pingcap · ti-chi-bot · Apr 22, 2026 · Apr 22, 2026 · Apr 22, 2026 · Apr 22, 2026
diff --git a/TOC-develop.md b/TOC-develop.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 ## QUICK START
 
-- [Create a {{{ .starter }}} Cluster](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md)
+- [Create a {{{ .starter }}} Instance](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md)
 - [TiDB Basics](/develop/dev-guide-tidb-basics.md)
 - [CRUD SQL in TiDB](/develop/dev-guide-tidb-crud-sql.md)
 

diff --git a/ai/_index.md b/ai/_index.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Step-by-step guides for building AI applications with TiDB using the [`pytidb`](
 
 | Document | Description |
 | --- | --- |
-| [Connect to TiDB](/ai/guides/connect.md) | Connect to TiDB Cloud or self-managed clusters using `pytidb`. |
+| [Connect to TiDB](/ai/guides/connect.md) | Connect to TiDB Cloud or TiDB Self-Managed using `pytidb`. |
 | [Working with Tables](/ai/guides/tables.md) | Create, query, and manage tables with vector fields. |
 | [Vector Search](/ai/guides/vector-search.md) | Perform semantic similarity searches using `pytidb`. |
 | [Full-Text Search](/ai/guides/vector-search-full-text-search-python.md) | Keyword-based text search with BM25 ranking. |

diff --git a/ai/examples/auto-embedding-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/auto-embedding-with-pytidb.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ This example shows how to use the [Auto Embedding](/ai/integrations/vector-searc
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 
 ## How to run
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 3. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/examples/basic-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/basic-with-pytidb.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ This example demonstrates basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations u
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 
 ## How to run
 
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 3. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/examples/fulltext-search-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/fulltext-search-with-pytidb.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ This example demonstrates how to build an e-commerce product search app using Ti
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 
 ## How to run
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 3. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/examples/hybrid-search-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/hybrid-search-with-pytidb.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ This demo shows how to combine vector search and full-text search to improve the
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 - **OpenAI API key**: Get an OpenAI API key from [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys).
 
 > **Note**
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 3. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/examples/image-search-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/image-search-with-pytidb.md
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ With just a few lines of code, you can create a search system that understands b
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 - **Jina AI API key**: You can get a free API key from [Jina AI Embeddings](https://jina.ai/embeddings/).
 
 ## How to run
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 3. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/examples/memory-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/memory-with-pytidb.md
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ With just a few lines of code, you can create a conversational AI that remembers
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 - **OpenAI API key**: Get an OpenAI API key from [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys).
 
 ## How to run
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 3. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/examples/rag-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/rag-with-pytidb.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ The application uses [Ollama](https://ollama.com/download) for local embedding g
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 - **Ollama**: Install from [Ollama](https://ollama.com/download).
 
 ## How to run
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 4. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/examples/text2sql-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/text2sql-with-pytidb.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ This demo shows how to build an AI-powered interface that converts natural-langu
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 - **OpenAI API key**: Get an OpenAI API key from [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys).
 
 ## How to run

diff --git a/ai/examples/vector-search-with-pytidb.md b/ai/examples/vector-search-with-pytidb.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ The application uses [Ollama](https://ollama.com/download) for local embedding g
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Python (>=3.10)**: Install [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) 3.10 or a later version.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 - **Ollama**: Install from [Ollama](https://ollama.com/download).
 
 ## How to run
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ pip install -r reqs.txt
 
 ### Step 4. Set environment variables
 
-1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. In the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com/), navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Set environment variables according to the connection parameters as follows:
 

diff --git a/ai/guides/connect.md b/ai/guides/connect.md
@@ -24,9 +24,9 @@ Choose the steps based on your TiDB deployment type:
 <SimpleTab>
 <div label="TiDB Cloud Starter">
 
-You can [create a TiDB Cloud Starter cluster](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial/), and then get the connection parameters from the web console as follows:
+You can [create a TiDB Cloud Starter instance](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial/), and then get the connection parameters from the web console as follows:
 
-1. Navigate to the [Clusters page](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters), and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. Navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 3. Copy the connection parameters to your code or environment variables.
 
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ db = TiDBClient.connect(
 
 > **Note:**
 >
-> For TiDB Cloud Starter, [TLS connection to the database](https://docs.pingcap.com/tidbcloud/secure-connections-to-starter-clusters/) is required when using a public endpoint. The `pytidb` client **automatically** enables TLS for TiDB Cloud Starter clusters.
+> For TiDB Cloud Starter, [TLS connection to the database](https://docs.pingcap.com/tidbcloud/secure-connections-to-starter-clusters/) is required when using a public endpoint. The `pytidb` client **automatically** enables TLS for TiDB Cloud Starter instances.
 
 </div>
 <div label="TiDB Self-Managed">
@@ -83,9 +83,9 @@ If you prefer to use a connection string (database URL), you can follow the form
 <SimpleTab>
 <div label="TiDB Cloud Starter">
 
-You can [create a TiDB Cloud Starter cluster](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial/), and then get the connection parameters from the web console as follows:
+You can [create a TiDB Cloud Starter instance](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial/), and then get the connection parameters from the web console as follows:
 
-1. Navigate to the [Clusters page](https://tidbcloud.com/clusters), and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. Navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page.
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with the connection parameters listed.
 3. Copy the connection parameters and construct a connection string in the following format:
 

diff --git a/ai/guides/vector-search-full-text-search-python.md b/ai/guides/vector-search-full-text-search-python.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Full-text search is still in the early stages, and we are continuously rolling i
 
 - TiDB Cloud Serverless: `Frankfurt (eu-central-1)` and `Singapore (ap-southeast-1)`
 
-To complete this tutorial, make sure you have a TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster in a supported region. If you don't have one, follow [Creating a TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md) to create it.
+To complete this tutorial, make sure you have a {{{ .starter }}} instance in a supported region. If you don't have one, follow [Creating a {{{ .starter }}} instance](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md) to create it.
 
