Limits

Every size, count and time limit in Alpha in one place.

This page lists every size, count and time limit in Alpha, and what you see when you reach one. Every feature page quotes these same values, so the numbers never disagree. If something fails without reaching a limit, go to Troubleshooting.

Some limits are set by whoever runs your Alpha. Those are marked “(default)”, and your Alpha may use a different value. Admins can see the turn length and publishing limits in use on the Server tab of the Admin dashboard. If you don’t see Publish, Routines or the mic in the composer, that feature isn’t turned on for your Alpha, and its limits don’t apply to you.

Sessions, sharing and search

Each session runs on its own machine. These limits apply to each session, and to how you find and share sessions. Sleep, wake and reset explains what a sleeping machine keeps.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Idle time before a machine sleeps	about 30 minutes	Once no Alpha page of yours has been visible for this long, each session with nothing running goes to sleep. Nothing is lost. The machine wakes when you open the session, or when work arrives for it.
Length of one turn	48 hours (default)	The turn is stopped. Your next message carries on from the session so far.
Disk per session’s machine	10 GB (default)	Writes inside the machine fail once the disk is full. Delete large files or build outputs to free space.
Length of one message	100,000 characters	The message is refused with “prompt too large”, and your text goes back into the composer. Attach long text as a file instead.
Repositories in a session	5 per session	You can’t add another. Repositories that a setup brings count toward this.
Session name	80 characters	A longer name, from Rename session or /rename, is cut to 80 characters. The same applies to a fork’s “(fork)” title.
Group name	40 characters	The Group name field takes no more.
People a session is shared with by email	20	The change is refused with “at most 20 emails”. Use Anyone with the link for a wider audience.
Sessions in a message search	15	Message matches come from at most 15 sessions, and nothing says when more matched. Search for a rarer word to find the one you want.
Searchable part of a message	The first 100,000 characters	Text past that point isn’t found by search. Opening the session still shows all of it.

Chat

These limits shape what you send and how much can wait its turn. Queue, steer or stop and The composer cover the features themselves.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Queued messages	20 messages	Another is refused with “at most 20 queued messages” until one has run.
Length of one queued message	100,000 characters	The same as any message.
/compact instructions Claude Code only	2,000 characters	The command is refused with “compact instructions must be at most 2000 characters”.
Length of one dictation	2 minutes	Recording stops by itself. Start the mic again to keep talking.
Dictations started per minute	6	The mic doesn’t start, and Alpha shows “Voice input disconnected — press the mic to try again.” Wait a minute, then press the mic again.
Dictations at once	1	A second one, for example from another tab, doesn’t start and shows the same message. Stop the first one, then try again.
Files listed for an @ mention	50	Only the best 50 matches show. Type more of the path to narrow the list.

Files

Files reach the session’s machine as uploads, and leave it as downloads. Files and uploads and File viewers cover both.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Size of one uploaded file	256 MB per file (default)	The upload is refused, and the tile says “Upload failed”. Hover it for the reason.
Image the agent can see	15 MB	Larger images still land in the session’s uploads folder. The agent gets them only as files, not as pictures it can look at.
Size of one file you download or view	32 MB	The download is refused. The viewers say the file is more than they can fetch.
Size of a folder you download	500 MB	The download is refused. node_modules, .venv, .venvs, venv, __pycache__ and .cache are always left out and don’t count.
Text shown in a viewer	512 KB	The code and source views show the first 512 KB, and the file header says “truncated at 512 KB”. Download the file to read the rest.
Results of the file search	200	Only the best 200 matches show. Type more of the name.

Database

The Database tab applies the same limits to your session’s database and to a production database. Browse, edit and query data shows where each one appears.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Rows shown for one SQL query	500	The result bar shows a first 500 rows chip. Add a LIMIT or a filter to see the rows you need.
Rows per page in the grid	500	Pick 50 rows, 100 rows, 250 rows or 500 rows, then page through with Next page.
Running time of one query	55 seconds	The query is stopped. On a production database the message reads “the production database did not answer within 55 s”.
Changes in one save	1,000	The save is refused with “commit at most 1000 changes at a time”, and nothing is applied. Save in smaller batches.
Wait for a locked table	5 seconds	A read or save gives up, for example while the agent runs a migration. Try again once the agent’s turn ends.

