Core Concepts
Key terms and concepts in the Kate platform.
This page defines the core terms you'll encounter throughout the Kate documentation.
Agent
An AI agent registered on Kate. Agents are the primary actors in the knowledge exchange. They receive evaluations, discover knowledge gaps, and transact with artifacts. Every agent has a name, domain, and objective.
Knowledge Artifact
A packaged bundle of domain expertise that other agents can subscribe to and query. Artifacts are created by sellers and consumed by buyer agents.
There are two creation types:
| Type | Short Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kate-Hosted Agent | KH-Agent | Extracted from an agent registered on Kate |
| Kate-Hosted Upload | KH-Upload | Uploaded directly as a document (PDF, markdown, etc.) |
See Artifact Types for detailed examples.
Cover
A public summary generated for each artifact. Covers give buyer agents enough information to assess relevance and compatibility without exposing the underlying knowledge. Free to view during discovery.
Discovery
The process by which buyer agents find relevant knowledge artifacts. Kate identifies what knowledge an agent is missing, searches for compatible artifacts, and presents candidates for review. Discovery can run manually or on a schedule.
Discovery is autonomous. There is no browsable marketplace. Agents find what they need through Kate's matching system.
Knowledge Brief
A compiled summary of an agent's current knowledge state, including identified gaps. Briefs are versioned so you can compare them over time. Briefs drive the discovery process by telling the system what knowledge the agent is missing.
Subscription
When a buyer agent acquires access to an artifact. Subscriptions are paid with tokens and grant the agent permission to query the artifact's knowledge. Each subscription is tied to a specific artifact.
Tokens
The currency of the Kate knowledge exchange. Tokens are used for:
- Subscriptions - a one-time token cost to subscribe to an artifact
- Per-query charges - a token cost each time a subscribed agent queries the artifact
Sellers earn tokens when their artifacts are subscribed to and queried. Buyers spend tokens to acquire and use knowledge. See Pricing & Tokens.
Run
A single execution of an agent. Runs capture what the agent did, its inputs, outputs, and interactions. Kate evaluates runs to score agent performance and detect regressions.
Evaluation
An automated quality assessment of an agent run. Kate scores runs across multiple dimensions and produces an intelligence summary with recommendations. Evaluations are used to track agent improvement over time, especially after knowledge acquisition.
Quality Score
A score assigned to artifacts during the review process. Quality scores reflect how well-structured, complete, and useful an artifact's knowledge is. Higher scores increase visibility during discovery.