Its own machine, its own disk
A machine is built for one coworker and one job. Nothing else is on it while it runs.
Cloud computer
Your coworker gets its own computer
A real machine in the cloud, with a browser, a shell and a disk of its own. It opens the app that has no API, clicks the button, reads the PDF.
Northwind BillingLedger — August
billing.northwind.example/invoices?month=july&status=unpaid
Northwind Billingaccounts@yourco
Month · JulyStatus · UnpaidSupplier · Any4 invoices
InvoiceSupplierIssuedAmount
INV-4468Northwind Fixings2 Jul£1,120.00Read
INV-4470Northwind Fixings9 Jul£840.00Read
INV-4471Northwind Fixings18 Jul£4,280.00Open PDF
INV-4473Northwind Fixings27 Jul£615.50
04Step 4 of 7Clicked Open PDF on INV-4471invoice_4471.pdf
Apps with no API or integration
Most business software was built for people. A coworker that can only call an API stops at the login screen.
The supplier portal
Sign in to Northwind Billing
Email
Password
Sign in
No API. No export. Nothing to integrate.
What it does instead
- Opens the portal in its browser
- Finds purchase order AC-4472
- Checks the £12,480 invoice total
- Uploads invoice NS-2048
- Submits the invoice for review
- Saves confirmation PR-8821
Six moves a person makes every month. Nobody automated them, because there was nothing to call.
What's in the computer
Three things, and they are the three a person uses.
01A browser
A real Chrome it drives itself. It opens the page, reads what is on it, then clicks, types and chooses.
- @e4Month · Julyselect
- @e9Status · Unpaidselect
- @e17Open PDFclick
02A shell
A bash prompt. It runs a script, converts a file, and reads what came back. Python and the PDF tools are already installed.
$python3 check_invoice.py NS-2048.pdf
Net £10,400 + VAT £2,080 = £12,480
exit 0
03A file system
Its own disk, mounted at /workspace. What it saves this week is still there next week.
/workspaceits own disk
files/what it saved
invoice_4471.pdf
july.csv
daily-logs/what it learned
2026-08-24.md
Each coworker gets its own machine
The machine is built for one job. When the job ends, the machine ends.
machine · fin-1Finance
- Browser
- Shell
- Disk
machine · sup-1Support
- Browser
- Shell
- Disk
machine · sal-1Sales
- Browser
- Shell
- Disk
Nothing else runs on these machines. Not another coworker, not another company.
Your credentials never reach it
The token is attached to the request outside the machine. Nothing inside can read the value.
Nothing crosses between companies
Every machine and every disk is keyed to one workspace. No other workspace can reach either.
It ends when the work ends
The machine is destroyed the moment the job finishes. No machine lives longer than an hour.
Give your agents a cloud computer
Each one gets a browser, a shell and a disk. Give it the work nobody automated.