Local projects
Give EvoX access to selected folders on your computer, work with existing material or code, and save outputs to a known location. This page covers file scope and working copies; see Projects and chats for organization and ownership.
When to use it
Connect folders to a Cowork project when repeated tasks use the same material. Select a directory or Git repository in Code when work needs terminals, tests, or diffs. Attach a file directly for one-off work.
Choose a file entry point
| Work | Suggested entry point | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze a temporary document | Attach it to the current conversation | Whether it is the latest version |
| Work repeatedly with a collection of files | Connect local folders to a Cowork project | Inputs, allowed edits, and output folder |
| Change code and run tests | Select a directory or Git repository in Code | Branch, existing changes, and validation commands |
File scope and output location
A project organizes conversations, rules, and results; a local folder holds actual files. Connecting a folder does not relocate files or authorize unrelated directories. State which sources are read-only, which files may change, and where outputs belong.
Determine where outputs are saved
Cowork projects choose the artifact directory in this order:
| Project configuration | Artifact destination |
|---|---|
| An explicitly selected folder is still authorized | That selected folder |
| No explicit destination and exactly one authorized folder | The only authorized folder |
| No explicit destination and zero or multiple authorized folders | The project's managed directory |
| The previously selected destination is no longer authorized | The project's managed directory |
A new project already has a managed directory. Connecting an existing folder adds source material; it is not a prerequisite for starting work. Check the displayed destination after adding or removing folders instead of assuming new outputs will stay in the previous location.
Rename or move a directory
Renaming a project changes its display name without renaming the managed directory. Changing Settings > Cowork > New project location affects projects created afterward; existing projects keep their location. The platform default root is EvoX under your user Documents directory.
To relocate an existing project, use Move on its managed-directory row. This moves the actual directory and updates the project path only after success. An existing destination, a destination inside the source directory, or a cross-disk move is rejected with the source preserved. Choose a new destination on the same disk and retry.
Workflow
- Select a Cowork project and connect the relevant local folder in its details. For Code, select the primary workspace.
- Check the displayed path. Add related folders explicitly for cross-directory work; Code attachments remain scoped to the current local conversation.
- Check the project's displayed artifact destination. With multiple connected folders, explicitly choose where outputs belong. Giving an exact output path in the request does not authorize access to that directory.
- Ask EvoX to list the relevant inputs first. Confirm the material before allowing changes, and identify existing edits that must be preserved.
- Open the saved output to check content and location. For code, inspect the diff and run relevant checks.
For example:
Read this week's three interviews in the project's connected interviews folder. List the filenames first and tell me if any are missing. Create only outputs/customer-feedback-summary.md, with conclusions grouped by theme and linked to the source interviews. Mark unsupported information as unresolved. Do not change the interviews or overwrite an existing summary; tell me if that filename already exists.
After confirming the inputs, continue and review three outcomes:
- Supported content: conclusions can be traced to specific interviews, and missing information has not been invented.
- Expected location: open the saved file to confirm that it exists on disk, rather than only as text in the conversation.
- Expected changes: the sources remain intact. If a separate version was saved, decide which version subsequent work should use.
For the next batch, identify the current inputs and output again. Folder connections can be reused, but select the correct source files for each new batch.
Work in a code repository
A Code task uses the selected directory or Git repository as its primary workspace. Related folders can be attached to the current local conversation; that does not establish the same folder scope for other conversations.
Before editing, ask EvoX to inspect the branch, working-tree status, and relevant source while preserving your existing changes. Specify the objective, allowed directories, and completion criteria, such as “Fix only the export filename issue, run related tests, and do not commit.” Review actual diffs and check results after the task. In the local-changes view, expand files to read their diffs and use file checkboxes to select the commit scope. Expanding a file records reading progress, not review approval. Refresh before committing if the workspace changed after the diff was loaded.
Managed Git worktrees can isolate edits for parallel tasks. They prevent different tasks from changing the same working copy, but are not backups. Scheduled Code tasks also do not automatically create a worktree for each run: they use the saved selected directory.
Avoid overlapping writes
Several tasks can read the same source collection, but each should have a clear output file. For example, save the interview summary and action list separately. If both tasks need to edit one file, run them sequentially and have the later task read the latest result.
When separate tasks need to change the same repository, establish their working copies and how changes will be integrated. Isolated edits still require diff review, conflict resolution, and validation after integration.
Recover paths and clean up working copies
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Folder renamed, moved, or external drive disconnected | Reconnect the actual folder and check its path before resuming |
| An old file is being read | Check the full path and contents for duplicate copies, not just the filename |
| Generated file cannot be found | Check the reported save path, project output destination, and whether a write actually completed |
| Someone has edited an existing file | Read its latest contents and diff, then decide how to preserve or integrate the changes |
| Scheduled task points to an old directory | Update and verify its directory before enabling later runs |
Before cleaning up a managed working copy, save needed files and changes, and check whether any enabled scheduled task still uses it. Cleanup can remove the working copy and its EvoX task branch; forcing cleanup with uncommitted changes loses those changes. Cleanup is not archiving or backup.
Limits and considerations
- Connecting a folder does not make EvoX read everything in it automatically. Identify the current task's sources.
- Project ownership is not file authorization or access to every other conversation's history.
- Copying, overwriting, and deleting differ. Specify whether an existing artifact should be edited in place or saved as another version.
Next steps
See File handling for previews, versions, and export, and Projects and chats for standing project rules.