where do ai agents run when your laptop is closed?

the four options side by side

costs here are only what dusk bot charges. a spare computer and a rented server have their own costs, set by you or your hosting company, and every option still uses your own ai plan.

why a laptop is the wrong home for an always-on agent

an ai agent is a program that keeps a job going: it checks your inbox at 8, watches for a new github issue, finishes a long research task. all of that needs the computer it runs on to be awake. close the lid and the program pauses.

in dusk bot that shows up in two ways. routines don't run while the computer is asleep or the app is closed; a run missed by less than 12 hours runs once when you're back, and older ones are skipped. and a phone paired to that laptop can't reach your bots until the laptop wakes up. Settings, Remote access, Keep this computer awake helps when the laptop is plugged in at your desk, but it can't help in a backpack.

a spare computer at home

an old laptop or a small desktop that stays plugged in works. install dusk bot on it, set it never to sleep, and make that the place your bots live. it costs nothing extra in software, but it's yours to look after: power cuts, wi-fi drops, system updates that restart it at 3am. if it goes down while you're travelling, nothing runs until someone at home turns it back on.

a server you rent

if you're comfortable with a server, your own server is free in dusk bot: you pay only the hosting company. it needs ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 and 2 gb of memory or more (12 gb keeps about six bot computers awake at once). you paste one line the app gives you and it takes about ten minutes. no ports to open, no domain. your app and server talk through a relay, sealed with a key only they hold.

the trade is that the updates, backups and bill are yours, and you should use a fresh server rather than one that holds things you wouldn't hand to a bot.

dusk cloud

dusk cloud is a computer we host for your bots. it's your own machine, not a shared one, and we keep it running and back it up daily. routines run at 3am, long jobs finish while you're out, and your phone always has someone to talk to.

you move to it from the app: pick a plan, sign in under Settings, Dusk Cloud, and a short welcome brings your bots over with their chats, memory and routines. your ai sign-in stays yours, and ai usage is never on the dusk bill.

one thing to know: a bot that works around the clock uses your ai plan around the clock. for heavy use, a bigger ai plan or an api key works best.

which one fits you

• you only use bots while you're at your desk: stay on your laptop. it's free.
• you want a morning brief ready before you wake, or to text a bot from your phone at night: that's the sign to move. most people pick dusk cloud, because there is nothing to look after.
• you already run servers and like it: your own server costs you only the server.
• you have a spare computer that never leaves the house: it works, as long as it stays on.

you can keep more than one and switch between them from the menu at the top of the sidebar. start on your laptop and move when a missed routine annoys you.