Are you an LLM? You can read better optimized documentation at /instances/instance-status.md for this page in Markdown format
Instance status
Every cloud instance has a status that tells you what the instance is doing right now. The status appears as a colour-coded badge on both the instance list and the detail view.
Status reference
| Status | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | The instance has been requested and is waiting for creation to begin. | Wait. Creation starts automatically. |
| Creating | Mincemeat is provisioning the instance on the server. | Wait. This usually takes less than a minute. |
| Running | The instance is active and reachable. | Use the web terminal, view metrics, and start workflows. |
| Stopped | The instance is powered off. It still exists and keeps its data. | Start the instance to resume work. |
| Stopping | The instance is shutting down gracefully. | Wait. The instance moves to Stopped shortly. |
| Restarting | The instance is stopping and then starting again. | Wait. The instance returns to Running shortly. |
| Error | Something went wrong during a lifecycle operation. | Check the troubleshooting page. If the problem persists, note the correlation ID and contact support. |
| Deleting | An administrator has requested deletion. | No actions are available. |
| Deleted | The instance has been removed. | The instance no longer appears in your list after a short time. |
Waiting states
Some statuses are transitional — the instance is moving between stable states and you cannot interact with it yet.
| Transitional status | Expected outcome | Typical wait time |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Creating → Running | Under 1 minute |
| Creating | Running | Under 1 minute |
| Stopping | Stopped | A few seconds |
| Restarting | Running | A few seconds |
| Deleting | Deleted | A few seconds |
During a transitional state:
- Lifecycle controls (start, stop, restart) are disabled.
- The web terminal is not available.
- Metrics may stop updating until the instance reaches a stable state.
Real-time updates
Instance status updates are pushed to your browser in real time. You do not need to refresh the page — the status badge updates automatically when the instance transitions.
If you notice the status has not changed for an unusually long time, try refreshing the page. The app re-synchronizes with the server on every page load and reconnection.
What to check next
- If the instance is Running, you can open the web terminal or view metrics.
- If the instance is Stopped, you can start it.
- If the instance is in Error, check the troubleshooting page.