An AI agentAn AI system that doesn't just answer once but works toward a goal in a loop — taking actions, reading the results, and deciding what to do next.Full definition →'s control process and the computer executing its commands can have separate lifecycles. Fly.io's architecture account describes an internal troubleshooting assistant whose shared controller sends each session's filesystem and shell operations into a separate Sprite. That execution environment can be discarded when the session ends.
The separation is intended to keep destructive command mistakes away from the process holding the agent's conversation and tools. It also lets developers choose whether task files should persist independently of whether the agent itself persists. The Sprites introduction supplies background on those reusable execution environments.
Terms in this piece · Glossary
AI agent — An AI system that doesn't just answer once but works toward a goal in a loop — taking actions, reading the results, and deciding what to do next.
sandbox — An isolated environment where AI-generated code or agent actions run without being able to touch anything real.