 ## Get started
 
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ db = TiDBClient.connect(
 
 You can get these connection parameters from the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com) as follows:
 
-1. Navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/project/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. Navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} or Essential instance to go to its overview page.
 
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ You can get these connection parameters from the [TiDB Cloud console](https://ti
    CA:       /etc/ssl/cert.pem
    ```
 
-   The corresponding Python code to connect to the TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster would be as follows:
+   The corresponding Python code to connect to the {{{ .starter }}} instance would be as follows:
 
    ```python
    db = TiDBClient.connect(

diff --git a/ai/guides/vector-search-full-text-search-sql.md b/ai/guides/vector-search-full-text-search-sql.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Full-text search is still in the early stages, and we are continuously rolling i
 
 - TiDB Cloud Serverless: `Frankfurt (eu-central-1)` and `Singapore (ap-southeast-1)`
 
-Before using full-text search, make sure your TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster is created in a supported region. If you don't have one, follow [Creating a TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md) to create it.
+Before using full-text search, make sure your {{{ .starter }}} instance is created in a supported region. If you don't have one, follow [Creating a {{{ .starter }}} instance](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md) to create it.
 
 To perform a full-text search, follow these steps:
 

diff --git a/ai/guides/vector-search-hybrid-search.md b/ai/guides/vector-search-hybrid-search.md
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Full-text search is still in the early stages, and we are continuously rolling i
 
 - TiDB Cloud Serverless: `Frankfurt (eu-central-1)` and `Singapore (ap-southeast-1)`
 
-To complete this tutorial, make sure you have a TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster in a supported region. If you don't have one, follow [Creating a TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md) to create it.
+To complete this tutorial, make sure you have a {{{ .starter }}} instance in a supported region. If you don't have one, follow [Creating a {{{ .starter }}} instance](/develop/dev-guide-build-cluster-in-cloud.md) to create it.
 
 ## Get started
 
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ db = TiDBClient.connect(
 
 You can get these connection parameters from the [TiDB Cloud console](https://tidbcloud.com) as follows:
 
-1. Navigate to the [**Clusters**](https://tidbcloud.com/project/clusters) page, and then click the name of your target cluster to go to its overview page.
+1. Navigate to the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, and then click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} or Essential instance to go to its overview page.
 
 2. Click **Connect** in the upper-right corner. A connection dialog is displayed, with connection parameters listed.
 
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ You can get these connection parameters from the [TiDB Cloud console](https://ti
    CA:       /etc/ssl/cert.pem
    ```
 
-   The corresponding Python code to connect to the TiDB Cloud Serverless cluster would be as follows:
+   The corresponding Python code to connect to the {{{ .starter }}} instance would be as follows:
 
    ```python
    db = TiDBClient.connect(

diff --git a/ai/integrations/embedding-openai-compatible.md b/ai/integrations/embedding-openai-compatible.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ This tutorial demonstrates how to use OpenAI-compatible embedding services to ge
 
 > **Note:**
 >
-> Currently, [Auto Embedding](/ai/integrations/vector-search-auto-embedding-overview.md) is only available on {{{ .starter }}} clusters hosted on AWS.
+> Currently, [Auto Embedding](/ai/integrations/vector-search-auto-embedding-overview.md) is only available on {{{ .starter }}} instances hosted on AWS.
 
 ## OpenAI-compatible embedding services
 

diff --git a/ai/integrations/tidb-mcp-claude-code.md b/ai/integrations/tidb-mcp-claude-code.md
@@ -13,14 +13,14 @@ Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Claude Code**: Install it from [claude.com](https://claude.com/product/claude-code).
 - **Python (>=3.10) and uv**: Ensure Python (3.10 or later) and `uv` are installed. Follow the [installation guide](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/) to install `uv`.
-- **A TiDB Cloud Starter cluster**: You can create a free TiDB cluster on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
+- **A {{{ .starter }}} instance**: You can create a free {{{ .starter }}} instance on [TiDB Cloud](https://tidbcloud.com/free-trial).
 
 ## Connect to TiDB Cloud Starter (recommended)
 
 Use the TiDB Cloud console to generate a ready-to-run Claude Code command.
 
-1. Go to the [Clusters](https://tidbcloud.com/console/clusters) page, select your cluster, and then click **Use with AI Tools** in the upper-right corner.
-2. In the **Access `your_cluster_name` with AI tools** dialog, select the **Branch** and **Database** that Claude Code should access.
+1. On the [**My TiDB**](https://tidbcloud.com/tidbs) page, click the name of your target {{{ .starter }}} instance to go to its overview page, and then click **Use with AI Tools** in the upper-right corner.
+2. In the displayed dialog, select the **Branch** and **Database** that Claude Code should access.
 3. Review the **Prerequisites** list in the dialog and install any missing dependencies.
 4. Configure the root password: