Agent working directory
The default working directory is an Agent run setting. It is the directory the Runtime enters when it executes work. It is not a Space Git repository and does not replace Agent or Space repository bindings.
Configure it in Agent settings under Run settings → Default working directory.
When you chat with an Agent, you can also override the working directory for that conversation without changing the Agent default. See Chat with an Agent.
Use Create temporary directory for most code Tasks. Use Specified directory only when the Agent must reuse an environment, dependency set, or cache that already exists on the Computer.
See Agent task execution for dispatch and run states. See Repositories for Git sources.
Create temporary directory
Each Task gets a separate temporary directory. Repository-backed runs prepare an isolated Git worktree so Tasks do not write into the same workspace. This makes the mode suitable for parallel work on the same codebase.
For example, one Agent can fix a sign-in issue while another Agent adds tests. Each Task uses its own worktree, modifies files, and runs commands without coordinating changes in one dirty directory.
After the Task finishes, review its worktree changes, then keep, merge, or discard them.
Specified directory
Runs use absolute paths that already exist on the Computer. This is useful when an environment, dependencies, or caches are already prepared on disk.
When you save a Git folder, choose How should tasks use this folder?:
- Run in isolated worktrees: each Task checks out its own git worktree and does not change the original folder. Tasks can run in parallel. Results are delivered on a branch named
agent/<agent>/<task>. Isolated mode supports one directory; Add path is hidden. - Run directly in this folder: Tasks modify the original directory. The same real path usually allows only one Task at a time. You can Add path after choosing this option.
Non-Git paths can only run in place. The confirm button is Confirm. If Git working trees and non-Git directories are mixed, every path runs in place. The product explains this change when you save the paths.
You can add multiple directories only when running directly in the folder. New work prefers an idle directory, then the least busy one. If no directory is available, the run waits for a local directory. Isolated mode is not a multi-directory pool.
The same Task or conversation keeps its original directory. It does not switch while that path remains usable, even if the path is later removed from the default list.
Isolated worktrees and in-place runs are an Agent setting. Existing Tasks or conversations that already bound a directory continue with their original directory.
FAQ
Will existing Tasks move to a new default directory?
No. A Task or conversation keeps its original directory while that path remains usable. New Tasks and conversations use the updated default setting.
Does Specified directory modify the original folder?
It depends on the run style. Run in isolated worktrees leaves the original directory unchanged and delivers results on a Task branch. Run directly in this folder modifies the original directory directly.
Why is a Task waiting for a local directory?
All specified directories are temporarily unavailable. This commonly happens when multiple Tasks are using the same in-place path, or a directory on the Computer does not satisfy the run conditions. The Task resumes when a directory becomes available.
Can Git and non-Git directories be mixed?
Yes, but they cannot use isolated worktrees. Runs use the selected directories in place, and the product warns you about this when you save the setting.
How does the working directory relate to repository bindings?
The working directory decides where the Agent works; it is not the repository configuration. Git sources still come from Agent and Space settings. See Repositories.