> Markdown twin of https://adna.network/learn/
> Index: https://adna.network/llms.txt · Full corpus: https://adna.network/llms-full.txt
> State is a build-time snapshot generated 2026-08-30 (UTC); nothing here is live.
> Derived from the rendered page — this route has no markdown source.

*[image: Cozy pixel-art study desk with books, a notebook, and a glowing DNA helix rising from the page — learning aDNA]*

# Learn aDNA

New to aDNA? Work through this path top to bottom, or jump straight to the step you need — each one links to the next.

## Start here

Read the overview first. It explains what aDNA is and why it exists in about five minutes — the one page to read if you read nothing else.

[What is aDNA? The 5-minute overview — the problem, the approach, and what a project looks like. Read this first.](/learn/what-is-adna)[Get started Ready to build one? Stand up your first vault in under an hour.](/get-started)

## 1 · Understand the ideas

Once the overview clicks, these are the concepts everything else builds on. Start with the Triad, then branch out.

[The Triad what / how / who — the three-way split every aDNA vault is built on. Start here.](/learn/concepts/triad)[Governance Files CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, STATE.md — the fixed-path files an agent reads first.](/learn/concepts/governance-files)[The Ontology The 16 entity types that give every piece of knowledge a home.](/learn/concepts/ontology)[All 13 concepts The Triad through FAIR metadata — the full concept library.](/learn/concepts)

## 2 · Practice with a tutorial

Learn by doing. The tutorials run from your first CLAUDE.md to federating a vault — beginner to advanced.

[Create your first CLAUDE.md The best place to start building — a governed file in about ten minutes.](/learn/tutorials/first-claude-md)[All 9 tutorials Step-by-step, beginner to advanced.](/learn/tutorials)

## 3 · Compare to what you know

Already use PARA, Zettelkasten, or Notion? See where aDNA agrees, where it differs, and when to reach for it.

[aDNA vs. the alternatives Honest comparisons with PARA, Zettelkasten, Notion, Johnny.Decimal, and plain markdown.](/learn/comparisons)[aDNA vs. plain Markdown The closest baseline — what the structure buys you over a folder of notes.](/learn/comparisons/adna-vs-plain-markdown)

## Where to next

Past the basics? Branch by what you need.

[Patterns Reusable moves — the Question Test, AGENTS.md routing, dual-audience writing.](/patterns)[Reference The normative spec, governance model, and quality rubric.](/reference)[Use Cases How solo devs, startups, labs, and enterprises put aDNA to work.](/use-cases)[Community Roles, contribution paths, and the Context Commons.](/community)