// docs
Automation Engine
A parallel, WinRM-based execution engine that runs scripts and AI prompts alike — scaling with your hardware and recovering from failures on its own.
WinRM execution
Jobs run over Windows Remote Management. The engine opens a remote PowerShell session to each target, authenticated with a credential from the store, runs your script, and streams the output back. Nothing is installed on the target — WinRM is the only requirement.
What a job can be
The engine treats every unit of work the same way — queued, assigned to a worker, logged under a job ID:
| Type | What runs |
|---|---|
| Script | A single PowerShell or Python script against a host or group. |
| Runbook | A numbered sequence of steps with shared state and managed reboots. |
| Installer | A software package or bundle from the deployment catalog. |
| Prompt | A goal handed to S.E.N.T.R.I, executed headlessly through your enabled skills. |
Prompts run unattended
Parallel workers
ServerEngine sizes its worker pool to your hardware: workers = CPU cores × 2.5. Each worker owns its own separate automation lifecycle, so an 8-core machine runs about 20 jobs in parallel. Patching 200 servers takes about as long as patching one.
Note
Transport & encryption
WinRM uses port 5985 for HTTP and 5986 for HTTPS. Enable WinRM over SSL so jobs use the encrypted listener. Passwords are passed to the session securely (never on the command line) and can be masked in captured output.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| WinRM over SSL | Connect on 5986 (HTTPS) instead of 5985 (HTTP). |
| Allow self-signed | Accept a self-signed certificate on the target (skip CA check). |
| Allow by IP | Connect by IP address (skips CN check). |
| Mask sensitive data | Scrub passwords from captured job output. |
Job states
Every job reports its progress as it runs:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting for a free worker or for the host to become free. |
| Connecting | Opening the WinRM session to the target. |
| Running | Executing the script (step n of total for runbooks). |
| Reboot | Managed reboot in progress — waiting for the host to return. |
| Completed | The job finished successfully. |
| Failed | The script errored, the host was unreachable, or execution was rejected. |
Retries & error detection
If a connection drops, ServerEngine automatically retries — reconnecting on a fixed interval for up to fifteen attempts before giving up and freeing the worker. Completion and failure are detected from the script's own output and exit status, and failed jobs are captured with a dedicated failure log so you can diagnose them.
Every job carries a unique job ID for traceability across the console, the Logs, and the API.
Resilient by design