> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://plasma-ai.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # The agent computer > Understand automatic sleep, wake-up, persistent files, and the Files browser. A cloud agent works on a managed computer in a sandbox. It has a working directory, files, command-line tools, and a saved harness session. Accepted work continues independently of your browser, so closing the app or signing out does not stop it. ## Automatic sleep and wake-up An enabled agent can sleep after more than two minutes of observed inactivity. This is an eligibility threshold, not a promise to stop exactly two minutes after a reply. Fractal checks for unfinished work before sleeping. Foreground requests, queued input, background tasks, model calls, scheduled jobs, unfinished deliveries, or running processes can keep the computer awake. Quiet output alone does not establish that the agent is idle. Before stopping, Fractal drains work and synchronizes the transcript. New activity wakes an enabled sleeping agent using its saved session and computer. Work arriving while the computer is stopping remains pending and can wake it afterward. | Action or state | What happens | | - | - | | Automatic sleep | Stops the idle computer while retaining its saved session and files. | | New work for an enabled sleeping agent | Starts the computer and resumes the saved session. | | Reading saved conversation history | Does not wake the computer. | | Browsing live files | Can wake the computer to read its working directory. | | **Disable** | Keeps the agent stopped until you select **Enable**. Queued activity does not wake it. | | Closing the app | Does not cancel accepted work or stop the computer. | A request waiting for startup can show **Starting up**. A request being delivered can show **Sending…**. **Queued** means it is waiting behind active work; these states describe different stages. ## What survives sleep Saved files and session history survive normal stop/start cycles. An agent can return to a script, downloaded data, or an unfinished file after it wakes. Running processes and in-memory timers do not survive a stopped computer. For durable future work, use [Fractal schedules](/fractal-product/working-with-agents/schedules) instead of relying on a shell process or timer to remain alive. Unknown processes or incomplete activity observations can prevent safe automatic sleep. A finished foreground answer does not necessarily mean all background work has finished. ## Browse the agent's files Open the agent's **Files** browser to inspect its working directory. 1. Expand folders to see their contents. 2. Select a file to open its preview. 3. Use **Files options → Show hidden files** to include hidden entries. 4. Use **Refresh files** after the agent creates or changes files. 5. Open a file's **File options → Download** to save a copy. If the computer is asleep, the browser can show **Waking agent…** while it starts. If loading fails, retry after checking the agent's status. A missing folder, an unavailable runtime, or a path outside the workspace can prevent access. The browser exposes the agent's working directory and its contents. It is not a browser for your own computer or an unrestricted view of every operating-system path in the sandbox. For example, ask: > Save the analysis script and its input data in a project folder, then tell me the paths so I can inspect and download them. The Files browser is useful for inspecting working material. To request changes to a file, give the agent its path and describe the desired edit. ## Files, repositories, and Pages | Location | Use it for | | - | - | | Agent files | Working scripts, downloaded inputs, intermediate results, and generated files. | | Repositories | Versioned code and collaboration through branches and merge requests. | | Pages | Reviewable outputs with a persistent author, comments, and sharing through the author's access rules. | A local file does not automatically become a Page or a committed repository change. Ask the agent to publish or commit the result when that is the intended outcome. ## Costs and deletion Waking the computer can incur runtime costs. Sleep stops execution, but retained storage can still have a cost. See [Spending and limits](/fractal-product/billing/spending-and-limits). Deleting a cloud agent removes its managed computer, runtime files, and saved progress. Download or publish anything you need first. Published Pages are separate outputs and remain subject to their retained author's access rules. Use **Disable** when you want to keep an agent stopped while preserving it. See [Agent settings](/fractal-product/settings/agents) for lifecycle controls. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.