reading_is_unmeasurable_never_a_pass(
 ):
     """The fallback is not a way to manufacture a reading out of nothing."""
     book = _bookmark(tmp_path / "bookmark.md", [("`gone`", BASE)])
-    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_PROJECTS", str(tmp_path / "agents.yml"))
-    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "LEGACY_PROJECTS", str(tmp_path / "projects.yml"))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_AGENTS", str(tmp_path / "agents.yml"))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "LEGACY_AGENTS", str(tmp_path / "projects.yml"))
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "DEFAULT_BOOKMARK", str(book))
 
     assert mod.main([]) == 2
@@ -870,3 +870,30 @@ def test_with_neither_name_the_reading_is_unmeasurable_never_a_pass(
     assert "not measurable" in captured.err
     assert "does not exist yet" not in captured.err
 
+
+# ------------------------------------------------ the bookmark's name, which no code moves
+
+
+def test_the_bookmark_default_names_the_file_this_installation_writes(mod):
+    """The register's name **moves**; the bookmark's does not, and the default must say so.
+
+    Nothing above catches this. Every test in this file replaces `DEFAULT_BOOKMARK` with a
+    file under `tmp_path`, so the default's own value is read by no test and a wrong one is
+    green everywhere - measured on the branch that renamed the register, where the same
+    pass translated this constant too and the whole suite stayed green.
+
+    What a wrong value costs is not a failing test but a stopped clock: step 0 is the step
+    that is never skipped, and its answer becomes `not measurable` on every cycle from the
+    merge onwards, because the file the constant then names is created by nothing. The
+    register is the mirror image and stays correct *because* something moves it
+    (`emrg.config` migrates the file), which is why its new name is right and this one is
+    not. So the pin is the requirement: the basename is host state, preserved verbatim
+    until a change in this tree actually renames that file.
+    """
+    assert mod.DEFAULT_BOOKMARK.endswith(
+        "/.emrg/memory/project-memory-rotation-bookmark.md"
+    ), (
+        "the bookmark's basename is host state: no code in this tree renames that file, so a "
+        "renamed constant points at nothing and step 0 answers `not measurable` every cycle"
+    )
+
diff --git a/tests/test_check_merge_freshness.py b/tests/test_check_merge_freshness.py
index bcac612e..f775f65a 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_merge_freshness.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_merge_freshness.py
@@ -1186,7 +1186,7 @@ def test_no_function_has_an_unused_parameter() -> None:
 # rebase it)" - and the second half cannot be done: a rebase of a branch whose
 # head is already on the remote rewrites the commits the remote holds, so
 # `git push` is refused as non-fast-forward and the only way to publish one is a
-# force-push, which this project forbids ("NEVER force-push over an existing
+# force-push, which this agent forbids ("NEVER force-push over an existing
 # remote branch", `emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md`). Measured 2026-09-19
 # (`cyc20260919-065231`) on `#1404`: the rebase was rejected exactly so, while
 # merging master in and pushing the same tree moved the head cleanly; every
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ def test_no_carrier_offers_a_rebase_as_the_refresh_route(mod, monkeypatch, capsy
     assert "nothing to void" in err, "the verdict under test is the one that names the route"
     assert _rebase_offers(err) == [], (
         "the refresh must be published by pushing a merge: a rebase of a pushed branch "
-        "cannot be pushed back without a force-push, which this project forbids"
+        "cannot be pushed back without a force-push, which this agent forbids"
     )
     assert "git push" in err, "the route named must carry the step that moves the head"
 
diff --git a/tests/test_check_merge_plan_suite.py b/tests/test_check_merge_plan_suite.py
index 065bd13b..55e1fcdd 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_merge_plan_suite.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_merge_plan_suite.py
@@ -884,7 +884,7 @@ def test_the_note_names_a_main_checkout_that_exists(mod) -> None:
     which is the main worktree on every invocation (measured: the same first line from
     the main tree and from a linked one). Asserted against this repository - the tests
     run in it - so the pinned fact is "the lookup answers with a checkout that has this
-    project in it", not a spelling.
+    agent in it", not a spelling.
     """
     found = mod._main_worktree()
     assert found is not None, "git could not name the main worktree"
@@ -988,7 +988,7 @@ def test_the_run_does_not_hand_the_suite_the_callers_dirty_tree_override(
 
     `EMRG_TASK_DIRTY_OVERRIDE` is the evolution cycle's own escape hatch: a cycle
     whose tree is dirty exports it to keep working, and `scheduler.py` reads it from
-    the environment. The suite observes it through the *real* project, not through
+    the environment. The suite observes it through the *real* agent, not through
     the worktree, so four `tests/test_scheduler.py` dirty-tree tests assert the
     unoverridden verdict and fail when the variable is present. Measured 2026-09-17
     (`cyc20260917-142057`): a plan run from a dirty caller tree with the override
@@ -1424,7 +1424,7 @@ def test_an_interpreter_without_pytest_is_not_a_red_tree(
     assert "suite FAILED" not in captured.out
     assert "could not measure" in captured.err
     # The remedy names an invocation, and it is the one the docstring's Usage block
-    # gives: a reader who is told "use the project interpreter" without being told
+    # gives: a reader who is told "use the agent interpreter" without being told
     # which command is no better off than before.
     assert "uv run --no-sync" in captured.err
 
@@ -1442,7 +1442,7 @@ def test_a_pytest_missing_from_the_interpreter_names_both_causes(
 
     Measured in `check-doc-count.py` (cyc20260913-122923): a fresh worktree's `.venv`
     is empty, so the documented invocation fails with this same text. Advising only
-    "use the project interpreter" there sends the reader in a circle, so the message
+    "use the agent interpreter" there sends the reader in a circle, so the message
     has to carry the second cause as well.
     """
     repo, origin = queue
@@ -1617,7 +1617,7 @@ def test_a_caller_without_pytest_still_gets_a_verdict(
     very test's interpreter left the gate resolving to itself, printing no `suite
     interpreter:` line and passing `suite OK`: the arm then failed on the note, not on
     the reading. `sys._base_executable` is what a bare host `python3` amounts to here -
-    the interpreter this checkout's `.venv` was built from, carrying no project packages
+    the interpreter this checkout's `.venv` was built from, carrying no agent packages
     (measured 2026-09-28: rc 1, `No module named pytest`). Entered through it, the gate
     must find this checkout's own `.venv` - and say so, because which interpreter judged
     a tree is part of the reading.
@@ -1641,7 +1641,7 @@ def test_a_caller_without_pytest_still_gets_a_verdict(
     # search path). Measured 2026-09-28 in CI: that comparison failed here and proved
     # nothing about the search, which is the probe's job, not a path comparison's.
     #
-    # The project environment reaches this interpreter through the `.venv` beside its
+    # The agent environment reaches this interpreter through the `.venv` beside its
     # path or not at all: whatever `PYTHONPATH` the harness was launched with is an
     # artifact of the harness, and a host `python3` is not launched with it. Stripped
     # for both runs so the premise is a property of the interpreter, not of how this
diff --git a/tests/test_check_merge_sequence.py b/tests/test_check_merge_sequence.py
index af8eca7d..92dafcdd 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_merge_sequence.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_merge_sequence.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 Why the real thing is affordable: `check-doc-count.py` collects through
 `sys.executable -m pytest --collect-only`, so a two-line tree gives a real verdict
 in a fraction of a second, with no `uv`, no network and no dependency on the
-project's own suite. The child guard is the repository's real file (copied
+agent's own suite. The child guard is the repository's real file (copied
 byte-for-byte), because a stub of the guard would only re-test this suite's belief
 about it - the exact failure the mutant above demonstrates.
 """
diff --git a/tests/test_check_node_test_count.py b/tests/test_check_node_test_count.py
index 49bc1687..a090b682 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_node_test_count.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_node_test_count.py
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ class _Proc:
 
 
 def test_every_hint_in_this_tool_uses_the_runnable_invocation(mod) -> None:
-    """Every mention of this tool's own invocation must carry the project runner.
+    """Every mention of this tool's own invocation must carry the agent runner.
 
     The sibling tool's spelling was already fixed once because a hint that fails
     is worse than no hint - it looks like a next step (a bare `python3` cannot
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ def test_every_hint_in_this_tool_uses_the_runnable_invocation(mod) -> None:
         prefix = source[max(0, hit.start() - len("uv run --no-sync ")) : hit.start()]
         assert prefix == "uv run --no-sync ", (
             "a hint in scripts/check-node-test-count.py spells the invocation "
-            "without the project runner: "
+            "without the agent runner: "
             f"...{source[max(0, hit.start() - 40) : hit.end() + 20]!r}"
         )
 
diff --git a/tests/test_check_notary_credentials.py b/tests/test_check_notary_credentials.py
index eb72109a..f12cdee2 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_notary_credentials.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_notary_credentials.py
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ def test_a_windows_path_survives_being_handed_to_a_shell() -> None:
     windows = "D:\\a\\emrg\\emrg\\.venv\\Scripts\\python.exe"
     # A space, so the *quoting* half is load-bearing too: unquoted, the shell splits this into
     # two words and the path that arrives is truncated at the space.
-    posix = "/home/runner/work/my project/emrg/.venv/bin/python"
+    posix = "/home/runner/work/my agent/emrg/.venv/bin/python"
 
     for path, nt, expected in (
         (windows, True, "D:/a/emrg/emrg/.venv/Scripts/python.exe"),
diff --git a/tests/test_check_unbound_reads.py b/tests/test_check_unbound_reads.py
index 2e5e8252..c5d85e48 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_unbound_reads.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_unbound_reads.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 
 def _tree(tmp_path: Path, **files: str) -> Path:
-    """A directory shaped like this project, so the script scans it.
+    """A directory shaped like this agent, so the script scans it.
 
     `emrg/` and `scripts/` are the two markers `_resolve_root` keys on, and
     `emrg/` is also a scanned directory, so one file there is enough. Module
diff --git a/tests/test_check_undefined_names.py b/tests/test_check_undefined_names.py
index 1ffb0a42..2c3be265 100644
--- a/tests/test_check_undefined_names.py
+++ b/tests/test_check_undefined_names.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 
 def _tree(tmp_path: Path, **files: str) -> Path:
-    """A directory shaped like this project, so the script scans it.
+    """A directory shaped like this agent, so the script scans it.
 
     `emrg/` and `scripts/` are the two markers the guard's own-checkout resolution keys
     on, and `emrg/` is also a scanned root, so one file there is enough. Module names are
diff --git a/tests/test_ci_nonlocal.py b/tests/test_ci_nonlocal.py
index 438c1fd1..de0d2a2b 100644
--- a/tests/test_ci_nonlocal.py
+++ b/tests/test_ci_nonlocal.py
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ def test_a_directory_that_is_not_a_checkout_falls_back_to_the_script_root(
 def test_a_directory_with_only_half_the_shape_is_not_a_checkout(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     """Both markers are required, so a stray app.py cannot claim the tree.
 
-    The predicate is a heuristic for "this is a checkout of this project";
+    The predicate is a heuristic for "this is a checkout of this agent";
     requiring the scripts directory too keeps a report directory that happens to
     contain an app.py from silently becoming the measured tree.
     """
diff --git a/tests/test_cli_failure_reporting.py b/tests/test_cli_failure_reporting.py
index 7fddcc81..923907c9 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli_failure_reporting.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli_failure_reporting.py
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ def test_rant_does_not_call_an_auth_rejection_an_absent_daemon(
     assert cli.connect_to_server.__name__ == "_stub"
 
     with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as excinfo:
-        cli._send_rant("probe", project="emrg")
+        cli._send_rant("probe", agent="emrg")
 
     out = capsys.readouterr().out
     assert len(calls) == 1, "the stub never ran: the CLI opened a real connection"
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ def test_rant_keeps_the_honest_message_when_nothing_answered(
         cli, "connect_to_server",
         _connect_raises(FileNotFoundError(2, "No such file or directory"), calls))
 
-    cli._send_rant("probe", project="emrg")  # no SystemExit
+    cli._send_rant("probe", agent="emrg")  # no SystemExit
 
     out = capsys.readouterr().out
     assert len(calls) == 1
diff --git a/tests/test_competition_prompt.py b/tests/test_competition_prompt.py
index 63b6813c..8a0c00df 100644
--- a/tests/test_competition_prompt.py
+++ b/tests/test_competition_prompt.py
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
     / "competition_prompt.md"
 )
 
-#: The project the render fixture asks the builder for — a name that appears nowhere in
+#: The agent the render fixture asks the builder for — a name that appears nowhere in
 #: the template, so "the render carries it" proves a placeholder resolved rather than a
 #: string being copied through.
 PROMPT_PROJECT = "demoproj"
@@ -57,16 +57,16 @@ def rendered(tmp_path_factory) -> str:
     here could differ in `trim_blocks`, `lstrip_blocks` or the loader and the artifact
     under test would then be a prompt no round is ever sent.
 
-    The context is the one a real records-driven call produces (a project and nothing
+    The context is the one a real records-driven call produces (a agent and nothing
     else); `config_dir` is redirected at a tmp tree — the shape
     `tests/test_evolution_prompt_index_rule.py` uses — so the `agents.yml` read lands
     on a file this test made, never on the host's `~/.emrg`.
     """
     tmp_path = tmp_path_factory.mktemp("competition-prompt")
-    project_dir = tmp_path / PROMPT_PROJECT
-    project_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+    agent_dir = tmp_path / PROMPT_PROJECT
+    agent_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
-        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": PROMPT_PROJECT, "path": str(project_dir)}]),
+        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": PROMPT_PROJECT, "path": str(agent_dir)}]),
         encoding="utf-8",
     )
     original = mod.config_dir
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ def test_preparation_and_closing_summary_are_mandatory():
     assert "closing summary in your final message" in text
     assert "a round that ends without a summary strands the next one" in text
     assert "Seven questions the closing summary must answer" in text
-    # Rant scan must match the project field exactly, like the other templates.
+    # Rant scan must match the agent field exactly, like the other templates.
     assert "exactly `{{ task.agent }}`" in text
 
 
@@ -985,7 +985,7 @@ def test_the_rendered_cadence_block_still_precedes_the_round_it_binds(rendered):
     """
     assert rendered.index("### 0.0 ") < rendered.index("### Current State"), (
         "the rendered cadence block drifted below the header block — the round meets its "
-        "project and time anchor before it meets the rule that governs the round"
+        "agent and time anchor before it meets the rule that governs the round"
     )
     assert rendered.index("### 0.0 ") < rendered.index("### 0. Preparation"), (
         "the rendered cadence block drifted below §0. Preparation, so a round that has "
@@ -1008,10 +1008,10 @@ def test_the_render_substitutes_values_and_carries_no_template_syntax(rendered):
         "template source rather than the prompt it names"
     )
     assert PROMPT_PROJECT in rendered, (
-        "the render does not carry the project name "
+        "the render does not carry the agent name "
         f"{PROMPT_PROJECT!r}: "
         "`{{ task.agent }}` resolved to nothing (`jinja2.Undefined` renders empty), so "
-        "the round is told its project is blank"
+        "the round is told its agent is blank"
     )
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_config_file_mode_census.py b/tests/test_config_file_mode_census.py
index 7253229f..5467cd2d 100644
--- a/tests/test_config_file_mode_census.py
+++ b/tests/test_config_file_mode_census.py
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ def test_every_carrier_states_a_mode():
     lost every entry cannot read as agreement.
     """
     carriers = _existing_carriers()
-    assert len(carriers) >= 3, f"only {sorted(carriers)} were read — that is not this project's tree"
+    assert len(carriers) >= 3, f"only {sorted(carriers)} were read — that is not this agent's tree"
     for rel in sorted(carriers):
         assert _modes(rel), f"{rel} states no mode for the config file"
 
diff --git a/tests/test_config_reload.py b/tests/test_config_reload.py
index e12018be..a24e17de 100644
--- a/tests/test_config_reload.py
+++ b/tests/test_config_reload.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 and rebuilds every scheduled handler. These tests pin the replacement — a
 daemon-side fingerprint + in-place apply, with `model` riding the `/model` path.
 
-Two rules these tests obey, both from the project's own safety lines:
+Two rules these tests obey, both from the agent's own safety lines:
 
 * **They never read or write the host's real `~/.emrg/config.toml`.** Every
   case builds its own file under `tmp_path` and hands it to
diff --git a/tests/test_daemon.py b/tests/test_daemon.py
index 1500d3ee..fd7cefe9 100644
--- a/tests/test_daemon.py
+++ b/tests/test_daemon.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Unit tests for daemon internals — prompt building and project discovery.
+"""Unit tests for daemon internals — prompt building and agent discovery.
 
 These test the methods that were broken by squash-merge conflict markers
 in cycles #6-#8. Having test coverage here ensures that critical
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 import yaml
 
 from emrg.config import LlmConfig
-from emrg.memory import INDEX_SIZE_WARN, ProjectMemoryStore
+from emrg.memory import INDEX_SIZE_WARN, AgentMemoryStore
 from emrg.protocol import InstanceIdentity, TaskRequest
 from emrg.server import abort_runs as mod_abort_runs
 from emrg.server import daemon as daemon_mod
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ def test_build_prompt_emrg_self():
     assert ">>>>>>>" not in prompt
 
 
-def test_build_prompt_with_project():
-    """Builds prompt for a custom project — owner/repo come from the record's config.
+def test_build_prompt_with_agent():
+    """Builds prompt for a custom agent — owner/repo come from the record's config.
 
     They used to be assigned after construction (`handler._owner = ...`); the handler
     now derives them from the record it is handed (design §2), so the test states them
@@ -159,13 +159,13 @@ def test_read_table_returns_records_as_written(tmp_path):
     assert result[1]["enabled"] is False
 
 
-# ── _collect_project_context ───────────────────────────────
+# ── _collect_agent_context ───────────────────────────────
 
 
 def _make_server() -> EmrgServer:
     """Create a minimal EmrgServer for testing."""
     server = EmrgServer(LlmConfig(base_url="http://localhost", api_key="test"))
-    # Point the project log at a tmp file by default so context/message tests
+    # Point the agent log at a tmp file by default so context/message tests
     # can never write the real ~/.emrg/agents.yml (2026-08-13 leak). Tests
     # that exercise _agents_log override it explicitly afterwards.
     server._agents_log = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp()) / "agents.yml"
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ def test_context_section_no_files(tmp_path):
     """No context files found → returns empty list."""
     server = _make_server()
     session = Session.create_with_id("ctx-test", tmp_path)
-    result = server._collect_project_context(session)
+    result = server._collect_agent_context(session)
     assert result == []
 
 
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ def test_system_prompt_says_a_task_cannot_write_its_own_prompt():
     that matters cannot.
 
     The ruling's citation (its timestamp, the pull request beside it, the command that re-finds
-    the message) is recorded in this project's memory and in the pull request that landed it;
+    the message) is recorded in this agent's memory and in the pull request that landed it;
     the session prompt states the rule, the reason and the channel, and spends no prefix on the
     provenance — which is the property the compacted prompt is built on and
     `tests/test_system_prompt_structure.py::test_neither_the_file_nor_the_render_carries_provenance`
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ def test_system_prompt_says_a_task_cannot_write_its_own_prompt():
 
 def test_system_prompt_temp_file_rules_section(tmp_path):
     """The temp-file rule renders with the session tmp dir (rant 2026-08-25T18:10:57):
-    throwaway scripts go under the session directory's tmp/ subdir, not the project root /
+    throwaway scripts go under the session directory's tmp/ subdir, not the agent root /
     workdir / ~/.emrg root.
 
     The rule is a bullet of `## Session and history` in the compacted prompt rather than a
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ def test_system_prompt_temp_file_rules_section(tmp_path):
     assert "tmp/" in rendered
     # the rendered path must point into the session directory
     assert str(session.dir_path) in rendered
-    assert "project root" in rendered
+    assert "agent root" in rendered
     assert "the config root" in rendered
 
 
@@ -317,13 +317,13 @@ def test_submit_rant_tool_registered():
 def test_context_section_single_file(tmp_path):
     """When CLAUDE.md exists, it's returned as a dict entry."""
     server = _make_server()
-    (tmp_path / "CLAUDE.md").write_text("# Project Rules\n- Use tabs\n")
+    (tmp_path / "CLAUDE.md").write_text("# Agent Rules\n- Use tabs\n")
     session = Session.create_with_id("ctx-test", tmp_path)
-    result = server._collect_project_context(session)
+    result = server._collect_agent_context(session)
     assert len(result) == 1
     assert result[0]["name"] == "CLAUDE.md"
     assert "- Use tabs" in result[0]["content"]
-    assert "# Project Rules" in result[0]["content"]
+    assert "# Agent Rules" in result[0]["content"]
 
 
 def test_context_section_multiple_files(tmp_path):
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ def test_context_section_multiple_files(tmp_path):
     (tmp_path / "CLAUDE.md").write_text("claude content")
     (tmp_path / "AGENTS.md").write_text("agents content")
     session = Session.create_with_id("ctx-test", tmp_path)
-    result = server._collect_project_context(session)
+    result = server._collect_agent_context(session)
     names = {r["name"] for r in result}
     assert names == {"CLAUDE.md", "AGENTS.md"}
     assert any("claude content" in r["content"] for r in result)
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ def test_context_section_truncation(tmp_path):
     big = "x" * (daemon_mod.PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS + over)
     (tmp_path / "CLAUDE.md").write_text(big)
     session = Session.create_with_id("ctx-test", tmp_path)
-    result = server._collect_project_context(session)
+    result = server._collect_agent_context(session)
     assert "truncated" in result[0]["content"]
     assert f"{over} chars" in result[0]["content"]
 
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ def test_context_section_manifesto(tmp_path):
     server = _make_server()
     (tmp_path / "MANIFESTO.md").write_text("# Design\nKeep it simple.\n")
     session = Session.create_with_id("ctx-test", tmp_path)
-    result = server._collect_project_context(session)
+    result = server._collect_agent_context(session)
     assert result[0]["name"] == "MANIFESTO.md"
     assert "Keep it simple" in result[0]["content"]
 
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ def test_the_truncation_notice_names_which_parts_it_kept(tmp_path):
     The two mechanisms had never been read against each other: an index appends
     newest-last while the cap kept the **head** — so the rows a reader lost were the
     newest ones, the rows that exist to stop it re-doing work, and the notice said only
-    how much was cut and where the text is. Measured 2026-09-25 on a project index the
+    how much was cut and where the text is. Measured 2026-09-25 on a agent index the
     cap really truncates: 73,484 chars, 24 of its 163 rows kept out of the prompt (issue
     #1554 holds that reading and its numbers). Which part *should* survive was that
     issue's open decision; issue #1676 takes it — the head **and** the tail are kept and
@@ -550,8 +550,8 @@ def test_collect_memory_data_caps_index(tmp_path):
     session = Session.create_with_id("mem-cap", tmp_path)
     data = server._collect_memory_data(session)
     assert data["has_memories"] is True
-    assert data["project_memory_index_path"] == str(idx)
-    assert "truncated" in data["project_memory_index"]
+    assert data["agent_memory_index_path"] == str(idx)
+    assert "truncated" in data["agent_memory_index"]
     # The head is what the cap bounds, measured rather than approximated. This read
     # `len(...) <= INDEX_SIZE_WARN + 200` — a magic allowance standing in for a notice
     # length the assertion cannot know, so it passed for any notice up to 200 chars
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ def test_collect_memory_data_caps_index(tmp_path):
     # to this shape first; this one kept the allowance until a longer notice pushed
     # it past it (2026-09-25, the end-naming sentence). The cap's claim is the head;
     # the notice's own length is not a number this test should hold.
-    head, sep, _ = data["project_memory_index"].partition("\n… [truncated")
+    head, sep, _ = data["agent_memory_index"].partition("\n… [truncated")
     assert sep, "an over-cap index must carry a truncation notice"
     assert len(head) <= INDEX_SIZE_WARN
 
@@ -600,7 +600,7 @@ def test_an_unreadable_index_costs_the_section_not_the_turn(tmp_path):
     server = _make_server()
     session = Session.create_with_id("mem-unreadable", tmp_path)
     for directory, key in (
-        (tmp_path / ".emrg" / "memory", "project_memory_index"),
+        (tmp_path / ".emrg" / "memory", "agent_memory_index"),
         (session.memory_dir, "session_memory_index"),
     ):
         directory.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
@@ -667,10 +667,10 @@ def test_a_readable_index_still_reaches_the_prompt_verbatim(tmp_path):
 
     data = server._collect_memory_data(session)
 
-    assert data["project_memory_index"] == index_text, (
+    assert data["agent_memory_index"] == index_text, (
         "a readable, under-cap index must reach the prompt byte for byte"
     )
-    assert "could not be read" not in data["project_memory_index"]
+    assert "could not be read" not in data["agent_memory_index"]
 
 
 # ── the same condition on the client path ─────────────────────────
@@ -686,13 +686,13 @@ def test_a_readable_index_still_reaches_the_prompt_verbatim(tmp_path):
 #
 # The same undecodable byte as `UNDECODABLE_INDEX`, in a memory file reached by id.
 UNDECODABLE_MEMORY = (
-    b"---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: project\nstatus: active\n"
+    b"---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: agent\nstatus: active\n"
     b"title: A note \xe9\n---\n\nbody\n"
 )
 
 
-def _memory_project(tmp_path, index_bytes: bytes, note_bytes: bytes | None = None):
-    """A project whose memory directory holds `index_bytes` as MEMORY.md."""
+def _memory_agent(tmp_path, index_bytes: bytes, note_bytes: bytes | None = None):
+    """A agent whose memory directory holds `index_bytes` as MEMORY.md."""
     directory = tmp_path / ".emrg" / "memory"
     directory.mkdir(parents=True)
     (directory / "MEMORY.md").write_bytes(index_bytes)
@@ -719,11 +719,11 @@ def test_an_unreadable_index_costs_the_listing_not_the_connection(tmp_path):
     make everything below vacuous rather than the guard proven.
     """
     server = _make_server()
-    directory = _memory_project(
+    directory = _memory_agent(
         tmp_path,
         UNDECODABLE_INDEX,
         note_bytes=(
-            b"---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: project\nstatus: active\n"
+            b"---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: agent\nstatus: active\n"
             b"title: A note\n---\n\nbody\n"
         ),
     )
@@ -733,7 +733,7 @@ def test_an_unreadable_index_costs_the_listing_not_the_connection(tmp_path):
     # Driving the dispatch is the point: a handler-level catch would still leave
     # the message loop's `except Exception` as the only thing between this file
     # and a dropped connection.
-    frames = _drive(server, {"type": "list_memories", "scope": "project", "cwd": str(tmp_path)})
+    frames = _drive(server, {"type": "list_memories", "scope": "agent", "cwd": str(tmp_path)})
 
     assert len(frames) == 1, f"expected one frame, got {frames!r}"
     frame = frames[0]
@@ -756,9 +756,9 @@ def test_a_readable_index_reaches_the_listing_verbatim(tmp_path):
     """The negative half: the ordinary path gains nothing but the same text."""
     server = _make_server()
     index_text = "# Memory Index\n\n- [row](x.md) — readable\n"
-    _memory_project(tmp_path, index_text.encode("utf-8"))
+    _memory_agent(tmp_path, index_text.encode("utf-8"))
 
-    frame = _drive(server, {"type": "list_memories", "scope": "project", "cwd": str(tmp_path)})[0]
+    frame = _drive(server, {"type": "list_memories", "scope": "agent", "cwd": str(tmp_path)})[0]
 
     assert frame["index"] == index_text
     assert "could not be read" not in frame["index"]
@@ -774,7 +774,7 @@ def test_a_memory_that_cannot_be_read_is_not_reported_as_absent(tmp_path):
     on the same race.
     """
     server = _make_server()
-    directory = _memory_project(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n", note_bytes=UNDECODABLE_MEMORY)
+    directory = _memory_agent(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n", note_bytes=UNDECODABLE_MEMORY)
     with pytest.raises(UnicodeDecodeError):
         (directory / "note.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 
@@ -784,7 +784,7 @@ def test_a_memory_that_cannot_be_read_is_not_reported_as_absent(tmp_path):
         server,
         {
             "type": "read_memory",
-            "scope": "project",
+            "scope": "agent",
             "memory_id": "aaaa1111",
             "cwd": str(tmp_path),
         },
@@ -807,9 +807,9 @@ def test_a_missing_memory_is_still_a_plain_absence(tmp_path):
     while making every real absence look like a read error.
     """
     server = _make_server()
-    _memory_project(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n", note_bytes=b"---\nid: bbbb2222\n---\n\nbody\n")
+    _memory_agent(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n", note_bytes=b"---\nid: bbbb2222\n---\n\nbody\n")
 
-    store = ProjectMemoryStore(tmp_path)
+    store = AgentMemoryStore(tmp_path)
     assert store.get_with_reason("nope") == (None, ""), (
         "an id no file carries, with every file readable, is a plain absence"
     )
@@ -819,7 +819,7 @@ def test_a_missing_memory_is_still_a_plain_absence(tmp_path):
         server,
         {
             "type": "read_memory",
-            "scope": "project",
+            "scope": "agent",
             "memory_id": "nope",
             "cwd": str(tmp_path),
         },
@@ -829,12 +829,12 @@ def test_a_missing_memory_is_still_a_plain_absence(tmp_path):
 
 def test_get_returns_the_memory_and_no_reason_when_readable(tmp_path):
     """`get()` keeps its old answer for the ordinary case, and gains no raise."""
-    _memory_project(
+    _memory_agent(
         tmp_path,
         b"# Memory Index\n",
         note_bytes=b"---\nid: cccc3333\ntitle: Readable\n---\n\n# Readable\n\nbody\n",
     )
-    store = ProjectMemoryStore(tmp_path)
+    store = AgentMemoryStore(tmp_path)
 
     mem, why = store.get_with_reason("cccc3333")
     assert mem is not None and why == ""
@@ -901,7 +901,7 @@ def test_usage_anchor_projection_underestimation_trigger():
 
     Scenario from the rant: local estimate says 148K but the API reported
     222K. With an anchor of (222000, 148000), a small growth (+2K estimated)
-    must project to ~224K — well above a pure-estimate view — so auto-compact
+    must agent to ~224K — well above a pure-estimate view — so auto-compact
     fires even though the raw estimate alone looks under threshold.
     """
     server = _make_server()
@@ -1444,7 +1444,7 @@ def test_switch_round_does_not_warn_false_positive(caplog):
 
 def test_handle_set_model_invalidates_usage_anchors():
     """set_model with a REAL api-model change must invalidate usage anchors —
-    a mid-session switch must not project the old provider's base with the
+    a mid-session switch must not agent the old provider's base with the
     new estimate delta (Dev.to comment 3dh3g)."""
     import asyncio
     server = _make_server()
@@ -2564,7 +2564,7 @@ async def _send(self, data: dict) -> bool:
 
 def test_rant_field_order(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """Rant entries are written with field order:
-    timestamp → project → status → progress → completed → message (message last)."""
+    timestamp → agent → status → progress → completed → message (message last)."""
     monkeypatch.setattr("emrg.server.daemon.config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
     server = _make_server()
     writer = _FakeWriter()
@@ -2573,7 +2573,7 @@ def test_rant_field_order(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     asyncio.run(server._process_message({
         "type": "rant",
         "message": "test rant message",
-        "project": "emrg",
+        "agent": "emrg",
         # Client-supplied timestamp must be IGNORED — the daemon stamps rants
         # with tz-aware local time (rant 2026-08-07T13:34Z: GUI sent UTC Z,
         # 8h behind on UTC+8 hosts). A stale UTC value here must not leak through.
@@ -2584,10 +2584,10 @@ def test_rant_field_order(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     assert len(lines) == 1
     entry = json.loads(lines[0])
     assert list(entry.keys()) == [
-        "timestamp", "project", "status", "progress", "completed", "message",
+        "timestamp", "agent", "status", "progress", "completed", "message",
     ]
     assert entry["completed"] is None  # new rants default to null completed
-    assert entry["project"] == "emrg"
+    assert entry["agent"] == "emrg"
     assert entry["status"] == "pending"
     assert entry["message"] == "test rant message"
     # Daemon-authoritative local timestamp: tz-aware, NOT UTC (no Z suffix),
@@ -2616,9 +2616,9 @@ def test_list_rants_filter_and_order(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
 
     # 写入 3 条（乱序），覆盖三状态
     entries = [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-13T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "", "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None, "message": "new idea"},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-13T14:10:14+08:00", "project": "emrg", "status": "in_progress", "progress": "P1 done", "completed": None, "message": "GUI redesign"},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-12T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "", "status": "completed", "progress": None, "completed": "2026-08-12T12:00:00+08:00", "message": "old rant"},
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-13T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "", "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None, "message": "new idea"},
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-13T14:10:14+08:00", "agent": "emrg", "status": "in_progress", "progress": "P1 done", "completed": None, "message": "GUI redesign"},
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-12T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "", "status": "completed", "progress": None, "completed": "2026-08-12T12:00:00+08:00", "message": "old rant"},
     ]
     with open(tmp_path / "rants.jsonl", "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
         for e in entries:
@@ -3171,15 +3171,15 @@ async def _wrap():
     return _wrap()
 
 
-# ── /rant project list shows evolution-workspace entries (rant 10:48:00) ──
+# ── /rant agent list shows evolution-workspace entries (rant 10:48:00) ──
 
 
-def test_list_projects_includes_evolution_workspace(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
-    """A registered project under the evolution workspace IS listed from /rant.
+def test_list_agents_includes_evolution_workspace(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """A registered agent under the evolution workspace IS listed from /rant.
 
