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

# Work

> Arro does the work for you, in the background or on repeat.

**Work** is Arro doing a task for you instead of walking you through it. It happens three ways: as a one-off [background task](#background-tasks), as a [saved workflow](#watch-once-then-replay) it learned by watching you, or on a [schedule](/concepts/scheduled-tasks) you set.

## Background tasks

Ask [Arro](/concepts/arro) for something that needs doing and it runs in the background while you
keep working. A background task can drive your real browser through a whole flow, work across
several apps, run shell commands, and read, write, and edit files on your computer.

For example: "research these three vendors and summarize the tradeoffs", or "pull the figures from
this portal into a spreadsheet".

The task streams its progress to the [dynamic dock](/concepts/dynamic-dock) and tells you when it
lands. You [step in](/concepts/dynamic-dock#background-tasks) only when it needs you, most often to
sign in to a site or clear a CAPTCHA or two-factor prompt. You
[take the task's page over](/concepts/desktop-app#taking-over-the-browser), do the step, and hand it back. When it produces something, its card gives you an **Open**
button, and the finished task lists the files it made for you in
[Creations](/concepts/creations). The raw material it collected on the way, like the pages it
downloaded to read, is working scratch and is cleared when the task ends.

### Several agents on one task

When a task splits cleanly into parts that don't depend on each other, a background task can put a
separate agent on each part and run them at the same time, then pull the results together. Research
spread over several sources is the common case. Up to four agents work on one task.

It stays a single card in the dock, which shows how many agents are on it rather than one card each.
To see them individually, open the task and look under **Sub-tasks**. The one exception is an agent
that gets blocked and needs you: it surfaces its own card so you can answer it.

A split task is given an hour to finish. If one part is still running at that point, it is stopped
and the task reports back with what the others found, saying which part did not finish.

On the Free plan a background task is handled by a single agent. It still does the whole job, one
part after another, and nothing is left out; the assistant may mention that it cannot split the
task, and carries on alone. Splitting a task across several agents is included on every paid plan.
See [Plan limits](/account/plan-limits).

Anything outside your allowed sites and folders is checked before it happens. By default a
[safety check](/concepts/desktop-app#approval-modes) judges it, so the task keeps moving and
declines anything unsafe. Switch to **Manually approve** in the dock to decide each one yourself.
Some locations are always off-limits either way, including credential stores and files whose only
purpose is to hold a secret. See [Allowed folders](/concepts/desktop-app#allowed-folders).

<Note>
  For tasks in your open apps, see [Computer use](/concepts/computer-use).
</Note>

## Watch once, then replay

For work you do again and again, Arro can watch you do it one time and turn it into a repeatable [workflow](/concepts/workflows).

<Steps>
  <Step title="Watch">
    Tell Arro to watch, then do the task once across your browser and desktop apps. It notes what you open, where you navigate, what you click and type, and the decisions you make. See [Watch mode](/concepts/watch-mode).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save as a playbook">
    Stop and [review the recording](/concepts/recordings#review-before-submitting). Click **Submit** and confirm to create the guide and draft [playbook](/concepts/playbooks).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Replay">
    Run the workflow on demand, and Arro follows the playbook once by driving the browser and your apps. Use a [schedule](/concepts/scheduled-tasks) or [task board controls](/data/boards) for recurring or queued work.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Start a replay from the workspace, or ask Arro by name: "run my invoice processing workflow."

A manual replay runs once and asks you for required inputs. It leaves attached task board queues untouched.
See [workflow execution modes](/concepts/workflows#run-with-ai) and
[running many tasks at once](/concepts/workflows#running-many-tasks-at-once).

## Related

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="Workflows" icon="diagram-project" href="/concepts/workflows">
    The container bundling a recording, a playbook, and its task boards.
  </Card>

  <Card title="The dynamic dock" icon="table-columns" href="/concepts/dynamic-dock">
    Follow, pause, and cancel a background task.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scheduled tasks" icon="clock" href="/concepts/scheduled-tasks">
    Set recurring work to run on its own.
  </Card>
</Columns>