Workstream Machines

A workstream can spread its agents across several machines. You choose the orchestrator's machine when you start a workstream. Your Workstream Defaults decide where its agents may run.

Machine types

Environment

A reusable setup that creates a fresh cloud computer for the orchestrator and for each agent, which takes a minute or two. Choose one for most workstreams: the work keeps going after you close your laptop, and every agent gets an isolated machine. See Environments.

Droid Computer

A computer registered with Factory: a managed cloud computer that Factory hosts, or your own workstation, VM, or server connected through Remote Control. Every agent sent to it shares it. See Droid Computers.

Local

This computer. Available only in the desktop app. The orchestrator and any agents on it share the working directory you choose. Work here stops if you quit the app.

Agents on environment computers and Factory-managed Droid Computers keep working after you close your laptop. Agents on a computer connected through Remote Control run only while that computer is on and online. Agents on this computer stop when you quit the desktop app.

Choose the orchestrator machine

Pick the orchestrator's machine under Orchestrator machine in the New Workstream dialog.

If you pick an environment, a new computer is created for the orchestrator when the workstream starts, so there's no folder to choose.

For Local or an existing computer, you also choose:

• Working directory: the folder the orchestrator starts in. Agents on the same machine start there too.
• Branch: the branch to work on.
• Run in a worktree: start in a new git worktree of that folder instead of the current checkout.

Choose where agents run

With Remote delegation on, which is the default, an orchestrator on an environment gives each agent its own fresh computer from that environment, unless you set a different default environment. On Local or a Droid Computer, agents share the orchestrator's machine unless you give them other options. Set these options in Settings → Workstream Defaults. They apply to every workstream you start.

Remote delegationdefault: On

Lets agents run on other machines: fresh computers from your default environment or the orchestrator's environment, and your additional machines. Turn it off to keep every agent on the orchestrator's machine.

Default environmentdefault: None

Where agents run when the orchestrator doesn't name a machine. Each agent gets a fresh computer. If you don't set one and the orchestrator runs on an environment, agents use that environment. It needs a description, like additional machines.

Additional machinesdefault: None

Environments and Droid Computers, including your own computers connected through Remote Control, that agents may also use. Each needs a description.

The orchestrator reads each machine's description to decide which work to send there, so describe the repos, tools, and kind of work each machine is set up for. For example: "Has the mobile repo, Xcode, and the iOS simulator. Use for iOS work."

The Agent machines line in the New Workstream dialog summarizes what agents can use before you start. If every agent has to stay on the orchestrator's machine, the dialog says why.