A LADLE Project is a folder around a working context: a set of files that persist across chats, custom instructions that override defaults within the project's scope, and a running list of the chats you've had inside it. Use projects for anything you'll come back to more than once — a codebase, a book you're writing, a case you're researching, a recurring workflow.
What a Project contains
Four things sit at the project level and inherit into every chat you start within it.
Creating, renaming, deleting
Create: click New Project in the sidebar footer, or ⌘P. Rename: right-click the project in the sidebar → Rename, or ⌘⇧R with the project selected. Delete: right-click → Delete Project. Deleting cascades to every chat in the project; the confirmation modal shows the count. Chats can be moved between projects (drag or right-click → Move to…).
Custom instructions
Every project has a custom-instructions field (Project → Settings → Instructions). What you write here is prepended as system context to every chat in the project. Use it for: writing voice, response formatting preferences, project-specific vocabulary, roles the assistant should assume. Global custom instructions (Settings → Personalization) still apply; project instructions layer on top.
Files inside a Project
Files attached to the project appear in Project → Files. Every file counts against the 50-file cap. Files inherited from the project into a chat still count against the per-chat 30-file cap.
Searching inside a Project
⌘K with a project active scopes global search to the current project first, then falls back to your other chats. Search matches: chat titles, chat body, and attached file contents (for text-based files).
Docs: Memory and instructions · File types and limits
Task guides in /help: What is a Project?