---
title: "Working with Agent Goals"
canonical: https://trickest.com/docs/using-the-app/agent/working-with-goals
description: "Set an objective with completion criteria, inspect progress, and pause, resume, or end the goal."
---

# Working with Agent Goals

## Before you start

Use a goal when the Agent should keep working toward an outcome across turns. Goals require an environment with goal execution enabled and a compatible runtime. Start in an Agent conversation with model access and access to any device or workflow the task needs.

## Set a goal

Ask the Agent to create a goal, giving the objective and observable completion criteria. For example:

> Create a goal to prepare a report from the workflow's latest completed run. It is done when the report names the run, summarizes the output counts, and links the saved report file. Ask me if the required output is missing.

Check the goal row that appears in the conversation. Expand it to review **Objective** and **Done when**. Correct unclear criteria before the Agent continues. A normal chat request is not evidence that a persistent goal was created; look for the goal row.

## Read progress

Expand the goal to see **Latest progress**, completion criteria, and any evidence attached to those criteria. **Open device** takes you to the associated device when one is present.

| Status | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Working toward the goal** | Follow progress and inspect the resulting work. |
| **Goal waiting** | Read the reason shown before deciding whether intervention is needed. |
| **Goal needs you** | Resolve the reported blocker or answer the pending question. |
| **Goal paused** | Review the current work; resume when ready. |
| **Goal completed** | Check the evidence against the completion criteria. |
| **Goal ended** | The Agent is no longer pursuing this goal. The row disappears after cleanup; the chat and files remain available. |

A completed criterion is the Agent's report. Open the saved file, run output, or other evidence to confirm the result, especially for changes in an external application.

## Pause and resume

Select **Pause** to interrupt pursuit of the goal while keeping its objective and progress. Wait for the paused state before taking over the device. A paused goal still reserves its device; end or complete the goal and resolve cleanup before stopping or restoring the device. If the control has not completed, use **Retry pause** and read any reported error.

<Frame editorial maxWidth="680px" darkSrc="https://res.cloudinary.com/db14crach/image/upload/v1793311614/www/docs/release-1-2-7-2026-10-29/goal-paused-dark-ec74036fcfbb3c1e.png" caption="A paused goal keeps its objective visible and offers Resume. Expand the row to inspect the details before continuing.">
  <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/db14crach/image/upload/v1793311612/www/docs/release-1-2-7-2026-10-29/goal-paused-light-7951d90e635f5157.png" alt="Goal paused row showing its objective summary, Paused by you status, Resume button, and End goal control." />
</Frame>

Select **Resume** when you are ready to continue. Resolve any pending question or permission request first. Resuming does not grant new permissions or remove the task's original constraints.

## End the goal

Select the **End goal** control beside the goal title and confirm. This ends pursuit of the objective while preserving the chat, files, and progress. If **Retry cleanup** appears, cleanup is still unresolved; retry and check the result before stopping or restoring the device.

The chat's **Stop** control and the goal's controls serve different scopes. Use the goal controls to manage the objective, and inspect separately launched workflow runs or background commands before assuming all work has stopped.

---
_Markdown source of https://trickest.com/docs/using-the-app/agent/working-with-goals._