Defaults and limits
These values help you plan a task. For plan allowances and current usage, see Plans and billing.
Sessions and expiry
Pending approval lasts up to 24 hours by default. If no decision arrives, the request is cancelled.
See Server access policies for workspace settings.
| Limit | Value | Where it’s set |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum session duration | 4 hours by default; 5 minutes to 7 days. | A Superuser sets it under “Policies” → “Server access”, in the Server defaults card. Raising it requires the web console. |
| Expiry warning | Once, within the last 10 minutes. | Fixed. |
| Extension end time | Within the maximum duration, measured from the extension request. | The same maximum session duration setting. |
For a new session, duration is measured from the scheduled start, or from the request time if it starts immediately. The form offers only presets within the maximum and caps custom durations. A request above the limit is refused rather than shortened automatically.
Within the last 10 minutes before expiry, the requester and assignee receive a warning in the in-app feed and as a browser notification. Token-only sessions do not receive this warning. If you still need access, request an extension before the end time, leaving time for approval.
After the end time, further operations are refused even if the page has not yet updated the status. Open connections close as the session is marked expired. If your session expired mid-task, request another session.
MFA and sensitive actions
MFA verification remains valid for 1 hour by default for ordinary actions. Sensitive actions use a separate 15-minute default. A workspace administrator can change these windows under Authentication policies. If a window has passed, complete the requested MFA check before continuing.
Tokens and registration
Maximum token lifetime defaults to 366 days and can be set from 1 to 366 days. It limits personal API tokens and server or cluster registration tokens. A token created without an expiry uses the workspace maximum; a later requested expiry is refused. Lowering the maximum does not shorten an existing token. Service tokens have their own expiry and are outside this setting. See Token types and Registration tokens.
Workspace settings and plans
A Superuser changes session duration and token lifetime limits in Server access policies. Workspaces can use Free, Essentials, or Enterprise; the current plan can limit usage or withhold an extension. For current paid-plan allowances, see the Alpacon pricing page. Check Plans and billing for your workspace’s usage and plan allowances.
Commands
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Command line | The command line can contain up to 2048 characters. Shorten the command or use verified file execution for a script. |
Purpose (--purpose) | Up to 2000 characters. A longer purpose is refused. Describe the reason for this command within the limit. |
Script contents (--file) | A non-empty UTF-8 script of at most 65,536 bytes (64 KB). Split a larger script or have it read data from a separate file. |
| File execution command line | The interpreter, script path, and arguments together must fit within 2048 characters. Shorten paths or arguments; have the script read bulky input from a file. |
| Live output | Live activity shows the last 16,384 characters. Open the stored command result for more output. |
| Run time | A command runs on the server for up to 30 minutes. Split work that cannot finish within 30 minutes. |
| Foreground wait | After 10 minutes without a result following acknowledgment or delivery, foreground exec reports the command as stuck and exits 1. The command keeps running on the server for up to 30 minutes. Use --detach and alpacon exec logs JOB_ID for work that may take longer than about 10 minutes. |
CLI status wait (ALPACON_EXEC_TIMEOUT) | How long the CLI keeps waiting when it cannot get a running status; default 30m. Each in-progress status resets this wait. It is not a run-time limit. Check the job before retrying: giving up waiting does not cancel it. |
Approval wait (--wait-approval) | The wait for approval defaults to 5 minutes; accepts a duration such as 30m. Use --wait or set --wait-approval when you want the CLI to wait for approval. |
Verified file execution
| Input | Limit |
|---|---|
| Script contents | Non-empty UTF-8, at most 65,536 bytes (64 KB) |
| Generated command line | 2048 characters for the interpreter, path, and arguments together |
| Script path | 1024 characters; absolute path |
| Interpreter | 256 characters; absolute path |
| Each argument | 1024 characters |
| Argument count | 64 |
| Proposed reuse duration | 1–366 days, within the workspace’s ceiling |
See file execution refusals if submission fails.
Websh sessions
| Limit | What applies |
|---|---|
| Session duration | 1 day by default, counted from when the terminal opened. Personal settings can shorten it; the workspace maximum still applies. |
| Share link expiry | 5–180 minutes, with a default of 30 minutes. A link is single-use. |
| Email invitations | Up to 20 email addresses per invitation, including repeated addresses. |
| Monthly Websh use and sharing | Availability and allowances depend on the workspace plan. |
| Terminal replay | Free has no session replay. The console shows the notice below; paid-plan access depends on the plan. |
On Free, the recording notice is Terminal recordings start on Essentials.. See Plans & billing for plan allowances and Terminal recordings for replay.
Keystrokes, terminal output, and browser reconnects do not reset the time limit. Reconnecting from the work session’s Resume tab does not reset it either. Only the agent’s terminal connection reconnecting resets this timer. The work session can also end the terminal before that limit.
Adjust Websh session timeout in Websh settings. It must be at least 10 minutes and cannot exceed the workspace’s Websh session retention time, which an administrator can set from 10 minutes to 1 day.
File transfers
Your plan limits how much you transfer with WebFTP each month, not the size of each file. On a plan with a transfer limit, once the month’s volume is used up, a new upload or download is refused until the period resets; a transfer already in progress completes. See your workspace’s remaining volume on the Usage page.