> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usestatemachines.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run an environment in the dashboard

> Select a workspace, create an environment, hand it to an agent, and inspect the result.

Use the dashboard to create and inspect the same environments that your code manages through the SDK. Environments, snapshots, and API keys belong to one workspace, so select the workspace before you create resources.

## Create and connect

Sign in at [app.usestatemachines.com](https://app.usestatemachines.com) and select the workspace.

1. Open **Environments**.
2. Choose **Create environment** and select the apps your task needs. For each app, choose who it acts as in **Act as**. Choose a **Time limit**.
3. Give the environment a name that identifies the task, then create it.
4. Open the environment and wait for **Running**.
5. To change the actor after creation, use **Acts as** in the app list.
6. Choose **Copy prompt**. If the environment has several apps, choose the app to hand to your agent.
7. Paste the prompt into the agent session that uses this environment.

**Copy prompt** creates credentials for the selected actor and copies them with connection instructions. The prompt contains secrets. Share it only with the intended agent session, and keep it out of source files and logs. The app URL alone is not a credential. Every request also needs the actor token.

The copied credentials expire. The prompt states when access ends. Copy a new prompt after that time.

For your own client, use the SDK's `connect()` helper described in [credentials and actors](/environments/credentials).

An environment in **Starting** is accepted but not ready for app requests. If startup fails, read the failure shown for the affected app before you create another environment.

## Inspect a run

Open **Requests** to inspect calls to the app. Select the time range, app, method, or status to narrow the list. Enter a search and press Enter to search recorded paths, query parameters, and text bodies. Clear the filters when a known call is missing.

Open a request to inspect its status, query parameters, recorded headers, and body content. **Omitted** means the recorder did not store that body. A binary body has no text preview. Recording is best effort, so an empty request list does not prove that your client sent nothing.

Open **Audit events** to see environment actions such as creation, pause, resume, and deletion. Audit events record lifecycle changes. They do not list app requests. See [requests and audit events](/environments/observability) for the difference.

## Keep data or finish the task

To take a break and keep the data, open **More actions** and choose **Pause**. Pausing releases compute and stops the time limit. Choose **Resume** to start it again before the next app request. Paused environments still expire, so check the deletion deadline on the page.

To save reusable starting data from a running environment, open **More actions** and choose **Create snapshot**. Wait for **Ready** before you create an environment from the snapshot.

When the task is complete, open **More actions** and choose **Delete**. Deleting removes the environment's app data. A saved snapshot is a separate resource and stays. [Environment lifecycle](/environments/lifecycle) explains pause, deletion, and automatic expiry.

If an action is missing or disabled, check the status and your permissions first. **Copy prompt** requires a running environment and `environments:connect`. **Pause**, **Resume**, and **Delete** require `environments:write`. **Create snapshot** requires `snapshots:write` and an active workspace. See [access troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/access).


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