Operations Runbook

This guide covers the common operational tasks you'll perform while running a Synthcore project.

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Starting and Stopping Your Project

From the Dashboard

1. Navigate to your project in the dashboard
2. Click the Start or Stop button on the project card
3. The status badge updates in real time as your project transitions

Starting and stopping your agent is done from the dashboard using the Project controls — no command line needed.

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Monitoring Agent Health

Dashboard Indicators

The project detail page shows real-time agent health:

• Overview tab — Activity feed with recent commits, PRs, and agent actions
• Agent tab — Agent status (active, idle, error) and session history.
• Reports tab — Session metrics and cost breakdowns

Health Status Values

Status	Meaning	Action
healthy	Your agent is running normally	None
degraded	Your agent is idle or erroring	Check the Agent tab for details
unhealthy	Your agent is down	Review Logs tab, consider restarting
initializing	Project just started, agent spinning up	Wait 2–3 minutes

Agent Activity Cycle

Your agent works in scheduled cycles. If you don't see new activity for 30+ minutes, check its status on the Agent tab.

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Reviewing Agent Work

All agent output appears in your GitHub repository as regular commits and pull requests.

1. Review commits — Your agent commits directly to your configured branch. Check the commit history for agent-authored changes.
2. Review PRs — Some tasks generate pull requests for your review. Merge or close them like you would from any team member.
3. Approvals — If an agent needs your input, it creates an approval request visible on the Approvals tab and in the Needs You sidebar section.

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Sending Messages to Your Agent

Use the Chat tab on your project to communicate with your agent:

• Ask questions about the codebase
• Request specific features or bug fixes
• Provide feedback on their work
• Clarify requirements

Messages are delivered to your agent on its next cycle. Response time depends on the agent's current task and cycle timing.

Note: Agent replies via Chat are currently being improved. Your agent receives your messages but may not respond in the chat thread yet. Monitor the activity feed and git history for agent actions in response to your messages.

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Customizing Agent Behavior

Editing Your Agent's Configuration

From the Config tab on your project, you can edit your agent's instructions and working boundaries — its mission, responsibilities, and the rules it follows while working in your repo.

Changes take effect on your agent's next cycle — no restart required.

From the Sidebar

The Agent configuration section in the sidebar lets you manage your agent's settings across all your projects.

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Troubleshooting

Project Won't Start

1. Check the project status on the dashboard — it must be stopped to start
2. If stuck in stopping or starting for more than 5 minutes, contact support
3. Check the activity feed and Logs tab for recent activity

Your Agent Is Not Producing Output

1. Check the Agent tab — look for error states
2. Check the Logs tab — filter by severity error or warn
3. Verify GitHub access — ensure the repository is accessible and the branch exists
4. Restart the project — stop and start the project to reset your agent's session

High Error Rate

1. Review Logs — filter by error severity to identify patterns
2. Check Reports — the session metrics show error rates over time
3. Review recent configuration changes — a bad edit to your agent's configuration can break its behavior
4. Check GitHub — repository permission changes or branch protection rules can block agents

Costs Higher Than Expected

1. Check the Costs page — breakdown by project and model shows where spend is going
2. Review agent activity — an agent stuck in an error loop can burn through API credits
3. Consider stopping idle projects — stopped projects don't incur compute charges
4. Adjust your agent's schedule — switch from continuous to periodic cycles for lower-priority projects

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Project Lifecycle

Creating a Project

See the Getting Started guide for step-by-step setup.

Deleting a Project

1. Stop the project first from the dashboard
2. Navigate to project Settings
3. Click Delete Project and confirm

Deletion removes your project's compute and all associated data. Your GitHub repository is not affected.

Billing

See Plans & Pricing for subscription details. Stopped projects don't count toward your active project limit.