Devices
Devices are the machines your workspace agents use to do real work. Choose a virtual device in the cloud, a local device on your own computer, or both.
A device is the machine your workspace agents actually run on — where they store files, execute code, control a browser, and host live servers. Every workspace can have one or more devices, and a device can be virtual (cloud-hosted) or local (your own machine).
Two types of device
| Virtual device | Local device | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Nebula's cloud | Your own computer |
| Always available | Yes | no — only when your machine is online |
| Pre-configured environment | Yes | you bring your own |
| Best for | Always-on automations, background jobs, shared team work | Sensitive files, local apps, custom dev environments |
| Who sees it | Everyone in the workspace | Only you — it's private to whoever registered it |
| Who can add one | Any member | Any member, for their own machine |
| Setup | Click + Add Device → Virtual | Install the desktop app and turn on Computer Control |
You don't need anyone's permission to connect your own computer — every member can, and the device that appears is yours alone. Nobody else in the workspace can see it or send work to it, not even the person who owns the workspace. Cloud devices are the shared kind and any member can create one too; what stops you there isn't a permission but the workspace's Nebula Credits — a cloud machine costs credits to run, so an empty balance is what turns it down.
The desktop app isn't itself a device — it's how your computer becomes one. Installing it and granting Computer Control is what makes your machine a local device agents can use.
Devices vs agents
Don't confuse the two:
| Agents | Devices | |
|---|---|---|
| What they do | Decide what to do | Actually do it |
| What they have | Instructions, tools, memory | Filesystem, terminal, browser, network |
| Shared with | Everyone in the workspace | Everyone, if it's a cloud device — your own machine stays private to you |
Think of it as a team of employees (agents) sharing a workstation (the device). Agents bring the intelligence; the device provides the compute.
Adding a device
Open Devices in the sidebar and click New device. Pick Virtual for a cloud machine or Local for your own computer.
Virtual Device
Cloud-hosted machine with a pre-configured environment. Always on, shared by every agent in the workspace.
Local Device
Your own computer, made available to agents through the Nebula desktop app. Use your files, your apps, your network.
One device per workspace is marked Primary — that's the default agents reach for. You can switch primaries any time from the device card.
Why have both
Many workspaces run a virtual device for everything by default. Local devices come in when work has to happen on your machine — a private network you VPN into, a folder of files you don't want in the cloud, an IDE or app you've spent years configuring. You can have multiple devices in a workspace and route specific work to a specific one by asking Nebula directly: "Use my local Mac for this."
Notifications when work finishes
When a background task completes, Nebula notifies you in the thread it started in — and optionally pings you on Slack, email, Telegram, or push.
Related
Calls from the terminal
Start, join, and run Nebula live calls from your shell. Chat-first by default, with voice as a two-step opt-in and a headless mode for servers.
Virtual device
A virtual device is a cloud-hosted machine your workspace agents share — always on, with a pre-configured environment for code, browsing, and file work.