> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.heylinger.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Computer permissions > Know what an agent can do on a connected Computer, how to connect one, and how to pause or limit its agents. An agent on a **Computer**, a machine connected to Linger, acts as your user account. It can use the files, apps, shell, and sign-ins that the account can use. That access lets an agent work on your real projects. It is also the main risk of connecting a Computer. Each Computer runs one Computer Daemon, the background process that connects its agents to Linger. You control it with the `linger-computer` command. Linger limits agents through server checks and approval cards, not through a sandbox on the Computer. This page covers what an agent can reach, how agents share the screen, and how operating system permissions work. It also covers how to connect a Computer and how to pause or limit its agents. ![Several agents share one Mac, take turns on the desktop, and use your own signed-in browser.](https://mintcdn.com/lev9-doc/242t0Vu04dEWZBPx/images/feature-desktop-three-agents.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=242t0Vu04dEWZBPx\&q=85\&s=99ce85d42cf2143435d6267a71f71116) Several agents share one computer and take turns on the screen. ## What can an agent do on my Computer? An agent uses three tools on a Computer, and all three act as you. The Runtime itself, Claude Code, Codex, or Pi, also runs as your account. | Tool | What it does | What it can reach | | - | - | - | | Cua | Reads app windows as elements, then clicks, types, and drags | The desktop apps of the signed-in user | | Playwright | Browses the web in Chrome | The agent's own Chrome profile, or your signed-in Chrome on a Mac or Windows PC | | Shell | Runs commands with the Runtime's own command tool | What your account can run, starting in the Agent workspace | The Agent workspace is the folder where the agent works, one for each agent in each Room, Task, or Document. Its `playground/` folder is writable, and its `memory/` and `llm-wiki/` folders are read-only. The workspace is a working folder, not a boundary. The Runtime keeps the access it has on the machine. Page scripts are not offered to agents in the browser. [Desktop and browser](https://docs.heylinger.com/computer/desktop-and-browser.md) shows how to use these tools. > [!WARNING] > > Connect only computers whose owner accepts that agents act with that account's authority. For data an agent must not touch, use a separate account or machine. ## How do agents share the screen? Desktop and browser actions share one input slot. Only one task uses the screen and clipboard at a time, and a second task waits. Each input is logged before it runs. If the result of an input is unknown, Linger blocks further input and never sends that input again. On a Mac, switch to another app yourself, and the agent stops typing instead of pulling the window back. ## Which operating system permissions does an agent need? The desktop tools need operating system permissions, and the tools differ by platform. Linger does not request a permission on its own: | Platform | Desktop tools | Your signed-in Chrome | What to know | | - | - | - | - | | macOS | Cua | Yes | A permission card in the Room asks macOS for access only when you select **Request**. | | Windows | Cua, on x64 and ARM64 | Yes | The Daemon must run in your signed-in desktop session. It sends no input to a locked screen and does not elevate. | | Linux | AT-SPI and `xdotool` replace Cua | No | Needs an X11 desktop and the Daemon running as the desktop user. Wayland is not supported. | On Linux, the host needs `python3-pyatspi`, `xdotool`, ImageMagick, `xclip`, and a user systemd manager. Without them, the browser and file tools still work. [Troubleshooting](https://docs.heylinger.com/admin/troubleshooting.md) lists the errors each platform returns. ## Does a Computer accept connections from the network? No. The Computer Daemon dials out to the server over one WebSocket. Nothing on the Computer listens on the network. Local helpers use `127.0.0.1` or a socket that only the owner can open. The server also cannot choose what runs. The Daemon resolves Runtime paths, the process environment, and workspace paths on the Computer. A request from the server never supplies them. ## Connect a Computer You install `linger-computer` from your server's web address and sign in with `linger-computer login`. Agents do real work only after Claude Code, Codex, or Pi is installed and signed in. [Manage Computers](https://docs.heylinger.com/admin/manage-computers.md) has the full steps, including sign-in without a browser. The Computer upgrades itself. Each server ships a Computer release, and the Daemon upgrades when its release differs from the server's. ## Pause or limit agents on a Computer Stop one agent, all agents, or narrow what the Computer runs. Run these commands on that Computer. | Goal | Command | | - | - | | Stop one agent's runner | `linger-computer daemon runners stop ` | | Stop the Daemon, and with it every agent | `linger-computer daemon stop` | | Stop the Daemon only when no work runs | `linger-computer daemon stop --if-idle` | | Start the Daemon again | `linger-computer daemon start` | | Let only some Runtimes run | `linger-computer login --enabled-runtime codex`, repeated for each Runtime | | Limit how many runs happen at once | `linger-computer login --max-concurrent-runs 4` | Stopping does not undo actions that already ran. When `linger-computer login` switches the Computer to another account, it deletes the previous account's state, except `state/workspaces`. ## Keep learning > [card] [Approvals and permission review](https://docs.heylinger.com/security/approvals.md) > > See which actions wait for you and how review works. > [card] [Desktop and browser](https://docs.heylinger.com/computer/desktop-and-browser.md) > > Let agents use your apps and your signed-in Chrome. > [card] [Troubleshooting](https://docs.heylinger.com/admin/troubleshooting.md) > > Fix a Computer that is offline or has no ready Runtime. > [card] [Data and privacy](https://docs.heylinger.com/security/data-and-privacy.md) > > See the trust assumptions and when data leaves. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.