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

# Understand how Podium runs agents

> Learn the server, daemon, client, and harness boundaries behind every session.

Podium separates durable coordination from execution. The server owns shared records, while daemons run native harness processes on the machines that hold your files and credentials.

```text theme={"system"}
Web or desktop client
        |
        v
Podium server: issues, sessions, state, artifacts
        |
        v
Podium daemon: machine inventory, process control, terminal relay
        |
        v
Native harness: Codex, Claude Code, Grok, OpenCode, Cursor, or Pi
        |
        v
Repository checkout or issue worktree
```

## The server owns shared state

The server stores issues, dependencies, sessions, messages, settings, and artifact copies. In a default installation, that state lives in `~/.podium`.

## A daemon runs on each execution machine

The daemon launches harnesses in real pseudo-terminals and connects outward to the server over WebSocket. A remote daemon does not need an inbound public port.

The machine keeps its repository files and native harness credentials. When credential copying is enabled during pairing, Podium can propagate native Claude Code or Codex credentials from an online machine owned by the same user. This guarded path does not support other harnesses, and each harness still owns its authentication state.

## Clients supervise durable sessions

The desktop and web clients attach to server state and live terminals. Disconnecting a client does not end the session. The daemon keeps the process available for reconnection.

The implemented mobile clients expose attention, issues, sessions, and terminals. The reviewed sources do not confirm a supported native iPhone release, and the `/mobile` web build is an unsupported compatibility path.

## Execution stays on the selected machine

The selected machine needs the repository, harness, and credentials before the session starts. Read [repositories, worktrees, and machines](/docs/concepts/workspaces) for placement rules.