     The filter that used to exclude it was deleted with the `EVOLUTION_CWD`
     constant (rant 2026-09-29T10:06:33 item 4): what /rant lists is
-    agents.yml, and a path under `~/.emrg/evolution/` is a project like any
+    agents.yml, and a path under `~/.emrg/evolution/` is a agent like any
     other. The entry is written in the real evolution-root spelling on purpose —
     re-adding a workspace filter would drop it and fail the assertion, which is
     the only reason this test exists.
@@ -3188,125 +3188,125 @@ def test_list_projects_includes_evolution_workspace(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
 
     server = _make_server()
     emrg_path = str(Path.home() / ".emrg" / "evolution" / "emrg")
-    projects_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_file.write_text(
+    agents_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_file.write_text(
         f"- name: emrg\n  path: {emrg_path}\n"
         "- name: other\n  path: /home/u/work/other\n",
         encoding="utf-8",
     )
-    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_agents_log", projects_file)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_agents_log", agents_file)
 
     writer = _FakeWriter()
-    asyncio.run(server._handle_list_projects(writer))
+    asyncio.run(server._handle_list_agents(writer))
 
     assert len(writer._frames) == 1
     reply = json.loads(writer._frames[0])
-    assert reply["type"] == "projects_list"
-    paths = [p["path"] for p in reply["projects"]]
-    assert emrg_path in paths  # a project under the evolution root is still a project
+    assert reply["type"] == "agents_list"
+    paths = [p["path"] for p in reply["agents"]]
+    assert emrg_path in paths  # a agent under the evolution root is still a agent
     assert "/home/u/work/other" in paths
 
 
-# ── remove_project (P1 GUI multi-session, rant 2026-08-10T15:07:19) ──
+# ── remove_agent (P1 GUI multi-session, rant 2026-08-10T15:07:19) ──
 
 
-def _server_with_projects(tmp_path: Path, entries: list[dict]) -> tuple[EmrgServer, Path]:
+def _server_with_agents(tmp_path: Path, entries: list[dict]) -> tuple[EmrgServer, Path]:
     """Server whose _agents_log points at a tmp agents.yml with entries."""
     server = _make_server()
-    projects_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_file.write_text(
+    agents_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_file.write_text(
         yaml.safe_dump(entries, allow_unicode=True), encoding="utf-8"
     )
-    server._agents_log = projects_file
-    return server, projects_file
+    server._agents_log = agents_file
+    return server, agents_file
 
 
 def _decode_frames(writer: _FakeWriter) -> list[dict]:
     return [json.loads(f) for f in writer._frames]
 
 
-def test_remove_project_removes_matching_entry(tmp_path):
-    """Removing an existing project drops only its agents.yml entry."""
-    server, projects_file = _server_with_projects(tmp_path, [
+def test_remove_agent_removes_matching_entry(tmp_path):
+    """Removing an existing agent drops only its agents.yml entry."""
+    server, agents_file = _server_with_agents(tmp_path, [
         {"name": "alpha", "path": "/home/u/a", "last_active": "2026-08-10T10:00:00"},
         {"name": "beta", "path": "/home/u/b", "last_active": "2026-08-10T10:05:00"},
     ])
     writer = _FakeWriter()
-    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_project("alpha", writer))
+    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_agent("alpha", writer))
 
     replies = _decode_frames(writer)
     assert len(replies) == 1
-    assert replies[0] == {"type": "project_removed", "removed": True, "name": "alpha"}
+    assert replies[0] == {"type": "agent_removed", "removed": True, "name": "alpha"}
 
-    remaining = yaml.safe_load(projects_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    remaining = yaml.safe_load(agents_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     assert [e["name"] for e in remaining] == ["beta"]
 
 
-def test_remove_project_unknown_name_leaves_file_unchanged(tmp_path):
+def test_remove_agent_unknown_name_leaves_file_unchanged(tmp_path):
     """Removing a non-existent name reports removed=False and keeps the file."""
     entries = [
         {"name": "alpha", "path": "/home/u/a", "last_active": "2026-08-10T10:00:00"},
     ]
-    server, projects_file = _server_with_projects(tmp_path, entries)
+    server, agents_file = _server_with_agents(tmp_path, entries)
     writer = _FakeWriter()
-    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_project("nope", writer))
+    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_agent("nope", writer))
 
     replies = _decode_frames(writer)
     assert len(replies) == 1
     assert replies[0]["removed"] is False
     assert replies[0]["name"] == "nope"
-    assert yaml.safe_load(projects_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8")) == entries
+    assert yaml.safe_load(agents_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8")) == entries
 
 
-def test_remove_project_preserves_disk_session_data(tmp_path):
-    """Deleting the project entry must NOT touch <path>/.emrg/sessions/ data."""
-    project_dir = tmp_path / "u" / "a"
-    sessions_dir = project_dir / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "sess-1"
+def test_remove_agent_preserves_disk_session_data(tmp_path):
+    """Deleting the agent entry must NOT touch <path>/.emrg/sessions/ data."""
+    agent_dir = tmp_path / "u" / "a"
+    sessions_dir = agent_dir / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "sess-1"
     sessions_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
     (sessions_dir / "history.jsonl").write_text('{"role":"user"}\n', encoding="utf-8")
 
-    server, _ = _server_with_projects(tmp_path, [
-        {"name": "alpha", "path": str(project_dir), "last_active": "2026-08-10T10:00:00"},
+    server, _ = _server_with_agents(tmp_path, [
+        {"name": "alpha", "path": str(agent_dir), "last_active": "2026-08-10T10:00:00"},
     ])
     writer = _FakeWriter()
-    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_project("alpha", writer))
+    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_agent("alpha", writer))
     assert _decode_frames(writer)[0]["removed"] is True
-    # on-disk session data survives the project removal
+    # on-disk session data survives the agent removal
     assert (sessions_dir / "history.jsonl").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == '{"role":"user"}\n'
 
 
-def test_remove_project_no_projects_file(tmp_path):
+def test_remove_agent_no_agents_file(tmp_path):
     """No agents.yml → removed=False without raising."""
     server = _make_server()
     server._agents_log = tmp_path / "agents.yml"  # never created
     writer = _FakeWriter()
-    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_project("alpha", writer))
+    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_agent("alpha", writer))
     assert _decode_frames(writer)[0] == {
-        "type": "project_removed", "removed": False, "name": "alpha",
+        "type": "agent_removed", "removed": False, "name": "alpha",
     }
 
 
-def test_remove_project_corrupt_yaml_reports_error(tmp_path):
+def test_remove_agent_corrupt_yaml_reports_error(tmp_path):
     """Corrupt agents.yml → removed=False + error, no crash."""
     server = _make_server()
-    projects_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_file.write_text("a: [unclosed", encoding="utf-8")
-    server._agents_log = projects_file
+    agents_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_file.write_text("a: [unclosed", encoding="utf-8")
+    server._agents_log = agents_file
     writer = _FakeWriter()
-    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_project("alpha", writer))
+    asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_agent("alpha", writer))
     replies = _decode_frames(writer)
     assert replies[0]["removed"] is False
     assert replies[0]["error"]
 
 
-# ── list_projects ordering by latest session activity (P6, rant 15:07:19) ──
+# ── list_agents ordering by latest session activity (P6, rant 15:07:19) ──
 
 
-def test_list_projects_ordered_by_latest_session_activity(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
-    """Projects come back sorted by their newest session's created_at (desc).
+def test_list_agents_ordered_by_latest_session_activity(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Agents come back sorted by their newest session's created_at (desc).
 
     P6 acceptance ("选项目按该项目最新会话活跃倒序"): the daemon aggregates
-    each project's sessions dir (parallel scan) because the GUI cannot issue
+    each agent's sessions dir (parallel scan) because the GUI cannot issue
     concurrent list_sessions on one connection (pending map keys by respType).
     """
     import asyncio
@@ -3331,24 +3331,24 @@ def test_list_projects_ordered_by_latest_session_activity(tmp_path, monkeypatch)
         json.dumps({"session_id": "s-new", "created_at": "2026-08-10T12:00:00"}), encoding="utf-8"
     )
     # 无会话项目 → 排最后（无 latest_session_at）
-    projects_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_file.write_text(
+    agents_file = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_file.write_text(
         f"- name: old\n  path: {p_old}\n"
         f"- name: new\n  path: {p_new}\n"
         f"- name: nosess\n  path: {p_none}\n",
         encoding="utf-8",
     )
-    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_agents_log", projects_file)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_agents_log", agents_file)
 
     writer = _FakeWriter()
-    asyncio.run(server._handle_list_projects(writer))
+    asyncio.run(server._handle_list_agents(writer))
 
     reply = json.loads(writer._frames[0])
-    names = [p["name"] for p in reply["projects"]]
+    names = [p["name"] for p in reply["agents"]]
     assert names == ["new", "old", "nosess"], f"ordered by latest session activity: {names}"
-    new_proj = next(p for p in reply["projects"] if p["name"] == "new")
+    new_proj = next(p for p in reply["agents"] if p["name"] == "new")
     assert new_proj["latest_session_at"] == "2026-08-10T12:00:00"
-    none_proj = next(p for p in reply["projects"] if p["name"] == "nosess")
+    none_proj = next(p for p in reply["agents"] if p["name"] == "nosess")
     assert none_proj["latest_session_at"] == ""
 
 
@@ -4444,14 +4444,14 @@ def test_a_named_pipe_index_in_the_listing_is_a_notice_too(tmp_path):
 
 
 @_needs_mkfifo
-def test_collect_project_context_skips_a_named_pipe_beside_a_real_file(tmp_path):
+def test_collect_agent_context_skips_a_named_pipe_beside_a_real_file(tmp_path):
     """A subject with no end to read carries no context — and its neighbour still does."""
     server = _make_server()
     session = Session.create_with_id("ctx-fifo", tmp_path)
     os.mkfifo(tmp_path / "CLAUDE.md")
     (tmp_path / "Agent.md").write_text("Keep it simple\n", encoding="utf-8")
 
-    result = server._collect_project_context(session)
+    result = server._collect_agent_context(session)
 
     assert [r["name"] for r in result] == ["Agent.md"], result
     assert "Keep it simple" in result[0]["content"]
@@ -4685,15 +4685,15 @@ def test_the_daemons_kind_rule_is_the_layers_rule(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
 def test_a_memory_that_is_a_named_pipe_costs_the_row_not_the_listing(tmp_path):
     """A pipe in the memory directory is skipped; the readable rows still arrive."""
     server = _make_server()
-    directory = _memory_project(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n")
+    directory = _memory_agent(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n")
     os.mkfifo(directory / "pipe.md")
     (directory / "note.md").write_text(
-        "---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: project\nstatus: active\n"
+        "---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: agent\nstatus: active\n"
         "title: A note\n---\n\nbody\n",
         encoding="utf-8",
     )
 
-    frames = _drive(server, {"type": "list_memories", "scope": "project", "cwd": str(tmp_path)})
+    frames = _drive(server, {"type": "list_memories", "scope": "agent", "cwd": str(tmp_path)})
 
     assert len(frames) == 1, f"expected one frame, got {frames!r}"
     frame = frames[0]
@@ -4711,12 +4711,12 @@ def test_a_read_memory_through_a_pipe_directory_answers_rather_than_hangs(tmp_pa
     this walk never measured — the pipe is a file the walk could not finish looking at.
     """
     server = _make_server()
-    directory = _memory_project(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n")
+    directory = _memory_agent(tmp_path, b"# Memory Index\n")
     os.mkfifo(directory / "pipe.md")
 
     frames = _drive(
         server,
-        {"type": "read_memory", "scope": "project", "memory_id": "aaaa1111", "cwd": str(tmp_path)},
+        {"type": "read_memory", "scope": "agent", "memory_id": "aaaa1111", "cwd": str(tmp_path)},
     )
 
     assert len(frames) == 1, f"expected one frame, got {frames!r}"
@@ -4934,9 +4934,9 @@ def test_the_rant_panel_at_a_regular_file_still_answers_the_rows(tmp_path):
     server = _make_server()
     log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
     rows = [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-10-11T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg", "status": "pending",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-10-11T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg", "status": "pending",
          "progress": None, "completed": None, "message": "older"},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-10-11T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg", "status": "completed",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-10-11T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg", "status": "completed",
          "progress": None, "completed": "2026-10-11T10:00:00+08:00", "message": "newer"},
     ]
     log.write_text("".join(json.dumps(r) + "\n" for r in rows), encoding="utf-8")
@@ -4981,15 +4981,15 @@ def test_the_rant_panel_survives_a_legacy_array_row_and_a_bare_scalar(tmp_path):
     assert len(frames) == 1, f"expected one frame, got {frames!r}"
     assert frames[0]["type"] == "rants_list", frames[0]
     assert [r["message"] for r in frames[0]["rants"]] == ["legacy"], frames[0]
-    assert frames[0]["rants"][0]["project"] == "emrg", frames[0]
+    assert frames[0]["rants"][0]["agent"] == "emrg", frames[0]
 
 
 # ── agents.yml: the registry every client reads first ─────────────
 #
 # These are the daemon's four readers of one file, `~/.emrg/agents.yml`, and each of
 # them runs on the daemon's **event loop**: the startup backfill, the register write that
-# opening a session makes, `list_projects` — which every client sends on connect, so it is
-# the first frame a GUI or TUI ever gets an answer to — and `remove_project`. A FIFO at
+# opening a session makes, `list_agents` — which every client sends on connect, so it is
+# the first frame a GUI or TUI ever gets an answer to — and `remove_agent`. A FIFO at
 # that path therefore does not fail a request, it stops the daemon answering anyone again,
 # which is the condition issue #2062 named for the three file tools and #2073 for the
 # daemon's own readers. Measured 2026-10-11 (`cyc20261011-173122`) on master `60541e39`:
@@ -5001,7 +5001,7 @@ def test_the_rant_panel_survives_a_legacy_array_row_and_a_bare_scalar(tmp_path):
 # added), while `AgentRegistry.for_dir` — which reads the registry and then **rewrites** it —
 # skips the registration instead of falling through to its "rebuilding" branch, because
 # that branch would answer a host file it could not read with an *empty* registry and
-# delete every project the host had registered.
+# delete every agent the host had registered.
 #
 # Every arm is bounded by `within`, so a removed guard is a **5 s failure** rather than a
 # wedged pytest run (the `no_verdict` trap `tests/bounded_read.py` states). The FIFO arms
@@ -5012,7 +5012,7 @@ def test_the_rant_panel_survives_a_legacy_array_row_and_a_bare_scalar(tmp_path):
 
 
 @_needs_mkfifo
-def test_a_named_pipe_registry_does_not_stop_the_project_listing(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+def test_a_named_pipe_registry_does_not_stop_the_agent_listing(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """The first frame every client sends: answered, not blocked on the open."""
     server = _make_server()
     fifo = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
@@ -5020,11 +5020,11 @@ def test_a_named_pipe_registry_does_not_stop_the_project_listing(tmp_path, monke
     monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_agents_log", fifo)
     writer = _FakeWriter()
 
-    within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: asyncio.run(server._handle_list_projects(writer)))
+    within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: asyncio.run(server._handle_list_agents(writer)))
 
     replies = _decode_frames(writer)
-    assert len(replies) == 1 and replies[0]["type"] == "projects_list", replies
-    assert replies[0]["projects"] == [], replies
+    assert len(replies) == 1 and replies[0]["type"] == "agents_list", replies
+    assert replies[0]["agents"] == [], replies
 
 
 def test_a_directory_registry_is_refused_by_its_kind_in_the_listing(
@@ -5037,9 +5037,9 @@ def test_a_directory_registry_is_refused_by_its_kind_in_the_listing(
     writer = _FakeWriter()
 
     with caplog.at_level(logging.ERROR):
-        asyncio.run(server._handle_list_projects(writer))
+        asyncio.run(server._handle_list_agents(writer))
 
-    assert _decode_frames(writer)[0]["projects"] == []
+    assert _decode_frames(writer)[0]["agents"] == []
     assert "not a regular file" in caplog.text, (
         "the read was refused by its kind — an unguarded one reports the raw "
         f"directory error instead: {caplog.text}")
@@ -5060,7 +5060,7 @@ def test_a_named_pipe_registry_is_neither_read_nor_rewritten_by_the_register(
 
     assert stat.S_ISFIFO(os.stat(fifo).st_mode), (
         "the registry was rewritten — a read that answered 'no entries' would have "
-        "deleted every project the host registered")
+        "deleted every agent the host registered")
 
 
 def test_a_directory_registry_warns_the_register_and_keeps_it(
@@ -5081,7 +5081,7 @@ def test_a_directory_registry_warns_the_register_and_keeps_it(
 
 @_needs_mkfifo
 def test_a_named_pipe_registry_does_not_stop_the_index_backfill(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
-    """Startup: the backfill runs with no project paths rather than never returning."""
+    """Startup: the backfill runs with no agent paths rather than never returning."""
     from emrg import sessions_index as sessions_index_mod
 
     server = _make_server()
@@ -5119,7 +5119,7 @@ def test_a_directory_registry_is_refused_by_its_kind_in_the_backfill(
 
 
 @_needs_mkfifo
-def test_a_named_pipe_registry_does_not_stop_remove_project(tmp_path):
+def test_a_named_pipe_registry_does_not_stop_remove_agent(tmp_path):
     """The removal answers `removed: false` with its reason, as for a corrupt file."""
     server = _make_server()
     fifo = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
@@ -5128,15 +5128,15 @@ def test_a_named_pipe_registry_does_not_stop_remove_project(tmp_path):
     writer = _FakeWriter()
 
     within(DEADLINE_SECONDS,
-           lambda: asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_project("alpha", writer)))
+           lambda: asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_agent("alpha", writer)))
 
     replies = _decode_frames(writer)
-    assert replies and replies[0]["type"] == "project_removed", replies
+    assert replies and replies[0]["type"] == "agent_removed", replies
     assert replies[0]["removed"] is False, replies
     assert "failed to read" in replies[0].get("error", ""), replies
 
 
-def test_a_directory_registry_is_refused_by_its_kind_in_remove_project(
+def test_a_directory_registry_is_refused_by_its_kind_in_remove_agent(
         tmp_path, monkeypatch, caplog):
     """The pipe-free half: the same refusal, observed through the log."""
     server = _make_server()
@@ -5146,7 +5146,7 @@ def test_a_directory_registry_is_refused_by_its_kind_in_remove_project(
     writer = _FakeWriter()
 
     with caplog.at_level(logging.ERROR):
-        asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_project("alpha", writer))
+        asyncio.run(server._handle_remove_agent("alpha", writer))
 
     assert _decode_frames(writer)[0]["removed"] is False
     assert "not a regular file" in caplog.text, caplog.text
@@ -5631,20 +5631,20 @@ def test_an_out_of_domain_limit_is_refused_rather_than_coerced(tmp_path):
 # call sites, by the resume reader, by the two memory readers and by
 # `delete_session`, which hands the resolved path to `shutil.rmtree`. So the check
 # lives once, in `_refuse_an_unsafe_session_id`: measured 2026-10-21, an id of
-# `../..` reached `rmtree` with the project tree.
+# `../..` reached `rmtree` with the agent tree.
 #
 # It has **two** callers because the daemon has two dispatchers. `_handle_client`
 # intercepts `{"type": "task"}` itself and never reaches `_process_message`, so a
 # check placed only in the latter left unguarded the one message type that creates
 # a session directory — measured on this branch before the fix: a `task` carrying
-# `../../../evil` created a directory one level above the project root, started its
+# `../../../evil` created a directory one level above the agent root, started its
 # turn, and sent the client nothing but `auth_ok`. A test that hands a `task` frame
 # to `_process_message` therefore certifies a door production does not use: that
 # function has no `task` branch at all and answers `unknown message type`. The two
 # tests below drive `_handle_client`, which is the door.
 
 
-def _project_with_a_neighbour(tmp_path):
+def _agent_with_a_neighbour(tmp_path):
     (tmp_path / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").mkdir(parents=True)
     (tmp_path / "victim").mkdir()
     (tmp_path / "victim" / "precious.txt").write_text("keep me", encoding="utf-8")
@@ -5690,33 +5690,33 @@ def _drive_read_loop(monkeypatch, tmp_path, frames: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
 
 
 def test_delete_session_refuses_an_id_that_is_not_one_component(tmp_path):
-    """A refused delete leaves the project alone and says so in a frame."""
-    project = _project_with_a_neighbour(tmp_path)
+    """A refused delete leaves the agent alone and says so in a frame."""
+    agent = _agent_with_a_neighbour(tmp_path)
     server = _make_server()
 
     frames = _drive(server, {
-        "type": "delete_session", "session_id": "../..", "cwd": str(project),
+        "type": "delete_session", "session_id": "../..", "cwd": str(agent),
     })
 
     assert len(frames) == 1
     assert "invalid session id" in frames[0]["error"]
-    assert (project / "victim" / "precious.txt").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "keep me"
-    assert (project / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").is_dir()
+    assert (agent / "victim" / "precious.txt").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "keep me"
+    assert (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").is_dir()
 
 
 def test_delete_session_still_deletes_a_real_one(tmp_path):
     """The other direction on the same seam: a plain id is untouched by the refusal."""
-    project = _project_with_a_neighbour(tmp_path)
+    agent = _agent_with_a_neighbour(tmp_path)
     server = _make_server()
 
     frames = _drive(server, {
-        "type": "delete_session", "session_id": "keep", "cwd": str(project),
+        "type": "delete_session", "session_id": "keep", "cwd": str(agent),
     })
 
     assert frames[0]["type"] == "session_deleted"
     assert frames[0].get("error") is None
-    assert not (project / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").exists()
-    assert (project / "victim" / "precious.txt").exists()
+    assert not (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").exists()
+    assert (agent / "victim" / "precious.txt").exists()
 
 
 def test_the_read_loop_refuses_a_task_carrying_an_unsafe_session_id(
@@ -5726,22 +5726,22 @@ def test_the_read_loop_refuses_a_task_carrying_an_unsafe_session_id(
 
     Driven through `_handle_client`, because that is where a `task` is dispatched.
     The id walks two levels up from the sessions directory, so without the refusal
-    the directory it creates lands **outside** the project — which is what the
+    the directory it creates lands **outside** the agent — which is what the
     assertion on `tmp_path` measures, not on `sessions/`.
     """
-    project = tmp_path / "project"
-    (project / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").mkdir(parents=True)
+    agent = tmp_path / "agent"
+    (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").mkdir(parents=True)
 
     frames = _drive_read_loop(monkeypatch, tmp_path, [{
         "type": "task", "id": "t1", "session_id": "../../../evil",
-        "cwd": str(project), "prompt": "hi",
+        "cwd": str(agent), "prompt": "hi",
     }])
 
     assert [f for f in frames if f.get("type") != "auth_ok"] == [
         {"error": "invalid session id: '../../../evil' (a session id is one path component)"}
     ]
     assert not (tmp_path / "evil").exists()
-    assert sorted(p.name for p in (project / ".emrg" / "sessions").iterdir()) == ["keep"]
+    assert sorted(p.name for p in (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions").iterdir()) == ["keep"]
 
 
 def test_the_read_loop_still_accepts_a_task_carrying_a_plain_session_id(
@@ -5753,16 +5753,16 @@ def test_the_read_loop_still_accepts_a_task_carrying_a_plain_session_id(
     that discriminates: no `invalid session id` frame, and the session directory the
     branch creates exists.
     """
-    project = tmp_path / "project"
-    (project / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").mkdir(parents=True)
+    agent = tmp_path / "agent"
+    (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").mkdir(parents=True)
 
     frames = _drive_read_loop(monkeypatch, tmp_path, [{
         "type": "task", "id": "t2", "session_id": "fresh",
-        "cwd": str(project), "prompt": "hi",
+        "cwd": str(agent), "prompt": "hi",
     }])
 
     assert not [f for f in frames if "invalid session id" in str(f.get("error", ""))]
-    assert (project / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "fresh").is_dir()
+    assert (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "fresh").is_dir()
 
 
 # ── the task list frame is the renderer's one source for the floor ───────────
diff --git a/tests/test_daemon_lifecycle_is_classified.py b/tests/test_daemon_lifecycle_is_classified.py
index 4282fbd2..407c0dca 100644
--- a/tests/test_daemon_lifecycle_is_classified.py
+++ b/tests/test_daemon_lifecycle_is_classified.py
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 """The daemon's life is classified, not only stated (issue #1324).
 
-Never stopping or restarting the emrg server is the project's highest-priority
+Never stopping or restarting the emrg server is the agent's highest-priority
 rule (host 2026-08-18T22:58, `MANIFESTO.md` 第四条附则二). Until `_stops_or_restarts_the_daemon`
 it was enforced in **one** place and stated in **two** — and classified nowhere a
 shell command passes through, which is the shape the host actually hit: on
-2026-08-21T09:41 a session in another project ran a "measurement" whose
+2026-08-21T09:41 a session in another agent ran a "measurement" whose
 subprocess signalled the daemon, the TUI answered `server connection lost`, and
 the host asked *"你怎么验证的，怎么把 emrg server重启了？"*.
 
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ def test_a_data_only_shell_word_is_read_by_the_payload_walk_not_by_this_rule():
 # `tests/conftest.py` classifies the act on an **argv** (a spawned child), and
 # the product classifies it on a **command line** (the bash tool). They are
 # different inputs to one rule, and the defect this guards against is the one
-# this project has paid for repeatedly: two readers of one rule that must change
+# this agent has paid for repeatedly: two readers of one rule that must change
 # together, where the second silently stops firing. The assertion is deliberately
 # one-way — argv side refuses ⇒ the command-line side refuses — because the
 # command-line side reaches further (unresolved wrappers, a signaller's operand).
diff --git a/tests/test_daemon_tool_path.py b/tests/test_daemon_tool_path.py
index 305ae378..ad4e1e58 100644
--- a/tests/test_daemon_tool_path.py
+++ b/tests/test_daemon_tool_path.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
-Rant 2026-09-27T19:45:54 (project `emrg`), defect B — measured on this host.
+Rant 2026-09-27T19:45:54 (agent `emrg`), defect B — measured on this host.
 After the host restarted the daemon from the GUI, the new daemon's PATH was
 `/Users/argszero/.emrg/install/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin`: no
 `~/.local/bin` (uv), no `/opt/homebrew/bin` (gh), because a Dock-started GUI
diff --git a/tests/test_documented_scripts_exist.py b/tests/test_documented_scripts_exist.py
index a61a2bbc..d0cb4d73 100644
--- a/tests/test_documented_scripts_exist.py
+++ b/tests/test_documented_scripts_exist.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 Measured 2026-10-03 (`cyc20261003-112240`): this survey was done **by hand in three
 consecutive cycles** (`cyc20261003-065523`, `-090905`, `-112240`) before it was mechanised
 here. That is the "same trivial check repeated" shape the evolution prompt's Discovery step
-names, and the same reason the project mechanises any rule it can: prose decays, and the
+names, and the same reason the agent mechanises any rule it can: prose decays, and the
 survey lived in three cycle records nobody re-reads.
 
 **Why Markdown and not everything.** `.github/workflows/*.yml` names scripts too, but a
diff --git a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_index_rule.py b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_index_rule.py
index 417ed733..f1abfe94 100644
--- a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_index_rule.py
+++ b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_index_rule.py
@@ -106,10 +106,10 @@
 def rendered(tmp_path_factory) -> str:
     """The real template, rendered through the real builder with the real context."""
     tmp_path = tmp_path_factory.mktemp("index-rule")
-    project_dir = tmp_path / "demoproj"
-    project_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+    agent_dir = tmp_path / "demoproj"
+    agent_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
-        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": "demoproj", "path": str(project_dir)}]), encoding="utf-8"
+        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": "demoproj", "path": str(agent_dir)}]), encoding="utf-8"
     )
     original = mod.config_dir
     mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
diff --git a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_issue_rule.py b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_issue_rule.py
index 75605150..810ebe16 100644
--- a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_issue_rule.py
+++ b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_issue_rule.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
-Host rant 2026-09-26T18:52:47 (`~/.emrg/rants.jsonl`, project `emrg`), in the host's
+Host rant 2026-09-26T18:52:47 (`~/.emrg/rants.jsonl`, agent `emrg`), in the host's
 words: *每个issue应该在一个pr里处理完毕。每个pr都应该明确对应哪个issue，并在对应的issue里
 说明。也就是双方应该有明确的双向连接。发生pr被拒绝或者要求更正时，应该还是在这个pr里更新。*
 — one issue is finished by exactly one PR, the two name each other in both directions, and
diff --git a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_merge_condition.py b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_merge_condition.py
index bcc6b4e4..4f6975d2 100644
--- a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_merge_condition.py
+++ b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_merge_condition.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 showed 4-6 "✅ LGTM" lines and each had **0 valid votes**). Its condition has a clause
 the template's sentence did not: **a vote submitted before the head push is void**.
 So an instance whose task prompt is built from the shipped template was told a rule
-narrower than the one this project's gates measure, and pointed at a route (count the
+narrower than the one this agent's gates measure, and pointed at a route (count the
 ✅ lines by hand) that answers wrongly whenever a head has moved.
 
 A sibling defect — the vote *body* — was fixed the same way (#1409): the template's
@@ -109,10 +109,10 @@ def counter():
 def rendered(tmp_path_factory) -> str:
     """The real template, rendered through the real builder with the real context."""
     tmp_path = tmp_path_factory.mktemp("merge-condition")
-    project_dir = tmp_path / "demoproj"
-    project_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+    agent_dir = tmp_path / "demoproj"
+    agent_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
-        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": "demoproj", "path": str(project_dir)}]), encoding="utf-8"
+        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": "demoproj", "path": str(agent_dir)}]), encoding="utf-8"
     )
     original = mod.config_dir
     mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
diff --git a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_prompt_drift.py b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_prompt_drift.py
index 5a9a99ce..390dd308 100644
--- a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_prompt_drift.py
+++ b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_prompt_drift.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
-Host rant 2026-10-17T11:18:41.769853+08:00 (`submit_rant`, project `emrg`), taken on as
+Host rant 2026-10-17T11:18:41.769853+08:00 (`submit_rant`, agent `emrg`), taken on as
 issue #2342. Two gaps, both in the one place a cycle never looked:
 
 * `~/.emrg/tasks.yml` appeared in the template only as the `extra_prompt` injection heading.
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
   say — a defect report about the prompt, filed by the session least able to act on it.
   Measured on the host that filed the rant: two of four tasks carry a non-empty
   `config.extra_prompt` (4,325 and 6,990 chars), mixing instance facts with general method.
-* §1.5 told the cycle to read every project's `.emrg/memory/` and `.emrg/sessions/`, with
+* §1.5 told the cycle to read every agent's `.emrg/memory/` and `.emrg/sessions/`, with
   nothing saying what counts as a finding, so the next cycle read it all again.
 
 Both are prompt items, so both are pinned here rather than left as prose a later edit can
@@ -21,14 +21,14 @@
 -------------------------------------------------
 The new §1.5 answers "is this index far larger than its content justifies?" by counting.
 Written first as `awk 'length($0)>512' MEMORY.md | wc -l`, that reading is **wrong on this
-project's own host**: macOS `awk` measures *bytes*, while R9's 512 bound is *characters*, so
-every CJK row past ~170 characters is reported as over. Measured over the eight project
+agent's own host**: macOS `awk` measures *bytes*, while R9's 512 bound is *characters*, so
+every CJK row past ~170 characters is reported as over. Measured over the eight agent
 indexes here, the awk form reports 66, 33 and 3 over-long rows for `emrg`, `competition` and
 `pku-paper-3d`, and the true count is **0** in all three (longest rows 512, 511 and 418
-characters). A cycle obeying that sentence would open 102 bodies on three projects that have
+characters). A cycle obeying that sentence would open 102 bodies on three agents that have
 none to open — the funnel inverted. The reading now names `scripts/check-memory-index.py`,
 the producer R9's own compaction uses, and the prohibition is pinned beside it because this
-trap has already been recorded four times in this project's memory (`8e4b2a17` §7 among them).
+trap has already been recorded four times in this agent's memory (`8e4b2a17` §7 among them).
 
 Named limits
 ------------
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ def test_no_line_in_the_funnel_instructs_a_byte_measuring_count() -> None:
     """The one wrong reading this section shipped, and every line that could reintroduce it.
 
