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

# Troubleshooting: workspaces and dispatch

> Fixes for team, agent, and dispatch problems.

Setup and provider problems live in [Troubleshooting: setup and providers](/reference/troubleshooting).

## Agents

**An agent shows Blocked (red)**
Open its chat and read the error. Common causes: provider credentials expired (reconnect from the banner), a denied tool approval (re-prompt with permission), or a missing file or folder. Message the agent again to retry, or cancel its task.

**An agent shows Waiting (amber) and nothing moves**
It needs input. Check **User Tasks** for the question, or open the agent's chat for a pending Tool Request. The status line under the tile usually says what it is waiting for.

**An agent seems lost or repeats itself**
Ask the agent to review recent messages. It re-reads recent team context, summarizes state, and responds to anyone waiting. Steering mid-run also works: type while it streams and hit **Steer**.

## Atlas and delegation

**Atlas is not delegating, just talking**
Give it a goal with a deliverable and ask it to delegate explicitly, or use `/delegate`. Check the team's Interruption Level: on **Manual**, most delegations wait for your approval as interruption cards in chat.

**Approval cards keep interrupting me**
Lower the Interruption Level (Team Settings) toward **Balanced** or **Minimal**.

**The task board is full of stale clutter**
**Task Health** panel: **Sweep stale tasks** asks Atlas to cancel stale, duplicate, or superseded tasks. **Abort all** in Agent Tasks is the bigger hammer.

## Dispatch

**Messages send but no agent wakes up**
Check whether the team is hard-paused: the chat placeholder reads "Team paused. Resume the team before prompting agents." Resume from Team Settings or the card menu. Also confirm the assigned agent is not Blocked.

**Work stopped after I closed the app**
Queued tasks and team messages persist and resume when you reopen, unless the team is paused. Agents that were mid-run reset to idle on launch; re-prompt or let Atlas re-dispatch.

## Working directory

**"Working folder no longer exists" or file errors**
The folder moved or was deleted. Team Settings, **Working Directory**, **Browse** to relink. Agents and history are kept.

**Agents cannot read a file outside the project**
Two possibilities: [workspace confinement](/reference/permissions-and-safety#workspace-confinement-global) is on (by design), or the file simply is not in the working directory. Attach the file in chat instead, or copy it into the project folder.

## Emergency stops

In escalating order: **Stop** (one agent's run), **Cancel** / **Abort all** (board), **Stop team** (header), **Team Hard Pause** (settings; blocks all auto-dispatch until you resume). Details: [Permissions and safety](/reference/permissions-and-safety#stop-controls).

## Still stuck?

Use the in-app feedback form with a screenshot, or email [support@usesyndicate.org](mailto:support@usesyndicate.org).