> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://helpdesk.augmentt.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://helpdesk.augmentt.com/modules/discover/agent-overview.md).

# Agent Overview

The Augmentt Discovery Agent is the lightweight collector behind everything in **Discover**. It runs on your customers' Windows and Mac endpoints, watches browser and application activity, and uploads what it finds to your Augmentt tenant so it can surface as Application Usage, App Catalog, and Discover Compliance data.

This page covers what the agent is, what it collects, and how to troubleshoot it. For installation walkthroughs by platform and RMM, see [Discovery Agent Deployment](/modules/discover/agent-deployment.md).

## What the agent does

The agent uploads SaaS usage data pulled from a device or user's browser history and running applications. In addition to the standard company-level rollup, you can drill into SaaS usage for individual users once their device is mapped to an employee record.

|                                 |                                                                                               |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Supported browsers**          | Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Safari, Firefox                                                       |
| **Supported operating systems** | Windows 8.1, 10, 11; macOS 10.15.7+ (Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey and later)                   |
| **Mac architecture**            | Intel native; Apple Silicon (M-series) supported via Rosetta 2                                |
| **Upload frequency**            | On service/device startup, then every 6 hours                                                 |
| **Local collection interval**   | Running-application data is collected locally every minute and batched into the 6-hour upload |

{% hint style="info" %}
Because uploads only happen on startup and every 6 hours, freshly installed agents (or ones that just ran an install/uninstall cycle) can take a few hours to show data. If a partner needs data sooner, restarting the agent service forces an immediate upload — see [Agent Deployment: Restarting the Mac Agent](/modules/discover/agent-deployment.md#restarting-the-mac-agent) for the Mac steps, or restart the Windows service directly.
{% endhint %}

## How installation works

The agent can be installed manually, via Group Policy, or through your RMM platform of choice. Regardless of method, the installer needs your company's **license key** at install time — this is what ties the device's data to the correct company/tenant in Augmentt. Find your license key in **Discover > Agent**, next to the company you're deploying to.

Full step-by-step instructions for every method (PowerShell, batch, Datto RMM, ConnectWise Automate, Syncro, Intune, N-able N-central, Kaseya VSA, NinjaRMM, and the Mac equivalents) live in [Discovery Agent Deployment](/modules/discover/agent-deployment.md).

## User-level data and employee mapping

A technician can see SaaS usage broken out per end user, but only when the workstation's Windows username, or its first/last name, matches an employee record you've created in Augmentt. If there's no matching employee, the traffic still gets collected — it just shows up as **anonymous SaaS traffic** at the company level instead of being attributed to a person.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If Application Usage looks empty for a company even though the agent is clearly installed and reporting, employee mapping is the first thing to check — this is the single most common cause of "no data" reports in support.
{% endhint %}

## Troubleshooting

### Windows agent

* **Install path:** `C:\Program Files (x86)\Augmentt\browser_agent`
* **Logs:** the `\logs` subfolder under the install path — check these first to confirm the agent actually collected and successfully submitted data.
* **Confirming the license key took:** open `BrowserAgent.exe.Config` in a text editor and find:

  ```
  <add key="CompanyId" value="{license_key}" />
  ```

  Confirm this matches the license key shown for that company under **Discover > Agent**. A mismatch here means the device is (or was) reporting into the wrong tenant.

### Mac agent

* Confirm **Full Disk Access** has been granted to the agent under **System Settings > Privacy & Security**. Without it, the agent cannot read browser history and will not push usage data. This permission prompt doesn't always appear automatically — if it doesn't, launch it manually from System Settings.
* Once Full Disk Access is granted, the agent makes its first push on service start, then every 6 hours.

### "Agent installed, but nothing shows up in the console"

This is the most common real-world ticket pattern. Work through it in this order:

1. **Give it time.** The agent only uploads on startup and every 6 hours — if it was just installed, that's often the whole story.
2. **Check the license key.** Confirm the key used at install time matches the company in Discover > Agent (Windows: `BrowserAgent.exe.Config`; installer command line: the `/extensionKey=` or `/EXTENSIONKEY=` parameter).
3. **Check firewall/network egress.** Support has pointed customers at outbound access to the agent's upload endpoints when uploads silently fail — if a firewall is blocking outbound traffic to Augmentt's ingestion IPs, the agent collects locally but never successfully submits. Confirm with your network team that outbound HTTPS to Augmentt's endpoints is allowed.
4. **Restart the agent service** to force an immediate upload attempt rather than waiting for the next 6-hour window.
5. **Check Total Web Traffic** under **Discover > App Catalog** — traffic that hasn't been classified into a known app yet shows up here rather than in Application Usage.
6. **Check employee mapping** (above) if data is arriving but not associated with the right users.
7. On Windows, confirm the device has an available Discover license — a message like "device(s) found with no Discover user license attached" on the Agent page means you're out of licenses for that device to be attributed, not that the agent itself failed.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Real customer reports have also surfaced a discrepancy between Augmentt's Discover data and third-party tools (e.g. a network-level web filter) for the same time window and devices — with zero overlap in flagged users. If a partner reports this kind of gap, treat it as an investigation case (agent coverage, browser support, or mapping) rather than assuming one tool is simply wrong; escalate to support with the device list and comparison data.
{% endhint %}

### What the agent does *not* do

* It does not inventory every locally installed desktop application (e.g. developer or network tools installed outside a tracked browser/SaaS context) — Discover is focused on browser-based SaaS usage and a defined set of tracked desktop apps, not a full software inventory. If a partner expects full installed-software auditing, set that expectation before deployment.
* It will not "sign up" for or trigger use of an application on a user's behalf — an unexpected entry under a shared/admin account (e.g. a shared "admin" Windows profile) usually means that profile's browser was actually used to visit the service, not that the agent initiated anything.

### What to include in a support ticket

When escalating a Discover data-collection issue to Augmentt support, include:

* Customer/company name
* The latest agent log file from the affected device
* `BrowserAgent.exe.Config` from the device (Windows)
* The Windows profile name (or Mac username) of the affected user
* The device name
* The employee name/email as it exists in Augmentt

{% hint style="warning" %}
Not independently verified this session (codebase access was unavailable) — the specific outbound IPs/endpoints the agent needs allow-listed, and current certificate details on the Windows/Mac installers. If a partner reports installer security warnings or connectivity blocks, confirm current values with engineering/support before quoting them.
{% endhint %}


---

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