     The template may *mention* `awk` only to forbid it. Measured: the instruction form reports
-    66/33/3 over-long rows for three project indexes whose true count is 0.
+    66/33/3 over-long rows for three agent indexes whose true count is 0.
     """
     section = _section(_template(), FUNNEL)
     assert section, f"{FUNNEL!r} is missing from the template"
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ def _a_shell_runs(program: str) -> bool:
 
 
 def test_no_placeholder_carries_a_quote() -> None:
-    """Measured 2026-10-17: the step-0 block shipped a placeholder reading `<that project's
+    """Measured 2026-10-17: the step-0 block shipped a placeholder reading `<that agent's
     bookmark time>`. The apostrophe closed the single quote around it, and `bash -n` on the
     block exited 2 — so the one line §1.5 calls "the step that is never skipped" was the one
     line that could not run as printed. A whole value is substituted for a placeholder, never
@@ -297,8 +297,8 @@ def test_no_placeholder_carries_a_quote() -> None:
 
 def test_the_placeholder_rule_discriminates() -> None:
     """Both directions: the quoted form must be reported, the fixed form must not be."""
-    broken = "find <project>/.emrg -newermt '<that project's bookmark time>' -print"
-    fixed = "find <project>/.emrg -newermt '<bookmark-time>' -print"
+    broken = "find <agent>/.emrg -newermt '<that agent's bookmark time>' -print"
+    fixed = "find <agent>/.emrg -newermt '<bookmark-time>' -print"
     assert [m for m in _PLACEHOLDER.findall(broken) if "'" in m], (
         "the shipped defect must be recognised as a quoted placeholder"
     )
@@ -348,9 +348,9 @@ def test_the_step_zero_line_finds_a_file_that_changed(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     Named limits, both of them the reason this is not the whole guard:
     * the **format** is pinned by the text term in `FUNNEL_TERMS`, not here - this arm always
       supplies a space-separated value, so it cannot fail because a cycle was told to use
-      the `T` form. What that costs was measured 2026-10-17 on this host: over one project's
+      the `T` form. What that costs was measured 2026-10-17 on this host: over one agent's
       memory, `-newermt '2026-10-17T16:00:00'` answered 0 files where the space form answered
-      9, a step 0 that reports nothing changed for every project for ever.
+      9, a step 0 that reports nothing changed for every agent for ever.
     * it proves the shipped line answers on the host that runs it. A BSD `find` mis-parses
       the `T` form and a GNU one may not, so no single arm fixes the format everywhere.
     """
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ def test_the_step_zero_line_finds_a_file_that_changed(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     saved.write_text("# an index\n", encoding="utf-8")
 
     bookmark = time.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", time.localtime(time.time() - 3600))
-    # The block's first line cats the host's project list; that is a reading of this host,
+    # The block's first line cats the host's agent list; that is a reading of this host,
     # not part of the question this arm asks, so it stays out of the script.
     script = "\n".join(
         line for line in block.splitlines() if not line.strip().startswith("cat ")
diff --git a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_red_lines.py b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_red_lines.py
index a4d5f444..c4814de4 100644
--- a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_red_lines.py
+++ b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_red_lines.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
-Issue #1324 measured the first gap. The project's highest-priority rule — never write,
+Issue #1324 measured the first gap. The agent's highest-priority rule — never write,
 restore or introduce anything that stops or restarts the emrg server / `emrgd` —
 was enforced in one place and stated in two: `tests/conftest.py` refuses the
 in-process, `os.kill` and spawned-child routes, and `MANIFESTO.md` 第四条附则二 plus
@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@
 
 The second clause was measured the same way, on 2026-09-28 by cycle `cyc20260928-070538`,
 and it is the same failure with a wider blast radius. The host's rule *never start a
-background process* was in force in **one** project's memory and in **no** template,
-so every other evolution instance — a different project's cycle, on a different machine
+background process* was in force in **one** agent's memory and in **no** template,
+so every other evolution instance — a different agent's cycle, on a different machine
 — carried none of it; two more isomorphic incidents happened on this host the morning
-it was measured. Memory is per-project and per-session; the template is the one carrier
+it was measured. Memory is per-agent and per-session; the template is the one carrier
 that reaches every instance, which is why the rule belongs here.
 
 The fix, both times, is a clause in the template's `### Forbidden` list — the section a
diff --git a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_vote_body.py b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_vote_body.py
index c7f6d9b3..3a73502d 100644
--- a/tests/test_evolution_prompt_vote_body.py
+++ b/tests/test_evolution_prompt_vote_body.py
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ def counter():
 def rendered(tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> str:
     """The real template, rendered through the real builder with the real context."""
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
-    project_dir = tmp_path / "demoproj"
-    project_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+    agent_dir = tmp_path / "demoproj"
+    agent_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
-        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": "demoproj", "path": str(project_dir)}]), encoding="utf-8"
+        yaml.safe_dump([{"name": "demoproj", "path": str(agent_dir)}]), encoding="utf-8"
     )
     handler = make_handler(
         name="demo-task",
diff --git a/tests/test_git_utils.py b/tests/test_git_utils.py
index d180385d..60956e14 100644
--- a/tests/test_git_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_git_utils.py
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ def test_cache_tool_paths_preserves_existing_fields(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
 def test_cache_tool_paths_tolerates_corrupt_cache(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """A corrupt/partial install-info.json must not raise — degrades to {}.
 
-    Regression for the flaky test_daemon::test_build_prompt_with_project
+    Regression for the flaky test_daemon::test_build_prompt_with_agent
     (json.decoder.JSONDecodeError): the live daemon rewrites this shared
     file non-atomically; a concurrent reader could catch a partial write.
     """
diff --git a/tests/test_grep_tool.py b/tests/test_grep_tool.py
index ccb1530c..3018c0c2 100644
--- a/tests/test_grep_tool.py
+++ b/tests/test_grep_tool.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ def temp_cwd():
         (root / "tests" / "test_main.py").write_text(
             "import pytest\nfrom src.main import main\n\ndef test_main():\n    main()\n"
         )
-        (root / "README.md").write_text("# Project\n\nA test project.\n")
+        (root / "README.md").write_text("# Agent\n\nA test agent.\n")
         (root / "__pycache__").mkdir()
         (root / "__pycache__" / "compiled.pyc").write_text("binary")
         yield root
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def test_grep_glob_filter(temp_cwd):
 def test_grep_case_insensitive(temp_cwd):
     tool = GrepTool()
     result = _run(tool.execute({
-        "pattern": "PROJECT", "path": str(temp_cwd), "ignore_case": True,
+        "pattern": "AGENT", "path": str(temp_cwd), "ignore_case": True,
     }))
     assert "README.md" in result.content
 
@@ -817,7 +817,7 @@ def test_every_glob_example_the_description_advertises_selects_files(tmp_path):
     (tmp_path / "src").mkdir()
     (tmp_path / "src" / "main.py").write_text("import os\n")
     (tmp_path / "src" / "app.ts").write_text("import x\n")
-    (tmp_path / "README.md").write_text("# Project\n")
+    (tmp_path / "README.md").write_text("# Agent\n")
 
     for glob_example in globs:
         result = _run(GrepTool().execute({
diff --git a/tests/test_guard_scope.py b/tests/test_guard_scope.py
index 3a57e252..ae6c5ad6 100644
--- a/tests/test_guard_scope.py
+++ b/tests/test_guard_scope.py
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ def test_the_entry_names_the_runtime_dirs_path_in_the_repository(tmp_path):
         "EMRG's own bookkeeping must stop being the task's dirt here as well"
     )
     assert _status(repo, "work/clone").strip() == ""
-    assert not (repo / ".gitignore").exists(), "the project's .gitignore is not ours"
+    assert not (repo / ".gitignore").exists(), "the agent's .gitignore is not ours"
 
 
 def test_the_sandbox_stops_reading_emrgs_own_runtime_data_as_the_hosts(tmp_path):
diff --git a/tests/test_gui_config_mode.py b/tests/test_gui_config_mode.py
index 90e0aed1..622199e7 100644
--- a/tests/test_gui_config_mode.py
+++ b/tests/test_gui_config_mode.py
@@ -315,14 +315,14 @@ def test_every_main_process_module_a_module_requires_is_packaged():
     `scripts/check-gui-package-refs.py` reads the `from` / `buildResources` / `icon` declarations
     and not this one, so an omission here is caught by nothing: `require("./config_mode")` would
     resolve in this checkout and fail inside the packaged app's asar. The class of files is
-    **discovered** (`emrg/gui/*.js` at the project root), not listed, so the next module is
+    **discovered** (`emrg/gui/*.js` at the agent root), not listed, so the next module is
     covered without this test being edited.
     """
     files = _packaging_files()
     assert "main.js" in files, "the packaging list was not read as expected"
 
     modules = sorted(p.name for p in GUI_DIR.glob("*.js"))
-    assert len(modules) >= 5, f"discovery found only {modules} — that is not this project's tree"
+    assert len(modules) >= 5, f"discovery found only {modules} — that is not this agent's tree"
 
     missing: list[str] = []
     for module in modules:
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ def test_every_main_process_module_a_module_requires_is_packaged():
         for spec in re.findall(r'require\(["\']\./([^"\']+)["\']\)', source):
             target = spec if (GUI_DIR / spec).is_file() else f"{spec}.js"
             if not (GUI_DIR / target).is_file():
-                continue  # not a file in this project dir (a package, or a build-time path)
+                continue  # not a file in this package dir (a package, or a build-time path)
             if not any(_is_covered(target, entry) for entry in files):
                 missing.append(f"{module} requires ./{spec}, but no `build.files` entry covers {target}")
     assert missing == [], (
diff --git a/tests/test_hermeticity_guard.py b/tests/test_hermeticity_guard.py
index b52d58c7..e23c22c6 100644
--- a/tests/test_hermeticity_guard.py
+++ b/tests/test_hermeticity_guard.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ def test_guard_is_installed_in_every_module_that_writes_a_config_file():
     assert wrapped.__name__ == "guarded"
 
 
-def test_guard_allows_tmp_projects_yml(tmp_path):
+def test_guard_allows_tmp_agents_yml(tmp_path):
     """Writes to a tmp agents.yml pass through to the original writer."""
     import emrg.server.scheduler as sched_mod
 
@@ -40,20 +40,20 @@ def test_guard_allows_tmp_projects_yml(tmp_path):
     sched_mod.atomic_write_yaml(
         [{"name": "x", "path": "p", "last_active": "t"}],
         target,
-        prefix=".projects_",
+        prefix=".agents_",
     )
     assert target.exists()
     data = target.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
     assert "name: x" in data
 
 
-def test_guard_rejects_real_projects_yml():
+def test_guard_rejects_real_agents_yml():
     """Writing the real ~/.emrg/agents.yml is a hard error."""
     import emrg.server.scheduler as sched_mod
 
     real = (Path.home() / ".emrg" / "agents.yml").resolve()
     with pytest.raises(AssertionError, match="hermetic"):
-        sched_mod.atomic_write_yaml([], real, prefix=".projects_")
+        sched_mod.atomic_write_yaml([], real, prefix=".agents_")
 
 
 def test_guard_rejects_real_tasks_yml():
diff --git a/tests/test_language_policy_reach.py b/tests/test_language_policy_reach.py
index 0bd6f711..0b5ad11b 100644
--- a/tests/test_language_policy_reach.py
+++ b/tests/test_language_policy_reach.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
-The project has a rule about the language of outward-facing output: GitHub-facing text is
+The agent has a rule about the language of outward-facing output: GitHub-facing text is
 written in **English** (PR titles and bodies, review comments, issue replies, commit
 messages, community participation), a quotation from another language is carried in English
 with its source named, and internal artifacts — memory entries, session notes, cycle records
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ def test_the_scan_reports_absence() -> None:
 def test_the_retired_verbatim_clause_is_gone_from_every_carrier() -> None:
     """The host's ruling of 2026-09-29, and the mutation that would undo it.
 
-    The retired clause — ``Quotes stay verbatim`` — was not a slip: it was this project's
+    The retired clause — ``Quotes stay verbatim`` — was not a slip: it was this agent's
     stated policy, and it is why issue #1737 went out with 223 Chinese characters of host
     quotation in it. Stating the new rule only in `system.j2` would leave three templates
     teaching the old one, so every carrier is read here, and the assertion is the
diff --git a/tests/test_local_exclude.py b/tests/test_local_exclude.py
index 8679bf04..618edde9 100644
--- a/tests/test_local_exclude.py
+++ b/tests/test_local_exclude.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 The dirt is EMRG's, not the repository's, so it belongs in the repository's
 *local* ignore file: `.git/info/exclude` is per-clone, is never committed, and
-leaves the upstream `.gitignore` (which belongs to the project's maintainers)
+leaves the upstream `.gitignore` (which belongs to the agent's maintainers)
 alone. These tests hold both halves: the runtime directory stops being dirt,
 and every other kind of dirt still is.
 """
@@ -107,8 +107,8 @@ def test_the_guard_stops_seeing_this_instances_own_runtime_dir(tmp_path):
     assert EXCLUDE_ENTRY in _exclude_file(repo).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 
 
-def test_the_projects_own_gitignore_is_not_touched(tmp_path):
-    """The upstream `.gitignore` belongs to the project's maintainers: this fix is
+def test_the_agents_own_gitignore_is_not_touched(tmp_path):
+    """The upstream `.gitignore` belongs to the agent's maintainers: this fix is
     local-only and must not appear in anything that could be committed."""
     repo = _repo(tmp_path / "clone")
     before = sorted(p.name for p in repo.iterdir())
@@ -271,9 +271,9 @@ def test_real_dirt_still_triggers_the_guard(tmp_path):
     assert kept.stdout == "work that exists nowhere else"
 
 
-def test_registering_a_project_writes_the_exclude_too(tmp_path):
+def test_registering_a_agent_writes_the_exclude_too(tmp_path):
     """The daemon-side call site: `AgentRegistry.for_dir` is where this instance takes a
-    directory on as a project, so a later session in it never starts from a tree
+    directory on as a agent, so a later session in it never starts from a tree
     whose dirt is EMRG's own bookkeeping.
 
     Built with `object.__new__` on purpose — `for_dir` reads one path
@@ -294,11 +294,11 @@ def test_registering_a_project_writes_the_exclude_too(tmp_path):
     assert TaskHandler._is_dirty_tree_sync(str(repo)) is False
 
 
-def test_a_nested_project_directory_learns_to_ignore_its_own_runtime_dir(tmp_path):
+def test_a_nested_agent_directory_learns_to_ignore_its_own_runtime_dir(tmp_path):
     """The daemon-side call site, one directory shape over (issue #1527).
 
     `AgentRegistry.for_dir` used to call the exclude helper only when `<cwd>/.git`
-    existed — the *root* question, `repo_scope`'s other answer. A project
+    existed — the *root* question, `repo_scope`'s other answer. A agent
     registered at a directory inside a repository (a package in a monorepo, this
     instance's own `work/` tree, a clone nested in a larger checkout) therefore
     never learned to ignore its runtime data, and the dirt came back one gate
diff --git a/tests/test_main.py b/tests/test_main.py
index 85510d4d..cab37c3f 100644
--- a/tests/test_main.py
+++ b/tests/test_main.py
@@ -47,20 +47,20 @@ def test_rant_with_message(self):
         args = parser.parse_args(["rant", "this", "is", "a", "test"])
         assert args.command == "rant"
         assert args.message == ["this", "is", "a", "test"]
-        assert args.project is None
+        assert args.agent is None
 
-    def test_rant_with_project(self):
+    def test_rant_with_agent(self):
         parser = _build_parser()
         args = parser.parse_args(["rant", "-p", "emrg", "hello", "world"])
         assert args.command == "rant"
-        assert args.project == "emrg"
+        assert args.agent == "emrg"
         assert args.message == ["hello", "world"]
 
-    def test_rant_with_long_project_flag(self):
+    def test_rant_with_long_agent_flag(self):
         parser = _build_parser()
-        args = parser.parse_args(["rant", "--project", "emrg", "hello"])
+        args = parser.parse_args(["rant", "--agent", "emrg", "hello"])
         assert args.command == "rant"
-        assert args.project == "emrg"
+        assert args.agent == "emrg"
         assert args.message == ["hello"]
 
     def test_stop_command(self):
diff --git a/tests/test_memory.py b/tests/test_memory.py
index 673822d0..9a6a343c 100644
--- a/tests/test_memory.py
+++ b/tests/test_memory.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
     MemoryFile,
     MemoryIndex,
     NotARegularFile,
-    ProjectMemoryStore,
+    AgentMemoryStore,
     SessionMemoryStore,
     generate_id,
 )
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ def temp_cwd():
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
-def project_store(temp_cwd):
-    return ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+def agent_store(temp_cwd):
+    return AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def test_from_text_parses_frontmatter(self):
 created_at: "2026-07-14T15:30:42Z"
 updated_at: "2026-07-14T15:30:42Z"
 type: "decision"
-scope: "project"
+scope: "agent"
 status: "active"
 ---
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ def test_from_text_parses_frontmatter(self):
         assert mem.id == "a1b2c3d4"
         assert mem.event_at == "2026-07-10T09:00:00Z"
         assert mem.type == "decision"
-        assert mem.scope == "project"
+        assert mem.scope == "agent"
         assert mem.title == "Use httpx"
 
     def test_from_text_no_frontmatter(self):
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ def test_to_markdown_roundtrip(self):
         mem = MemoryFile(
             id="deadbeef",
             type="feedback",
-            scope="project",
+            scope="agent",
             title="Test title",
             body="Test body",
         )
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ def test_to_markdown_roundtrip(self):
         assert mem2.type == mem.type
 
     def test_to_markdown_adds_title_heading(self):
-        mem = MemoryFile(title="API Key Config", body="Use env vars", type="project")
+        mem = MemoryFile(title="API Key Config", body="Use env vars", type="agent")
         md = mem.to_markdown()
         assert "# API Key Config" in md
 
@@ -207,57 +207,57 @@ def test_to_markdown_truncates_legacy_long_line(self):
 
 
 class TestProjectMemoryStore:
-    def test_create_creates_file_and_index(self, project_store):
-        mem = project_store.create("decision", "Use httpx", "**What**: ...")
+    def test_create_creates_file_and_index(self, agent_store):
+        mem = agent_store.create("decision", "Use httpx", "**What**: ...")
         assert mem.id is not None
-        assert mem.scope == "project"
-        file_path = project_store.directory / mem.filename
+        assert mem.scope == "agent"
+        file_path = agent_store.directory / mem.filename
         assert file_path.exists()
-        index_path = project_store.index_path
+        index_path = agent_store.index_path
         assert index_path.exists()
         assert mem.filename in index_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 
-    def test_list_returns_all_active(self, project_store):
-        project_store.create("task", "Task 1", "body1")
-        project_store.create("task", "Task 2", "body2")
-        all_mems = project_store.list()
+    def test_list_returns_all_active(self, agent_store):
+        agent_store.create("task", "Task 1", "body1")
+        agent_store.create("task", "Task 2", "body2")
+        all_mems = agent_store.list()
         assert len(all_mems) == 2
 
-    def test_list_with_type_filter(self, project_store):
-        project_store.create("decision", "D1", "body")
-        project_store.create("task", "T1", "body")
-        decisions = project_store.list(type_filter="decision")
+    def test_list_with_type_filter(self, agent_store):
+        agent_store.create("decision", "D1", "body")
+        agent_store.create("task", "T1", "body")
+        decisions = agent_store.list(type_filter="decision")
         assert len(decisions) == 1
         assert decisions[0].type == "decision"
 
-    def test_get_by_id(self, project_store):
-        mem = project_store.create("reference", "API docs", "url")
-        retrieved = project_store.get(mem.id)
+    def test_get_by_id(self, agent_store):
+        mem = agent_store.create("reference", "API docs", "url")
+        retrieved = agent_store.get(mem.id)
         assert retrieved is not None
         assert retrieved.id == mem.id
 
-    def test_get_nonexistent(self, project_store):
-        assert project_store.get("nonexistent") is None
+    def test_get_nonexistent(self, agent_store):
+        assert agent_store.get("nonexistent") is None
 
-    def test_update_modifies_file(self, project_store):
-        mem = project_store.create("project", "Original", "old body")
-        updated = project_store.update(mem.id, body="new body", title="Updated title")
+    def test_update_modifies_file(self, agent_store):
+        mem = agent_store.create("agent", "Original", "old body")
+        updated = agent_store.update(mem.id, body="new body", title="Updated title")
         assert updated is not None
         assert updated.body != mem.body
         assert "new body" in updated.body
         assert updated.title == "Updated title"
 
-    def test_soft_delete(self, project_store):
-        mem = project_store.create("task", "To delete", "body")
-        assert project_store.delete(mem.id)
-        deleted = project_store.get(mem.id)
+    def test_soft_delete(self, agent_store):
+        mem = agent_store.create("task", "To delete", "body")
+        assert agent_store.delete(mem.id)
+        deleted = agent_store.get(mem.id)
         assert deleted.status == "superseded"
 
-    def test_merge(self, project_store):
-        m1 = project_store.create("reference", "Source A", "body")
-        m2 = project_store.create("reference", "Source B", "body")
-        assert project_store.merge(m1.id, m2.id)
-        merged = project_store.get(m1.id)
+    def test_merge(self, agent_store):
+        m1 = agent_store.create("reference", "Source A", "body")
+        m2 = agent_store.create("reference", "Source B", "body")
+        assert agent_store.merge(m1.id, m2.id)
+        merged = agent_store.get(m1.id)
         assert merged.status == "merged"
 
 
@@ -267,12 +267,12 @@ def test_create_session_memory(self, session_store):
         assert mem.scope == "session"
         assert (session_store.directory / mem.filename).exists()
 
-    def test_promote_to_project(self, session_store, temp_cwd):
-        pstore = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+    def test_promote_to_agent(self, session_store, temp_cwd):
+        pstore = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
         mem = session_store.create("decision", "Important decision", "Use X over Y")
-        promoted = session_store.promote_to_project(mem.id, pstore)
+        promoted = session_store.promote_to_agent(mem.id, pstore)
         assert promoted is not None
-        assert promoted.scope == "project"
+        assert promoted.scope == "agent"
         # Original is merged
         original = session_store.get(mem.id)
         assert original.status == "merged"
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ def test_save_and_load(self, temp_cwd):
 created_at: 2026-08-27T11:48:00Z
 updated_at: 2026-08-27T11:48:00Z
 type: task
-scope: project
+scope: agent
 status: active
 tags: merge-gate
 ---
@@ -691,88 +691,88 @@ def _rows(self, store):
     def _files(self, store):
         return sorted(p.name for p in store.directory.glob("*.md") if p.name != "MEMORY.md")
 
-    def test_create_gives_each_memory_its_own_row(self, project_store):
-        first = project_store.create("project", "Same title", "first")
-        second = project_store.create("project", "Same title", "second")
+    def test_create_gives_each_memory_its_own_row(self, agent_store):
+        first = agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "first")
+        second = agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "second")
 
-        assert self._files(project_store) == ["project-same-title-2.md", "project-same-title.md"]
+        assert self._files(agent_store) == ["agent-same-title-2.md", "agent-same-title.md"]
         assert first.filename != second.filename, "both memories claim the same file"
         for mem in (first, second):
-            assert (project_store.directory / mem.filename).exists(), mem.filename
+            assert (agent_store.directory / mem.filename).exists(), mem.filename
 
-        entries = self._rows(project_store)
+        entries = self._rows(agent_store)
         assert sorted(e.filename for e in entries) == [
-            "project-same-title-2.md",
-            "project-same-title.md",
+            "agent-same-title-2.md",
+            "agent-same-title.md",
         ], "each file needs a row of its own; neither may be orphaned"
 
-    def test_each_row_opens_the_memory_that_wrote_it(self, project_store):
-        first = project_store.create("project", "Same title", "first body")
-        second = project_store.create("project", "Same title", "second body")
+    def test_each_row_opens_the_memory_that_wrote_it(self, agent_store):
+        first = agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "first body")
+        second = agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "second body")
 
         assert first.id != second.id
         for mem in (first, second):
-            back = project_store.get_by_filename(mem.filename)
+            back = agent_store.get_by_filename(mem.filename)
             assert back is not None and back.id == mem.id, (
                 f"{mem.filename} does not open the memory that wrote it"
             )
 
-    def test_a_memory_read_from_disk_reports_its_own_file(self, project_store):
-        project_store.create("project", "Same title", "first")
-        second = project_store.create("project", "Same title", "second")
+    def test_a_memory_read_from_disk_reports_its_own_file(self, agent_store):
+        agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "first")
+        second = agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "second")
 
-        loaded = {m.id: m for m in project_store.list()}
+        loaded = {m.id: m for m in agent_store.list()}
         assert loaded[second.id].filename == second.filename, (
             "a reload re-derived the name from the title, so two memories "
             "report one file"
         )
 
-    def test_rebuild_index_keeps_the_counter_suffixed_memory(self, project_store):
-        project_store.create("project", "Same title", "first")
-        project_store.create("project", "Same title", "second")
+    def test_rebuild_index_keeps_the_counter_suffixed_memory(self, agent_store):
+        agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "first")
+        agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "second")
 
-        project_store.rebuild_index()
+        agent_store.rebuild_index()
 
-        assert sorted(e.filename for e in self._rows(project_store)) == [
-            "project-same-title-2.md",
-            "project-same-title.md",
+        assert sorted(e.filename for e in self._rows(agent_store)) == [
+            "agent-same-title-2.md",
+            "agent-same-title.md",
         ], "a rebuild re-derived the name and dropped the suffixed memory again"
 
-    def test_update_of_the_suffixed_memory_keeps_its_row(self, project_store):
-        project_store.create("project", "Same title", "first")
-        second = project_store.create("project", "Same title", "second")
+    def test_update_of_the_suffixed_memory_keeps_its_row(self, agent_store):
+        agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "first")
+        second = agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "second")
 
-        updated = project_store.update(second.id, body="second, edited")
+        updated = agent_store.update(second.id, body="second, edited")
 
         assert updated.filename == second.filename
-        assert sorted(e.filename for e in self._rows(project_store)) == [
-            "project-same-title-2.md",
-            "project-same-title.md",
+        assert sorted(e.filename for e in self._rows(agent_store)) == [
+            "agent-same-title-2.md",
+            "agent-same-title.md",
         ]
 
     def test_promote_with_a_colliding_title_keeps_its_row(self, session_store, temp_cwd):
-        project = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
-        project.create("project", "Collide", "already resident")
-        mem = session_store.create("project", "Collide", "from the session")
+        agent = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+        agent.create("agent", "Collide", "already resident")
+        mem = session_store.create("agent", "Collide", "from the session")
 
-        promoted = session_store.promote_to_project(mem.id, project)
+        promoted = session_store.promote_to_agent(mem.id, agent)
 
         assert promoted is not None
         assert promoted.filename != mem.filename, "the copy claims the resident memory's file"
         assert promoted.filename.endswith("-collide-1.md"), promoted.filename
-        assert (project.directory / promoted.filename).exists()
-        assert sorted(e.filename for e in self._rows(project)) == sorted(
-            ["project-collide-1.md", "project-collide.md"]
+        assert (agent.directory / promoted.filename).exists()
+        assert sorted(e.filename for e in self._rows(agent)) == sorted(
+            ["agent-collide-1.md", "agent-collide.md"]
         ), "the promoted copy's row must name the file it was written to"
 
-    def test_the_filename_field_stays_out_of_the_file_format(self, project_store):
-        mem = project_store.create("project", "Same title", "first")
-        project_store.create("project", "Same title", "second")
+    def test_the_filename_field_stays_out_of_the_file_format(self, agent_store):
+        mem = agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "first")
+        agent_store.create("agent", "Same title", "second")
 
-        text = (project_store.directory / mem.filename).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        text = (agent_store.directory / mem.filename).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
         assert "_filename" not in text, "the override leaked into the serialized memory"
 
-        reloaded = MemoryFile.from_file(project_store.directory / mem.filename)
+        reloaded = MemoryFile.from_file(agent_store.directory / mem.filename)
         assert reloaded._filename == mem.filename
         assert reloaded.to_markdown() == text, "a load → save rewrote the file"
 
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@ def test_the_reader_still_reads_a_regular_file_beside_a_pipe(tmp_path):
     os.mkfifo(tmp_path / "pipe.md")
     regular = tmp_path / "notes.md"
     regular.write_text(
-        "---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: project\nstatus: active\n"
+        "---\nid: aaaa1111\ntype: reference\nscope: agent\nstatus: active\n"
         "title: A note\n---\n\nbody\n",
         encoding="utf-8",
     )
@@ -831,7 +831,7 @@ def test_the_store_lists_the_memories_beside_a_pipe(temp_cwd):
     """The measured route: `list_memories` walks every `*.md`, so a pipe in the
     directory is a client frame that never gets its answer.
 
-    Asserted through `ProjectMemoryStore.list()` rather than through `from_file`,
+    Asserted through `AgentMemoryStore.list()` rather than through `from_file`,
     because the walk's `except (OSError, ValueError)` is what turns the refusal into a
     skipped file — a width the reader alone does not decide.
     """
@@ -839,7 +839,7 @@ def test_the_store_lists_the_memories_beside_a_pipe(temp_cwd):
     directory.mkdir(parents=True)
     (directory / "MEMORY.md").write_text("# Memory Index\n", encoding="utf-8")
     os.mkfifo(directory / "pipe.md")
-    store = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+    store = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
     store.create("reference", "A note", "body")
 
     assert [m.title for m in store.list()] == ["A note"], (
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ def test_the_scan_names_the_pipe_as_a_reason_rather_than_never_answering(temp_cw
     directory = temp_cwd / ".emrg" / "memory"
     directory.mkdir(parents=True)
     os.mkfifo(directory / "pipe.md")
-    store = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+    store = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
 
     mem, reason = store.get_with_reason("aaaa1111")
 
@@ -949,7 +949,7 @@ def test_the_store_route_refuses_rather_than_never_answering(temp_cwd):
     directory = temp_cwd / ".emrg" / "memory"
     directory.mkdir(parents=True)
     os.mkfifo(directory / "MEMORY.md")
-    store = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+    store = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
 
     with pytest.raises(NotARegularFile) as excinfo:
         store.create("reference", "A note", "body")
@@ -959,13 +959,13 @@ def test_the_store_route_refuses_rather_than_never_answering(temp_cwd):
 
 # ── The promotion's marker is an open, so its kind is asked first ─────────────
 #
-# `promote_to_project` writes `<memory>.promoted` beside the memory it has just marked
+# `promote_to_agent` writes `<memory>.promoted` beside the memory it has just marked
 # `merged`, in the store's own directory — inside the agent's workspace, so anything
 # running there can plant a subject at that name. A write is an open too: `write_text` on
 # a FIFO waits for a reader and raises nothing, so the call never returns and the daemon,
 # whose event loop reaches this store, never answers again. A *directory* is the same
 # defect one kind over, and there it is worse than a hang's quiet cousin: today it raises
-# `IsADirectoryError` **after** the project copy and the index row are written, so an
+# `IsADirectoryError` **after** the agent copy and the index row are written, so an
 # exception reports the promotion as failed while most of it happened.
 #
 # Measured 2026-10-12 (`cyc20261012-043725`) on master `f4fe92c3`, one child per arm under
@@ -986,16 +986,16 @@ def _the_memory_path(store) -> Path:
 @_needs_mkfifo
 def test_a_named_pipe_marker_does_not_hold_the_promotion(session_store, temp_cwd):
     """Bounded, and the promotion completes: the marker is a record, not the work."""
-    pstore = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+    pstore = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
     mem = session_store.create("decision", "Important decision", "Use X over Y")
     marker = _the_memory_path(session_store).with_suffix(".promoted")
     os.mkfifo(marker)
 
-    promoted = within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: session_store.promote_to_project(mem.id, pstore))
+    promoted = within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: session_store.promote_to_agent(mem.id, pstore))
 
     assert promoted is not None, "the promotion itself must still complete"
     assert stat.S_ISFIFO(os.stat(marker).st_mode), "the marker was written into the pipe"
-    assert (pstore.directory / promoted.filename).exists(), "the project copy is what the marker records"
+    assert (pstore.directory / promoted.filename).exists(), "the agent copy is what the marker records"
     assert session_store.get(mem.id).status == "merged"
 
 
@@ -1008,13 +1008,13 @@ def test_a_directory_marker_is_skipped_by_kind_and_the_promotion_still_completes
     copy and the index row, so the promotion is reported as failed having mostly happened.
     Guarded, the call returns, the promotion is whole, and the warning names the kind.
     """
-    pstore = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+    pstore = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
     mem = session_store.create("decision", "Important decision", "Use X over Y")
     marker = _the_memory_path(session_store).with_suffix(".promoted")
     marker.mkdir()
 
     with caplog.at_level(logging.WARNING):
-        promoted = session_store.promote_to_project(mem.id, pstore)
+        promoted = session_store.promote_to_agent(mem.id, pstore)
 
     assert promoted is not None, "a marker that cannot be written must not fail the promotion"
     assert "a directory" in caplog.text, caplog.text
@@ -1025,11 +1025,11 @@ def test_a_directory_marker_is_skipped_by_kind_and_the_promotion_still_completes
 
 def test_a_regular_marker_is_still_written(session_store, temp_cwd):
     """The control the guard must not narrow: a marker that can be written still is."""
-    pstore = ProjectMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
+    pstore = AgentMemoryStore(temp_cwd)
     mem = session_store.create("decision", "Important decision", "Use X over Y")
     marker = _the_memory_path(session_store).with_suffix(".promoted")
 
-    promoted = session_store.promote_to_project(mem.id, pstore)
+    promoted = session_store.promote_to_agent(mem.id, pstore)
 
     assert promoted is not None
     assert marker.is_file(), "the marker is this call's own record of the promotion"
@@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ def test_a_regular_marker_is_still_written(session_store, temp_cwd):
 # reached is this one: `MemoryFile.save` opens the same path the guarded reader refuses,
 # and **a write is an open too** — to a FIFO it waits for a reader, to a socket for a
 # connection — so the call never returns, and neither do the store methods above it
-# (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `promote_to_project`). The sibling one path over
+# (`create`, `update`, `merge`, `promote_to_agent`). The sibling one path over
 # (`MemoryIndex.save`) is the shape copied here.
 #
 # Each test is written so that removing the guard makes it **hang** rather than pass, the
@@ -1060,7 +1060,7 @@ def test_a_regular_marker_is_still_written(session_store, temp_cwd):
     "created_at: 2026-01-01T00:00:00\n"
     "updated_at: 2026-01-01T00:00:00\n"
     "type: reference\n"
-    "scope: project\n"
+    "scope: agent\n"
     "status: active\n"
     "title: A note\n"
     "---\n"
diff --git a/tests/test_memory_block_leaves_the_prefix.py b/tests/test_memory_block_leaves_the_prefix.py
index 31910e44..539ad5fa 100644
--- a/tests/test_memory_block_leaves_the_prefix.py
+++ b/tests/test_memory_block_leaves_the_prefix.py
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 
 
 def _make_server() -> EmrgServer:
-    """A minimal server, with the projects log pointed away from the real one.
+    """A minimal server, with the agents log pointed away from the real one.
 
