Work modes
The same configured agent can help in chat, investigate platform state, use code when needed, or run from a configured signal.- Chat
- Investigate
- Code
- Ambient
Ask the dashboard sidebar to deploy a repository, explain a failed install, compare customer installs, or prepare a safe next step.
Why agents matter
Agents turn deployment and operations work into a guided conversation. The embedded dashboard agent is the managed path: no local setup, shared workspace context, and review controls built into the UI.Deploy by intent
Tell the agent what you want to run. It can identify setup steps, ask for missing configuration, and show deployment progress.
Review before change
Sensitive actions use repository change requests, approval requests, and audit events instead of invisible automation.
Match the user
Beginners get plain-language guidance. Experts get concise technical detail, exact resource names, and direct controls.
Use your own tools
Codex, Claude Code, and other MCP-compatible clients can connect through the agent setup path.
Product model
How agents work
Understand agents, skills, sessions, turns, events, and repository change requests.
Examples
See realistic deployment, investigation, compute recommendation, and ambient flows.
Agent API tasks
Create agents, sessions, turns, approvals, and repository change requests.
Communication style
Understand beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert agent responses.
Configure an agent
Define instructions, skills, model policy, runtime policy, grants, and triggers.
Agent dashboard
Configure ambient agents and understand widgets in the managed UI.
Sessions and turns
See how a conversation or task progresses over time.
Ambient agents
Configure agents that respond to deploy failures, degraded clusters, findings, and other signals.
Permissions and security
Control what agents can read, prepare, execute, and accept.
Agents API
Build on the public API resources and SDK shape.
Limits and pricing
Understand agent sessions, retained runtimes, model budgets, and trigger limits.
Agent runbooks
Triage stuck sessions, sandboxes, provider outages, triggers, and cleanup.
When to use an agent
Use an agent when the work benefits from platform context, repeatability, or review:
To connect a local coding agent, start with Agent Setup. For direct API exploration without a hosted session, use the Platform MCP server. For repository-focused design, see Agents and installation repositories.
Common questions
Do agents run all the time?
Do agents run all the time?
No. Sessions are cheap to keep open, but retained runtimes only start when work needs files, commands, a browser, or repository access. Ambient agents wait on configured signals until a condition matches.
Can agents accept changes directly?
Can agents accept changes directly?
The default path is a repository change request. Accepting a change requires separate grants and can require explicit approval at runtime.
Can I bring my own model keys?
Can I bring my own model keys?
Yes. Agents support Akua-managed billing and workspace-owned provider credentials through workspace secrets. Secret values are not exposed to the agent runtime.
What happens to retained filesystems?
What happens to retained filesystems?
Retained filesystems expire according to workspace policy unless pinned. Summaries, repository change requests, and audit events are cheaper to keep than full runtime state.
Related topics
Agent setup
Connect local coding agents to Akua.
Platform MCP
Let external AI tools call Akua through Code Mode.
Installation repositories
The git-backed installation surface agents inspect and propose changes against.
Agent limits
Pricing and limits for sessions, turns, retained runtimes, and provider usage.