Machines

Environments

A session's environment is where its agent runs: this Mac, a worktree, or one of your machines. Each session has its own, so one project can have sessions in several places at once.

The environment chip

The first chip under the message box shows the session's environment: a laptop for this Mac, a server for a machine, a branch for a worktree, and its name. Point at it to see the folder.

A dot on the chip means its machine isn't connected. Point at it to read what's happening, such as Reconnecting.

On Linux, Magnum says This computer where a Mac says This Mac.

The environment menu

Click the chip for its menu:

• The copy in use, ticked, at the top.
• Your machines, one row each, This Mac first and those not connected last (each says so). A machine's row opens its copies: the project's checkouts, your worktrees, then Workers (the worktrees of Balanced's workers, with how many). The one in use is ticked; point at a name cut short for its folder. A machine with just one copy picks it from its own row.
• A machine with no copy of the project yet is a row too: picking it copies the project there first. See One project, many machines.
• New worktree…: a branch and a folder of the session's own, on the same machine. See Changes and worktrees.
• Add instance…: adds a machine over SSH. See Machines.
• Balanced: the session leads workers on your machines. See Balanced.
• Machines…: opens Control, where your machines are listed.

New worktree… and the machines without a copy need a git repository with at least one commit.

While Balanced is on, the chip opens Balanced's panel instead of this menu. Turn Balanced off to move the session.

Starting a session elsewhere

In a session with no conversation yet, pick another copy in the environment menu, and a new session starts there. The project's new-session button in the sidebar then starts sessions in that copy too, unless it's a worktree.

In ⌘P, New session on … and New session in Worktree … do the same.

Continue on

Continue on moves a session that has a conversation to another copy of its project: another machine, or a worktree. The conversation goes with it, and the same agent continues it there.

To move a session, pick another copy in its environment menu, in the list or in its tile. You can also right-click a session in the sidebar, or its title, and choose Continue on; or press ⌘P and choose Continue this session on … (or in worktree …).

A session can move while it isn't working or waiting for you. Magnum asks first, and Continue there closes its tab here and opens it in the other copy. A machine that isn't connected connects first.

On the same machine, the conversation's file moves. To another machine it's copied, and the original stays in the history of the machine it left.

Uncommitted changes come along when the other copy has none of its own and is on the same commit. They stay here too. Otherwise they stay here only, and the notification says why. Files git ignores don't come along.

Copies

A copy is a checkout of the project's repository on one of your machines, or one of its worktrees. Magnum shows a project's copies as one project in the sidebar, with the sessions of all of them. One project, many machines tells how to make a copy and work in it.