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

# Add reference folders in Palette Desktop

> Attach outside folders to Palette Desktop chats as read-only or editable references, with clear control over whether the agent may change their files.

References let a chat reach into folders **outside** the current workspace.

[Watch the video](https://youtu.be/uNs6YDRR0jE)

## What references do

You're working in a workspace, but the thing you need to read is somewhere else: a different folder on your machine, a separate workspace, a synced Google Drive folder you don't have open as a workspace.

Add it as a reference. Your workspace stays the workspace, while the referenced folder remains in its original location. Choose whether the agent may only read it or may also edit it.

## Why this matters

Most teams split their work across more than one folder.

* Accounts in one place, campaigns in another
* A shared team folder and a personal scratch folder
* A workspace per area, but context that's useful across all of them

Without references, you'd have to copy content between folders or open a different workspace. References let you stay in one workspace and pull what you need.

## How references work

Open the References panel in the left sidebar, select `+`, pick a folder on your machine, and choose its access mode.

With either mode, the [agent](/docs/desktop/agents) can:

* Read files from the referenced folder
* Use the folder structure as context
* Cite content from it when answering

Choose one access mode:

* **Read-only:** the agent can inspect the folder but cannot change it.
* **Editable:** the agent can change files in the referenced folder.

Editable references sit outside the session's cloned workspace. Changes to them are not staged in the main workspace save-back review and are not undone by discarding the session. Only enable editing when you intend the agent to write directly to that folder.

## References are personal

Your references are yours. They don't sync to your teammates when the workspace folder is shared. Each person decides which external folders to pull into their own setup.

If you want everyone on the team to point at the same external folder, make sure everyone has it synced locally (e.g., a shared Google Drive folder) and adds it as a reference themselves.

For context you want to travel with the workspace, put it in the workspace itself or share it through [actions](/docs/desktop/actions), which live in the folder.

## Examples

A GTM team:

* Workspace is `campaigns/` for the campaign they're running
* Reference is `accounts/` so the agent can pull context on the accounts in the campaign

A founder:

* Workspace is `strategy/`
* References are `metrics/` and `investors/` for current numbers and recent updates

A product team:

* Workspace is the current launch's folder
* Reference is the team's `playbooks/` folder so the launch follows the standard motion

## Using a reference in chat

Once a reference is added, you point the agent at it the same way you'd point at anything else: with `@`.

* `@reference-name` focuses the chat on the whole referenced folder
* `@reference-name/some-file.md` picks out a specific file inside it

The agent treats the reference according to the access mode you chose. Mentioning an editable reference can let the agent change files outside the main workspace review boundary.

See [Chats](/docs/desktop/chats) for more on `@`-mentions.

## Next

* [Workspaces](/docs/desktop/workspaces), the main folder the session is cloned from
* [Chats](/docs/desktop/chats), where references get used
* [Sessions](/docs/desktop/sessions), the unit of work references plug into