Publishing

Each published app runs as its own service with its own versions. Publish your app and Manage a published app cover the flow.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Published apps per session	3 per session (default)	You can’t publish another from this session. Republish an existing one instead.
Published apps per account	20 per account (default)	You can’t publish another until you delete one.
Publishes at once	1 per session	A second one is refused with “a deployment is already in progress for this session”. Wait for the current publish to finish.
App name	40 characters	Lowercase letters, digits and dashes only, starting with a letter and ending with a letter or digit. The name is the app’s address, so it can’t be changed later.
Run command	One line, 500 characters	The setting is refused with “the run command must be one line of at most 500 characters”.
Size of the source	48 MB compressed (default)	Publishing stops with “workspace too large to deploy”. Dependencies and build outputs are already left out, so look for large assets.
Build time	20 minutes (default)	The build is stopped and the version fails. Slim down the build.
Time for the app to start listening	4 minutes	The version fails. Make sure the app binds 0.0.0.0 on the PORT it’s given, and that its database is ready when it starts.
Memory per copy of the app	512 MiB (default)	The app is stopped and the version fails with an out-of-memory message.
CPU per copy of the app	1 (default)	Each copy gets this much CPU. Busy periods are handled by more copies, up to the limit below.
Copies running at once	2 (default)	Your app never runs more copies than this at the same time, however busy it gets. An idle app scales to zero, so the first request after a quiet spell is slower.
Versions kept	30 per app	The oldest versions and their logs are removed as new ones arrive. The version serving traffic is never removed.
Production Logs search text	200 characters	The Search the lines… box takes no more.
Production Logs lines kept on screen	2,000	As newer lines arrive, the oldest drop off the view. ↑ Older lines… loads earlier lines 200 at a time.

Routines, setups and secrets

These limits count across your whole account, not per session.

Routines

Routines covers timetables and runs.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Routines	20 per account	You can’t create another until you remove one. Paused routines count.
Shortest gap between runs	15 minutes (default)	A timetable that runs more often is refused, because each run wakes the session’s machine.
Runs going at once	5 per account	Other runs that are due wait for a free slot.
A run that starts late	10 minutes	A run more than 10 minutes late is skipped, not caught up.
A command’s running time	600 seconds, or up to 3,600 if the routine sets it	The run is stopped and fails with “stopped after … s”.
A command	1,000 characters	The routine is refused with “a command is at most 1000 characters”.
An agent instruction	4,000 characters	The instruction box takes no more.
One run’s log	256 KB	The rest of the output is cut.
Runs kept	The last 50 per routine	Older runs and their logs are removed.

Setups

Setups covers building and sharing them.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Setups	5 per account	Another is refused with “at most 5 setups per account” until you delete one. Setups shared with you don’t count.
Repositories in a setup	5	The form says “At most 5 repositories per setup.”
Setup script	32 KB	The save is refused with “the setup script must be under 32 KB”.
Boot script	32 KB	The save is refused with “the boot script must be under 32 KB”.
Boot script’s running time	5 minutes (default)	The script is stopped and the session carries on, on the machine as built. A note in the session says it timed out and where its output is on the machine.
Build time	30 minutes (default)	The build fails with “timed out after 30 minutes”. A failed rebuild keeps the previous build in use.
Build log	1 MB	The log ends with ”… (log truncated — the rest is not kept)”. The build itself carries on.
Name	60 characters	The save is refused with “name must be at most 60 characters”. Names are unique across your Alpha.
Description	300 characters	Text past this is cut when you save.
Notes for the agent	4,000 characters	Text past this is cut when you save.
Shared with	20 emails	The save is refused with “at most 20 emails”.

Secrets

Secrets owns the naming rules and reserved names.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Number of secrets	256 secrets	You can’t add another until you delete one. Your global secrets and each session’s own secrets are counted separately.
Total size of secrets	32 KB in total (default)	The new value is refused because the total would be too large.
One value	8 KB (default)	The value is refused with “value must be at most 8192 bytes”.
Name	64 characters	The name is refused. It must start with a letter or _, then use only letters, digits and _.

Skills, MCP servers and agents

Skills, MCP servers and Try it each cover their feature in full.

Limit	Value	What happens when you hit it
Skills you add	64 per account	Adding another is refused with “at most 64 skills”. Remove one first.
Skills shared with everyone	64 across your Alpha	Sharing another is refused with “at most 64 skills can be shared with everyone”.
Files in one skill	120	The skill is refused with “a skill may have at most 120 files”.
Size of one skill	4 MB, and 1 MB per file	The skill is refused with “a skill may total at most 4 MB”, or with the name of the file that is too large.
SKILL.md	256 KB	The skill is refused with “SKILL.md must be under 256 KB”. Move detail into reference files beside it.
Local MCP servers	32 per account	Adding another is refused with “at most 32 MCP servers”. Servers you didn’t add yourself don’t count.
Arguments and settings of a local server	64 arguments, 32 environment settings	The server is refused with “at most 64 arguments” or “at most 32 environment settings”.
Tools from one remote MCP server	500	The connection fails with “MCP server returned too many tools”. Ask the vendor for a narrower endpoint.
Connected tools named in the agent’s tool list	100	Nothing fails. Past 100, none are listed up front. The agent looks each tool up by name when it needs it, and can still use every one.
One Try it run	900 seconds	The run is stopped and marked Did not finish, with “the run took longer than 900 s and was stopped”.
One Try it answer	64 KiB	The rest is kept in the run’s stdout.txt, and the card says where.
Chats under Earlier chats	The newest 30	Older chats stay in the agent’s folder but aren’t listed.

Next steps

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Fixes for the messages above, plus the failures that have nothing to do with a limit.

Sleep, wake and reset

What keeps a machine awake past the idle time, and what survives a reset.

Monitor and troubleshoot production

Spot an app running out of memory or slow to start before your users do.

Admin dashboard

Where admins see the turn length and publish counts this Alpha runs with.