     The shape `tests/test_memory_row_bound_reach.py::_make_server` uses, for the same
     reason: building a system prompt must never write the host's `~/.emrg/agents.yml`.
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ def test_a_memory_write_does_not_move_the_system_prefix(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     # Reading (2): the write is real and the builder can see it. Without this the
     # equality below would hold on a tree that collected no index at all.
     data = server._collect_memory_data(session)
-    assert data is not None and ROW_TWO in data["project_memory_index"], (
+    assert data is not None and ROW_TWO in data["agent_memory_index"], (
         "the fixture did not take: the second row is not in the index the builder reads"
     )
 
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ def test_the_rows_reach_the_session_in_the_context_message(tmp_path: Path) -> No
     # Not merely the rows: the index reaches the model as the same bytes it holds on
     # disk, capped by `_cap_memory_index` and by nothing else.
     data = server._collect_memory_data(session)
-    assert data["project_memory_index"] in text, (
+    assert data["agent_memory_index"] in text, (
         "the context message carries only part of the index — content loss is not a "
         "cache win (issue #2292, the 'never cheaper by being thinner' constraint)"
     )
diff --git a/tests/test_memory_index_thresholds.py b/tests/test_memory_index_thresholds.py
index 34ad15c2..3d3ff34d 100644
--- a/tests/test_memory_index_thresholds.py
+++ b/tests/test_memory_index_thresholds.py
@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@
 
 **And it holds for both of the cap's subjects, on the strength of where the advisory
 lives.** The cap truncates two files per session (`EmrgServer._collect_memory_data`:
-the project index and the session index), and since 2026-09-24 the advisory is a
+the agent index and the session index), and since 2026-09-24 the advisory is a
 `MemoryStore` method called from the base `_save_index` — so whichever store owns the
 index watches it. That wiring is issue **#1581**, whose measurement was the
-counterexample this file now drives: on one fixture a 56,214-char project index was
+counterexample this file now drives: on one fixture a 56,214-char agent index was
 truncated by the cap with **no advisory having looked at its size**, while the same
 file as a session index fired the advisory first. Before the move the advisory was a
-`SessionMemoryStore` method that `ProjectMemoryStore` did not define, so no reading of
+`SessionMemoryStore` method that `AgentMemoryStore` did not define, so no reading of
 the cap's other subject was possible at all — a store with no such attribute raises
 rather than staying quiet, which is why the arms below name the store they drive.
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
 from emrg.memory import (
     INDEX_SIZE_WARN,
     MemoryStore,
-    ProjectMemoryStore,
+    AgentMemoryStore,
     SessionMemoryStore,
 )
 from emrg.server.daemon import EmrgServer
@@ -77,12 +77,12 @@
 
 # The cap's two subjects are written by two stores, and the claim below is about
 # both of them. Each entry is (name, store class, the ctor argument it needs): the
-# session store's directory is ``<session dir>/memory``, the project store's is
+# session store's directory is ``<session dir>/memory``, the agent store's is
 # ``<cwd>/.emrg/memory`` — so the fixture is placed through ``store.directory``
 # rather than by guessing either layout here.
 STORES = (
     ("session", SessionMemoryStore),
-    ("project", ProjectMemoryStore),
+    ("agent", AgentMemoryStore),
 )
 
 
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def test_the_advisory_reads_bytes_while_the_cap_reads_characters(tmp_path, caplo
     second (it truncates the band, where the advisory said nothing was wrong).
 
     Driven through **both** stores the cap can be handed — the band is a property of
-    the units the two readers use, and it was the project store's silence, not the
+    the units the two readers use, and it was the agent store's silence, not the
     session store's, that issue **#1581** measured. Since the advisory moved to
     `MemoryStore` both stores answer here; before the move this test's loop was one
     line long for a reason.
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ def test_both_stores_reach_the_advisory_from_their_own_write_path(tmp_path, capl
 
     The arm is deleting the call from the base `_save_index`: the check still exists
     and still fires when called directly (so the band test above stays green), and
-    this test is the one that reddens — which is exactly the state `ProjectMemoryStore`
+    this test is the one that reddens — which is exactly the state `AgentMemoryStore`
     was in before 2026-09-24, issue **#1581**.
     """
     for store_name, store_cls in STORES:
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ def test_the_cap_never_truncates_an_index_the_advisory_left_alone(tmp_path, capl
 
     **Both of the cap's subjects, because both are now watched** — the subject is
     named by the loop, not left to the reader: this test used to carry the qualifier
-    `a_session_index` in its name, because the project index was truncated by
+    `a_session_index` in its name, because the agent index was truncated by
     `_cap_memory_index` while no advisory could look at it (issue **#1581**). With the
     advisory on `MemoryStore`, the claim holds for whichever store owns the index, and
     a name without the qualifier is the one that now matches what is measured.
diff --git a/tests/test_memory_reflection.py b/tests/test_memory_reflection.py
index c03c1471..ba4285a4 100644
--- a/tests/test_memory_reflection.py
+++ b/tests/test_memory_reflection.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
 
-from emrg.memory import ProjectMemoryStore, SessionMemoryStore
+from emrg.memory import AgentMemoryStore, SessionMemoryStore
 from emrg.session import Session
 
 
@@ -216,11 +216,11 @@ async def _test():
 
         asyncio.run(_test())
 
-    def test_the_project_index_is_counted_too(self):
-        """Two indexes reach the prompt; the project one is the other half.
+    def test_the_agent_index_is_counted_too(self):
+        """Two indexes reach the prompt; the agent one is the other half.
 
         A rule that only watched the session index would miss every long-lived
-        project index — the ones a project's own cycles keep appending to.
+        agent index — the ones a agent's own cycles keep appending to.
         """
         from emrg.server.daemon import MEMORY_INDEX_ROW_CAP
 
@@ -228,14 +228,14 @@ async def _test():
             with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
                 cwd = Path(tmp)
                 session = Session.create_with_id("s_test_cap_proj", cwd)
-                project_index = cwd / ".emrg" / "memory" / "MEMORY.md"
-                self._index(project_index, MEMORY_INDEX_ROW_CAP + 7)
+                agent_index = cwd / ".emrg" / "memory" / "MEMORY.md"
+                self._index(agent_index, MEMORY_INDEX_ROW_CAP + 7)
                 server = _make_server({"content": "no new memories"})
 
                 prompt = await _reflect(server, session)
 
                 assert "Memory index compaction" in prompt
-                assert str(project_index) in prompt
+                assert str(agent_index) in prompt
                 assert f"has {MEMORY_INDEX_ROW_CAP + 7} lines" in prompt
 
         asyncio.run(_test())
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ def test_a_session_inside_the_instance_root_is_not_asked_about_the_root_index(
         session whose cwd is `<root>/emrg`: the cycles wrote their records into the
         root's index, one directory *above* the cwd, so neither of the two subjects
         named the file they grew. D9 then re-based the template's record path onto
-        `{{ source_dir }}/.emrg/memory/`, which for such a session *is* the project
+        `{{ source_dir }}/.emrg/memory/`, which for such a session *is* the agent
         subject, and every record since 2026-09-27T13:24 landed there.
 
         What the removal rests on is the **writer**, not any host's disk: with the
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ async def _test():
                     server._maybe_reflect_memory(
                         session,
                         "Please set up the credentials for the deployment pipeline",
-                        "I have configured the deployment credentials for this project",
+                        "I have configured the deployment credentials for this agent",
                     )
                     await asyncio.sleep(0.2)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_memory_row_bound_reach.py b/tests/test_memory_row_bound_reach.py
index ccc22e24..4770d79e 100644
--- a/tests/test_memory_row_bound_reach.py
+++ b/tests/test_memory_row_bound_reach.py
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def _line_cap_line(text: str) -> str:
 
 
 def _make_server() -> EmrgServer:
-    """A minimal server, with the projects log pointed away from the real one.
+    """A minimal server, with the agents log pointed away from the real one.
 
     The shape `tests/test_daemon.py::_make_server` uses, for the same reason: building a
     system prompt must never write the host's `~/.emrg/agents.yml`.
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ def _make_server() -> EmrgServer:
 
 
 def _session_with_an_index(tmp_path: Path) -> Session:
-    """A session whose cwd carries a project memory index, so the block really renders.
+    """A session whose cwd carries a agent memory index, so the block really renders.
 
     The hygiene section sits under `{% if has_memories %}`, so a session with no index
     renders the *else* branch — a prompt in which the bound could be absent for a reason
diff --git a/tests/test_no_background_process_reach.py b/tests/test_no_background_process_reach.py
index 780b2d2c..a9cac934 100644
--- a/tests/test_no_background_process_reach.py
+++ b/tests/test_no_background_process_reach.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
 The host's rule — never start a background process — was measured on 2026-09-28 (cycle
-`cyc20260928-070538`, master `e07aa3da`) and found to be carried by **one project's
+`cyc20260928-070538`, master `e07aa3da`) and found to be carried by **one agent's
 memory and by no shipped prompt at all**:
 
 | carrier | statements |
@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@
 | `emrg/server/prompts/system.j2` | 0 |
 | `emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md` | 0 |
 | every other root under `~/.emrg/evolution/*/.emrg/` (memory + session memory) | 0 |
-| this project's own memory | 2 project + 3 session hits |
+| this agent's own memory | 2 agent + 3 session hits |
 
-Memory is per-project and per-session, so an instance running another project's task, on
+Memory is per-agent and per-session, so an instance running another agent's task, on
 another machine, is not reachable by a file in this one's `.emrg/memory/`. The rule has to
 sit where every render passes, and `system.j2` is that place: `daemon._build_system_prompt`
 is its single render site — for a host conversation exactly as for a scheduled task. The
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ def test_the_shared_prompt_states_the_no_background_red_line() -> None:
     assert block, (
         "emrg/server/prompts/system.j2 must carry the no-background-process red line — it "
         "is the only prompt every session is rendered under, and the rule lived in one "
-        "project's memory only"
+        "agent's memory only"
     )
     missing = _missing_terms(block, RED_LINE_TERMS)
     assert not missing, f"the red-line section must name every shape; missing: {missing}"
diff --git a/tests/test_plain_language_rule_reach.py b/tests/test_plain_language_rule_reach.py
index 41a04a0f..772f5fc6 100644
--- a/tests/test_plain_language_rule_reach.py
+++ b/tests/test_plain_language_rule_reach.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""The host's plain-language rule must reach every session, not only one project's memory.
+"""The host's plain-language rule must reach every session, not only one agent's memory.
 
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 | 2026-10-12T13:02:02 | `s_260808_0857_387c852f` (host session) | 「…你不要使用自己造的词来和我对话，说人话，说清楚，说重点，这是基本原则」 |
 
 The last was triggered by the coinage 「私榜槽位」 — the host could not tell what it meant and had to
-ask. Every earlier answer lived in **one project's own memory** (the `competition` project's
+ask. Every earlier answer lived in **one agent's own memory** (the `competition` agent's
 `2f0e9d1a-say-it-plain-and-refute-yourself.md`, and the M88 method its hub added after the `-2`
 question), and the complaint came back in *host conversations* — three days later, and again on
 10-12 — which had read neither. Measured 2026-10-13 on master `8011295d`:
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
 #: its scope, and the repair it asks for — the semantics the four host messages asked for, in the
 #: wording the prompt states them in. The history (how often the host had to ask, and where each
 #: message was recorded) is not part of the artifact any more: it is in the charter, in the pull
-#: request that landed the rule and in this project's memory.
+#: request that landed the rule and in this agent's memory.
 PLAIN_TERMS = (
     "The host reads only your reply",                                # the rule itself
     "a term only your records use, or a shorthand you coined, resolves to nothing",  # the prohibition
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def test_the_shared_prompt_states_the_plain_language_rule() -> None:
     block = _block_after(text, PLAIN_HEADING)
     assert block, (
         "emrg/server/prompts/system.j2 must carry the plain-language block — it is the only prompt "
-        "every session is rendered under, and the rule was carried by one project's memory while "
+        "every session is rendered under, and the rule was carried by one agent's memory while "
         "the host was asking for it in host conversations that never read that memory"
     )
     missing = _missing_terms(block, PLAIN_TERMS)
diff --git a/tests/test_posix_arms_are_gated.py b/tests/test_posix_arms_are_gated.py
index a87b8b77..b305e953 100644
--- a/tests/test_posix_arms_are_gated.py
+++ b/tests/test_posix_arms_are_gated.py
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@
 ------------
 * **A kind-selecting helper is not followed.** ``test_config.py``, ``test_client_log_sink.py``
   and ``test_skills_loader.py`` each make their FIFO from one branch of a helper chosen by an
-  argument (``_plant(path, kind)``, ``_project(tmp_path, fifo=True)``). The graph is seeded
+  argument (``_plant(path, kind)``, ``_agent(tmp_path, fifo=True)``). The graph is seeded
   only by an **unconditional** reference, because the guard cannot read which argument a caller
   passes -- so a *new* ungated caller of one of those helpers is not caught, and the tree's
   FIFO callers there are still gated by hand. The same cut is what keeps their FIFO-free
diff --git a/tests/test_project_context_paths.py b/tests/test_project_context_paths.py
index e8e8577d..61cd3b1d 100644
--- a/tests/test_project_context_paths.py
+++ b/tests/test_project_context_paths.py
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-"""The files the daemon embeds as project context must name files this repository has.
+"""The files the daemon embeds as agent context must name files this repository has.
 
 The defect class, one carrier over from PR #1610
 ------------------------------------------------
-`EmrgServer._collect_project_context` reads `PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES` out of a session's
+`EmrgServer._collect_agent_context` reads `PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES` out of a session's
 cwd and puts their text into the system prompt of every session whose cwd is this
 checkout — the same render site a task session and a host conversation both go through.
 For this repository that is `Agent.md` (embedded whole, and the file that *is* the
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ def test_the_embedded_set_is_the_one_this_scan_reads() -> None:
     """The subject is the daemon's list, and this checkout ships a non-empty part of it.
 
     Without this the scan could pass over a set that is empty — green because it read
-    nothing, which is the shape this project refuses to call a pass.
+    nothing, which is the shape this agent refuses to call a pass.
     """
     files = _embedded_here()
     assert files, (
@@ -94,9 +94,9 @@ def test_the_collector_embeds_exactly_the_files_the_constant_names(tmp_path: Pat
     for name in PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES:
         (tmp_path / name).write_text(f"# {name}\n", encoding="utf-8")
     (tmp_path / "NOTES.md").write_text("# not in the embedded set\n", encoding="utf-8")
-    session = Session.create_with_id("project-context-set", tmp_path)
+    session = Session.create_with_id("agent-context-set", tmp_path)
 
-    got = [entry["name"] for entry in server._collect_project_context(session)]
+    got = [entry["name"] for entry in server._collect_agent_context(session)]
     assert got == list(PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES), (
         f"the prompt embedded {got}, and PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES says "
         f"{list(PROJECT_CONTEXT_FILES)} — the guard that reads the constant would then be "
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ def test_the_collector_embeds_exactly_the_files_the_constant_names(tmp_path: Pat
     )
 
 
-def test_every_repo_path_a_project_context_file_names_is_a_file_in_the_tree() -> None:
+def test_every_repo_path_a_agent_context_file_names_is_a_file_in_the_tree() -> None:
     """The brief's commands name files this repository has.
 
     Measured before the guard was written: 19 named paths across the two files this
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def test_every_repo_path_a_project_context_file_names_is_a_file_in_the_tree() ->
         if (gone := _named_repo_paths_without_a_file(text))
     }
     assert not missing, (
-        f"these project-context files name a path this repository does not have: {missing} — "
+        f"these agent-context files name a path this repository does not have: {missing} — "
         "the daemon puts this text in the prompt of every session running in this checkout, so "
         "a citation that stopped resolving sends every session after it to a file that is gone"
     )
diff --git a/tests/test_prompt_templates.py b/tests/test_prompt_templates.py
index 6bb29ff2..64d8e098 100644
--- a/tests/test_prompt_templates.py
+++ b/tests/test_prompt_templates.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 
 Named limit: this pins the wiring, not the prose. It cannot show that an agent
 follows the procedure, that optional fields (``{% if task.extra_prompt %}``,
-``{% if project.description %}``) are set in the host's config, or that the prompt's
+``{% if agent.description %}``) are set in the host's config, or that the prompt's
 content is any good.
 
 A second hole is closed further down and is about *references* rather than
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
 # A reference to a variable or a block tag that survived rendering.
 LEFTOVER_TAG = re.compile(r"\{\{|\{%")
 
-# Optional task/project fields the prompts guard on. Populated only by the strict
+# Optional task/agent fields the prompts guard on. Populated only by the strict
 # render, so that a "missing" name there is a typo rather than a design choice.
 FULL_TASK_CONFIG: dict = {
     "agent": "demoproj",
@@ -75,15 +75,15 @@
 }
 
 
-def _write_projects_yml(tmp_path: Path, name: str, entry: dict) -> Path:
-    project_dir = tmp_path / name
-    project_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
-    row = {"path": str(project_dir)}
+def _write_agents_yml(tmp_path: Path, name: str, entry: dict) -> Path:
+    agent_dir = tmp_path / name
+    agent_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+    row = {"path": str(agent_dir)}
     row.update(entry)
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
         yaml.safe_dump([row]), encoding="utf-8"
     )
-    return project_dir
+    return agent_dir
 
 
 def _make_handler(
@@ -91,12 +91,12 @@ def _make_handler(
     monkeypatch,
     template_name: str,
     config: dict,
-    project_entry: dict | None = None,
+    agent_entry: dict | None = None,
 ) -> TaskHandler:
     """A real handler, from a hermetic config dir, pointed at a real template."""
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
     name = config.get("agent", "demoproj")
-    _write_projects_yml(tmp_path, name, project_entry or {"name": name})
+    _write_agents_yml(tmp_path, name, agent_entry or {"name": name})
     return make_handler(
         name="demo-task",
         config=config,
@@ -168,12 +168,12 @@ def from_string(self, source, *args, **kwargs):
     # render below would pass for the wrong reason (nothing to check).
     # Self-test of the device: the capture must hold keys the templates really use, or
     # the strict render below would pass for the wrong reason (nothing to check).
-    missing = {"instance_id", "source_dir", "timestamp", "task", "project"} - set(captured)
+    missing = {"instance_id", "source_dir", "timestamp", "task", "agent"} - set(captured)
     assert not missing, (
         f"the recording environment captured no {sorted(missing)} — it is not in the "
         f"render path, so this test would prove nothing"
     )
-    assert "task" in captured and "project" in captured
+    assert "task" in captured and "agent" in captured
 
     strict = real_env(undefined=jinja2.StrictUndefined)
     with_typo = strict.from_string("{{ evolution_cwd_typo }}")
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ def test_the_journal_prompt_takes_its_identity_from_the_task_config(
         tmp_path,
         monkeypatch,
         "journal_prompt.md",
-        {"project": "demoproj", "role": "author", "author_id": JOURNAL_ID},
+        {"agent": "demoproj", "role": "author", "author_id": JOURNAL_ID},
     )._build_evolution_prompt()
 
     assert _journal_id_line(configured) == (
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ def test_the_journal_prompt_takes_its_identity_from_the_task_config(
         tmp_path,
         monkeypatch,
         "journal_prompt.md",
-        {"project": "demoproj", "role": "author"},
+        {"agent": "demoproj", "role": "author"},
     )._build_evolution_prompt()
 
     assert _journal_id_line(bare) == "- Instance id: **** (from tasks.yml)", (
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ def test_every_context_key_has_a_consumer(tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> None:
     deliberate exception named here.
     """
     captured = _captured_context(tmp_path, monkeypatch)
-    missing = {"instance_id", "source_dir", "timestamp", "task", "project"} - set(captured)
+    missing = {"instance_id", "source_dir", "timestamp", "task", "agent"} - set(captured)
     assert not missing, (
         f"the recording environment captured no {sorted(missing)} — it is not in the "
         f"render path, so this test would compare against nothing"
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@ def test_no_template_names_a_retired_placeholder() -> None:
 
 
 # The memory roots a template may name, in the spelling a template writes them: the
-# session's *project* memory (`<session.cwd>/.emrg/memory/`) and its *session* memory
+# session's *agent* memory (`<session.cwd>/.emrg/memory/`) and its *session* memory
 # (`<session.cwd>/.emrg/sessions/<id>/memory/`). After D9 (design §6 D9, host decision
 # 2026-09-21 16:25) every memory path in every template is written against one root —
 # `{{ source_dir }}`, the session workspace — because it is both the directory the sandbox
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ def test_prompt_memory_writes_land_where_the_daemon_loads_them(tmp_path, monkeyp
     wrong session) is not a shape this test can tell apart.
     """
     handler = _make_handler(
-        tmp_path, monkeypatch, "evolution_prompt.md", {"project": "demoproj"}
+        tmp_path, monkeypatch, "evolution_prompt.md", {"agent": "demoproj"}
     )
     source_dir = Path(handler._source_dir)
     source_dir_str = str(handler._source_dir)
@@ -616,10 +616,10 @@ def test_prompt_memory_writes_land_where_the_daemon_loads_them(tmp_path, monkeyp
         f"`{{{{ source_dir }}}}` is not resolving to the session workspace"
     )
 
-    # (3) That workspace's `.emrg/memory` is what the daemon embeds as project memory.
+    # (3) That workspace's `.emrg/memory` is what the daemon embeds as agent memory.
     memory_root.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     (memory_root / "MEMORY.md").write_text("# Index\n", encoding="utf-8")
-    # `_collect_memory_data` reads the session's Agent (for the project half) and
+    # `_collect_memory_data` reads the session's Agent (for the agent half) and
     # `session.memory_dir` (for the session half), and reaches the module-level
     # `INDEX_SIZE_WARN` through a method — so an uninitialised instance is enough, and no
     # daemon, socket or event loop is started to measure this. The stand-in carries an
@@ -634,12 +634,12 @@ def test_prompt_memory_writes_land_where_the_daemon_loads_them(tmp_path, monkeyp
         )
     )
     assert data, (
-        "the daemon embedded no project index for a session whose cwd carries one — "
+        "the daemon embedded no agent index for a session whose cwd carries one — "
         "the comparison below would be against nothing"
     )
-    assert data["project_memory_dir"] == str(memory_root), (
+    assert data["agent_memory_dir"] == str(memory_root), (
         f"the templates tell the agent to write under {memory_root}, but the daemon "
-        f"embeds {data['project_memory_dir']} as project memory — the write root and "
+        f"embeds {data['agent_memory_dir']} as agent memory — the write root and "
         f"the loaded root have split apart again"
     )
 
@@ -712,11 +712,11 @@ def test_a_prompt_may_only_call_an_embedded_index_its_own() -> None:
     Measured 2026-09-14 (cyc20260914-175549), before the fix: three of the paragraphs
     re-based onto memory entries under `{{ evolution_cwd }}/.emrg/memory/` also called
     that directory's index "part of this prompt". It never was. `_collect_memory_data`
-    embeds `session.cwd/.emrg/memory/MEMORY.md` — the *task project's* index — and the
+    embeds `session.cwd/.emrg/memory/MEMORY.md` — the *task agent's* index — and the
     session index, and never `{{ evolution_cwd }}/.emrg/memory/MEMORY.md`; measured by
     pointing `EVOLUTION_CWD` at a directory whose memory index carries a marker and
     rendering the system prompt through the real builder: the marker stayed out while
-    the project's appeared.
+    the agent's appeared.
 
     The pairing was what was false, not the path: naming that root is fine, and claiming
     "the memory index is embedded in this prompt" without naming a path is fine. Naming a
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ def test_a_prompt_may_only_call_an_embedded_index_its_own() -> None:
     assert not _embedded_index_claims(
         "Record findings under `{{ source_dir }}/.emrg/memory/`, whose index is part of "
         "this prompt."
-    ), "the project-memory root IS the embedded one; flagging it is a false positive"
+    ), "the agent-memory root IS the embedded one; flagging it is a false positive"
     assert not _embedded_index_claims(
         "Durable facts belong in **memory entries under `{{ source_dir }}/.emrg/sessions/"
         "{{ session_id }}/memory/`**, whose index this prompt embeds."
@@ -797,7 +797,7 @@ def test_a_prompt_may_only_call_an_embedded_index_its_own() -> None:
 #
 # ⚠️ Three more spellings, measured 2026-09-15 (cyc20260915-100310). The pattern
 # above matched an underscore-prefixed file name, so it was blind to the name
-# *without* its project prefix — and `promote_prompt.md` writes it that way:
+# *without* its agent prefix — and `promote_prompt.md` writes it that way:
 # line 38 is `- Reflection log: \u2026/reflections.md`, which the old pattern did not
 # see. Same for the section heading `### 5. Reflection Log` and for "diary", the
 # third name the rant lists. Measured on master `e6eaaee4`: 5 of that template's
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ def test_retired_state_file_mechanism_is_gone_or_being_swept() -> None:
     """A prompt outside `PENDING_STATE_SWEEP` must not teach the retired mechanism.
 
     Measured 2026-09-14 (rant 2026-09-14T14:35:47): each task prompt carried a
-    per-project `*_state.md` file and an append-only `*_reflections.md` diary, and
+    per-agent `*_state.md` file and an append-only `*_reflections.md` diary, and
     every phase hand-off was a line written into one of them. The host retired both
     — the daemon already replays the task's session history into every round, so the
     session is the state and the memory index is the durable layer. Nothing reads
@@ -958,7 +958,7 @@ def seen(name: str, pattern: re.Pattern[str]) -> set[int]:
 
     # The 5 lines of `promote_prompt.md` that the widening added (38, 329, 331,
     # 363, 376), verbatim. Each is a spelling of the retired mechanism that names
-    # neither file with its project prefix — the blind spot the widening closed.
+    # neither file with its agent prefix — the blind spot the widening closed.
     gained_by_the_widening = (
         "- Reflection log: `{{ source_dir }}/reflections.md`",
         "### 5. Reflection Log (mandatory every round)",
@@ -1052,9 +1052,9 @@ def test_every_memory_root_a_template_names_is_writable() -> None:
     roots = writable_roots(policy)
     assert roots, "the policy derived no writable root — this check would pass vacuously"
 
-    project_root = REPO_ROOT / ".emrg" / "memory"
-    assert any(_inside(project_root, root) for root in roots), (
-        f"{project_root} is outside every writable root the sandbox derives "
+    agent_root = REPO_ROOT / ".emrg" / "memory"
+    assert any(_inside(agent_root, root) for root in roots), (
+        f"{agent_root} is outside every writable root the sandbox derives "
         f"({roots}) — the memory root the templates name is one the tool layer refuses"
     )
 
@@ -1093,7 +1093,7 @@ def test_no_template_names_a_memory_root_other_than_the_two() -> None:
     """Every memory path in every template is rooted at the session workspace.
 
     After D9 exactly two roots are legal, and both are the session workspace's own
-    (`LEGAL_MEMORY_ROOTS` — the project and session memory the daemon embeds, which are
+    (`LEGAL_MEMORY_ROOTS` — the agent and session memory the daemon embeds, which are
     the same two directories the sandbox allows because ``{{ source_dir }}`` IS
     ``session.cwd``). Everything else is a defect of one of two kinds: rooted at another
     variable (the D9 shape), or hardcoded as an absolute path (which no render-context
@@ -1126,7 +1126,7 @@ def test_no_template_names_a_memory_root_other_than_the_two() -> None:
     # A floor **per file**, not over the set (#1557): a floor summed over the six templates
     # is masked by any gain elsewhere, and cannot name the file that is short. These are
     # minimums, measured when the floor was made per-file (1, 3, 2, 3, 1, 3 — 13 across the
-    # six templates: 10 project-memory + 3 session-memory); a removal is allowed, but it has
+    # six templates: 10 agent-memory + 3 session-memory); a removal is allowed, but it has
     # to be deliberate and it has to be this line that is edited. A template absent from the
     # map is still covered by the scan; a *renamed* one lands here as 0 and cannot shed its
     # floor silently.
@@ -1159,7 +1159,7 @@ def test_no_template_names_a_memory_root_other_than_the_two() -> None:
     )
     assert not offenders, (
         f"these templates name a memory root that is neither the session workspace's "
-        f"project memory nor its session memory: {offenders}"
+        f"agent memory nor its session memory: {offenders}"
     )
 
