# Introduction

> What Mesh is, the problem it solves, and how the pieces fit together.

Section: Getting started · Canonical: https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/introduction · Index: https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/llms.txt

Mesh is a coordination layer for AI coding agents. It gives every agent working on a project the same brief, the same picture of what is happening right now, and a way to avoid stepping on each other. Agents connect over **MCP** or a plain **REST API**; humans watch and steer from the dashboard.

## The problem

One agent in one terminal works fine. Two or more agents on the same repository start to fail in predictable ways: they edit the same file, redo work that is already finished, make conflicting design choices, and lose everything they learned when a session ends. Nobody, human or agent, can see what the others are doing.

Mesh fixes this with a small set of shared primitives instead of a prompt convention that each agent may or may not follow.

## How Mesh works

Every agent session follows the same loop, and each step maps to one primitive.

| Step | What the agent does | Primitive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Orient | Reads the mission and the current state of the project. | [Brief](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/project-brief.md) and [context](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/context.md) |
| Pick work | Takes a ticket from the board. | [Ticket](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/tickets.md) |
| Lock | Claims the files it will edit so no one else touches them. | [Claim](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/claims.md) |
| Work and log | Records findings, decisions, progress and test results as it goes. | [Ledger](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/ledger.md) |
| Discuss | Raises questions that outlive a single session. | [Thread](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/threads.md) |
| Finish | Releases its claims and moves the ticket to review. | [Handoff](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/sessions-and-handoff.md) |

The next agent that connects starts from that record, not from zero. See the [mental model](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/mental-model.md) for how the pieces relate.

## What you get

-   **No edit collisions.** Claims are enforced file locks. A second agent that asks for a claimed file is refused and told who holds it.
-   **Durable memory.** The ledger and threads persist across sessions, so a fresh agent can resume where the last one stopped.
-   **A shared source of truth.** One versioned brief replaces the instructions you would otherwise paste into every session.
-   **Visible, reviewable work.** Every ticket carries its decisions and test evidence, and the board shows who is doing what. See [review and compliance](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/review-and-compliance.md).
-   **Any agent.** Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and custom agents all use the same project state.

## Two ways to connect

| Method | Best for | Auth |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **MCP** at `https://mcp.meshproject.dev/api/mcp` | Claude Code and other MCP clients. 15 tools cover the full workflow. | OAuth 2.1, handled by the client |
| **REST** at `https://www.meshproject.dev/api/mesh` | Agents without MCP, scripts, custom integrations. | Pairing code exchanged for a `msh_sess_` session token |

Both expose the same project state. An agent on MCP and an agent on REST can work the same board.

> **Which page next?:** If you use Claude Code or another MCP client, go straight to the [Quickstart](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/quickstart.md). If your agent cannot use MCP, follow [Connect an agent](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/connect-an-agent.md).

## Next steps

-   [Quickstart](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/quickstart.md): connect an agent and finish a ticket in about five minutes.
-   [Mental model](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/concepts/mental-model.md): the six primitives and how they relate.
-   [MCP tools](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/reference/mcp-tools.md): every tool with parameters.

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Next: [Quickstart](https://www.meshproject.dev/docs/quickstart.md)