# Core concepts

These terms appear throughout Curator. Each has a dedicated page below.

| Term | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Storage Source** | Where your files physically live. A folder on this Mac or a cloud bucket you own. Curator reads the files in place and never moves or alters them unless you ask. |
| **Ollama** | A free, open-source app that runs AI models directly on your Mac. Curator uses it so everything stays local. |
| **Model** | A single AI model that runs inside Ollama. You download (**pull**) the ones Curator needs. |
| **Processing** | The work that makes a file searchable. Curator extracts its text, writes a description, and prepares it for search and chat. |
| **Embeddings** | A numeric representation of meaning. This is what lets Curator match ideas, not just exact words. |
| **Semantic search** | Search by meaning instead of by exact filename or text. |
| **Clusters** | AI-built smart folders on the **Organize** screen. They are virtual, so no files are moved. |
| **Profile** | A local, name-only identity. No account, no email, no cloud. |
| **Jobs** | The background task queue. Processing, organizing, and syncing all run here. |

## Dig deeper

<IconLinkCard
    title="How Curator works"
    href="/concepts/how-curator-works/"
    description="The whole app in three plain ideas."
    icon="open-book"
  />
  <IconLinkCard
    title="Storage sources"
    href="/concepts/storage-sources/"
    description="Where your files live and how Curator reads them."
    icon="laptop"
  />
  <IconLinkCard
    title="Ollama and models"
    href="/concepts/ollama-and-models/"
    description="The local AI engine and the models it runs."
    icon="puzzle"
  />
  <IconLinkCard
    title="How processing works"
    href="/concepts/processing/"
    description="What happens to a file to make it searchable."
    icon="setting"
  />
  <IconLinkCard
    title="Profiles"
    href="/concepts/profiles/"
    description="Local, name-only identities."
    icon="person"
  />