Most computer use agents need a real desktop or browser to interact with, but setting up VMs, installing OS images, and managing snapshots is a recurring operational burden. The /v1/machines endpoint lets you provision cloud machines on demand, start them, stop them, and snapshot their state so your agent always runs on a clean, reproducible environment. No manual setup, no fragile SSH keys, just an API request and a running machine.
How it works
Make a POST request to /v1/machines with a JSON body. The endpoint returns a machine object with an id, status, and connection details. You can then start the machine, call the computer use predict endpoint against its screen, and manage the lifecycle with start, stop, and snapshot actions. The machine runs a real desktop environment that your agent can see and control via the computer use API.
curl -X POST https://coasty.ai/v1/machines \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $COASTY_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"machine_type": "desktop",
"os": "windows",
"region": "us-east"
}' | jq .Machine lifecycle and actions
- POST /v1/machines creates a machine instance.
- GET /v1/machines lists your provisioned machines.
- GET /v1/machines/{id} returns the current machine state.
- POST /v1/machines/{id}/start powers on the machine.
- POST /v1/machines/{id}/stop powers off the machine.
- POST /v1/machines/{id}/snapshot saves the current state as a snapshot.
POST /v1/machines creates a VM, POST /v1/machines/{id}/start boots it for the agent to control.
Where this beats brittle automation
Classic automation relies on XPath, CSS selectors, or hardcoded coordinates that break when UIs change. With a real cloud desktop and a computer use agent, the agent sees the screen, reads text, and clicks elements exactly as a human would. It handles layout shifts, missing buttons, and dynamic content without any selector maintenance. You get resilient automation on browsers, desktop apps, and terminals, all driven by the Coasty computer use API.
Provision cloud machines on demand and let your computer use agent run complex workflows in real environments. Combine machine provisioning with task runs, workflows, or your MCP server to build end-to-end automation pipelines. Get your API key at https://coasty.ai/developers and start spinning up machines.
Want to see this in action?
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