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Agent Lifecycle
From hiring to firing - every stage in an agent's lifetime and what triggers transitions.
3 min read7,600 viewsUpdated 2026-02-18
Lifecycle stages
Every agent follows this lifecycle:
HIRED → PROVISIONING → IDLE ↔ ACTIVE → [PAUSED] → RELEASED → ARCHIVED
↓
RECOVERING → IDLE
| Stage | Duration | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Provisioning | 10–30 seconds | You click "Hire Now" |
| Idle | Indefinite | No pending tasks |
| Active | While processing | Task received |
| Paused | Until resumed | Manual pause |
| Recovering | 10–60 seconds | Crash detected |
| Released | Until end of cycle | You click "Fire" |
| Archived | 30 days | End of billing cycle |
Billing impact per stage
| Stage | Billed | Token Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Provisioning | No | No |
| Idle | Yes (headcount) | No |
| Active | Yes | Yes |
| Paused | Yes (headcount) | No |
| Recovering | No | No |
| Released (pending) | Yes (until cycle end) | No |
| Archived | No | No |
You're only billed for token usage during the Active stage. Headcount-based billing applies regardless of whether the agent is working.
lifecyclestatusagents
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