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

# Getting started with Brain

> Learn what you can do with Brain and find the right command for each task.

You can use Brain to find earlier decisions, save lessons, and give your agent context before it starts work. Below are some way to use Brain in your project.

[Install Brain and set up your repository](/guides/brain/overview#before-you-start) first. Run these commands from the repository, and replace the example questions and rules with your own.

## Get to Know a Project

If you are joining a project or returning after a break, you can ask Brain for an overview of its structure, tools, and conventions.

```bash theme={null}
entire brain overview
```

## Get Context Before Starting a Task

Describe what you want to build or change. Brain gathers relevant facts, earlier work, code locations, and possible tests into a brief.

```bash theme={null}
entire brain brief "add rate limiting to the upload endpoint"
```

You can now use the brief to plan your work or give your coding agent a starting point.

## Find Out Why a Decision Was Made

Search earlier work before reopening a decision or trying an approach your team has already explored.

```bash theme={null}
entire brain query "why did we remove the queue abstraction"
```

This helps you read the supporting sources to understand the decision and whether it still applies.

## Search for a Topic

If you are searching for a topic and know the keyword, you can use it with the command below:

```bash theme={null}
entire brain query --keyword "rate limiter"
```

And if you know the problem but not the exact words, you can search by meaning:

```bash theme={null}
entire brain query --semantic "handling temporary request failures"
```

Without either flag, `query` combines keyword and meaning-based search. Make sure to use only one of these flags at a time.

## Save a Rule for Future Work

You can also record a decision or lesson so another session can find it. It is advisable to only save rules that are true for your project.

```bash theme={null}
entire brain remember "Retry failed requests at most three times." --path constraints.retry.policy
```

The path flag groups the fact under a topic. This lets you save the fact without asking an agent to choose a category.

## Look Up Saved Rules

Before changing behavior, you can check what your project has already recorded about it.

```bash theme={null}
entire brain recall "retry policy"
```

Use `recall` for saved facts and `query` for a broader search across facts, history, and docs.

## Check What a Code Change Could Affect

With Entire Graph installed, inspect the impact of changing a function or type. Replace `ValidateToken` with a symbol from your code.

```bash theme={null}
entire brain inspect impact ValidateToken
```

You can also inspect changes since the last index:

```bash theme={null}
entire brain inspect changes
```

## Check Whether Memory Is Current

You can see which sources are available, missing, or out of date, using:

```bash theme={null}
entire brain status --verbose
```

Check whether saved facts still point to matching sources:

```bash theme={null}
entire brain verify
```

A fact entered by hand can show `unverifiable-here` because it has no source reference. Verification checks references, not whether a fact is correct.