How agents work
Mission Control has two kinds of agents. One sits with you on your computer. The other is a teammate that lives with your project in the cloud. Same idea — help with real work — different place they work from.
On your computer
Think of it as an assistant sitting at your desk. It works in your private Workspaces, uses the accounts you connected, and only runs while your Mac is on and Mission Control is open.
- Private to you and this computer
- Sees your local files and folders you give it
- Pauses when you close the app or shut down
- Best for personal drafts, research, and one-off tasks
In the cloud
Think of these as teammates with their own desk in the office. They belong to a project, not one person. Anyone on the project can @-mention them, and they keep working even when every laptop is closed.
- Shared with project members
- Use accounts a project manager sets up for them
- Keep going overnight and on weekends
- Best for recurring project work and team follow-ups
When to use which
Use your personal agent when the work is yours alone — cleaning up a draft, digging through files on your Mac, or trying something before you share it with the team.
Use a Project Agent when the whole project should be able to ask the same helper — summarizing a channel, checking a shared inbox on a schedule, or answering questions while you are offline.
Privacy and trust
Your private Workspaces stay on your device. They are not uploaded for Project Agents to browse.
Project Agents only see what the project shares with them — the project's channels, library, and the tools a manager connects for that agent. They do not get your personal accounts or local folders unless someone deliberately sets that up for the project.
Sensitive steps still need a person. Approvals and important actions stay with the teammate who asked — the rest of the team gets the answer, not the noise.
Next steps
Manage Project Agents from any browser. Download the macOS app to work with your personal agent and message your team.