Frequently asked questions

#General

Does FileAgent store my files?

No. Files move directly between your source and destination systems. FileAgent stores configuration, logs, and — if you enable it — archive copies of files that Move jobs removed, all on your own host. File contents are never sent to our services.

Is FileAgent cloud-based or self-hosted?

Self-hosted. You install it on a machine you control (on-premises or a cloud VM you own) and manage it through its local HTTPS console. Only license validation and update checks use the internet.

Can FileAgent move files between cloud providers?

Yes — any supported endpoint can be source or destination, including S3 → Azure Blob and back (Business plans and above for cloud connectors). Data flows through the FileAgent host, so place it where bandwidth is good.

Can it replace my FTP scripts?

That's a primary use case. Jobs replace the script logic, schedules replace cron/Task Scheduler, credentials come out of the script files, and you gain logs, retries, and alerts the scripts never had.

Can FileAgent mirror folders?

Yes — the Sync/Mirror mode keeps a destination matched to a source, including removing destination files that no longer exist in the source (Team plans and above). Understand the delete behavior first: see Sync/Mirror.

#Installation

What do I need to install it?

A 64-bit Windows or Debian/Ubuntu-based Linux machine that stays on, administrator/root rights, and a browser. See Before you install.

Can it run as a background service?

Yes. Installation registers FileAgent's web and scheduler as background services, so the console and scheduled jobs keep running after sign-out and reboots — on both Windows and Linux.

Why does my browser warn about the certificate?

New installs use a self-signed certificate until you install your own. Install a trusted certificate to remove the warning (see Certificates).

Will I lose my jobs if I uninstall or update?

No. Updates preserve your configuration, and a standard uninstall preserves your data folder so jobs and credentials aren't deleted by accident. See Updating and Uninstalling.

#Security

How is my data protected?

FileAgent is self-hosted, so files stay in your network. Stored credentials and the local database are encrypted at rest on the host, secrets are never shown in full, and the console is HTTPS-only. See Security & trust.

Are credentials encrypted?

Yes. Credentials are encrypted on the host and referenced by jobs by name; they're never embedded in job definitions. See Credential & data protection.

Can I control which users see which jobs?

Yes, on Business Premium and Enterprise: job-scoped access limits users to specific jobs and archive folders. All multi-user plans support administrator and standard roles. See Users & roles.

Does FileAgent support SSO?

Yes — SAML 2.0 single sign-on, plus LDAP directory sign-in, on Business Premium and Enterprise. See SSO and LDAP.

Is there an audit trail?

Every run is logged with status, duration, file counts, sizes, and per-file detail, retained per your plan — an operational audit trail of what moved where and when. See Auditability.

#Licensing

How do licenses work?

Buy a plan at fileagent.app/pricing, receive a license key by email, and activate it under Settings → Licensing. The key unlocks your plan's connectors, limits, and features; upgrades are a new key away. See Licensing & plans.

What happens if my license lapses?

Paid features and connectors revert toward Free-plan behavior while your job definitions stay intact. Fix the subscription or re-activate and functionality returns.

Can FileAgent work without internet access?

Transfers between internal systems (local, SMB, FTP/SFTP) need no internet. Licensing normally validates over HTTPS but tolerates a bounded offline window, and signed offline license files support restricted environments. Cloud connectors naturally require reaching the cloud provider.

#AI Assistant

Which plans include the FileAgent AI Assistant?

The AI Assistant is included with Business Premium and Enterprise. It helps create and edit jobs, answers FileAgent questions, explains settings and workflows, and provides practical configuration recommendations.

Which AI providers are supported?

Administrators can connect an organization-managed API key for Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, or OpenAI under Settings → AI Assistant. Your organization chooses the provider and manages its account, usage, billing, limits, policies, and terms.

Does FileAgent include an AI API subscription?

No. You connect your own supported provider account. Google currently offers a free API tier for eligible Gemini models and qualifying usage, subject to Google's current model availability, rate limits, policies, and terms. See Set up Gemini using its free API tier.

Can the assistant change jobs automatically?

The assistant can prepare supported job creations and edits, but it does not bypass FileAgent's controls. The signed-in user reviews the proposed configuration and must explicitly confirm it before FileAgent applies the change. Existing permissions and plan entitlements still apply.

#Transfers

What happens if a transfer fails?

The run is marked failed with the full error in Logs; configured retries reattempt transient errors automatically, and failure alerts notify you by email (or Slack/Teams on higher plans). Fix the cause and Run now.

Can I schedule recurring jobs?

Yes — recurring schedules are core on every plan. Advanced calendar scheduling (specific days, dates, and times) is available on Pro and above. See Schedules.

Can FileAgent handle large files?

Yes — transfers stream between endpoints, and per-job timeout and retry settings let you tune for very large files. Practical throughput depends on your network and endpoint speed; placing the host near the data helps most.

What's the difference between Copy, Move, and Sync/Mirror?

Copy leaves the source intact; Move removes files from the source after copying; Sync/Mirror makes the destination match the source, including deletions. See Transfer modes.

#Scheduled Purge

Can FileAgent delete old files automatically?

Yes — Scheduled Purge deletes files older than a configured age (days, weeks, months, or years), optionally limited to a file pattern, across local, SMB, SFTP, FTP, S3, and Azure Blob locations. It's built for retention cleanup and is available on Business plans and above.

Is Scheduled Purge a backup?

No. It permanently deletes files. Keep a separate backup, or use archive-before-delete, for anything you might need back. See Scheduled Purge.

How do I use it safely?

Point it at a specific folder (not a root), start with a narrow pattern, confirm the age threshold, run it manually once and review the deleted/skipped counts, then schedule it. See the preflight checklist.

#Updates

How do updates work?

FileAgent shows available releases under Settings → Updates (Pro and above). Download and install the update on the host; configuration and jobs are preserved. See Updating FileAgent.

Should I update right away?

Stay within a release or two of current. Take a configuration backup first (Business plans and above), apply the update in a quiet window, and validate one representative job afterward.

#Troubleshooting

My scheduled job didn't run — why?

Most often the scheduler was stopped, the host was off at the scheduled time, or the job/schedule wasn't enabled. See A scheduled job didn't run.

A connection keeps failing — where do I start?

Use Test connection to isolate the credential, then see the connector-specific fixes in Connection & credential failures.

What should I gather before contacting support?

Your version and OS, the job name and exact error text, when it started and what changed, the connector involved, and whether a manual run reproduces it. See Troubleshooting — start here.