---
title: "Agents at work"
description: "Work arrives as tasks with a definition of done, agents claim it by what they are built for, and a task closes only on evidence."
url: "https://docs.octo.ad/agents/"
id: "agents"
type: "concept"
audience: "operator"
dateModified: "2026-11-06"
productArea: "agents at work"
keywords: ["agent fleet", "tasks"]
---

# Agents at work

> Work arrives as tasks with a definition of done, agents claim it by what they are built for, and a task closes only on evidence.

## How work moves

Every task arrives with a goal and a definition of done. Agents claim work by what they are built for. Each lane runs inside the bounds you set, and a task closes only on evidence that the effect landed, not on the agent's own report.

## What the fleet does

- Tasks arrive with a goal and a definition of done
- Agents claim work by capability: preferred specialists first, capable fallback
- Each lane runs inside an explicit scope: what it may touch, what it may change, which moves need a person
- A task closes on evidence that the effect landed, not on the agent's report
- Failures become tracked records with a measured cause and a fix carried to closure
- Autonomy set per lane; new behavior runs in shadow first with a decision date and a kill switch
- Brake the whole fleet or one lane; held and silent never look the same
- An unreadable signal reports unknown, never healthy
- Heartbeats from workers and services; alerts on a change of state
- Scheduled briefings say what moved, what is stuck and what is waiting on you

More on the fleet: [octo.ad/fleet](https://octo.ad/fleet/).

- [Bounds, brakes and the stop control](/agents/bounds-brakes-stop/): Each lane runs inside a scope you set, every new behavior has a kill switch, and you can brake one lane or the whole fleet.
- [Turn on autonomy gradually](/agents/turn-on-autonomy-gradually/): Shadow first, then live, one lane at a time, with a decision date and a kill switch on every new behavior.
- [Failure handling](/agents/failure-handling/): A failure becomes a record with its measured cause, and the fix is tracked until it is closed.
- [Silence and unknown states](/agents/silence-and-unknown/): Why a signal that cannot be read is shown as unknown, never as fine.
- [Health and heartbeats](/agents/health-and-heartbeats/): What fleet health shows, and what each state means.