 
@@ -1185,7 +1185,7 @@ def test_the_memory_root_scan_answers_both_ways() -> None:
     # templates actually use (both halves of the session root's two placeholders included).
     assert not _memory_root_offenders(
         "memory entries under `{{ source_dir }}/.emrg/memory/`"
-    )[1], "the project-memory root is where D9 sends every hand-off"
+    )[1], "the agent-memory root is where D9 sends every hand-off"
     assert not _memory_root_offenders(
         "`{{ source_dir }}/.emrg/sessions/{{ session_id }}/memory/`"
     )[1], "the session-memory root is the second legal one (promote_prompt.md)"
@@ -1368,10 +1368,10 @@ def test_the_host_tree_write_scan_answers_both_ways() -> None:
     retired = """```bash
 cd {{ source_dir }}
 gh repo fork {{ owner }}/{{ repo }} --clone=false 2>&1
-git checkout -b <branch name per project convention> 2>&1
+git checkout -b <branch name per agent convention> 2>&1
 ```"""
     assert _host_tree_git_writes(retired) == [
-        "git checkout -b <branch name per project convention> 2>&1"
+        "git checkout -b <branch name per agent convention> 2>&1"
     ], "the retired B.3 shape is exactly what this guard exists for"
 
     shipped = """```bash
@@ -1683,7 +1683,7 @@ def test_a_dirty_tree_no_longer_costs_a_cycle_its_tier_in_either_prompt() -> Non
 # Scope: the four top-level directories a template can only mean as *this* repository's. `.github/`
 # is out on purpose, and the measurement is why — the templates' only `.github/` citation is
 # `open_source_prompt.md`'s `cat .github/pull_request_template.md`, read in the flow that contributes
-# to *another* project; this repository's own `.github/` holds nothing but `workflows/`, so a scan
+# to *another* agent; this repository's own `.github/` holds nothing but `workflows/`, so a scan
 # that required that path would fail a citation that is correct.
 #
 # What the scan does not read, and why: a path written after a slash, or inside a longer path — an
@@ -1771,7 +1771,7 @@ def test_the_prompt_path_scan_answers_both_ways() -> None:
         )
 
     # The `.github/` exclusion is a decision rather than an oversight — the open-source flow reads the
-    # *target* project's conventions. Pinned here so widening the scope is a visible change.
+    # *target* agent's conventions. Pinned here so widening the scope is a visible change.
     assert _repo_paths_named_in("cat .github/pull_request_template.md 2>/dev/null") == []
 
 
@@ -1804,9 +1804,9 @@ def _handler_for_record(tmp_path, monkeypatch, *, top=None, under_config=None, t
     `make_handler` cannot express this case: it puts everything it is given under `config`.
     """
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
-    _write_projects_yml(tmp_path, "demoproj", {"name": "demoproj"})
+    _write_agents_yml(tmp_path, "demoproj", {"name": "demoproj"})
     handler = TaskHandler(name="demo-task", identity=InstanceIdentity())
-    config: dict = {"project": "demoproj"}
+    config: dict = {"agent": "demoproj"}
     if under_config is not None:
         config["extra_prompt"] = under_config
     record: dict = {
@@ -1947,11 +1947,11 @@ def test_a_top_level_copy_that_cannot_render_is_named(tmp_path, monkeypatch, cap
 # What the test below pins is the **wording that was vetoed**, not the class of sentence
 # it belonged to: it fails if `no mention at all` comes back into a template that still
 # allows a share of mentions, and it says nothing about a rewording of the same ban
-# ("never mention the project there" passes, and the control below measures that).
+# ("never mention the agent there" passes, and the control below measures that).
 # The boundary is deliberate. A matcher broad enough to catch a paraphrase also flags the
 # two lines that must keep saying no — red line 4's normal-participation class ("NO
-# disclosure, NO project mention") and the density rule itself ("≥70% are pure value with
-# NO project mention") — so widening it trades a real regression pin for two false alarms
+# disclosure, NO agent mention") and the density rule itself ("≥70% are pure value with
+# NO agent mention") — so widening it trades a real regression pin for two false alarms
 # on rules that must stay. Whether the prose has drifted back is a reading of the bullet
 # at Mission & Values, which is what a reviewer of a change to that section does.
 
@@ -1967,7 +1967,7 @@ def _vetoed_mention_ban_lines(text: str) -> list[str]:
     Scope, stated so the docstring cannot be read wider than the code: this is a literal
     phrase match on the wording that was vetoed. A paraphrase of the same ban is not
     caught (the control below measures that), because every matcher wide enough to catch
-    one also matches the two lines whose "NO project mention" is correct as written.
+    one also matches the two lines whose "NO agent mention" is correct as written.
 
     Empty when the two agree *and* when the template carries no density allowance at
     all — a template that stopped promising the rule cannot be contradicted by it.
@@ -2059,19 +2059,19 @@ def test_the_one_topic_one_channel_rule_keeps_its_distinguishing_mark() -> None:
     # becoming a promise the code does not keep.
     paraphrase = (
         "**Mention density**: only a few (≤30%) mention it naturally.\n"
-        "- in someone else's space, carry value and never mention the project there.\n"
+        "- in someone else's space, carry value and never mention the agent there.\n"
     )
     assert _vetoed_mention_ban_lines(paraphrase) == [], (
         "a paraphrase of the ban is not what this scanner reads — that is the limit recorded "
         "in its docstring, and widening past it flags two lines that must keep saying "
-        "'NO project mention'"
+        "'NO agent mention'"
     )
 
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- published, not merged
 #
 # The open-source flow is written for a contribution that becomes a pull request, and that is
-# not the only channel a project offers. A project whose extension surface is *distributable* —
+# not the only channel a agent offers. A agent whose extension surface is *distributable* —
 # a plugin, a package, a standalone tool — takes contributions that never touch an upstream
 # branch, and publishing one of those is where the old prompt stopped saying anything. Measured
 # on this installation's own tasks: a block in one task's `extra_prompt` states the duty in full
@@ -2141,7 +2141,7 @@ def test_the_published_contribution_pin_answers_both_ways():
 # therefore a list of what it sent out, and nothing in the template answered the opposite
 # question — what has someone else asked this account to do, and is it still waiting.
 #
-# Measured cost, on a pull request this account had opened in another project: a maintainer
+# Measured cost, on a pull request this account had opened in another agent: a maintainer
 # asked for a rebase in a comment, no round read it, and the request sat unanswered for nine
 # days while later rounds opened new threads instead. Carrying it out took minutes.
 #
@@ -2198,7 +2198,7 @@ def test_the_inbound_pin_answers_both_ways():
 # The layout is not decoration: §3's inception step and §4's attribution rule both assume it.
 # An app that is submitted, attributed and possibly handed over has to be a repository of its
 # own, and §0.6 used to open with `<project root>/apps/<slug>/` — a child of a shared
-# container, which is not a repository root and is exactly the one-shared-project-for-several-
+# container, which is not a repository root and is exactly the one-shared-agent-for-several-
 # apps shape the placement forbids. These pin the layout the section must state, and refuse the
 # container by name.
 
diff --git a/tests/test_protocol.py b/tests/test_protocol.py
index ebc5e581..ff327543 100644
--- a/tests/test_protocol.py
+++ b/tests/test_protocol.py
@@ -15,14 +15,14 @@ def test_task_request_to_dict():
     req = TaskRequest(
         id="abc-123",
         session_id="s_260718_1200_a3f9",
-        cwd="/home/user/project",
+        cwd="/home/user/agent",
         prompt="hello",
     )
     d = req.to_dict()
     assert d["type"] == "task"
     assert d["id"] == "abc-123"
     assert d["session_id"] == "s_260718_1200_a3f9"
-    assert d["cwd"] == "/home/user/project"
+    assert d["cwd"] == "/home/user/agent"
     assert d["prompt"] == "hello"
     assert "timestamp" in d
 
diff --git a/tests/test_rant_agent_migration.py b/tests/test_rant_agent_migration.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6f7bfe46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_rant_agent_migration.py
@@ -0,0 +1,217 @@
+"""The rant ledger's target key moves from `project` to `agent`, once, at startup.
+
+The move is code and not a reader-side fallback because of what the reader does with a
+row it does not recognise: `_normalize_rant` builds every row as
+`{k: raw.get(k) for k in _RANT_FIELDS}`, so a row still carrying `project` comes back
+with `agent: None` — and `_write_rants` is the only writer while `append_rant` is a
+read-modify-write, so the next submission rewrites the whole ledger and drops every
+pre-rename target. A fallback in the reader would keep both spellings alive instead,
+which is the ambiguity the rename exists to remove.
+
+So the arms below are ordered by what they cost if they regress: the first proves a
+pre-rename ledger keeps its targets **across a read-and-write cycle** (the data loss),
+the second is its control (a row that already carries `agent`), and the rest pin the
+properties the move promises — position preserved, a no-op that touches nothing, an
+absent ledger that is not created, a stale second spelling that is dropped rather than
+kept, and a legacy array row that is left to `_normalize_rant`'s positional mapping.
+
+Every arm drives the real store over a `tmp_path` ledger; none reaches the host's own
+`~/.emrg/rants.jsonl`.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+
+import pytest
+
+from emrg.server import rants as rants_module
+from emrg.server.rants import (
+    append_rant,
+    list_rants,
+    migrate_rant_agent_field,
+    update_rant,
+)
+
+
+def _write_lines(path, rows):
+    """Write rows as raw JSON lines, so a test controls the key order exactly."""
+    path.write_text(
+        "".join(json.dumps(row, ensure_ascii=False) + "\n" for row in rows),
+        encoding="utf-8",
+    )
+
+
+def _rows(path):
+    return [
+        json.loads(line)
+        for line in path.read_text(encoding="utf-8").splitlines()
+        if line.strip()
+    ]
+
+
+PRE_RENAME_ROW = {
+    "timestamp": "2026-09-01T10:00:00+08:00",
+    "project": "emrg",
+    "status": "pending",
+    "progress": "",
+    "completed": None,
+    "message": "a pre-rename row",
+}
+
+
+# ── the data loss the migration exists to prevent ─────────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_a_pre_rename_row_keeps_its_target_across_a_read_and_write_cycle(tmp_path):
+    """The defect: read-modify-write drops `project`'s value and never moves it."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    _write_lines(log, [PRE_RENAME_ROW])
+
+    # Unmigrated, the reader answers `agent: None` and the writer then persists that
+    # loss — this is the arm the migration has to make unreachable, measured first.
+    assert list_rants(log)[0]["agent"] is None
+
+    assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 1
+
+    # And the same read-modify-write now carries the target through.
+    append_rant(log, "a post-rename row", agent="emrg")
+    entries = list_rants(log)
+    assert [e["agent"] for e in entries] == ["emrg", "emrg"]
+    assert [e["message"] for e in entries] == ["a pre-rename row", "a post-rename row"]
+
+    # The old key is gone from the file, not merely ignored by the reader.
+    assert all("project" not in row for row in _rows(log))
+
+
+def test_a_row_that_already_carries_agent_is_the_control_arm(tmp_path):
+    """The reading discriminates: a row the rename already reached is untouched."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    post_rename = dict(PRE_RENAME_ROW)
+    post_rename.pop("project")
+    post_rename["agent"] = "emrg"
+    _write_lines(log, [post_rename])
+
+    before = log.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 0
+    assert log.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == before
+    assert list_rants(log)[0]["agent"] == "emrg"
+
+
+# ── the properties the move promises ─────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def test_the_key_moves_at_its_own_position_and_other_keys_are_verbatim(tmp_path):
+    """Every other key, its order and its value travel across unchanged."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    _write_lines(log, [PRE_RENAME_ROW])
+    assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 1
+
+    moved = _rows(log)[0]
+    assert list(moved) == ["timestamp", "agent", "status", "progress", "completed", "message"]
+    expected = dict(PRE_RENAME_ROW)
+    expected.pop("project")
+    expected["agent"] = "emrg"
+    assert moved == {k: expected[k] for k in moved}
+
+
+def test_a_ledger_with_nothing_to_move_is_not_opened_for_writing(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """A no-op writes nothing at all — not a re-serialization of the same rows."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    log.write_text('{"timestamp": "t", "agent": "emrg"}\n', encoding="utf-8")
+    mtime_before = log.stat().st_mtime_ns
+
+    def _explode(*args, **kwargs):
+        raise AssertionError("the migration opened the ledger for writing with nothing to move")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(rants_module.os, "replace", _explode)
+    assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 0
+    assert log.stat().st_mtime_ns == mtime_before
+
+
+def test_an_absent_ledger_is_not_created(tmp_path):
+    """This moves a ledger; it never seeds one."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 0
+    assert not log.exists()
+
+
+def test_a_stale_second_spelling_is_dropped_rather_than_kept(tmp_path):
+    """A row carrying both keeps `agent` and loses `project`."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    _write_lines(log, [dict(PRE_RENAME_ROW, agent="the-new-value")])
+    assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 1
+
+    moved = _rows(log)[0]
+    assert moved["agent"] == "the-new-value"
+    assert "project" not in moved
+
+
+def test_a_legacy_array_row_and_an_unparsable_line_are_left_alone(tmp_path):
+    """The array form already maps by position; a corrupt line is not this call's job."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    array_row = [
+        "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00",
+        "emrg",
+        "pending",
+        "",
+        None,
+        "an array row",
+    ]
+    log.write_text(
+        json.dumps(array_row, ensure_ascii=False) + "\n" + "not json at all\n",
+        encoding="utf-8",
+    )
+    before = log.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+    assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 0
+    assert log.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == before
+    # The array row still reads as a row with its target in the second slot.
+    assert list_rants(log)[0]["agent"] == "emrg"
+
+
+def test_a_ledger_that_cannot_be_read_is_reported_and_left_where_it_lies(tmp_path, caplog):
+    """The caller is starting up: a refusal here must not be a crash."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    _write_lines(log, [PRE_RENAME_ROW])
+    log.chmod(0o000)
+    try:
+        with caplog.at_level("WARNING"):
+            assert migrate_rant_agent_field(log) == 0
+        assert any("not migrated" in record.message for record in caplog.records)
+    finally:
+        log.chmod(0o644)
+
+
+def test_the_store_still_works_on_a_migrated_ledger(tmp_path):
+    """The migration leaves the store's own verbs working — update included."""
+    log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
+    _write_lines(log, [PRE_RENAME_ROW])
+    migrate_rant_agent_field(log)
+
+    ok, why = update_rant(log, PRE_RENAME_ROW["timestamp"], progress="worked on")
+    assert ok, why
+    entries = list_rants(log)
+    assert entries[0]["progress"] == "worked on"
+    assert entries[0]["agent"] == "emrg"
+
+
+def test_only_the_daemon_process_entry_calls_the_migration():
+    """The migration has one reachable call site, and it is the one no test drives.
+
+    A second call site — a store method, a reader, the submit tool — would make the
+    move happen wherever that path ran, which is the shape that rewrites a host's live
+    feedback channel from inside a test run. The same guard
+    `tests/test_task_config_key_migration.py` puts on the task table's migration.
+    """
+    from pathlib import Path
+
+    import emrg.server.rants as mod
+
+    root = Path(mod.__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+    hits = []
+    for path in sorted((root / "emrg").rglob("*.py")):
+        if "migrate_rant_agent_field()" in path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"):
+            hits.append(path.relative_to(root).as_posix())
+
+    assert hits == ["emrg/server/__main__.py"]
diff --git a/tests/test_rant_citations.py b/tests/test_rant_citations.py
index 835efc11..50203e26 100644
--- a/tests/test_rant_citations.py
+++ b/tests/test_rant_citations.py
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ def test_a_minute_truncated_spelling_is_still_a_site(snippet, text, expected):
 
 def test_a_timestamp_not_introduced_by_the_word_is_not_a_citation(snippet):
     """system.j2's memory-format example must stay out of scope."""
-    text = "event_at: 2026-01-15T14:30:00\ntype: project\n"
+    text = "event_at: 2026-01-15T14:30:00\ntype: agent\n"
     assert sites_of(snippet, text) == []
     assert snippet.problems(sites_of(snippet, text)) == []
 
diff --git a/tests/test_rants_single_writer.py b/tests/test_rants_single_writer.py
index 507531f2..5c2e29a7 100644
--- a/tests/test_rants_single_writer.py
+++ b/tests/test_rants_single_writer.py
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ def test_the_detector_detects_the_shape_it_was_written_for() -> None:
         assert _RANT_FILE_WRITE.search(planted), planted
     for legal in (
         'cat ~/.emrg/rants.jsonl 2>/dev/null || echo "[no rants.jsonl — skip]"',
-        'submit_rant(action="submit", project="emrg", message="...")',
+        'submit_rant(action="submit", agent="emrg", message="...")',
         "Every cycle must curate `~/.emrg/rants.jsonl`.",
     ):
         assert not _RANT_FILE_WRITE.search(legal), legal
diff --git a/tests/test_redaction.py b/tests/test_redaction.py
index cf00258a..0f36f9a7 100644
--- a/tests/test_redaction.py
+++ b/tests/test_redaction.py
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ def test_the_rant_line_masks_a_credential_crossing_its_window(tmp_path, caplog):
     server._rants_log = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
 
     asyncio.run(server._process_message(
-        {"type": "rant", "message": "x" * 48 + SECRET + " tail of the rant", "project": "emrg"},
+        {"type": "rant", "message": "x" * 48 + SECRET + " tail of the rant", "agent": "emrg"},
         _FakeWriter(),
     ))
 
diff --git a/tests/test_review_queue.py b/tests/test_review_queue.py
index 6ada22df..2c4d9f0e 100644
--- a/tests/test_review_queue.py
+++ b/tests/test_review_queue.py
@@ -130,22 +130,22 @@ def rants_of(mod, monkeypatch, *specs, boom=None):
     """Install ledger rows on the seam and hand back the fake, for its `calls`.
 
     Each `spec` is `(timestamp, status)`, `(timestamp, status, issues)` or
-    `(timestamp, status, issues, project)` — the shape a caller varies one axis of, so the
-    tests below read as one line each. A spec that names no project installs a row without
+    `(timestamp, status, issues, agent)` — the shape a caller varies one axis of, so the
+    tests below read as one line each. A spec that names no agent installs a row without
     one, which is the state §2.2 tells a cycle to ignore entirely, so it must be reachable.
     """
     rows = []
     for spec in specs:
         stamp, status = spec[0], spec[1]
         issues = list(spec[2]) if len(spec) > 2 else []
-        project = spec[3] if len(spec) > 3 else ""
+        agent = spec[3] if len(spec) > 3 else ""
         rows.append(
             mod.Rant(
                 timestamp=stamp,
                 status=status,
                 message=f"the ledger row for {stamp}",
                 issues=issues,
-                project=project,
+                agent=agent,
             )
         )
     fake = FakeLedger(rows, boom)
@@ -1716,17 +1716,17 @@ def test_the_rant_rows_are_after_the_pr_rows_and_under_their_own_header(
     assert "1 PR(s)" in out
 
 
-def test_a_rant_row_names_the_project_it_belongs_to(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
-    """§2.2 decides membership by `project`, so the row has to carry it.
+def test_a_rant_row_names_the_agent_it_belongs_to(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
+    """§2.2 decides membership by `agent`, so the row has to carry it.
 
     The reading exists for the cycle that reads the queue *alone* (the tool's own reason for
     adding these rows), and that reader cannot apply a rule whose field is not printed: it
     would have to open the ledger again — the cost the row was added to save. Measured
     2026-10-01 on this host, the queue rendered 39 open rants and every one belonged to
-    another project, while this task's ledger rows were all `completed`.
+    another agent, while this task's ledger rows were all `completed`.
 
     Read through `--all-rants`, because this test is about the **row's shape** and the
-    default rendering withholds another project's row (that behaviour is pinned next door).
+    default rendering withholds another agent's row (that behaviour is pinned next door).
     """
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "open_prs", lambda repo=mod.REPO: [])
     rants_of(
@@ -1738,14 +1738,14 @@ def test_a_rant_row_names_the_project_it_belongs_to(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
     mod.main(["--all-rants"])
     out = capsys.readouterr().out
 
-    assert "project=silicon-science-cs" in out
-    assert "project=(none)" in out, (
-        "a row that names no project must say so: §2.2 makes it one to ignore entirely, "
+    assert "agent=silicon-science-cs" in out
+    assert "agent=(none)" in out, (
+        "a row that names no agent must say so: §2.2 makes it one to ignore entirely, "
         "and a row that prints nothing there is a row with no such state"
     )
 
 
-def test_another_projects_rant_is_counted_and_not_printed(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
+def test_another_agents_rant_is_counted_and_not_printed(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
     """The bulk this report pays for, and the row it must not lose.
 
     Measured 2026-10-04 on this host: 40 open rants, 39 of them `silicon-science-cs` — about
@@ -1766,33 +1766,33 @@ def test_another_projects_rant_is_counted_and_not_printed(mod, monkeypatch, caps
     assert rc == 0
     assert "rant 2026-09-30T09:30:16+08:00" in out, "this task's own row is rendered"
     assert "rant 2026-09-30T09:35:04+08:00" not in out, (
-        "another project's row body is what the default withholds"
+        "another agent's row body is what the default withholds"
     )
     header = next(line for line in out.splitlines() if "open rant(s)" in line)
-    assert "2 open rant(s) across 2 project(s)" in header, (
+    assert "2 open rant(s) across 2 agent(s)" in header, (
         "the count stays the ledger's: withholding a row is not hiding it"
     )
     withheld = next(line for line in out.splitlines() if "not printed here" in line)
-    assert "1 of them names another project" in withheld, withheld
+    assert "1 of them names another agent" in withheld, withheld
     assert "--all-rants" in withheld, (
         "a withheld row must come with the way to see it, or the reader has no remedy"
     )
-    assert "`rendered_here` withholds another project's rows and only those" in withheld, (
+    assert "`rendered_here` withholds another agent's rows and only those" in withheld, (
         "the reason must name the axis that withholds. It used to say `no issue in "
-        "argszero/emrg can declare them`, which is also true of the project-less row this "
+        "argszero/emrg can declare them`, which is also true of the agent-less row this "
         "report prints - so it separated nothing (see "
         "test_the_rant_header_and_the_withheld_line_name_what_withholds)"
     )
 
 
-def test_a_project_less_rant_is_still_printed_though_it_can_declare_nothing_here(
+def test_a_agent_less_rant_is_still_printed_though_it_can_declare_nothing_here(
     mod, monkeypatch, capsys
 ):
     """`could_declare_here` is not the rendering rule, and the difference is deliberate.
 
     That predicate answers "could an issue in this repo carry the rant's `Origin:` line",
-    and for a row naming no project it is false. A project-less row is not *another*
-    project's work, though — it is undeclared, and undeclared is something the cycle has to
+    and for a row naming no agent it is false. A agent-less row is not *another*
+    agent's work, though — it is undeclared, and undeclared is something the cycle has to
     look at. The rows this table prints exist because a cycle reading the queue alone
     concluded "nothing to review" while three pending rants had no issue (2026-09-29), so
     hiding an undeclared one would restore exactly that defect for the row most likely to be
@@ -1809,7 +1809,7 @@ def test_a_project_less_rant_is_still_printed_though_it_can_declare_nothing_here
     out = capsys.readouterr().out
 
     assert "rant 2026-09-30T09:30:16+08:00" in out, "the undeclared row is rendered"
-    assert "project=(none)" in out
+    assert "agent=(none)" in out
     assert "rant 2026-09-30T09:35:04+08:00" not in out
     assert mod.could_declare_here("", mod.REPO) is False, (
         "the two rules must be seen to differ here, or this test would pass under either"
@@ -1841,18 +1841,18 @@ def test_all_rants_prints_the_withheld_rows_and_the_line_disappears(
 def test_the_all_rants_help_states_the_withheld_set_the_predicate_defines(mod, capsys):
     """The `--help` sentence is the only statement of the flag's scope a reader meets.
 
-    It was wrong here: it said the default counts "a rant naming another project (or none)",
-    while `rendered_here` renders a project-less row by default - pinned above, and for the
-    reason that an undeclared row is not *another* project's work. A sentence restating a
+    It was wrong here: it said the default counts "a rant naming another agent (or none)",
+    while `rendered_here` renders a agent-less row by default - pinned above, and for the
+    reason that an undeclared row is not *another* agent's work. A sentence restating a
     rule that lives elsewhere is a second copy of it; this holds the copy against the
     original, the predicate's three answers beside the sentence's two claims.
     """
     rendered = [
-        mod.rendered_here(project, mod.REPO)
-        for project in ("emrg", "silicon-science-cs", "")
+        mod.rendered_here(agent, mod.REPO)
+        for agent in ("emrg", "silicon-science-cs", "")
     ]
     assert rendered == [True, False, True], (
-        "the rule the sentence states: this repo's rows, and the rows naming no project"
+        "the rule the sentence states: this repo's rows, and the rows naming no agent"
     )
 
     with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
@@ -1862,7 +1862,7 @@ def test_the_all_rants_help_states_the_withheld_set_the_predicate_defines(mod, c
     out = " ".join(capsys.readouterr().out.split())
 
     assert "rendered_here" in out, "the sentence names the rule that decides it"
-    assert "naming no project is still printed" in out, (
+    assert "naming no agent is still printed" in out, (
         "the one case the sentence had wrong, now stated the way the predicate reads"
     )
 
@@ -1873,18 +1873,18 @@ def test_the_rant_header_and_the_withheld_line_name_what_withholds(
     """Both sentences a cycle reads on every run, held against the predicate that decides.
 
     The `--help` copy was fixed for this on the same branch and the report's **header** was
-    not: it still told the reader that "a row naming another project - or none - is not this
-    cycle's work", one line above the project-less row it then printed. The withheld line
+    not: it still told the reader that "a row naming another agent - or none - is not this
+    cycle's work", one line above the agent-less row it then printed. The withheld line
     gave a reason that does not discriminate either - "no issue in argszero/emrg can declare
-    them" is equally true of that project-less row, because `could_declare_here("")` is False
+    them" is equally true of that agent-less row, because `could_declare_here("")` is False
     too. The rule is `rendered_here`, spelled once, and these are its two copies.
     """
     rendered = [
-        mod.rendered_here(project, mod.REPO)
-        for project in ("emrg", "silicon-science-cs", "")
+        mod.rendered_here(agent, mod.REPO)
+        for agent in ("emrg", "silicon-science-cs", "")
     ]
     assert rendered == [True, False, True], (
-        "the rule both sentences state: this repo's rows, and the rows naming no project"
+        "the rule both sentences state: this repo's rows, and the rows naming no agent"
     )
     assert mod.could_declare_here("silicon-science-cs", mod.REPO) is False
     assert mod.could_declare_here("", mod.REPO) is False, (
@@ -1908,10 +1908,10 @@ def test_the_rant_header_and_the_withheld_line_name_what_withholds(
         "both sentences name the rule that decides them, the way the --help copy does"
     )
     assert "or none" not in out, (
-        "the header's own clause, the defect this pins: a row naming no project is not "
+        "the header's own clause, the defect this pins: a row naming no agent is not "
         "withheld, and a report saying so is contradicted by the row it prints beside it"
     )
-    assert "one naming no project is undeclared rather than another project's" in out, (
+    assert "one naming no agent is undeclared rather than another agent's" in out, (
         "the case the header had wrong, stated the way the predicate reads"
     )
     assert "rant 2026-09-30T09:30:16+08:00" in out, (
@@ -1922,7 +1922,7 @@ def test_the_rant_header_and_the_withheld_line_name_what_withholds(
 def test_the_json_document_keeps_every_rant_row_and_labels_it(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
     """A consumer must not silently receive a shorter list than the ledger holds.
 
-    The prose withholds another project's row because its reader pays for the bytes; the
+    The prose withholds another agent's row because its reader pays for the bytes; the
     document keeps every row and carries the prose's own predicate as a field, spelled from
     the same function. A JSON path that dropped rows with no marker would be this family's
     "never a pass" defect in its machine-readable form: a short list read as a whole one.
@@ -1940,18 +1940,18 @@ def test_the_json_document_keeps_every_rant_row_and_labels_it(mod, monkeypatch,
     payload = json.loads(capsys.readouterr().out)
 
     rants = [row for row in payload if row["subject"] == "rant"]
-    assert [row["project"] for row in rants] == ["silicon-science-cs", "", "emrg"]
+    assert [row["agent"] for row in rants] == ["silicon-science-cs", "", "emrg"]
     assert [row["rendered"] for row in rants] == [False, True, True], (
         "the field is the prose's predicate, so a consumer can apply the same rule"
     )
 
 
-def test_the_rant_section_counts_the_ledger_by_project(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
+def test_the_rant_section_counts_the_ledger_by_agent(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
     """The number heading the section is the ledger's, not this task's, and it says which.
 
     The trap this closes: a cycle reads "39 open rant(s) - each needs an issue and its PR"
-    as priority 1 (R8.1) and opens an issue in its own repo for another project's work —
-    the cross-project contamination §2.2's filter exists to prevent. Two projects, so the
+    as priority 1 (R8.1) and opens an issue in its own repo for another agent's work —
+    the cross-agent contamination §2.2's filter exists to prevent. Two agents, so the
     grouping is read rather than inferred from a single name.
     """
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "open_prs", lambda repo=mod.REPO: [])
@@ -1966,7 +1966,7 @@ def test_the_rant_section_counts_the_ledger_by_project(mod, monkeypatch, capsys)
     out = capsys.readouterr().out
 
     header = next(line for line in out.splitlines() if "open rant(s)" in line)
-    assert "3 open rant(s) across 2 project(s) - emrg 2, silicon-science-cs 1" in header, header
+    assert "3 open rant(s) across 2 agent(s) - emrg 2, silicon-science-cs 1" in header, header
     assert "once it is this task's" in header, (
         "the sentence must not claim every row's issue and PR unconditionally"
     )
@@ -2031,21 +2031,21 @@ def test_the_json_document_carries_both_subjects_in_one_list(mod, monkeypatch, c
     assert rant["issues"] == [1771]
     assert rant["tree"] == "/checkout"
     assert rant["branch"] == "some-branch"
-    assert rant["project"] == "", (
+    assert rant["agent"] == "", (
         "the two renderings must not disagree: whatever the text row shows, the document "
         "carries the same field"
     )
 
 
-def test_the_json_rant_row_carries_the_project(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
-    """The document's half of the same fix, with a project set rather than absent."""
+def test_the_json_rant_row_carries_the_agent(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
+    """The document's half of the same fix, with a agent set rather than absent."""
     votes, fresh = FakeVotes(reviews=[]), FakeFresh()
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "local_tree", lambda: ("/checkout", "some-branch", "b" * 40))
     rants_of(mod, monkeypatch, ("2026-09-30T09:17:54+08:00", "pending", [], "emrg"))
     _run(mod, monkeypatch, votes, fresh, ["1", "--json"])
     out = capsys.readouterr().out
 
-    assert json.loads(out)[-1]["project"] == "emrg"
+    assert json.loads(out)[-1]["agent"] == "emrg"
 
 
 def test_the_json_document_keeps_its_shape_with_no_rants(mod, monkeypatch, capsys):
@@ -2144,7 +2144,7 @@ def _links(monkeypatch, tool, rows, issues=(), path="/tmp/rants.jsonl", closed_i
 
 
 def _row(stamp, status="pending", message="a rant", progress=None):
-    row = {"timestamp": stamp, "status": status, "message": message, "project": "emrg"}
+    row = {"timestamp": stamp, "status": status, "message": message, "agent": "emrg"}
     if progress is not None:
         row["progress"] = progress
     return row
@@ -2183,12 +2183,12 @@ def test_the_issue_lookup_is_not_spent_when_no_rant_is_open(monkeypatch):
     assert links.queue_calls == [], "the queue must not be listed for a closed ledger"
 
 
-def test_a_rants_project_is_carried_from_the_row_the_ledger_parsed(monkeypatch):
+def test_a_rants_agent_is_carried_from_the_row_the_ledger_parsed(monkeypatch):
     """The field comes from the row the sibling handed over, and nothing else.
 
-    A missing `project` is **not** an error and not a default: §2.2 makes a rant that names
-    no project one to ignore, so the difference between "names none" and "names another" has
-    to survive the parse — a `row["project"]` reached for directly would raise here, and a
+    A missing `agent` is **not** an error and not a default: §2.2 makes a rant that names
+    no agent one to ignore, so the difference between "names none" and "names another" has
+    to survive the parse — a `row["agent"]` reached for directly would raise here, and a
     fallback to the reading's own repo would invent a membership the ledger never claimed.
     """
     tool = _fresh_tool()
@@ -2198,11 +2198,11 @@ def test_a_rants_project_is_carried_from_the_row_the_ledger_parsed(monkeypatch):
         [
             _row("2026-09-30T09:17:54+08:00"),
             {"timestamp": "2026-09-30T09:30:16+08:00", "status": "pending", "message": "m"},
-            {"timestamp": "2026-09-30T09:35:04+08:00", "status": "pending", "project": None},
+            {"timestamp": "2026-09-30T09:35:04+08:00", "status": "pending", "agent": None},
         ],
     )
 
-    rows = {row.timestamp: row.project for row in tool.open_rant_rows(None, tool.REPO)}
+    rows = {row.timestamp: row.agent for row in tool.open_rant_rows(None, tool.REPO)}
 
     assert rows == {
         "2026-09-30T09:17:54+08:00": "emrg",
@@ -2253,11 +2253,11 @@ def test_the_ledger_the_override_names_is_the_one_read(monkeypatch):
     ], links.queue_calls
 
 
-def test_another_projects_rants_do_not_widen_the_closed_window(monkeypatch):
+def test_another_agents_rants_do_not_widen_the_closed_window(monkeypatch):
     """The bound is the oldest instant that can *place* a row, and only this repo's rants can.
 
     Measured 2026-10-02: 40 open rants, 39 of them `silicon-science-cs` reaching back to
-    2026-09-11, and the one `emrg` rant 8 hours old. Letting the other project set the
+    2026-09-11, and the one `emrg` rant 8 hours old. Letting the other agent set the
     bound spent **48.8s / 668 rows** on a reading whose usable window costs **5.8s / 6
     rows** — for a repo that can never place a row for a rant it cannot declare.
     """
@@ -2270,7 +2270,7 @@ def test_another_projects_rants_do_not_widen_the_closed_window(monkeypatch):
         [
             _row(emrg_stamp),
             {"timestamp": other_stamp, "status": "pending", "message": "theirs",
-             "project": "silicon-science-cs"},
+             "agent": "silicon-science-cs"},
         ],
     )
 
@@ -2281,20 +2281,20 @@ def test_another_projects_rants_do_not_widen_the_closed_window(monkeypatch):
         (tool.REPO, "closed", "2026-10-01T23:48:41Z"),
     ], links.queue_calls
     assert len(rows) == 2, (
-        "the narrowing is about the *reading*, not the rows: another project's rant is "
-        "still rendered with its project named, so the cycle reading the queue alone can "
+        "the narrowing is about the *reading*, not the rows: another agent's rant is "
+        "still rendered with its agent named, so the cycle reading the queue alone can "
         f"skip it - got {rows!r}"
     )
-    assert [r.project for r in rows] == ["emrg", "silicon-science-cs"], (
-        "newest first, each row carrying its own project"
+    assert [r.agent for r in rows] == ["emrg", "silicon-science-cs"], (
+        "newest first, each row carrying its own agent"
     )
 
 
-def test_a_foreign_project_alone_spends_no_closed_reading(monkeypatch):
+def test_a_foreign_agent_alone_spends_no_closed_reading(monkeypatch):
     """No rant this repo could declare means no second call at all.
 
     The reading exists to tell `never filed` from `filed and closed` *in this repo*. With
-    only another project's rants open, this repo has nothing to look up: the call would
+    only another agent's rants open, this repo has nothing to look up: the call would
     return rows that cannot place any of them.
     """
     tool = _fresh_tool()
@@ -2302,7 +2302,7 @@ def test_a_foreign_project_alone_spends_no_closed_reading(monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch,
         tool,
         [{"timestamp": "2026-09-11T23:51:35.442412+08:00", "status": "pending",
