AI coding agent glossary

The vocabulary around AI coding agents changes fast. These are clear, dated definitions of the terms that matter, and how they relate to each other.

• Background agents vs cloud agents: what's the difference?Background agents and cloud agents are substantially the same idea: an AI coding agent that runs asynchronously in an isolated environment and returns a PR.
• What is agent orchestration?Agent orchestration is coordinating multiple AI coding agents across isolated environments: assigning work, isolating changes, tracking runs, reviewing output.