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Frequently Asked Questions

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General

Whim is a cloud dev workspace for running AI coding agents. Each task runs in its own isolated container with a full dev environment, terminal sharing, and git branch isolation. Write a prompt, pick a model, and watch it code in real time.
Whim handles all infrastructure — cloud containers, git branch management, environment setup, and multi-agent orchestration. Run multiple tasks in parallel without local resources, collaborate with teammates in real time, and switch between AI providers seamlessly.
All modern browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For the best experience, use a Chromium-based browser.

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Tasks

Free and Pro: 20 active tasks per team. Max: 40+, scaling with your capacity multiplier.
Whim detects container failures (typically within 30 seconds) and marks the task as stopped. Review terminal output to diagnose, then fork or re-run with an updated prompt.
Yes. Type in the live terminal to respond to prompts, run commands, or guide the agent. You can also send follow-up prompts.
A task launches immediately with an AI agent. A todo is planned work in your backlog until you launch it.

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Files & Attachments

Three ways:
  • Drag and drop files onto the task composer or active task
  • File picker — click the attachment button
  • Paste images from your clipboard into the composer
Limits: 25 MB per file, 10 files per task. Supported types include images (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, SVG), documents (PDF, TXT, MD), code files, config files, and data files (CSV, TSV). Executables and binaries are blocked.
Attached files are injected into the container via the WHIM_ATTACHMENTS environment variable with sanitized filenames and signed download URLs (valid 1 hour). The runtime downloads them automatically.
Yes. Images show as inline thumbnails. Click any attachment to open a full-screen preview with zoom support (images), syntax highlighting (code), or native rendering (PDFs). Previews use signed URLs scoped to your session.

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Notifications

Go to Settings → Notifications, click Enable Notifications to trigger your browser’s permission prompt, then toggle individual types:
  • Claude waiting for input — agent finished, awaiting response
  • Comments on my tasks — someone commented on your task
  • When I’m @mentioned — someone mentioned you
  • Reactions to my comments — someone reacted to your comment
Notifications only appear when the Whim tab is not in focus.
Reset in your browser’s site settings:
  • Chrome: Lock icon → Site settings → Notifications → Allow
  • Firefox: Lock icon → Clear notification permission
  • Safari: Safari → Settings → Websites → Notifications → find whim.run → Allow

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Authentication

Whim uses GitHub OAuth. Sign in with your GitHub account — your profile is created automatically from your GitHub email and avatar. Sessions persist across tabs and refreshes with transparent token refresh.
Demo mode lets you explore Whim without a GitHub account using anonymous auth. Functionality is limited. Upgrade to a full account by signing in with GitHub at any time.
Open the user menu (your avatar in the sidebar) → Sign out. This ends your session across all tabs and devices.

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Data & Privacy

  • Container isolation — each task runs in its own isolated container on Fly.io with a separate filesystem and network stack. Destroyed when the task ends.
  • Workspace isolation — Row-Level Security (RLS) ensures you can only access data in workspaces you belong to.
  • AI providers — your code and prompts are sent to the provider you select (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter). Each has its own data policy. Whim sends only the minimum context necessary.
Your code lives in your GitHub repository. Whim clones it into an ephemeral container per task and destroys the container when done. File attachments are stored in Supabase Storage, scoped to your workspace.
Yes. Request access to or deletion of your personal data at whim.run/data-request. See also: Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy.

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Billing

CUs combine container runtime (1 CU ≈ 30 min) and AI token usage (~14,000 input tokens per CU). See Plans, Pricing & Usage for full details.
Yes. The Free plan gives you 50 CU per week at no cost.
A grace period lets running tasks finish briefly. You can’t start new tasks until your weekly period resets or you upgrade.

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AI Providers

Models from Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (Codex), and various models via OpenRouter (CCR). Select your provider and model when creating each task.
Whim provides built-in API access through its CU system — AI costs are included in your CU consumption.
Models are selected at task creation. To try a different model, fork the task or create a new one.

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Troubleshooting

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Task Issues

Containers usually start within 60 seconds (up to 3 minutes for custom images). If stuck:
  1. Check CU balance — can’t start tasks when depleted
  2. Check active task limit — Free/Pro allow 20; archive or complete old tasks
  3. Try again — transient infra issues occasionally delay creation
  4. If persistent, check the Whim status page or contact support
Usually a workspace image or environment issue:
  • Check image build logs in Settings → Workspace Images
  • Ensure your image includes required dependencies
  • Verify GitHub App has access to the repository

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Terminal Issues

  1. Refresh the page to re-establish the connection
  2. Check your internet connection (requires stable WebSocket)
  3. Try a different browser — some extensions interfere with WebSockets
  4. Disable VPN if applicable
Brief disconnections when switching tabs (especially Safari) are normal — Whim auto-reconnects. For persistent disconnections: check network stability, disable tab sleeping in browser settings, try a wired connection.

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Git Issues

  1. Verify GitHub App installation is active in Settings → GitHub
  2. Ensure the app has access to the specific repository
  3. If you recently changed permissions on GitHub, reconnect the integration
  4. The installation token may have expired — try removing and re-adding the integration
Each task uses its own branch. If conflicts occur when pushing:
  • The base branch may have updated since the task started
  • Fork the task to retry with a fresh branch
  • Use the terminal to manually resolve conflicts

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AI Provider Issues

  • Check the provider’s status page (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter)
  • Try a different model by creating a new task
  • Verify CU balance — some errors occur when balance is too low
  • Send a follow-up prompt to guide the agent
  • Check the terminal — the agent may be waiting for input
  • Fork the task with a more specific prompt
  • Whim detects idle agents (over 2 minutes) and can alert you via notifications

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CU Balance Issues

Check Settings → Usage for per-task breakdown. Remember:
  • CUs combine container runtime and token usage — high-token tasks may cost more than expected
  • Reserved machines consume 3 CU/week each
  • Periods reset weekly from your subscription anchor, not on a fixed day
You’ve likely hit your active task limit (20 for Free/Pro, 40+ for Max). Complete or archive finished tasks.

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Browser Notifications

  1. Check Settings → Notifications — master toggle and relevant types must be on
  2. Check browser permissions for whim.run
  3. Notifications only fire when the Whim tab is not in focus
  4. On macOS, ensure notifications are enabled for your browser in System Settings → Notifications

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Mobile

Whim is optimized for desktop. On mobile: the terminal is harder to use on small screens, drag-and-drop isn’t available (use the file picker), and browser notifications may behave differently by OS.