-          "message": "theirs", "project": "silicon-science-cs"}],
+          "message": "theirs", "agent": "silicon-science-cs"}],
     )
 
     (rant,) = tool.open_rant_rows(None, tool.REPO)
@@ -2311,8 +2311,8 @@ def test_a_foreign_project_alone_spends_no_closed_reading(monkeypatch):
     assert (rant.issues, rant.closed_issues) == ([], [])
 
 
-def test_the_two_spellings_of_this_project_both_match(monkeypatch):
-    """`emrg` and `argszero/emrg` are the same project, and R5's own rule says so.
+def test_the_two_spellings_of_this_agent_both_match(monkeypatch):
+    """`emrg` and `argszero/emrg` are the same agent, and R5's own rule says so.
 
     The template matches a rant to a task by either spelling, so a bound that recognised
     only one would silently stop placing rows for rants written the other way — and a
@@ -2323,17 +2323,17 @@ def test_the_two_spellings_of_this_project_both_match(monkeypatch):
     assert tool.could_declare_here(tool.REPO, tool.REPO) is True
     assert tool.could_declare_here("silicon-science-cs", tool.REPO) is False
     assert tool.could_declare_here("", tool.REPO) is False, (
-        "a rant naming no project belongs to no task, so no repo can declare it"
+        "a rant naming no agent belongs to no task, so no repo can declare it"
     )
     assert tool.could_declare_here("emrg-other", tool.REPO) is False, (
-        "a prefix is not the project: `emrg-other` is another ledger row's name"
+        "a prefix is not the agent: `emrg-other` is another ledger row's name"
     )
 
     stamp = "2026-10-02T07:48:41.525323+08:00"
     links = _links(
         monkeypatch, tool,
         [{"timestamp": stamp, "status": "pending", "message": "ours",
-          "project": tool.REPO}],
+          "agent": tool.REPO}],
         closed_issues=[(1807, f"Origin: rant {stamp}\n\nbody")],
     )
 
diff --git a/tests/test_schedule_window.py b/tests/test_schedule_window.py
index dc7e8f3d..eabc7c29 100644
--- a/tests/test_schedule_window.py
+++ b/tests/test_schedule_window.py
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ def sched(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """A TaskScheduler over a tasks.yml in `tmp_path`, with config_dir redirected."""
     original = mod.config_dir
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
-    # A registered project, so `task_create` has something to be valid against.
+    # A registered agent, so `task_create` has something to be valid against.
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
         yaml.safe_dump([{"name": "emrg", "path": str(tmp_path)}])
     )
diff --git a/tests/test_scheduler.py b/tests/test_scheduler.py
index df0d0f74..06bcdb70 100644
--- a/tests/test_scheduler.py
+++ b/tests/test_scheduler.py
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@
 from emrg.server.scheduler import (
     TaskHandler,
     TaskScheduler,
-    _resolve_project_path,
+    _resolve_agent_path,
 )
 from tests.task_handler_factory import make_handler
 
 
-# ── _resolve_project_path ─────────────────────────────────────────
+# ── _resolve_agent_path ─────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
 def test_task_handler_logger_adapter_carries_task_column(tmp_path):
@@ -68,10 +68,10 @@ def emit(self, record: logging.LogRecord) -> None:
     assert getattr(records[0], "task", None) == "emrg-task"
 
 
-def test_resolve_project_path_found(tmp_path):
-    """Returns path when project name exists in agents.yml."""
-    projects_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_yml.write_text(
+def test_resolve_agent_path_found(tmp_path):
+    """Returns path when agent name exists in agents.yml."""
+    agents_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_yml.write_text(
         yaml.safe_dump([
             {"name": "emrg", "path": "/home/emrg/src"},
             {"name": "other", "path": "/tmp/other"},
@@ -82,33 +82,33 @@ def test_resolve_project_path_found(tmp_path):
     orig = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        assert _resolve_project_path("emrg") == "/home/emrg/src"
-        assert _resolve_project_path("other") == "/tmp/other"
-        assert _resolve_project_path("nonexistent") is None
+        assert _resolve_agent_path("emrg") == "/home/emrg/src"
+        assert _resolve_agent_path("other") == "/tmp/other"
+        assert _resolve_agent_path("nonexistent") is None
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig
 
 
-def test_resolve_project_path_no_file(tmp_path):
+def test_resolve_agent_path_no_file(tmp_path):
     """Returns None when agents.yml doesn't exist."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
     orig = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        assert _resolve_project_path("anything") is None
+        assert _resolve_agent_path("anything") is None
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig
 
 
-def test_resolve_project_path_invalid_yaml(tmp_path):
+def test_resolve_agent_path_invalid_yaml(tmp_path):
     """Returns None for invalid (non-list) YAML."""
-    projects_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_yml.write_text("key: value\n")
+    agents_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_yml.write_text("key: value\n")
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
     orig = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        assert _resolve_project_path("anything") is None
+        assert _resolve_agent_path("anything") is None
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig
 
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ def test_a_write_keeps_multiline_strings_as_literal_blocks(tmp_path):
         "- name: a\n"
         "  type: evolution\n"
         "  config:\n"
-        "    project: emrg\n"
+        "    agent: emrg\n"
         "  extra_prompt: |\n"
         "    first line\n"
         "    second line\n"
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ def test_read_table_refuses_a_root_that_is_not_a_list(tmp_path):
 
 
 def _task_create_fixture(tmp_path, monkeypatch, sched):
-    """A registered project + a tasks.yml, so task_create has something to be valid against."""
+    """A registered agent + a tasks.yml, so task_create has something to be valid against."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
@@ -745,7 +745,7 @@ def test_journal_template_renders_with_context():
     # Irrelevant-rant exclusion (rant 18:15:31)
     assert "Irrelevant-rant exclusion" in out
     # Editor role renders too (diversity/adversarial text is author-side)
-    ctx2 = dict(ctx); ctx2["task"] = {"role": "editor", "project": "j"}
+    ctx2 = dict(ctx); ctx2["task"] = {"role": "editor", "agent": "j"}
     out2 = template.render(**ctx2)
     assert "Editor Work Cycle" in out2
     assert "Contribution-level consistency" in out2 or "contribution-level" in out2
@@ -754,26 +754,26 @@ def test_journal_template_renders_with_context():
 # ── TaskHandler core ─────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
-def test_evolution_handler_project_path_fallback():
-    """Without config.project or config.path, name is the fallback path."""
+def test_evolution_handler_agent_path_fallback():
+    """Without config.agent or config.path, name is the fallback path."""
     handler = make_handler(
         name="emrg",
         config={},
         interval=1800,
         identity=InstanceIdentity(),
     )
-    assert handler.project_path == "emrg"
+    assert handler.agent_path == "emrg"
 
 
-def test_evolution_handler_project_path_from_config():
-    """config.path is used when config.project is empty."""
+def test_evolution_handler_agent_path_from_config():
+    """config.path is used when config.agent is empty."""
     handler = make_handler(
         name="emrg",
         config={"path": "/custom/path"},
         interval=1800,
         identity=InstanceIdentity(),
     )
-    assert handler.project_path == "/custom/path"
+    assert handler.agent_path == "/custom/path"
 
 
 def test_evolution_handler_stop():
@@ -806,8 +806,8 @@ def test_evolution_handler_status_last_run_fields():
     assert st["recent_runs"] == []
     # rant 2026-08-21T17:46:12: task→session link fields (GUI open-session action)
     assert st["session_id"] == "test"
-    assert st["project"] == ""  # config={} → empty project name
-    assert st["project_path"] == "test"  # fallback path = name
+    assert st["agent"] == ""  # config={} → empty agent name
+    assert st["agent_path"] == "test"  # fallback path = name
     # rant 2026-08-22T07:18:35: started_at = per-CYCLE start epoch (set at tick
     # begin, cleared at cycle end), only valid while running; None when idle
     assert st["started_at"] is None, "idle handler → started_at None"
@@ -1021,7 +1021,7 @@ def test_task_handler_task_runs_write_failure_tolerated(tmp_path):
 def test_evolution_handler_default_owner():
     """When no git remote is detectable, falls back to EMRG defaults."""
     handler = make_handler(
-        name="unknown-project",
+        name="unknown-agent",
         config={"path": "/nonexistent/path"},
         interval=1800,
         identity=InstanceIdentity(),
@@ -1029,7 +1029,7 @@ def test_evolution_handler_default_owner():
     assert handler._owner == "argszero"
     assert handler._repo == "emrg"
     assert handler._repo_url == "https://github.com/argszero/emrg.git"
-    # No repo configured (non-emrg project, no remote, no config) → no self-heal
+    # No repo configured (non-emrg agent, no remote, no config) → no self-heal
     assert handler._repo_configured is False
 
 
@@ -1100,7 +1100,7 @@ def test_paper_template_renders_with_context():
     template = env.from_string(template_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     out = template.render(
         instance_id="test", host_name="host", source_dir="/tmp/paper", session_id="s1", timestamp="20260806",
-        task={}, project={}, )
+        task={}, agent={}, )
     # The per-round `paper_state.md` was retired (rant 2026-09-14T14:35:47): the
     # session is the state now, so the template must render the continuity contract
     # and the closing summary that replaces the file — and must not name the file.
@@ -1124,7 +1124,7 @@ def test_journal_template_renders_the_continuity_contract():
     out = template.render(
         instance_id="test", host_name="host", source_dir="/tmp/journal", session_id="s1", timestamp="20260919-100129",
         current_time_human="2026-09-19 10:01", task={"role": "editor", "agent": "silicon-science-cs"},
-        project={}, owner="argszero", repo="silicon-science-cs",
+        agent={}, owner="argszero", repo="silicon-science-cs",
     )
     # The state and reflection files were retired (rant 2026-09-14T14:35:47): the
     # session is the state now, so the template must render the continuity contract
@@ -1153,13 +1153,13 @@ def test_open_source_template_renders_with_context():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260813",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     assert "The rant queue" in out, "rant-scan 0.5 节应渲染"
     assert "rants.jsonl" in out, "rant 扫描命令应渲染"
-    assert "config.project" in out, "project 匹配过滤应渲染"
-    # Rant 2026-08-17T14:17:03: rant project matching is the SINGLE value
-    # config.project — owner/repo dual-compat removed (host decision).
+    assert "config.agent" in out, "agent 匹配过滤应渲染"
+    # Rant 2026-08-17T14:17:03: rant agent matching is the SINGLE value
+    # config.agent — owner/repo dual-compat removed (host decision).
     assert "aitokenpool" in out, "task.agent 值应渲染进 0.5 节"
     assert "does **NOT** match" in out, "owner/repo 形式明确不匹配"
     # the unmatched-rant hint may still mention the owner/repo form for
@@ -1196,7 +1196,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_allow_self_merge_conditional():
         instance_id="test", host_name="host", repo_url="https://github.com/x/y.git", owner="x", repo="y",
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260814",
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
 
     # default (allow_self_merge absent) → rule stands, no override
@@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@ def test_task_extra_prompt_conditional_all_templates():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260824",
         current_time_human="2026-08-24 22:00",
-        project={"name": "x"}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={"name": "x"}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     extra = "插件开发（plugin）也是对本项目的合法贡献，不应被排除在贡献范围之外"
     heading = "Task-specific Instructions (extra_prompt from tasks.yml)"
@@ -1270,7 +1270,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_never_stashes_host_work():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260820",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # the old data-losing instruction is gone
     assert "→ `git stash`" not in out, "no more 'git stash' action instruction"
@@ -1302,7 +1302,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_full_code_study_b2b():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260814",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # 1) the new section exists (positive discrimination: absent section → red)
     assert "Read the full codebase" in out, "B.2b 全代码研读节应渲染"
@@ -1336,14 +1336,14 @@ def test_open_source_template_measures_the_shipped_artifact():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260814",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # 1) a defect is measured on the shipped artifact, not only on the checkout
     assert "A defect is a claim about what the project ships, so measure it there." in out, "shipped 产物节应渲染"
     # 2) the report names which artifact the reading came from
     assert "a report says which artifact its reading came from" in out, "应要求说明读的是哪个产物"
     # 2b) it does not contradict the sentence above it: latest code for design
-    # intent, what ships for the defect — and a project that publishes nothing
+    # intent, what ships for the defect — and a agent that publishes nothing
     # still has an artifact in the branch or tag its users run
     assert "The latest code is still what you read for design intent" in out, "应与「读最新代码」并存而非互斥"
     assert "where the project publishes neither" in out, "应覆盖不发布产物的项目"
@@ -1365,7 +1365,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_distinguishes_an_unrunnable_toolchain():
     suite, so the command exits 127 or fails to exec with no test collected. The block
     echoed "test failures" for every non-zero exit, which named a cause it could not
     know: one line reported an absent interpreter as a red suite, and the cycle then
-    reported a defect the project did not have.
+    reported a defect the agent did not have.
     """
     import jinja2
 
@@ -1380,7 +1380,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_distinguishes_an_unrunnable_toolchain():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260814",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # 1) the resolver runs before the suite and says what an absent tool is not
     assert "command -v <the tool the suite needs>" in out, "应先解析运行器再读结果"
@@ -1419,7 +1419,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_parallel_recon_c15():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260824",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # 1) the new section exists
     assert "The healthy rule" in out, "C.1.5 并行 Recon 节应渲染"
@@ -1473,7 +1473,7 @@ def test_open_source_entry_check_reads_the_claim_thread():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260824",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # 1) the entry check asks for the thread, which is where a claim is written
     assert "assignees,comments" in out, "入口检查应读取评论线程"
@@ -1516,7 +1516,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_empty_recon_names_the_extension_surface():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260824",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     assert "no gap inside the project's extension surface" in out, "空 Recon 结论须含扩展面阅读"
 
@@ -1547,7 +1547,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_reads_the_extension_surface():
         local_source="/tmp/os", source_dir="/tmp/os", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260824",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # 1) the section exists and says what a contribution through that layer even is
     assert "The project's extension surface" in out, "§1.6 扩展面阅读应渲染"
@@ -1565,7 +1565,7 @@ def test_open_source_template_reads_the_extension_surface():
 
 
 def test_promote_template_learn_latest_state_04():
-    """promote_prompt.md §0.4 requires learning the project's latest state
+    """promote_prompt.md §0.4 requires learning the agent's latest state
     before promoting (rant 2026-08-14T22:13:57, mirrors open-source B.2b #790)."""
     import jinja2
 
@@ -1580,14 +1580,14 @@ def test_promote_template_learn_latest_state_04():
         local_source="/tmp/pm", source_dir="/tmp/pm", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260814",
         task={"agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
+        agent={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
         git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # 1) the new section exists (positive discrimination: absent section → red)
     assert "0.4 Learn the project's latest state" in out, "0.4 节应渲染"
     # 2) MUST every round
     assert "re-learn the project's latest state before every promotion round" in out, "每轮 MUST 前提应渲染"
-    # 3) latest commit inspection command with project.path
+    # 3) latest commit inspection command with agent.path
     assert "git fetch -q origin" in out, "git fetch 最新代码应渲染"
     assert "git log --oneline -10 origin/HEAD" in out, "最近 commit 检视应渲染"
     # 4) claims must come from just-verified state, not stale memory
@@ -1616,7 +1616,7 @@ def test_promote_template_homework_first_dehardening():
         local_source="/tmp/pm", source_dir="/tmp/pm", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260815",
         task={"agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
+        agent={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
         git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # A. homework-before-participating section exists (positive discrimination)
@@ -1656,7 +1656,7 @@ def test_promote_template_direct_cdp_rule():
         local_source="/tmp/pm", source_dir="/tmp/pm", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260825",
         task={"agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
+        agent={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
         git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # A. direct CDP endpoint mandated (positive discrimination)
@@ -1684,7 +1684,7 @@ def test_promote_template_registration_blog_sections():
         local_source="/tmp/pm", source_dir="/tmp/pm", session_id="s1",
         timestamp="20260815",
         task={"agent": "aitokenpool"},
-        project={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
+        agent={"path": "/tmp/proj", "name": "aitokenpool", "description": "d"},
         git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     # A. Account Registration (host-authorized) section with 3 preconditions
@@ -1711,7 +1711,7 @@ def test_promote_template_registration_blog_sections():
 # ── Evolution workspace self-heal (rant 2026-08-06T20:42:05, 方案 C) ──────
 
 
-def _make_handler(tmp_path, name="emrg-task", project="emrg", path=None):
+def _make_handler(tmp_path, name="emrg-task", agent="emrg", path=None):
     """Build a TaskHandler whose record points at a tmp config dir."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
@@ -1720,7 +1720,7 @@ def _make_handler(tmp_path, name="emrg-task", project="emrg", path=None):
     try:
         handler = make_handler(
             name=name,
-            config={"agent": project} if project else {},
+            config={"agent": agent} if agent else {},
             interval=60,
         )
     finally:
@@ -1729,7 +1729,7 @@ def _make_handler(tmp_path, name="emrg-task", project="emrg", path=None):
         # What the handler reads is the derived set, so a test that needs a particular
         # resolution states it there rather than building a agents.yml to derive it.
         handler._derived["source_dir"] = str(path)
-        handler._derived["project_path"] = str(path)
+        handler._derived["agent_path"] = str(path)
     return handler
 
 
@@ -1754,8 +1754,8 @@ def test_a_record_deleted_from_an_existing_file_stays_deleted(tmp_path):
     orig_config = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        sched._ensure_emrg_project_entry()
-        sched._ensure_emrg_project_entry()  # idempotent
+        sched._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()
+        sched._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()  # idempotent
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig_config
 
@@ -1780,7 +1780,7 @@ def test_the_seed_returns_when_the_whole_file_is_deleted(tmp_path):
     assert names == ["emrg-task"]
 
 
-def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_adds_project_entry_when_missing(tmp_path):
+def test_ensure_emrg_agent_entry_adds_agent_entry_when_missing(tmp_path):
     """Missing agents.yml emrg entry gets added (fixed path, no network)."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
     from emrg.server.scheduler import TaskScheduler
@@ -1790,30 +1790,30 @@ def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_adds_project_entry_when_missing(tmp_path):
     orig_config = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        sched._ensure_emrg_project_entry()
-        sched._ensure_emrg_project_entry()  # idempotent
+        sched._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()
+        sched._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()  # idempotent
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig_config
 
-    projects_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    assert projects_yml.exists()
-    data = yaml.safe_load(projects_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    agents_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    assert agents_yml.exists()
+    data = yaml.safe_load(agents_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     assert isinstance(data, list)
     emrg = next(e for e in data if e.get("name") == "emrg")
     assert emrg["path"] == str(Path.home() / ".emrg" / "evolution" / "emrg")
     assert len([e for e in data if e.get("name") == "emrg"]) == 1  # no dup
 
 
-def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_preserves_existing_project_entry(tmp_path):
-    """Existing emrg project entry (dev-machine path) is preserved as-is."""
+def test_ensure_emrg_agent_entry_preserves_existing_agent_entry(tmp_path):
+    """Existing emrg agent entry (dev-machine path) is preserved as-is."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
     from emrg.server.scheduler import TaskScheduler
 
     # A real existing checkout dir (dev machine) — preserved, never repaired.
     dev_path = tmp_path / "dev" / "emrg"
     dev_path.mkdir(parents=True)
-    projects_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
+    agents_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
         {"name": "emrg", "path": str(dev_path),
          "last_active": "2026-01-01T00:00:00"},
     ]))
@@ -1823,27 +1823,27 @@ def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_preserves_existing_project_entry(tmp_path):
     orig_config = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        sched._ensure_emrg_project_entry()
+        sched._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig_config
 
-    data = yaml.safe_load(projects_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    data = yaml.safe_load(agents_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     assert len(data) == 1
     assert data[0]["name"] == "emrg"
     assert data[0]["path"] == str(dev_path)  # untouched
 
 
-def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_repairs_stale_project_entry(tmp_path):
+def test_ensure_emrg_agent_entry_repairs_stale_agent_entry(tmp_path):
     """A dead emrg path (deleted pytest-temp dir) is repaired to the canonical
     workspace (2026-08-12 incident: a test run leaked a pytest temp path into
     the real ~/.emrg/agents.yml; the dir is gone after the suite, leaving a
-    dangling entry that list_projects/GUI pickers would show forever)."""
+    dangling entry that list_agents/GUI pickers would show forever)."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
     from emrg.server.scheduler import TaskScheduler
 
     stale = tmp_path / "gone" / "emrg"  # never created → dead path
-    projects_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
+    agents_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
         {"name": "emrg", "path": str(stale),
          "last_active": "2026-08-12T18:44:50"},
         {"name": "other", "path": str(tmp_path / "other")},
@@ -1854,11 +1854,11 @@ def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_repairs_stale_project_entry(tmp_path):
     orig_config = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        sched._ensure_emrg_project_entry()
+        sched._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig_config
 
-    data = yaml.safe_load(projects_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    data = yaml.safe_load(agents_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     by_name = {e["name"]: e for e in data}
     assert by_name["emrg"]["path"] == (
         str(Path.home() / ".emrg" / "evolution" / "emrg")
@@ -1867,13 +1867,13 @@ def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_repairs_stale_project_entry(tmp_path):
     assert len(data) == 2
 
 
-def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_other_entries_preserved(tmp_path):
-    """Non-emrg project entries survive the self-heal."""
+def test_ensure_emrg_agent_entry_other_entries_preserved(tmp_path):
+    """Non-emrg agent entries survive the self-heal."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
     from emrg.server.scheduler import TaskScheduler
 
-    projects_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
+    agents_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
         {"name": "paper", "path": "/some/paper"},
     ]))
 
@@ -1882,11 +1882,11 @@ def test_ensure_emrg_project_entry_other_entries_preserved(tmp_path):
     orig_config = mod.config_dir
     try:
         mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp_path
-        sched._ensure_emrg_project_entry()
+        sched._ensure_emrg_agent_entry()
     finally:
         mod.config_dir = orig_config
 
-    data = yaml.safe_load(projects_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    data = yaml.safe_load(agents_yml.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     names = [e.get("name") for e in data]
     assert "paper" in names
     assert "emrg" in names
@@ -1933,7 +1933,7 @@ async def close(self):
     async def _fake_connect():
         return _FakeWS(frames)
 
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     handler._build_evolution_prompt = lambda: "test prompt"
     mod.connect_to_server = _fake_connect
 
@@ -1990,7 +1990,7 @@ async def close(self):
     async def _fake_connect():
         return _FakeWS()
 
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     handler._build_evolution_prompt = lambda: "a rendered task prompt"
     orig_connect = mod.connect_to_server
     mod.connect_to_server = _fake_connect
@@ -2799,7 +2799,7 @@ def test_saturation_heartbeat_active_true_when_throttled(tmp_path):
     """Throttle flag on → heartbeat cadence (not skip), no network (rant
     2026-08-18T20:32:07 — upstream check removed; flag from vibe check, rant
     2026-08-20T10:58:55)."""
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     handler._slowdown_active = True
     assert handler._saturation_heartbeat_active() is True
     assert handler._heartbeat_interval() == 480  # 60s task → 8 min
@@ -2834,7 +2834,7 @@ def test_saturation_heartbeat_makes_no_network_calls(tmp_path):
     deleted the self-heal git machinery) — no subprocess can be called."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     handler._slowdown_active = True
 
     assert not hasattr(mod, "subprocess"), \
@@ -2844,7 +2844,7 @@ def test_saturation_heartbeat_makes_no_network_calls(tmp_path):
 
 def test_saturation_heartbeat_false_when_normal(tmp_path):
     """No throttle flag → normal interval (remote state irrelevant)."""
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     handler._slowdown_active = False
     assert handler._saturation_heartbeat_active() is False
 
@@ -2877,7 +2877,7 @@ def test_list_tasks_logs_slow_status(tmp_path, caplog):
     import time as _time
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="slow", project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="slow", agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     orig_status = handler.status
 
     def slow_status():
@@ -2957,10 +2957,10 @@ def test_list_tasks_shows_a_deleted_task_gone_at_once(tmp_path):
 
 
 def _p2_env(tmp_path):
-    """Point config_dir at tmp_path with a registered project."""
+    """Point config_dir at tmp_path with a registered agent."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
-    projects_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
-    projects_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
+    agents_yml = tmp_path / "agents.yml"
+    agents_yml.write_text(yaml.safe_dump([
         {"name": "emrg", "path": str(tmp_path / "emrg")},
         {"name": "mem", "path": str(tmp_path / "mem")},
     ]))
@@ -2970,7 +2970,7 @@ def _p2_env(tmp_path):
 
 
 def test_task_create_validation(tmp_path):
-    """Invalid name / unknown type / unregistered project / interval<60 rejected."""
+    """Invalid name / unknown type / unregistered agent / interval<60 rejected."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
     mod, orig = _p2_env(tmp_path)
     try:
@@ -3012,7 +3012,7 @@ def test_task_create_and_duplicate(tmp_path):
 def test_a_record_the_file_carries_runs_even_with_uppercase_in_its_name(tmp_path):
     """The loader must not refuse the content of its own file.
 
-    `OfficeCLI-opensource-task` is the host's real record, named after the project
+    `OfficeCLI-opensource-task` is the host's real record, named after the agent
     `OfficeCLI` in agents.yml. While the name rule accepted lowercase only, the loader
     refused it at **every** scheduler tick — measured 2026-09-30: one identical error
     line ×3963 in `~/.emrg/emrgd.log`, first at 06:51:45 and still firing at 11:19:11, so
@@ -3067,7 +3067,7 @@ def test_the_name_rule_is_about_the_path_not_the_case(tmp_path):
     def record(name: str) -> dict:
         return {"name": name, "type": "evolution", "interval": 60, "config": {}}
 
-    # Accepted — including the host's own name and any other real project name.
+    # Accepted — including the host's own name and any other real agent name.
     assert validate_task_record(record("OfficeCLI-opensource-task")) is None
     assert validate_task_record(record("MixedCase-Task")) is None
     assert validate_task_record(record("a" * TASK_NAME_MAX)) is None
@@ -3242,7 +3242,7 @@ async def _run():
 def test_the_record_read_is_what_leaves_the_event_loop():
     """rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47 — the git probe must not run on the loop.
 
-    Deriving a record probes the project's git remote (a subprocess), and that now
+    Deriving a record probes the agent's git remote (a subprocess), and that now
     happens at every wake inside `run()` rather than once in `__init__` — so the
     offload moved with it and has to be asserted where it now is. Reading a source
     string is the check because the alternative is a slow git on the loop, which this
@@ -3257,9 +3257,9 @@ def test_the_record_read_is_what_leaves_the_event_loop():
     assert "await asyncio.to_thread(self._apply_record, record)" in src
 
 
-def test_daemon_projects_list_offloads_git_probe_to_thread():
-    """rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47 — the daemon's projects_list handler probes
-    each project's git remote with a sync subprocess; it must run in worker
+def test_daemon_agents_list_offloads_git_probe_to_thread():
+    """rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47 — the daemon's agents_list handler probes
+    each agent's git remote with a sync subprocess; it must run in worker
     threads (asyncio.to_thread) so a slow git probe never freezes the loop."""
     from pathlib import Path as _Path
 
@@ -3345,9 +3345,9 @@ async def _run():
         mod.config_dir = orig
 
 
-def test_evolution_template_renders_dual_project_match():
-    """evolution_prompt.md renders the dual-compatible rant project match
-    (rant 2026-08-17T12:09:57): both config.project AND owner/repo forms
+def test_evolution_template_renders_dual_agent_match():
+    """evolution_prompt.md renders the dual-compatible rant agent match
+    (rant 2026-08-17T12:09:57): both config.agent AND owner/repo forms
     must be accepted when scanning rants."""
     import jinja2
 
@@ -3362,11 +3362,11 @@ def test_evolution_template_renders_dual_project_match():
         repo="emrg", local_source="/tmp/evo", source_dir="/tmp/evo",
         session_id="s1", timestamp="20260817",
         task={"role": "committer", "agent": "emrg"},
-        project={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
+        agent={}, git_path="git", gh_path="gh",
     )
     assert "emrg" in out, "task.agent 值应渲染"
     assert "argszero/emrg" in out, "owner/repo 形式应渲染"
-    assert "ignore rants without a `project` field entirely" in out
+    assert "ignore rants without a `agent` field entirely" in out
 
 
 # ── sandbox tier resolution (rant 2026-08-20T18:05:20) ─────────────
@@ -3920,7 +3920,7 @@ def test_a_silent_turn_ends_as_a_stall_not_as_a_completion(tmp_path, monkeypatch
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"request_id": "r1", "content": "thinking", "done": False,
          "delta": True, "session_id": "s"},
@@ -3956,7 +3956,7 @@ def test_a_tool_call_is_bounded_by_its_own_declared_timeout(tmp_path, monkeypatc
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_TOOL_SILENCE_GRACE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"type": "tool_start", "tool_name": "bash",
          "arguments": {"command": "sleep 3000", "timeout": 3700}},
@@ -4017,7 +4017,7 @@ def test_a_stalled_cycle_frees_the_slot_and_records_why(tmp_path, monkeypatch, c
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"request_id": "r1", "content": "thinking", "done": False,
          "delta": True, "session_id": "s"},
@@ -4058,7 +4058,7 @@ def test_a_cycle_queued_behind_a_busy_session_is_not_a_stall(tmp_path, monkeypat
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"type": "task_queued", "request_id": "evolution-x", "session_id": "s",
          "position": 1},
@@ -4101,7 +4101,7 @@ def test_a_queued_request_that_is_served_inside_the_wait_is_a_normal_cycle(
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"type": "task_queued", "request_id": "evolution-x", "session_id": "s",
          "position": 1},
@@ -4142,7 +4142,7 @@ def test_the_handlers_own_work_between_frames_is_not_silence(
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"type": "task_queued", "request_id": "evolution-x", "session_id": "s",
          "position": 1},
@@ -4181,7 +4181,7 @@ def test_silence_after_a_queued_cycle_started_is_a_stall_again(tmp_path, monkeyp
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"type": "task_queued", "request_id": "evolution-x", "session_id": "s",
          "position": 1},
@@ -4214,7 +4214,7 @@ def test_a_queued_cycle_leaves_a_marker_that_names_the_busy_session(
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"type": "task_queued", "request_id": "evolution-x", "session_id": "s",
          "position": 2},
@@ -4303,7 +4303,7 @@ def test_a_silent_daemon_after_the_terminal_frame_does_not_wedge_the_handler(
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ROUND_SILENCE_SECONDS", 0.05)
-    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+    handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
     _silence_frames(handler, tmp_path, monkeypatch, frames=[
         {"request_id": "r1", "content": "Done", "done": True,
          "delta": False, "session_id": "s"},
@@ -4351,7 +4351,7 @@ class TestSchedulerReadersAskTheKindBeforeOpening:
     """A scheduler subject that is not a regular file is answered, not opened (#2095).
 
     Measured on master `171d90d0` before the fix, one child process per arm under an
-    8 s cap: `read_table`, `_resolve_project_path`, `_load_project_config`,
+    8 s cap: `read_table`, `_resolve_agent_path`, `_load_agent_config`,
     `_read_custom_template` and the handler's saturation / heartbeat / next-run /
     task-run readers each **did not return** against a FIFO, where the same call with
     the subject absent answered at once. Each test below is therefore also a bound: it
@@ -4372,7 +4372,7 @@ def _config(tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> None:
         monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
 
     def _handler(self, tmp_path, attr: str, rel: str):
-        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
         setattr(handler, attr, self._fifo(tmp_path / rel))
         return handler
 
@@ -4392,20 +4392,20 @@ def test_read_table_refuses_a_fifo_and_names_the_kind(self, tmp_path, monkeypatc
         assert "a FIFO" in str(excinfo.value), str(excinfo.value)
 
     @_needs_mkfifo
-    def test_resolve_project_path_answers_none_for_a_fifo(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    def test_resolve_agent_path_answers_none_for_a_fifo(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
         from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
         self._config(tmp_path, monkeypatch)
         self._fifo(tmp_path / "agents.yml")
-        assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: mod._resolve_project_path("probe")) is None
+        assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: mod._resolve_agent_path("probe")) is None
 
     @_needs_mkfifo
-    def test_load_project_config_answers_empty_for_a_fifo(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    def test_load_agent_config_answers_empty_for_a_fifo(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
         from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
         self._config(tmp_path, monkeypatch)
         self._fifo(tmp_path / "agents.yml")
-        assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: mod._load_project_config("probe", str(tmp_path))) == {}
+        assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: mod._load_agent_config("probe", str(tmp_path))) == {}
 
     @_needs_mkfifo
     def test_read_custom_template_answers_none_for_a_fifo(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
@@ -4451,7 +4451,7 @@ def test_appending_a_task_run_does_not_block_on_a_fifo(self, tmp_path, caplog):
 
     @_needs_mkfifo
     def test_the_recovery_receipt_writer_refuses_a_fifo(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch, caplog):
-        """The receipt lives in the git dir — inside the project the agent works in."""
+        """The receipt lives in the git dir — inside the agent the agent works in."""
         git_dir = tmp_path / ".git"
         git_dir.mkdir()
         self._fifo(git_dir / "emrg-recovery-receipt.json")
@@ -4470,7 +4470,7 @@ def test_render_prompt_refuses_a_template_that_is_not_a_regular_file(self, tmp_p
