> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hops.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Core concepts

> The building blocks of Hops: Spaces, agents, and shared context.

Hops has a few key ideas. Once you get these, everything else clicks.

## Spaces

A Space is like a project room. It's where your team has conversations, shares docs, pins important context, and works with agents, all in one place.

You might create a Space for a product launch, a client account, or an ongoing team channel. Everything inside that Space becomes context your agents can use.

<Info>
  Create as many Spaces as you need. One per project or workflow keeps things clean and makes your agents more focused.
</Info>

## Agents

Agents are the AI members of your team. They live inside your Spaces, respond when you tag them with `@`, and use your team's actual context to get work done. A Space can have **multiple agents**. Tag any of them in the same conversation and they each respond from their own specialization.

**The default agent** is called **Hops**. It's available in every Space right away, no setup needed. Just type `@Hops` and ask it something.

**Custom agents** are ones you create for specific roles. Each agent can be specialized with:

* **Custom instructions** that shape how the agent behaves, what it prioritizes, and what it avoids
* **Artifacts** like documents, tables, and other reference material the agent uses as context
* **Custom connections** giving per-agent access to apps and data from 500+ integrations across productivity, developer tools, CRM, communication, analytics, and more

A marketing agent that knows your brand guide. A sales agent that pulls from your CRM. A support agent that reads your help docs. You decide what each one does, what it connects to, and how it should behave.

## Shared context

Here's what makes Hops different from a regular AI chat: your agents remember.

Every conversation, every pinned doc, every connected tool adds to the shared context in a Space. The next time someone asks an agent a question, it already has the background. No one has to re-explain the project.

Context comes from:

* Conversations in your Spaces
* Docs and files your team has shared
* Tools you've connected (Slack, Drive, Salesforce, etc.)
* Previous decisions and work

## Connected tools

Hops connects to 500+ apps across productivity, developer tools, CRM, communication, analytics, design, databases, and more, powered by the Pipedream integration catalog. When you connect a tool, your agents can read from it. Instead of you copying and pasting information, your agents go find it.

The **default Hops agent** and your **personal agent** use your workspace connections automatically. Any tool connected at the workspace level is available to them right away.

**Custom agents** get their own connections. You choose which apps each custom agent can access, so a marketing agent connects to your CMS and analytics, while a sales agent connects to your CRM. Each one only sees the tools relevant to its role.

## Visible work

Every time an agent does something, it shows you exactly what it used and what it did. If it needs to do something with real-world consequences, like sending an email or updating a record, it asks for your approval first.

You're always in control. Agents move the work forward. You make the decisions.

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Get started" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Create your first agent in under five minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="What is a Space?" icon="grid-2" href="/spaces/what-is-a-space">
    How Spaces organize your team's work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="What is an agent?" icon="user-robot" href="/agents/what-is-a-hop">
    How agents work in Hops.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect your tools" icon="plug" href="/connections/overview">
    Plug in the tools your team already uses.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [Founders & executives](/docs/teams/founders-executives.md)
