---
app: agent
audience:
  - owner
since: 0.1.0
ui_only: false
agent_actions:
  - tool: app_agent_wake
    permission: auto
    example: wake Wulan up
  - tool: app_settings_set
    permission: confirm
    example: put idle agents to sleep after one hour
agent_examples:
  - who is awake right now?
  - why did Tono fall asleep?
llm_weight: normal
title: Awake and asleep
description: What an awake agent does that a sleeping one cannot, how the app
  puts agents to sleep, and how it wakes them for their jobs.
editUrl: true
head: []
template: doc
sidebar:
  order: 3
  hidden: false
  attrs: {}
pagefind: true
draft: false
---

import { Aside } from "@astrojs/starlight/components";
import { AgentAsk, Shot } from "@components";

**Who this is for:** an owner wondering why an agent is grey on the map, or why a job did not run.

## Two states

| | Awake | Asleep |
|---|---|---|
| Chat in the panel | yes | yes |
| Answers WhatsApp / Telegram / email | yes | no |
| Runs scheduled automations | yes | no — but is **woken ahead of time** (below) |
| Joins meetings and answers colleagues | yes | yes |
| Memory | ≈300–500 MB | none |

Click an agent → the moon/sun button in the panel header wakes it or puts it to sleep. The Owner's Office desk follows the same rules.

## Falling asleep

Settings → Office → **Put idle agents to sleep after** (default 2 hours): an awake agent with no conversation for that long is put to sleep — never while busy, in a meeting or talking to a colleague. Set it to 0 to keep everyone awake.

## Waking up for a job

Since 0.1.8 the app watches every agent's schedule. A sleeping agent whose job is due within three minutes is **woken for it**, runs the job, and falls asleep again on the idle timer. An agent asleep at 09:00 still sends its 09:00 report.

## When the app was closed

Closing the app stops every agent. On the next start:

- agents that were awake come back;
- a scheduled job missed by **up to a day** runs once, marked **Ran late** in the Activity tab;
- older misses are skipped (yesterday's briefing is not sent today);
- a customer follow-up missed by up to 12 hours is re-sent with a short apology; older ones are dropped and you are told.

See [Keeping the office running](/agent/automations/always-on/) for launch-at-login and keep-awake.

<Aside type="note">
  A closed laptop lid still sleeps the computer. "Keep the computer awake" prevents *idle* sleep only.
</Aside>

## Ask your agent

<AgentAsk />

## Troubleshooting

- **Grey avatar right after waking** — the agent's process needs 10–20 seconds; the map updates on the next poll.
- **"N agents are already awake (limit)"** — Settings → Office → **Agents awake at once**; the wake happens anyway, the message is a memory warning.
- **An agent never wakes for its job** — its automation is off (Activity tab), or the app was not open at that time.

## Related

[Keeping the office running](/agent/automations/always-on/) · [How automations work](/agent/automations/how-automations-work/)