         """This site has no handler of its own: today it does not raise, it never
         returns. Naming the kind is the answer a task whose prompt cannot be read
         owes — silence is not."""
-        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
         handler._derived["template_path"] = self._fifo(tmp_path / "prompt.md")
         with pytest.raises(NotARegularFile) as excinfo:
             within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, handler._build_evolution_prompt)
@@ -4494,7 +4494,7 @@ def test_the_control_with_regular_files(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
         # and thrown away one line later. Making one also needs `os.mkfifo`, which does
         # not exist on Windows — the control would have been skipped on the one platform
         # least able to run the subjects above it, which is the opposite of a control.
-        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
         handler._task_runs_file = tmp_path / "task-runs" / "regular.jsonl"
         handler._task_runs_file.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
         handler._task_runs_file.write_text(
@@ -4531,7 +4531,7 @@ def _fifo(path: Path) -> Path:
         return path
 
     def _handler(self, tmp_path, attr: str, rel: str):
-        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
         setattr(handler, attr, self._fifo(tmp_path / rel))
         return handler
 
@@ -4563,7 +4563,7 @@ def test_the_final_summary_writer_refuses_a_fifo(self, tmp_path):
         It is reached once per handler lifetime, on the way out of `run()`; silence
         there is the same `never returns` the rest of this class is about.
         """
-        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
         handler._logs_dir = tmp_path / "logs"
         self._fifo(handler._logs_dir / "summary.json")
         handler.evolutions = [
@@ -4601,7 +4601,7 @@ def test_the_control_writes_every_subject_when_it_is_absent(self, tmp_path, monk
         from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
 
         monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
-        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", project="", path=str(tmp_path))
+        handler = _make_handler(tmp_path, name="probe", agent="", path=str(tmp_path))
         handler._heartbeat_file = tmp_path / "task-runs" / "probe.heartbeat.json"
         handler._saturation_file = tmp_path / "saturation" / "probe.json"
         handler._next_run_file = tmp_path / "next-run" / "probe.json"
diff --git a/tests/test_scratch_roots_are_gitignored.py b/tests/test_scratch_roots_are_gitignored.py
index 1b63cb49..8736c74b 100644
--- a/tests/test_scratch_roots_are_gitignored.py
+++ b/tests/test_scratch_roots_are_gitignored.py
@@ -550,7 +550,7 @@ def test_x(tmp_path, other_dir):
 def test_uses_the_fixture(tmp_path):
     pass
 def test_other():
-    tmp_path = Path("/abs/other-project/tests")
+    tmp_path = Path("/abs/other-agent/tests")
     d = tempfile.mkdtemp(dir=tmp_path, prefix="anything-")
 '''
     shadowed_name_composite = '''
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ def test_other():
 def test_uses_the_fixture(tmp_path):
     pass
 def test_other():
-    tmp_path = Path("/abs/other-project/tests")
+    tmp_path = Path("/abs/other-agent/tests")
     d = tempfile.mkdtemp(dir=tmp_path / "sub", prefix="anything-")
 '''
     shadowed_in_its_own_scope = '''
@@ -594,7 +594,7 @@ def helper(tmp_path):
         return tmp_path
 
     helper("x")
-    tmp_path = Path("/abs/other-project/tests")
+    tmp_path = Path("/abs/other-agent/tests")
     d = tempfile.mkdtemp(dir=tmp_path / "sub", prefix="anything-")
 '''
     fixture_in_a_nested_def = '''
diff --git a/tests/test_session.py b/tests/test_session.py
index 06fb1565..9f424c47 100644
--- a/tests/test_session.py
+++ b/tests/test_session.py
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ def test_session_dir_names_the_directory_a_session_actually_fills(tmp_path):
 
 def test_session_dir_keeps_the_workspace_it_was_given(tmp_path):
     """A relative workspace stays relative, so the caller's cwd still decides."""
-    assert str(session_dir("project", "s_260101_0000_abcd")) == str(
-        Path("project") / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "s_260101_0000_abcd"
+    assert str(session_dir("agent", "s_260101_0000_abcd")) == str(
+        Path("agent") / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "s_260101_0000_abcd"
     )
 
 
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ def test_every_builder_of_the_layout_is_found(expression):
     "expression",
     [
         # A prompt that tells a reader where memory lives is prose, not a producer.
-        'f"Project: `{cwd}/.emrg/memory/` (project-scope, cross-session)"',
+        'f"Agent: `{cwd}/.emrg/memory/` (agent-scope, cross-session)"',
         # The host's install root is a different fact from a directory's layout.
         'Path.home() / ".emrg" / "install"',
         'cwd / ".emrg" / "config.toml"',
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ def _javascript_without_comments(source: str) -> str:
 def test_the_electron_client_builds_the_same_path_in_one_place():
     """The rule's other language: the GUI main process is its own single producer.
 
-    `main.js` writes a pasted image into `<project>/.emrg/sessions/<id>/images` so
+    `main.js` writes a pasted image into `<agent>/.emrg/sessions/<id>/images` so
     the daemon can find it, and it cannot call the Python producer — the two
     processes share a filesystem, not a runtime. So delegation is not available on
     this half; what is available is that the copy stays **one** copy, and that is
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ def test_the_electron_client_builds_the_same_path_in_one_place():
 
     assert len(sites) == 1, (
         "expected exactly one place in the Electron client to build "
-        f"<project>/.emrg/sessions/<id>, found {sites} — the Python package gets "
+        f"<agent>/.emrg/sessions/<id>, found {sites} — the Python package gets "
         "this from one producer; this half of the rule has to stay one copy, "
         "because nothing compares them at runtime"
     )
@@ -1305,7 +1305,7 @@ class TestSessionFilesAskTheKindBeforeOpening:
     """A session file of a non-regular kind is answered, not opened (issue #2085).
 
     Every file `Session` opens lives in `<cwd>/.emrg/sessions/<id>/`, which is inside the
-    project the agent works in — the workspace fence grants the project root — so a
+    agent the agent works in — the workspace fence grants the agent root — so a
     `mkfifo` there is the agent's own doing. Measured 2026-10-11 (`cyc20261011-071202`) on
     master `3386f239`: `load`, `title`, `_read_history` and `append_message` each **did not
     return** within 15 s against a pipe at `meta.json`/`history.jsonl`, where the same
diff --git a/tests/test_session_delete_path.py b/tests/test_session_delete_path.py
index 63f84eda..707fffa6 100644
--- a/tests/test_session_delete_path.py
+++ b/tests/test_session_delete_path.py
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
 A session id arrives in a client message and is pasted onto
 `<cwd>/.emrg/sessions/` before anything opens, reads or removes it. The kernel
 resolves `..` and an absolute id at that point, so an id of `../..` names the
-project tree rather than a session directory inside it.
+agent tree rather than a session directory inside it.
 
-Measured 2026-10-21 through `Session.delete("../..", <project>)`: the call walked
-`<project>/.emrg/sessions/../..`, left the project tree empty — a `victim/`
+Measured 2026-10-21 through `Session.delete("../..", <agent>)`: the call walked
+`<agent>/.emrg/sessions/../..`, left the agent tree empty — a `victim/`
 directory and `.emrg/` alike — and then raised from `shutil.rmtree`'s final
 `os.rmdir` on the unresolved path. These tests pin the refusal and, in the other
 direction, that a real id still deletes its own directory.
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ def test_a_plain_name_is_one_component(session_id):
     "",           # nothing to name
     ".",          # the sessions directory itself
     "..",         # its parent
-    "../..",      # the project tree
+    "../..",      # the agent tree
     "a/b",        # a path, not a name
     "/abs",       # an absolute path replaces the join entirely
     "a\\b",       # a separator on Windows, an ordinary character on POSIX
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ def test_a_name_that_is_not_one_component_is_refused(session_id):
     assert is_safe_session_id(session_id) is False
 
 
-def _project(tmp_path):
-    """A project tree: one session directory, and a neighbour that must survive."""
+def _agent(tmp_path):
+    """A agent tree: one session directory, and a neighbour that must survive."""
     (tmp_path / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").mkdir(parents=True)
     (tmp_path / "victim").mkdir()
     (tmp_path / "victim" / "precious.txt").write_text("keep me", encoding="utf-8")
@@ -56,20 +56,20 @@ def _project(tmp_path):
 
 
 def test_an_escaping_id_deletes_nothing(tmp_path):
-    """The measured shape: the id resolves to the project tree, so nothing may move."""
-    project = _project(tmp_path)
+    """The measured shape: the id resolves to the agent tree, so nothing may move."""
+    agent = _agent(tmp_path)
 
-    assert Session.delete("../..", project) is False
+    assert Session.delete("../..", agent) is False
 
-    assert (project / "victim" / "precious.txt").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "keep me"
-    assert (project / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").is_dir()
+    assert (agent / "victim" / "precious.txt").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "keep me"
+    assert (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").is_dir()
 
 
 def test_a_real_id_still_deletes_its_own_directory(tmp_path):
     """The other direction: the refusal must not cost the feature."""
-    project = _project(tmp_path)
+    agent = _agent(tmp_path)
 
-    assert Session.delete("keep", project) is True
+    assert Session.delete("keep", agent) is True
 
-    assert not (project / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").exists()
-    assert (project / "victim" / "precious.txt").exists()
+    assert not (agent / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "keep").exists()
+    assert (agent / "victim" / "precious.txt").exists()
diff --git a/tests/test_sessions_index.py b/tests/test_sessions_index.py
index abf4b5df..f4302df2 100644
--- a/tests/test_sessions_index.py
+++ b/tests/test_sessions_index.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Tests for the global cross-project session index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22)."""
+"""Tests for the global cross-agent session index (rant 2026-08-13T16:42:22)."""
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 from tests.bounded_read import DEADLINE_SECONDS, within
 from emrg.session import Session
 from emrg.sessions_index import (
-    _iter_project_sessions,
+    _iter_agent_sessions,
     _load,
     _read_meta_session_id,
     _write,
@@ -112,12 +112,12 @@ def test_rebuild_indexes_nested_sessions(self, tmp_path):
         data = _load(cfg / "sessions_index.json")
         assert data["s_nested"] == str(sdir)
 
-    def test_rebuild_scans_project_paths_outside_root(self, tmp_path):
+    def test_rebuild_scans_agent_paths_outside_root(self, tmp_path):
         cfg = tmp_path / "cfg"
         cfg.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-        project = tmp_path / "outside_project"
-        sdir = self._make_session(project, "s_outside")
-        count = rebuild_sessions_index(cfg, project_paths=[str(project)])
+        agent = tmp_path / "outside_agent"
+        sdir = self._make_session(agent, "s_outside")
+        count = rebuild_sessions_index(cfg, agent_paths=[str(agent)])
         assert count == 1
         data = _load(cfg / "sessions_index.json")
         assert data["s_outside"] == str(sdir)
@@ -220,11 +220,11 @@ class TestAWalkByKindRatherThanByOpening:
     `_read_meta_session_id` opened its subject inside `except (json.JSONDecodeError,
     OSError)` — which cannot bound a *block*: `read_text` on a FIFO waits at the open for a
     writer, raises nothing, and never returns. Measured 2026-10-11 (`cyc20261011-070311`) on
-    master `3386f239`: a `mkfifo` at `<project>/.emrg/sessions/s1/meta.json` made
-    `_iter_project_sessions` **not return in 8 s**.
+    master `3386f239`: a `mkfifo` at `<agent>/.emrg/sessions/s1/meta.json` made
+    `_iter_agent_sessions` **not return in 8 s**.
 
     The path is under the *workspace* — the agent's own write surface — and both walkers
-    (`_iter_project_sessions`, `_iter_nested_sessions`) read through this one function, so
+    (`_iter_agent_sessions`, `_iter_nested_sessions`) read through this one function, so
     the kind is asked once where the open happens.
     """
 
@@ -249,14 +249,14 @@ def test_a_fifo_meta_is_skipped_and_the_other_sessions_still_read(self, tmp_path
         wedged.mkdir()
         os.mkfifo(wedged / "meta.json")
 
-        rows = within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: list(_iter_project_sessions(tmp_path)))
+        rows = within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: list(_iter_agent_sessions(tmp_path)))
         assert [sid for sid, _ in rows] == ["s_real"], rows
 
     def test_the_control_without_the_fifo(self, tmp_path):
         """Same fixture, a regular meta.json: both sessions read, so the kind is the axis."""
         self._session(tmp_path, "s_real")
         self._session(tmp_path, "s_also")
-        rows = list(_iter_project_sessions(tmp_path))
+        rows = list(_iter_agent_sessions(tmp_path))
         assert sorted(sid for sid, _ in rows) == ["s_also", "s_real"], rows
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(not hasattr(os, "mkfifo"), reason="this platform has no FIFOs")
diff --git a/tests/test_shell_tool_mount.py b/tests/test_shell_tool_mount.py
index fe130aad..f75af276 100644
--- a/tests/test_shell_tool_mount.py
+++ b/tests/test_shell_tool_mount.py
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ def test_grep_receives_the_cwd_only_as_a_default(injected, tmp_path):
 def test_the_discovery_tools_take_the_cwd_as_a_default_too(injected, tmp_path):
     """``glob``'s directory is a preference, exactly as ``grep``'s is.
 
-    Both schemas say "default: project root"; neither tool runs a command or
+    Both schemas say "default: agent root"; neither tool runs a command or
     writes a file, so neither directory decides a boundary.  ``glob`` shared the
     shell branch by adjacency — when the guard was dropped from the one line the
     two shared (``8246b691``, whose subject is bash and not glob) it lost the
diff --git a/tests/test_sinks_agree_on_the_frame_logger.py b/tests/test_sinks_agree_on_the_frame_logger.py
index 1740f650..52efd8fe 100644
--- a/tests/test_sinks_agree_on_the_frame_logger.py
+++ b/tests/test_sinks_agree_on_the_frame_logger.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 prove nothing about the **pair**: each arm is written against the carrier its author was looking
 at, so a level that drifts *within* the acceptable set on one side reddens nothing on the other,
 and the two can drift apart for a whole release without a single red row. This is the class the
-project has hit four times in two days (config file mode, argv redaction, the redaction rule, and
+agent has hit four times in two days (config file mode, argv redaction, the redaction rule, and
 this level), and the cure is a test that reads both carriers and **compares** them.
 
 Why the reading is taken the way it is
diff --git a/tests/test_skills_loader.py b/tests/test_skills_loader.py
index efb86c52..4d091f90 100644
--- a/tests/test_skills_loader.py
+++ b/tests/test_skills_loader.py
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ def test_name_from_stem_fallback(self, tmp_path):
             "---\n"
             "# Body\n"
         )
-        result = _parse_skill_file(md, "project")
+        result = _parse_skill_file(md, "agent")
         assert result is not None
         assert result.name == "fallback-skill"
 
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ def test_file_not_found(self, tmp_path):
         assert result is None
 
     def test_source_flag(self, tmp_path):
-        """Source is correctly propagated ('user' or 'project')."""
+        """Source is correctly propagated ('user' or 'agent')."""
         md = tmp_path / "src-test.md"
         md.write_text(
             "---\n"
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ def test_source_flag(self, tmp_path):
             "# Body\n"
         )
         assert _parse_skill_file(md, "user").source == "user"
-        assert _parse_skill_file(md, "project").source == "project"
+        assert _parse_skill_file(md, "agent").source == "agent"
 
     def test_body_stripped(self, tmp_path):
         """Leading/trailing whitespace in body is stripped."""
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ def test_multiple_skills(self):
         )
         b = Skill(
             name="skill-b", description="Desc B",
-            path=Path("/tmp/b.md"), body="body", source="project",
+            path=Path("/tmp/b.md"), body="body", source="agent",
         )
         result = build_skills_context([a, b])
         assert "skill-a" in result
@@ -241,17 +241,17 @@ class TestASkillDirectoryWalkedByKind:
     never returns. Every caller of `load_skills` runs on the daemon's event loop — the
     `skills_install` branch, the auto-update loop, and startup — so the block is the whole
     server. Measured 2026-07-11-style on master `3386f239` (`cyc20261011-070311`): a `mkfifo`
-    named `wedged.md` beside a usable skill made `load_skills(project_dir)` **not return in
+    named `wedged.md` beside a usable skill made `load_skills(agent_dir)` **not return in
     8 s**, where the same fixture without it returned in 0.00 s.
 
-    The project skills directory is under the *workspace*, the agent's own write surface,
+    The agent skills directory is under the *workspace*, the agent's own write surface,
     which is what makes it reachable rather than theoretical.
     """
 
     GOOD = "---\nname: good\ndescription: a usable skill\n---\n\nbody\n"
 
     @staticmethod
-    def _project(tmp_path, fifo: bool):
+    def _agent(tmp_path, fifo: bool):
         skills = tmp_path / ".emrg" / "skills"
         skills.mkdir(parents=True)
         (skills / "good.md").write_text(TestASkillDirectoryWalkedByKind.GOOD)
@@ -267,16 +267,16 @@ def test_a_fifo_beside_a_skill_does_not_wedge_the_loader(self, tmp_path):
         "returns" while losing every skill in the directory, which is the same loss the
         hang caused one step earlier.
         """
-        project = self._project(tmp_path, fifo=True)
-        skills = within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: load_skills(project_dir=project))
+        agent = self._agent(tmp_path, fifo=True)
+        skills = within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: load_skills(agent_dir=agent))
         names = [s.name for s in skills]
         assert "good" in names, f"the usable skill was lost: {names}"
         assert "wedged" not in names, f"a FIFO was loaded as a skill: {names}"
 
     def test_the_control_without_the_fifo(self, tmp_path):
         """Same fixture, no pipe: the same reading, so the pipe is what was measured."""
-        project = self._project(tmp_path, fifo=False)
-        names = [s.name for s in load_skills(project_dir=project)]
+        agent = self._agent(tmp_path, fifo=False)
+        names = [s.name for s in load_skills(agent_dir=agent)]
         assert "good" in names, names
         assert "wedged" not in names, names
 
@@ -290,4 +290,4 @@ def test_parse_skill_file_skips_it_the_way_it_skips_an_unreadable_one(self, tmp_
         """
         fifo = tmp_path / "wedged.md"
         os.mkfifo(fifo)
-        assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: _parse_skill_file(fifo, "project")) is None
+        assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, lambda: _parse_skill_file(fifo, "agent")) is None
diff --git a/tests/test_skills_read_live.py b/tests/test_skills_read_live.py
index 01052d06..6c4d6d04 100644
--- a/tests/test_skills_read_live.py
+++ b/tests/test_skills_read_live.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
    written at 09:13 and a later prompt carried **0** occurrences of it while
    `skill-catalog`, loaded from the same directory by the same loader, was there.
 2. `load_skills()` fell back to `Path.cwd()` — the **daemon's** directory, `~/.emrg` —
-   so every session's "project" skills were `~/.emrg/.emrg/skills/` whatever project
+   so every session's "agent" skills were `~/.emrg/.emrg/skills/` whatever agent
    the session was in.
 3. Both roots were walked with `glob("*.md")`, so a skill written as the spec's
    `<name>/SKILL.md` was invisible: `~/.emrg/skills/browser-harness/SKILL.md`
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 from emrg.session import Session
 from emrg.skills import loader as loader_mod
 from emrg.skills import registry as registry_mod
-from emrg.skills.loader import _project_root, load_skills
+from emrg.skills.loader import _agent_root, load_skills
 
 SKILL_TEXT = "---\nname: {name}\ndescription: {description}\n---\n\n# {name}\n\n{body}\n"
 
@@ -42,16 +42,16 @@ def _skill(name: str, description: str = "a skill", body: str = "Body.") -> str:
 
 @pytest.fixture
 def roots(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
-    """A user root and a project root, both off the real home (and both empty)."""
+    """A user root and a agent root, both off the real home (and both empty)."""
     data = tmp_path / "home" / ".emrg"
     (data / "skills").mkdir(parents=True)
     monkeypatch.setattr(loader_mod, "config_dir", lambda: data)
     monkeypatch.setattr(registry_mod, "config_dir", lambda: data)
 
-    project = tmp_path / "project"
-    (project / ".git").mkdir(parents=True)
-    (project / ".emrg" / "skills").mkdir(parents=True)
-    return data / "skills", project
+    agent = tmp_path / "agent"
+    (agent / ".git").mkdir(parents=True)
+    (agent / ".emrg" / "skills").mkdir(parents=True)
+    return data / "skills", agent
 
 
 # ── the two layouts ────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ def test_a_flat_file_and_a_directory_bundle_both_load(roots):
         _skill("bundle-skill", "a bundled skill"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
 
-    names = [s.name for s in load_skills(project_dir=user_root)]
+    names = [s.name for s in load_skills(agent_dir=user_root)]
     assert names == ["bundle-skill", "flat-skill"], names
 
 
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ def test_a_bundle_carries_the_directory_its_references_sit_in(roots):
     (bundle / "SKILL.md").write_text(_skill("with-files"), encoding="utf-8")
     (bundle / "references" / "install.md").write_text("details\n", encoding="utf-8")
 
-    skill = next(s for s in load_skills(project_dir=user_root) if s.name == "with-files")
+    skill = next(s for s in load_skills(agent_dir=user_root) if s.name == "with-files")
     assert skill.path.name == "SKILL.md"
     assert skill.path.parent == bundle
     assert (skill.path.parent / "references" / "install.md").is_file()
@@ -100,53 +100,53 @@ def test_one_name_in_both_layouts_loads_once_and_the_bundle_wins(roots):
         _skill("both", "the bundle"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
 
-    skills = [s for s in load_skills(project_dir=user_root) if s.name == "both"]
+    skills = [s for s in load_skills(agent_dir=user_root) if s.name == "both"]
     assert len(skills) == 1
     assert skills[0].description == "the bundle"
     assert skills[0].path.name == "SKILL.md"
 
 
-# ── the project root ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+# ── the agent root ───────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
-def test_the_project_root_is_the_nearest_git_ancestor(roots):
-    """A session opened deep inside a project still sees that project's skills."""
-    _, project = roots
-    (project / ".emrg" / "skills" / "project-skill.md").write_text(
-        _skill("project-skill"), encoding="utf-8"
+def test_the_agent_root_is_the_nearest_git_ancestor(roots):
+    """A session opened deep inside a agent still sees that agent's skills."""
+    _, agent = roots
+    (agent / ".emrg" / "skills" / "agent-skill.md").write_text(
+        _skill("agent-skill"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
-    deep = project / "src" / "nested"
+    deep = agent / "src" / "nested"
     deep.mkdir(parents=True)
 
-    assert _project_root(deep) == project
-    names = [s.name for s in load_skills(project_dir=deep)]
-    assert "project-skill" in names, names
+    assert _agent_root(deep) == agent
+    names = [s.name for s in load_skills(agent_dir=deep)]
+    assert "agent-skill" in names, names
 
 
 def test_a_directory_with_no_repository_above_it_is_its_own_root(tmp_path):
-    """Scratch and temp directories are projects of their own, not somebody's child."""
+    """Scratch and temp directories are agents of their own, not somebody's child."""
     scratch = tmp_path / "scratch"
     (scratch / ".emrg" / "skills").mkdir(parents=True)
     (scratch / ".emrg" / "skills" / "here.md").write_text(
         _skill("here"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
 
-    assert _project_root(scratch) == scratch
+    assert _agent_root(scratch) == scratch
 
 
-def test_the_project_beats_the_user_root_on_a_shared_name(roots):
-    """Same name in both roots: the project's copy is the one loaded."""
-    user_root, project = roots
+def test_the_agent_beats_the_user_root_on_a_shared_name(roots):
+    """Same name in both roots: the agent's copy is the one loaded."""
+    user_root, agent = roots
     (user_root / "shared.md").write_text(
         _skill("shared", "the user copy"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
-    (project / ".emrg" / "skills" / "shared.md").write_text(
-        _skill("shared", "the project copy"), encoding="utf-8"
+    (agent / ".emrg" / "skills" / "shared.md").write_text(
+        _skill("shared", "the agent copy"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
 
-    shared = next(s for s in load_skills(project_dir=project) if s.name == "shared")
-    assert shared.description == "the project copy"
-    assert shared.source == "project"
+    shared = next(s for s in load_skills(agent_dir=agent) if s.name == "shared")
+    assert shared.description == "the agent copy"
+    assert shared.source == "agent"
 
 
 # ── nothing is cached ──────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -155,17 +155,17 @@ def test_the_project_beats_the_user_root_on_a_shared_name(roots):
 def test_a_skill_written_after_a_load_is_seen_by_the_next_one(roots):
     """Install, edit and delete all reach the next call without any reload step."""
     user_root, _ = roots
-    assert [s.name for s in load_skills(project_dir=user_root)] == []
+    assert [s.name for s in load_skills(agent_dir=user_root)] == []
 
     (user_root / "later.md").write_text(_skill("later", body="first body"), encoding="utf-8")
-    assert "later" in [s.name for s in load_skills(project_dir=user_root)]
+    assert "later" in [s.name for s in load_skills(agent_dir=user_root)]
 
     (user_root / "later.md").write_text(_skill("later", body="second body"), encoding="utf-8")
-    later = next(s for s in load_skills(project_dir=user_root) if s.name == "later")
+    later = next(s for s in load_skills(agent_dir=user_root) if s.name == "later")
     assert later.body.endswith("second body"), later.body
 
     (user_root / "later.md").unlink()
-    assert [s.name for s in load_skills(project_dir=user_root)] == []
+    assert [s.name for s in load_skills(agent_dir=user_root)] == []
 
 
 # ── the daemon reads with the session's directory ──────────────────
@@ -180,32 +180,32 @@ def _server(tmp_path: Path) -> EmrgServer:
     return server
 
 
-def test_the_prompt_carries_the_sessions_project_skills(roots, tmp_path):
-    """The skills in a prompt come from the session's project, not the daemon's cwd."""
-    _, project = roots
-    (project / ".emrg" / "skills" / "session-skill.md").write_text(
-        _skill("session-skill", "only this project has it"), encoding="utf-8"
+def test_the_prompt_carries_the_sessions_agent_skills(roots, tmp_path):
+    """The skills in a prompt come from the session's agent, not the daemon's cwd."""
+    _, agent = roots
+    (agent / ".emrg" / "skills" / "session-skill.md").write_text(
+        _skill("session-skill", "only this agent has it"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
     server = _server(tmp_path)
-    session = Session.create_with_id("skills-live", project / "src")
+    session = Session.create_with_id("skills-live", agent / "src")
 
     rendered = server._build_system_prompt(session)
-    assert "session-skill" in rendered, "the session's own project skill did not reach the prompt"
+    assert "session-skill" in rendered, "the session's own agent skill did not reach the prompt"
 
 
 def test_a_skill_installed_after_the_daemon_started_reaches_the_next_prompt(roots, tmp_path):
     """The defect itself: a snapshot taken at start could never see this skill."""
-    _, project = roots
+    _, agent = roots
     server = _server(tmp_path)
 
-    before = server._build_system_prompt(Session.create_with_id("skills-late-a", project))
+    before = server._build_system_prompt(Session.create_with_id("skills-late-a", agent))
     assert "late-skill" not in before
 
-    (project / ".emrg" / "skills" / "late-skill.md").write_text(
+    (agent / ".emrg" / "skills" / "late-skill.md").write_text(
         _skill("late-skill", "written after the daemon started"), encoding="utf-8"
     )
 
-    after = server._build_system_prompt(Session.create_with_id("skills-late-b", project))
+    after = server._build_system_prompt(Session.create_with_id("skills-late-b", agent))
     assert "late-skill" in after, "a skill on disk did not reach the next prompt"
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_skills_registry.py b/tests/test_skills_registry.py
index 14d905d8..fb84b17e 100644
--- a/tests/test_skills_registry.py
+++ b/tests/test_skills_registry.py
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ def test_load_skills_includes_catalog(self, tmp_home):
         (skills_dir / "skill-catalog.md").write_text(BASELINE_CATALOG_MD, encoding="utf-8")
         real = skills_dir / "real-skill.md"
         real.write_text(VALID_SKILL_MD.replace("browser-harness", "real-skill"), encoding="utf-8")
-        skills = load_skills(project_dir=tmp_home)
+        skills = load_skills(agent_dir=tmp_home)
         names = [s.name for s in skills]
         assert "skill-catalog" in names
         assert "real-skill" in names
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ def test_deprecated_recommended_md_never_loads(self, tmp_home):
         (skills_dir / "recommended.md").write_text(
             "---\nskills:\n  - name: browser-harness\n---\nbody", encoding="utf-8"
         )
-        skills = load_skills(project_dir=tmp_home)
+        skills = load_skills(agent_dir=tmp_home)
         assert [s.name for s in skills] == []
 
     def test_system_j2_untouched(self):
diff --git a/tests/test_subagent_tool.py b/tests/test_subagent_tool.py
index f49da5d6..ce4f7919 100644
--- a/tests/test_subagent_tool.py
+++ b/tests/test_subagent_tool.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def _run(coro):
 
 
 def _server(tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> EmrgServer:
-    """A server whose planted-fire markers and projects log stay under `tmp_path`.
+    """A server whose planted-fire markers and agents log stay under `tmp_path`.
 
     The loop stamps host state at round finalization; a suite run must not write
     `~/.emrg/logs`, and a test that leaves the real marker behind changes what the
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ def test_the_parent_receives_the_childs_answer_and_its_facts(tmp_path, monkeypat
     assert cwd.is_dir(), f"the report names a cwd that does not exist: {cwd}"
     assert str(tmp_path) in str(cwd), (
         "a child's cwd must sit inside the parent's session tree, or its memory is "
-        f"planted in a project root nobody asked about: {cwd}"
+        f"planted in a agent root nobody asked about: {cwd}"
     )
     assert _report_field(report, "rounds").isdigit()
     assert float(_report_field(report, "elapsed").rstrip("s")) >= 0.0
diff --git a/tests/test_submit_rant_tool.py b/tests/test_submit_rant_tool.py
index 57a9a471..755507c2 100644
--- a/tests/test_submit_rant_tool.py
+++ b/tests/test_submit_rant_tool.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def test_append_rant_writes_sorted_entry(tmp_path):
     rants_file.write_text(
         json.dumps({
             "timestamp": older_ts,
-            "project": "emrg",
+            "agent": "emrg",
             "status": "completed",
             "progress": None,
             "completed": "2026-08-17T08:30:00+08:00",
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def test_append_rant_writes_sorted_entry(tmp_path):
         }, ensure_ascii=False) + "\n",
         encoding="utf-8",
     )
-    count = append_rant(rants_file, "new feedback", project="argszero/aitokenpool")
+    count = append_rant(rants_file, "new feedback", agent="argszero/aitokenpool")
     assert count == 2
 
     lines = rants_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip().splitlines()
@@ -58,11 +58,11 @@ def test_append_rant_writes_sorted_entry(tmp_path):
     # sorted by timestamp: older first, new last
     assert entries[0]["message"] == "older rant"
     assert entries[1]["message"] == "new feedback"
-    # field order: timestamp → project → status → progress → completed → message
+    # field order: timestamp → agent → status → progress → completed → message
     assert list(entries[1].keys()) == [
-        "timestamp", "project", "status", "progress", "completed", "message",
+        "timestamp", "agent", "status", "progress", "completed", "message",
     ]
-    assert entries[1]["project"] == "argszero/aitokenpool"
+    assert entries[1]["agent"] == "argszero/aitokenpool"
     assert entries[1]["status"] == "pending"
     assert entries[1]["completed"] is None
     # daemon-authoritative tz-aware timestamp
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ def test_append_rant_missing_file_and_corrupt_lines(tmp_path):
     entries = [json.loads(l) for l in
                rants_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip().splitlines()]
     assert entries[0]["message"] == "hello"
-    assert entries[0]["project"] == ""
+    assert entries[0]["agent"] == ""
 
 
 def test_submit_rant_tool_writes_and_reports_count(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ def test_submit_rant_tool_writes_and_reports_count(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
 
     result = __import__("asyncio").run(tool.execute(
-        {"message": "this feature is broken", "project": "argszero/aitokenpool"}
+        {"message": "this feature is broken", "agent": "argszero/aitokenpool"}
     ))
     assert result.error is False
     assert "Total rants: 1" in result.content
@@ -106,17 +106,17 @@ def test_submit_rant_tool_requires_message():
     assert "requires a message" in result.content
 
 
-def test_submit_rant_tool_requires_project():
-    """Missing project → error telling the agent to ask the user (rant 12:03:13)."""
+def test_submit_rant_tool_requires_agent():
+    """Missing agent → error telling the agent to ask the user (rant 12:03:13)."""
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     result = __import__("asyncio").run(tool.execute({"message": "some complaint"}))
     assert result.error is True
-    assert "project is required" in result.content
+    assert "agent is required" in result.content
     assert "ask the user" in result.content
 
 
-def test_submit_rant_warns_on_unregistered_project(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
-    """Rant 2026-08-24T10:54:04: project must be a agents.yml short name —
+def test_submit_rant_warns_on_unregistered_agent(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Rant 2026-08-24T10:54:04: agent must be a agents.yml short name —
     an owner/repo-style name is recorded but flagged with registered
     candidates so the mistake is visible at submit time."""
     monkeypatch.setattr("emrg.config.config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ def test_submit_rant_warns_on_unregistered_project(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     )
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     result = __import__("asyncio").run(tool.execute(
-        {"message": "something is broken", "project": "argszero/aitokenpool"}
+        {"message": "something is broken", "agent": "argszero/aitokenpool"}
     ))
     assert result.error is False
     assert "Total rants: 1" in result.content
@@ -138,10 +138,10 @@ def test_submit_rant_warns_on_unregistered_project(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     # the rant still lands (non-blocking warning)
     lines = (tmp_path / "rants.jsonl").read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip().splitlines()
     assert len(lines) == 1
-    assert json.loads(lines[0])["project"] == "argszero/aitokenpool"
+    assert json.loads(lines[0])["agent"] == "argszero/aitokenpool"
 
 
-def test_submit_rant_clean_on_registered_project(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+def test_submit_rant_clean_on_registered_agent(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """A registered short name submits without the warning."""
     monkeypatch.setattr("emrg.config.config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ def test_submit_rant_clean_on_registered_project(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     )
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     result = __import__("asyncio").run(tool.execute(
-        {"message": "still broken", "project": "emrg"}
+        {"message": "still broken", "agent": "emrg"}
     ))
     assert result.error is False
     assert "Total rants: 1" in result.content
@@ -163,11 +163,11 @@ def test_submit_rant_definition_exposes_consent_contract():
     d = tool.definition()
     assert d.name == "submit_rant"
     assert "consent" in d.description.lower() or "confirm" in d.description.lower()
-    # action is the only statically-required param; submit's project/message
+    # action is the only statically-required param; submit's agent/message
     # are enforced in execute() (see test_submit_rant_tool_requires_*)
     assert "action" in d.parameters["required"]
     assert "message" in d.parameters["properties"]  # documented
-    assert "project" in d.parameters["properties"]  # documented since rant 12:03:13
+    assert "agent" in d.parameters["properties"]  # documented since rant 12:03:13
     # rant 2026-08-19T10:35:24: static purpose removed → per-call intent required
     assert not hasattr(d, "purpose")
     assert "intent" in d.parameters["required"]
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ def _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, entries: list[dict]):
 
 
 def test_read_tolerates_legacy_array_rows(tmp_path):
-    """Legacy array rows ([ts, project, status, progress, completed, message])
+    """Legacy array rows ([ts, agent, status, progress, completed, message])
     are converted back to dicts; corrupt rows skipped (rant 16:42:52)."""
