The agent isn't connecting

If the desktop agent won't enroll, won't sign in, or sits stuck offline, the cause is almost always one of a few specific things. Check them in this order.

Who this is for

Anyone trying to get their own Mac tracking. Any signed-in member can download and connect the agent themselves, whatever their role.

Steps

1. Check whether a signed build is even available. If your workspace hasn't published one yet, the download button on Get the agent is replaced by a panel that reads: "The signed [installer name] installer isn't published to this workspace yet. Once it's out you'll just download and sign in. Need it today? Build from source below." There's nothing wrong with your setup in that case. The build genuinely isn't out yet. The Advanced section further down the same page has a build-from-source path for anyone who needs it sooner.
2. If you get as far as Connect this Mac but signing in fails, the message tells you what to fix:

• "Invalid email or password." The same credentials you use on the web.
• "This account can't add a device here." Your account isn't allowed to enroll a device this way; check with an admin.
• "The workspace refused the request ([status]). Check the URL." Something about the request itself was rejected; double-check the workspace address if you were given one.
• "Couldn't reach the workspace. Check the API URL and your connection." A network problem, or the wrong address entirely.

1. Open Get the agent and check Your devices. A device that was never installed shows Awaiting install; one that's connected shows Connected; one an owner has turned off shows Revoked. If yours shows Revoked, ask an owner. You'll need to install again with a fresh enrollment.
2. On the Mac itself, hover the WorkMonitor menu-bar icon. The tooltip shows the actual state: Starting…, Not enrolled, Tracking active, Paused, Offline, buffering, or Error: [message]. Right-click the icon for more detail, including a "Last sync … ago" (or "Not synced yet") line.
3. If the tray says Offline, buffering for more than a few minutes despite a normal internet connection, sign out and reconnect: open the menu-bar icon's Settings…, select Sign out, then sign back in through Connect this Mac. A stuck connection is usually cleared by reconnecting from scratch.

What happens next

Once sign-in succeeds, the device registers automatically. There's nothing to copy across by hand. It appears in Your devices as Awaiting install the moment a token exists, and flips to Connected the instant it enrolls and reports in for the first time. In the tray, the tooltip moves from Starting… to Tracking active.

If it doesn't work

• A short network drop isn't a failure: the agent keeps working and buffers what it can, then sends it once the connection returns. You don't need to do anything for a brief blip.
• If the tray keeps showing Error: [message], that message is your best clue. It names the actual problem the agent hit reaching the server.
• If none of the above explains it, ask an admin to check whether your device or your account has been affected on the workspace side.

Related

• Install on a Mac
• Your devices
• The menu-bar icon and pausing