     # Relative timestamps — CI runs on UTC, so hardcoded +08:00 strings would
     # mis-sort against the now()-generated append timestamp (existing lesson
@@ -218,49 +218,49 @@ def test_read_tolerates_legacy_array_rows(tmp_path):
     f.write_text(
         f'["{older}", "emrg", "pending", null, null, "array rant"]\n'
         "not-json\n"
-        f'{{"timestamp": "{newer}", "project": "emrg", '
+        f'{{"timestamp": "{newer}", "agent": "emrg", '
         '"status": "completed", "progress": null, '
         f'"completed": "{newer}", "message": "dict rant", '
         '"unknown": "ignored"}\n',
         encoding="utf-8",
     )
     # append_rant must not crash on the mixed file and must normalize rows
-    count = append_rant(f, "new rant", project="emrg")
+    count = append_rant(f, "new rant", agent="emrg")
     assert count == 3
     entries = [json.loads(l) for l in
                f.read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip().splitlines()]
     assert entries[0]["message"] == "array rant"
-    assert entries[0]["project"] == "emrg"
+    assert entries[0]["agent"] == "emrg"
     # dict rows keep the 6 canonical fields, unknown fields dropped
     assert list(entries[1].keys()) == [
-        "timestamp", "project", "status", "progress", "completed", "message",
+        "timestamp", "agent", "status", "progress", "completed", "message",
     ]
     assert entries[1]["message"] == "dict rant"
 
 
-def test_list_rants_filters_by_status_and_project(tmp_path):
+def test_list_rants_filters_by_status_and_agent(tmp_path):
     f = _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "emrg pending"},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T11:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T11:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "completed", "progress": None,
          "completed": "2026-08-18T10:30:00+08:00", "message": "emrg done"},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T12:00:00+08:00", "project": "aitokenpool",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T12:00:00+08:00", "agent": "aitokenpool",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "atp pending"},
     ])
     assert len(list_rants(f)) == 3
     assert len(list_rants(f, status="pending")) == 2
     assert len(list_rants(f, status="completed")) == 1
-    assert len(list_rants(f, project="emrg")) == 2
-    assert len(list_rants(f, status="pending", project="emrg")) == 1
-    assert len(list_rants(f, status="completed", project="aitokenpool")) == 0
+    assert len(list_rants(f, agent="emrg")) == 2
+    assert len(list_rants(f, status="pending", agent="emrg")) == 1
+    assert len(list_rants(f, status="completed", agent="aitokenpool")) == 0
 
 
 def test_update_rant_state_machine(tmp_path):
     f = _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "test rant"},
     ])
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ def test_update_rant_state_machine(tmp_path):
     assert "invalid transition" in msg
     # pending → completed directly: invalid (no skipping)
     f2 = _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "test rant 2"},
     ])
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ def test_update_rant_state_machine(tmp_path):
 
 def test_update_rant_unknown_timestamp_and_bad_status(tmp_path):
     f = _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "test rant"},
     ])
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ def test_update_rant_refuses_a_completion_before_the_submission(tmp_path):
     later and equal are accepted.
     """
     f = _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "in_progress", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "test rant"},
     ])
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ def test_update_rant_refuses_a_completion_it_cannot_order(tmp_path):
     is naive against naive — an unorderable pair whose premise nothing has checked.
     """
     stamp = "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00"
-    row = {"timestamp": stamp, "project": "emrg", "status": "in_progress",
+    row = {"timestamp": stamp, "agent": "emrg", "status": "in_progress",
            "progress": None, "completed": None, "message": "test rant"}
 
     f = _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [dict(row)])
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ def test_the_auto_written_stamp_is_checked_too(tmp_path):
     "an explicit stamp is checked".
     """
     f = _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2099-01-01T00:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2099-01-01T00:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "in_progress", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "a row dated in the future"},
     ])
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ def test_a_completion_stamp_is_written_only_with_the_completed_status(tmp_path):
     explicit stamp would pass the assertions above and break that one.
     """
     stamp = "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00"
-    row = {"timestamp": stamp, "project": "emrg", "status": "in_progress",
+    row = {"timestamp": stamp, "agent": "emrg", "status": "in_progress",
            "progress": None, "completed": None, "message": "test rant"}
 
     # An allowed transition into a non-completed status, while handing over a completion stamp.
@@ -451,14 +451,14 @@ def test_cleanup_rants_keeps_pending_plus_10_completed(tmp_path):
         ("2026-08-18T02:00:00+08:00", "in_progress"),
         ("2026-08-18T03:00:00+08:00", "pending"),
     ]):
-        entries.append({"timestamp": ts, "project": "emrg", "status": status,
+        entries.append({"timestamp": ts, "agent": "emrg", "status": status,
                         "progress": None, "completed": None,
                         "message": f"active {i}"})
     # 12 completed rants
     for i in range(12):
         entries.append({
             "timestamp": f"2026-08-18T{i + 4:02d}:00:00+08:00",
-            "project": "emrg", "status": "completed", "progress": None,
+            "agent": "emrg", "status": "completed", "progress": None,
             "completed": f"2026-08-18T{i + 4:02d}:30:00+08:00",
             "message": f"done {i}",
         })
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ def test_full_is_read_by_the_shared_reader_so_a_bad_spelling_is_refused(tmp_path
     # them apart. What only the full read has is the end of the body — and what only the scan
     # has is its own line saying it withheld something.
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "head-excerpt " + "a" * 120 + " tail-marker-" + "z" * 300},
     ])
@@ -624,10 +624,10 @@ def test_the_list_action_returns_the_whole_message_when_the_caller_asks(tmp_path
         + " tail-marker-" + "z" * 300
     )
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": message},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:01:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:01:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "short rant"},
     ])
@@ -693,10 +693,10 @@ def test_an_unfiltered_list_is_the_scan_view_and_names_the_call_that_returns_the
     history = ("a completed rant's body, written when it was filed"
                + " history-tail-" + "h" * 400)
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "in_progress", "progress": "Stage 1 landed (PR #1)",
          "completed": None, "message": work},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:01:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:01:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "completed", "progress": "done",
          "completed": "2026-10-15T10:00:00+08:00", "message": history},
     ])
@@ -747,34 +747,34 @@ def test_an_unfiltered_list_is_the_scan_view_and_names_the_call_that_returns_the
     assert len(full) > len(scan), "asking for the text costs more than scanning does"
 
 
-def test_project_alone_does_not_unlock_the_text(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+def test_agent_alone_does_not_unlock_the_text(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """A filter that narrows nothing on the cost's axis is not a request for the body.
 
     The unlock is named precisely: the text comes when the caller filters by **status** or asks
     explicitly. That sentence is the wording of rant 2026-10-15T12:35:03 item (b)
     (「正文只在按 status 过滤或显式要求时给」), which writes out the host's decision of the same
-    day, 2026-10-15T12:34:24: 「就定 a + b（c 去掉）」. `project=` is the odd one out, and
+    day, 2026-10-15T12:34:24: 「就定 a + b（c 去掉）」. `agent=` is the odd one out, and
     deliberately so: it is the dedup filter `promote_prompt.md` uses, and on the queue measured
-    2026-10-15 it selects **48 of 50** rows — `list(project="emrg")` cost 24,539 characters
+    2026-10-15 it selects **48 of 50** rows — `list(agent="emrg")` cost 24,539 characters
     against an unfiltered 26,208, i.e. it narrowed the *subject*, not the cost. Printing bodies
     for it would reintroduce the default-read cost on the one filter a template really passes.
     """
     monkeypatch.setattr("emrg.config.config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
-    body = "a pending rant in the project the caller named" + " tail-" + "t" * 400
+    body = "a pending rant in the agent the caller named" + " tail-" + "t" * 400
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None, "message": body},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:01:00+08:00", "project": "other",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-10-15T09:01:00+08:00", "agent": "other",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
-         "message": "another project's rant"},
+         "message": "another agent's rant"},
     ])
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     out = __import__("asyncio").run(
-        tool.execute({"action": "list", "project": "emrg"})).content
+        tool.execute({"action": "list", "agent": "emrg"})).content
     assert "2026-10-15T09:00:00" in out, "the filter still selects the row"
-    assert "another project" not in out, "…and excludes the other project's"
+    assert "another agent" not in out, "…and excludes the other agent's"
     assert "tail-" + "t" * 400 not in out, (
-        "a project filter selects rows, not bodies: it must stay a scan view"
+        "a agent filter selects rows, not bodies: it must stay a scan view"
     )
     assert "scan view — 1 row(s)" in out
     assert 'status="pending"' in out, "the note names the call that returns the text"
@@ -806,10 +806,10 @@ def test_the_list_header_is_bounded_and_the_full_progress_follows_it(tmp_path, m
     message = ("a short message, then enough filler that the marker below sits past the "
                "excerpt's " + "f" * 80 + " message-tail-" + "m" * 300)
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "in_progress", "progress": progress, "completed": None,
          "message": message},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:01:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-09-17T09:01:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": "PR #1 submitted", "completed": None,
          "message": "short rant"},
     ])
@@ -883,10 +883,10 @@ def test_a_completed_body_is_withheld_and_one_call_returns_it(tmp_path, monkeypa
     progress = ("Stage 1 landed; Stage 2 is the remaining half."
                 + " progress-tail-" + "p" * 300)
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-09-20T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-09-20T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "completed", "progress": progress,
          "completed": "2026-09-20T18:00:00+08:00", "message": body},
-        {"timestamp": "2026-09-21T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-09-21T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "the work actually in flight"},
     ])
@@ -951,7 +951,7 @@ def test_tool_list_action(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     f = tmp_path / "rants.jsonl"
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "some pending rant"},
     ])
@@ -969,7 +969,7 @@ def test_tool_update_action(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     monkeypatch.setattr("emrg.config.config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "test rant"},
     ])
@@ -1000,7 +1000,7 @@ def test_tool_update_action(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     assert entry["completed"]
     # pending → completed (no skipping) → error, no crash
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T09:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T09:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "fresh pending rant"},
     ])
@@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ def test_tool_cleanup_action(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     monkeypatch.setattr("emrg.config.config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     _write_rant_lines(tmp_path, [
-        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "project": "emrg",
+        {"timestamp": "2026-08-18T10:00:00+08:00", "agent": "emrg",
          "status": "pending", "progress": None, "completed": None,
          "message": "active rant"},
     ])
@@ -1040,9 +1040,9 @@ def test_tool_definition_exposes_actions():
     assert set(d.parameters["properties"]["action"]["enum"]) == {
         "submit", "list", "update", "cleanup",
     }
-    # submit contract (project/message) still documented
+    # submit contract (agent/message) still documented
     assert "message" in d.parameters["properties"]
-    assert "project" in d.parameters["properties"]
+    assert "agent" in d.parameters["properties"]
     assert "consent" in d.description.lower() or "confirm" in d.description.lower()
 
 
@@ -1098,7 +1098,7 @@ def test_write_rants_refuses_a_named_pipe_too(tmp_path):
     os.mkfifo(fifo)
     row = {
         "timestamp": "2026-10-11T11:00:00+08:00",
-        "project": "emrg",
+        "agent": "emrg",
         "status": "pending",
         "progress": None,
         "completed": None,
@@ -1143,10 +1143,10 @@ def test_the_list_action_on_a_named_pipe_is_a_tool_error_not_a_hang(tmp_path, mo
 
 
 @_needs_mkfifo
-def test_a_named_pipe_projects_yml_yields_no_candidates(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+def test_a_named_pipe_agents_yml_yields_no_candidates(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """The advisory read degrades instead of refusing, as it already did for a missing file.
 
-    `agents.yml` only feeds a warning about a mis-spelled project name, so turning its
+    `agents.yml` only feeds a warning about a mis-spelled agent name, so turning its
     unreadability into a hard failure would break `submit` for a reason unrelated to the
     rant. The control in the same test is a real file: the read still works.
     """
@@ -1154,13 +1154,13 @@ def test_a_named_pipe_projects_yml_yields_no_candidates(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
     os.mkfifo(tmp_path / "agents.yml")
 
-    assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, tool._registered_project_names) == []
+    assert within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, tool._registered_agent_names) == []
 
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").unlink()
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
         "- name: emrg\n- name: aitokenpool\n", encoding="utf-8")
 
-    assert sorted(within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, tool._registered_project_names)) == [
+    assert sorted(within(DEADLINE_SECONDS, tool._registered_agent_names)) == [
         "aitokenpool", "emrg"]
 
 
@@ -1187,16 +1187,16 @@ def test_an_absent_rant_log_reads_empty_and_the_writer_creates_it(tmp_path):
     assert [r["message"] for r in _read_rants(write)] == ["host feedback"]
 
 
-def test_projects_yml_absent_or_malformed_yields_no_candidates(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+def test_agents_yml_absent_or_malformed_yields_no_candidates(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """The pipe-free control for the advisory read: absent, malformed, and well-formed."""
     monkeypatch.setattr("emrg.config.config_dir", lambda: tmp_path)
     tool = SubmitRantTool()
 
-    assert tool._registered_project_names() == []       # absent
+    assert tool._registered_agent_names() == []       # absent
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text("just a string\n", encoding="utf-8")
-    assert tool._registered_project_names() == []       # not a list
+    assert tool._registered_agent_names() == []       # not a list
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(": :\n", encoding="utf-8")
-    assert tool._registered_project_names() == []       # unparseable
+    assert tool._registered_agent_names() == []       # unparseable
     (tmp_path / "agents.yml").write_text(
         "- name: emrg\n- notadict\n- name: ''\n", encoding="utf-8")
-    assert tool._registered_project_names() == ["emrg"]
+    assert tool._registered_agent_names() == ["emrg"]
diff --git a/tests/test_system_prompt_structure.py b/tests/test_system_prompt_structure.py
index 1e85c25e..03edb1b9 100644
--- a/tests/test_system_prompt_structure.py
+++ b/tests/test_system_prompt_structure.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 2. **A rule is a rule, not the story of a rule.** A prompt that spends its first paragraphs on when a
    defect was measured, which pull request landed the fix and what the host said about it gives its
    reader no instruction — and the same content is what makes a prompt grow. So history belongs in
-   the charter, in the pull request that landed the line and in the project's memory; the prompt
+   the charter, in the pull request that landed the line and in the agent's memory; the prompt
    carries none of it, and `test_the_template_carries_no_digit_at_all` is the strongest form of that
    claim the file admits.
 
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
 #: duplicated heading and a missing one are different defects and a count sees neither.
 EXPECTED_H2 = [
     "## Where you are",
-    "## Project context",
+    "## Agent context",
     "## Skills",
     "## How you work",
     "## Memory",
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ def test_the_charter_carries_the_two_principles_verbatim() -> None:
         ("第四条附则三", UPGRADE_PRINCIPLE),
     ):
         assert principle in charter, (
-            f"the {name} statement in MANIFESTO.md no longer matches the text this project pinned: "
+            f"the {name} statement in MANIFESTO.md no longer matches the text this agent pinned: "
             "it is a permanent principle and the Chinese text carrying it is quoted verbatim"
         )
         assert charter.count(principle) == 1, (
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ def test_neither_the_file_nor_the_render_carries_provenance() -> None:
         assert not hits, (
             f"{name} carries engineering history: {hits}. Which pull request landed a line, when a "
             "defect was measured and what the host said about it are notes about why the line "
-            "exists — they belong in the charter, the pull request and the project's memory, and "
+            "exists — they belong in the charter, the pull request and the agent's memory, and "
             "every session pays for them here"
         )
 
diff --git a/tests/test_tool_call_batch_label.py b/tests/test_tool_call_batch_label.py
index cae193bd..0e84623b 100644
--- a/tests/test_tool_call_batch_label.py
+++ b/tests/test_tool_call_batch_label.py
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ async def send(self, data) -> None:
 
 
 def _history_messages(tmp_path, records: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
-    """Project `records` through the real `list_history` handler."""
+    """Agent `records` through the real `list_history` handler."""
     server = _make_server()
     session = Session.create_with_id("batch-label-history", tmp_path)
     for record in records:
diff --git a/tests/test_turn_context_is_persisted.py b/tests/test_turn_context_is_persisted.py
index afc7352f..f3fd5a74 100644
--- a/tests/test_turn_context_is_persisted.py
+++ b/tests/test_turn_context_is_persisted.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 
 
 def _make_server() -> EmrgServer:
-    """A minimal server with the projects log pointed away from the host's."""
+    """A minimal server with the agents log pointed away from the host's."""
     server = EmrgServer(LlmConfig(base_url="http://localhost", api_key="test"))
     server._agents_log = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp()) / "agents.yml"
     return server
diff --git a/tests/test_turn_terminal_frame.py b/tests/test_turn_terminal_frame.py
index 003913c0..2e4348f3 100644
--- a/tests/test_turn_terminal_frame.py
+++ b/tests/test_turn_terminal_frame.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ async def send(self, data) -> None:
 
 def _server() -> EmrgServer:
     server = EmrgServer(LlmConfig(base_url="http://localhost", api_key="test"))
-    # Nothing here touches the projects log, but pointing it at a temporary path
+    # Nothing here touches the agents log, but pointing it at a temporary path
     # is free and keeps a mistaken future edit from writing the host's real
     # ~/.emrg/agents.yml (the 2026-08-13 leak).
     import tempfile  # noqa: PLC0415 — local to the fixture helper
diff --git a/tests/test_upgrade_chain_red_line.py b/tests/test_upgrade_chain_red_line.py
index b08efce2..5cc41047 100644
--- a/tests/test_upgrade_chain_red_line.py
+++ b/tests/test_upgrade_chain_red_line.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Why this file exists
 --------------------
-An outside review of PR #1403 measured this: the project has **two** permanent red
+An outside review of PR #1403 measured this: the agent has **two** permanent red
 lines, and only one of them is stated where the agents that must obey them read.
 
 `MANIFESTO.md` 第四条附则三 — never write, restore or introduce anything that triggers
@@ -16,16 +16,16 @@
   It carries both permanent rules under one `## Hard limits` section, each as a `###`
   subsection that states the rule in English for the session's own reader; the Chinese
   sentence, the identifiers and the file paths they name live in `MANIFESTO.md`, which the
-  section points at. A task whose working directory is another project does not carry that
+  section points at. A task whose working directory is another agent does not carry that
   file, which is why each limit is stated as a rule rather than as a citation.
 * `emrg/server/evolution_prompt.md` — the template that ships in a release and is
   installed for other instances. Its `### Forbidden` list is where a reader looks for
   exactly this class of rule.
 
 That asymmetry is the defect: a rule that governs every actor, stated only in a carrier
-no other actor is guaranteed to open. `MANIFESTO.md` is a project-context file, read out
+no other actor is guaranteed to open. `MANIFESTO.md` is a agent-context file, read out
 of the **session cwd** — it is present for this repo's tasks and absent for every other
-project's.
+agent's.
 
 A third class: the task templates, not only the evolution one
 ---------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ def test_the_charter_carries_the_identifiers_the_prompt_points_at() -> None:
 
     A rule that named `UpgradeManager.tick()` and `install/version.txt` in every session's
     prompt spent prompt on identifiers no session acts on, and the permanent text that does
-    list them is `MANIFESTO.md` — a project-context file the prompt now points at. The move
+    list them is `MANIFESTO.md` — a agent-context file the prompt now points at. The move
     is only honest if the identifiers are still somewhere: this reads them where they live,
     so deleting them from the charter fails here instead of passing as a tidy-up.
     """
@@ -349,8 +349,8 @@ def test_each_carrier_states_the_rule_in_its_own_language() -> None:
     """Both carriers carry the rule; neither is left to point at the other.
 
     A cross-reference ("see MANIFESTO.md") is not a statement: the file it points at is a
-    project-context file, read from the session cwd, and absent for a task run against
-    another project. So the check is that each carrier names the routes itself — the
+    agent-context file, read from the session cwd, and absent for a task run against
+    another agent. So the check is that each carrier names the routes itself — the
     template by identifier, and the session prompt by what each route *is* (a releases
     request, a version file, the upgrade session), which is the same three routes at the
     altitude the prompt is written at.
diff --git a/tests/test_uv_lock_index_is_pinned.py b/tests/test_uv_lock_index_is_pinned.py
index 24086b21..2e4250d4 100644
--- a/tests/test_uv_lock_index_is_pinned.py
+++ b/tests/test_uv_lock_index_is_pinned.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 --------------------------------------
 `uv.lock` records the index each package was resolved from. A machine-level
 `~/.config/uv/uv.toml` - a common accelerator config, e.g. a regional PyPI
-mirror - overrides the project for *every* command, so a bare `uv run` /
+mirror - overrides the agent for *every* command, so a bare `uv run` /
 `uv lock` rewrites all 20 registry entries in place. Measured on this repo:
 0 -> 277 rewritten lines, and the rewrite happens even when uv exits non-zero.
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 could not write anything.
 
 These tests pin the fix rather than the symptom. The first is the invariant the
-project actually wants; the second is what makes it true on a machine whose uv
+agent actually wants; the second is what makes it true on a machine whose uv
 config points elsewhere.
 
 Both are pure text checks on files in the repo - no network, no `uv` binary, no
@@ -64,14 +64,14 @@ def test_lock_records_the_canonical_index_only() -> None:
     assert not unexpected, (
         f"uv.lock resolves from non-canonical index(es): {unexpected}. "
         f"Every entry must be {CANONICAL_INDEX}. A mirror URL in the lock is "
-        "machine-specific environment noise; regenerate with the project's "
+        "machine-specific environment noise; regenerate with the agent's "
         "uv.toml in effect (or set UV_INDEX_URL only for the command you run, "
         "never for the lock you commit)."
     )
 
 
-def test_project_uv_config_pins_the_canonical_index() -> None:
-    """A project-level `uv.toml` must pin the index, defeating a host mirror.
+def test_agent_uv_config_pins_the_canonical_index() -> None:
+    """A agent-level `uv.toml` must pin the index, defeating a host mirror.
 
     Without this file, the host's `~/.config/uv/uv.toml` wins and a bare
     `uv run` rewrites the lock - which is how the read-only deadlock started.
diff --git a/tests/test_win32_spawn_hides_the_console.py b/tests/test_win32_spawn_hides_the_console.py
index 45ef112e..4a50cdd3 100644
--- a/tests/test_win32_spawn_hides_the_console.py
+++ b/tests/test_win32_spawn_hides_the_console.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """The confined child is created with its window hidden.
 
-Rant 2026-09-28T14:48:39 (project ``emrg``): on Windows, a scheduled task's cycle
+Rant 2026-09-28T14:48:39 (agent ``emrg``): on Windows, a scheduled task's cycle
 flashed a console window once per confined command. The tool layer is not the
 cause — every process it starts carries ``CREATE_NO_WINDOW`` (``emrg/_win.py``) —
 the sandbox chain is: the runner is started without a console, and
diff --git a/tests/test_ws_e2e.py b/tests/test_ws_e2e.py
index 3e2eb58b..034be2fc 100644
--- a/tests/test_ws_e2e.py
+++ b/tests/test_ws_e2e.py
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ async def _boot_server(tmp: Path):
 
     # Isolate config dir to tmp (port file, tasks.yml, agents.yml, etc.)
     daemon_mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp
-    sched_mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp  # scheduler builds its own projects_file (#738)
+    sched_mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp  # scheduler builds its own agents_file (#738)
     connect_mod.config_dir = lambda: tmp
 
     # ⛔ Red line (host 2026-08-21T10:35:57): tests must never run the real
@@ -1327,7 +1327,7 @@ def test_broadcast_cwd_filtered(self):
 
         The GUI's homedir-fallback connection subscribed to the same session
         id as the real TUI connection; without cwd scoping every broadcast
-        leaked across projects. Now broadcasts are filtered by the running
+        leaked across agents. Now broadcasts are filtered by the running
         task's cwd: A's task (cwd_a) reaches only A, and B's later task
         (cwd_b) reaches only B — proving the filter is symmetric and B is
         alive, not simply disconnected.
@@ -1637,7 +1637,7 @@ class TestWSGhostSessionGuard:
     root cause 2).
 
     Before the fix, a client hitting the wrong cwd (GUI homedir fallback)
-    caused a 0-message ghost session dir at the wrong project; resume_session
+    caused a 0-message ghost session dir at the wrong agent; resume_session
     then reported success (0 messages), masking the real session. Now:
       - missing session dir / meta.json → not found
       - a 0-message session whose cwd differs from the canonical session cwd
@@ -1649,8 +1649,8 @@ def test_resume_rejects_ghost_at_wrong_cwd(self):
         async def _test():
             with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
                 tmp = Path(tmp)
-                cwd_a = tmp / "proj_a"  # canonical project of the real session
-                cwd_b = tmp / "proj_b"  # wrong project (ghost dir present)
+                cwd_a = tmp / "proj_a"  # canonical agent of the real session
+                cwd_b = tmp / "proj_b"  # wrong agent (ghost dir present)
                 sid = "s_ghost_test"
 
                 # Real session at proj_a: dir + meta.json with 2 messages
@@ -1667,7 +1667,7 @@ async def _test():
                     '{"type":"message","role":"assistant","content":"hello"}\n',
                     encoding="utf-8",
                 )
-                # Ghost dir at the wrong project: 0 messages (pre-fix failure)
+                # Ghost dir at the wrong agent: 0 messages (pre-fix failure)
                 ghost_dir = cwd_b / ".emrg" / "sessions" / sid
                 ghost_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
                 (ghost_dir / "meta.json").write_text(json.dumps({
@@ -2998,7 +2998,7 @@ def test_the_two_record_kinds_that_are_neither_reach_a_client(self):
         """Issue #2351: a system note and a compaction boundary are rows too.
 
         `history.jsonl` holds two record kinds that are neither a message from a role
-        the display path projects nor a tool result: the `role: "system"` message
+        the display path agents nor a tool result: the `role: "system"` message
         `Session.clear` writes (`[Session cleared]`) and one `type: "summary"` record
         per compaction. The live stream announced both — a system note after `/clear`,
         a `compact_result` on compaction — so a records mode that dropped them made a
@@ -3036,7 +3036,7 @@ async def _test():
                             (0, "message", "system"),
                             (1, "summary", None),
                             (2, "message", "user"),
-                        ], f"records mode did not project them: {items}"
+                        ], f"records mode did not agent them: {items}"
                         assert items[0]["content"] == "[Session cleared]"
                         assert items[0]["timestamp"] == "2026-09-20T00:00:10"
                         assert items[1]["compacted_message_count"] == 7
@@ -3293,13 +3293,13 @@ class TestWSResolveSessionCwd:
     """The daemon answers where a session lives, so a client need not guess.
 
     Rant 2026-09-29T15:52:49, requirement 6 (the client half). The TUI sent its
-    own cwd with every `resume_session`, so a session in another project — a
+    own cwd with every `resume_session`, so a session in another agent — a
     scheduled task's cycle above all — could not be opened from `/resume <id>`,
     and one that did open received no live frames, because `_broadcast` filters by
     (session, cwd). The daemon has held the fact all along; this command exposes it.
 
     Both states are asserted apart on purpose: `index` (the daemon can vouch for
-    the project) and `unknown` (it cannot). Collapsing them would make "the index
+    the agent) and `unknown` (it cannot). Collapsing them would make "the index
     has not seen this session yet" read the same as "this session lives at the cwd
     you asked about", and a client's fallback is only safe for the second.
 
@@ -3325,7 +3325,7 @@ async def _test():
                 ws = await connect_to_server()
                 try:
                     # Asked from somewhere else entirely: the answer must be the
-                    # session's own project, not the cwd the asker stands in.
+                    # session's own agent, not the cwd the asker stands in.
                     await ws.send(json.dumps({
                         "type": "resolve_session_cwd",
                         "session_id": "s_resolve",
@@ -3336,7 +3336,7 @@ async def _test():
                     assert resp.get("source") == "index", resp
                     assert resp["cwd"] == str(tmp_path / "proj_a"), (
                         "the daemon answered with something other than the indexed "
-                        f"project: {resp!r}"
+                        f"agent: {resp!r}"
                     )
                 finally:
                     await ws.close()
@@ -3392,15 +3392,15 @@ async def _test():
                 await cleanup()
         asyncio.run(_test())
 
-    def test_a_session_opened_from_another_project_receives_its_live_frames(self, tmp_path):
+    def test_a_session_opened_from_another_agent_receives_its_live_frames(self, tmp_path):
         """The second half of requirement 6: the frames, not only the answer.
 
         The three tests above guard the *answer*. This one guards the delivery,
         which is what the requirement is actually about — and it was the half
         that stayed broken: PR #1748 made the TUI ask first, but the ask carries
         the *asker's* cwd (app.py says so at its own call site), so the
-        subscription record written from it named project A. The two messages
-        that follow — `resume_session`, then `task` — name project B, the
+        subscription record written from it named agent A. The two messages
+        that follow — `resume_session`, then `task` — name agent B, the
         session's real home, and the read loop ignored them: it writes the
         record only when the session id **changes**, which it did not.
 
@@ -3408,7 +3408,7 @@ def test_a_session_opened_from_another_project_receives_its_live_frames(self, tm
         subscriber in the dict and was no target on the wire — measured
         2026-10-08 (`cyc20261008-170402`): with the ask carrying the asker's
         cwd, frames NONE and approval frames NONE; with the ask carrying the
-        project's cwd (that is, with the record correct), `turn_start`, the
+        agent's cwd (that is, with the record correct), `turn_start`, the
         stream, `turn_end`, and `approval_request` + `approval_resolved`. Only
         the ask's cwd differed. A TUI in that state never finishes its turn,
         and `request_approval` asks its question to nobody while its own
@@ -3419,11 +3419,11 @@ def test_a_session_opened_from_another_project_receives_its_live_frames(self, tm
         async def _test():
             import emrg.session as session_mod
 
-            project_a = tmp_path / "project_a"
-            project_b = tmp_path / "project_b"
+            agent_a = tmp_path / "agent_a"
+            agent_b = tmp_path / "agent_b"
             for root, sid, text in (
-                (project_a, "s_own", "hello from a"),
-                (project_b, "s_cross", "a scheduled task's cycle"),
+                (agent_a, "s_own", "hello from a"),
+                (agent_b, "s_cross", "a scheduled task's cycle"),
             ):
                 root.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
                 sess = session_mod.Session.create_with_id(sid, root)
@@ -3433,7 +3433,7 @@ async def _test():
             server, _, cleanup = await _boot_server(tmp_path)
             try:
                 self._write_index(
-                    {"s_cross": str(project_b / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "s_cross")}
+                    {"s_cross": str(agent_b / ".emrg" / "sessions" / "s_cross")}
                 )
                 ws = await connect_to_server()
                 try:
@@ -3441,28 +3441,28 @@ async def _test():
                     #    is not s_cross when the ask below arrives.
                     await ws.send(json.dumps({"type": "list_history",
                                               "session_id": "s_own",
-                                              "cwd": str(project_a)}))
+                                              "cwd": str(agent_a)}))
                     await _recv_until(ws, lambda f: f.get("type") == "history_list",
                                       what="history_list for s_own")
 
                     # 2. the ask — carrying the ASKER's cwd, as the TUI sends it.
                     await ws.send(json.dumps({"type": "resolve_session_cwd",
                                               "session_id": "s_cross",
-                                              "cwd": str(project_a)}))
+                                              "cwd": str(agent_a)}))
                     answered = await _recv_until(
                         ws, lambda f: f.get("type") == "session_cwd_result",
                         what="session_cwd_result")
-                    assert answered["cwd"] == str(project_b), answered
+                    assert answered["cwd"] == str(agent_b), answered
 
                     # 3./4. resume, then type a prompt — both naming s_cross's
                     #       real home, and both re-naming a session the connection
                     #       is already subscribed to.
                     await ws.send(json.dumps({"type": "resume_session",
                                               "session_id": "s_cross",
-                                              "cwd": str(project_b)}))
+                                              "cwd": str(agent_b)}))
                     await ws.send(json.dumps({"type": "task", "id": "r1",
                                               "session_id": "s_cross",
-                                              "cwd": str(project_b), "prompt": "hi",
+                                              "cwd": str(agent_b), "prompt": "hi",
                                               "timestamp": "2026-10-08T00:00:00Z",
                                               "images": None,
                                               "sandbox": "workspace-write"}))
@@ -3473,7 +3473,7 @@ async def _test():
 
                     recorded = sorted({cwd for cwd in
                                        server._session_subscribers.get("s_cross", {}).values()})
-                    assert recorded == [str(project_b)], (
+                    assert recorded == [str(agent_b)], (
                         "the subscription record still names the asker's cwd, so the "
                         "next broadcast will be addressed to nobody again: "
                         f"{recorded}"