> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.murmur.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# murmur status

> Query the current status of a Murmur agent — lifecycle phase, VM and cost, task progress, latest artifacts, and child-agent summary.

Prints the current status of an [agent](/concepts/agents). Shows the agent's phase, VM assignment, latest progress, output (PRs, commits, cost), and optionally its children and lifecycle timeline.

## Synopsis

```bash theme={null}
murmur status [flags] [slug]
```

On a VM, the slug is optional — omitting it queries the current agent's own status.

## Arguments

| Name          | Type   | Required  | Description                                                           |
| ------------- | ------ | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `slug`        | string | on laptop | The agent's slug. Optional on VMs (defaults to self).                 |
| `--service`   | bool   | no        | Query a service agent instead of a developer agent. Default: `false`. |
| `--children`  | bool   | no        | Include child agent statuses in the output. Default: `false`.         |
| `--timeline`  | bool   | no        | Include the lifecycle timeline in the output. Default: `false`.       |
| `--workspace` | string | no        | Workspace name. Overrides the value from `murmur.yaml`.               |

## Output

The output is a set of key-value lines. Fields appear only when they have a value.

| Field        | Description                                                          |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `workflow`   | The agent's full workflow identifier.                                |
| `phase`      | Current lifecycle phase (see below).                                 |
| `vm`         | VM instance name, project, zone, and state (`running` or `stopped`). |
| `version`    | The murmur version running on the VM.                                |
| `progress`   | Latest progress message from the agent.                              |
| `mode`       | `interactive` when the agent is in interactive mode.                 |
| `working on` | The agent's current task description.                                |
| `queued`     | Pending follow-up messages waiting to be processed.                  |
| `response`   | The agent's last response text.                                      |
| `pr`         | Pull request title and URL. Repeated if multiple PRs.                |
| `commits`    | Number of commits the agent has made.                                |
| `cost`       | Cumulative API cost in USD.                                          |
| `children`   | Child agent statuses (only with `--children`).                       |

### Phases

| Phase                  | Meaning                                                                |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `PHASE_STARTING`       | Agent is provisioning — acquiring a VM and preparing the workspace.    |
| `PHASE_RUNNING`        | Agent is actively working on a task.                                   |
| `PHASE_TASK_COMPLETE`  | Agent finished a task and is waiting for follow-ups or will go idle.   |
| `PHASE_IDLE`           | Agent is idle — VM is still running, waiting for a follow-up or sleep. |
| `PHASE_SLEEPING`       | VM is stopped. The agent wakes on the next follow-up or `murmur wake`. |
| `PHASE_CHECKS_PENDING` | Agent is waiting for CI checks to complete on a PR.                    |
| `PHASE_DESTROYING`     | Agent is shutting down and releasing its VM.                           |
| `PHASE_COMPLETED`      | Agent finished and exited normally. Terminal.                          |
| `PHASE_FAILED`         | Agent encountered an error. Terminal.                                  |
| `PHASE_CANCELED`       | Agent was killed. Terminal.                                            |

## Examples

### Basic status check

```bash theme={null}
murmur status fix-auth
```

```
workflow: github_oauth/alice/w/backend/fix-auth
phase:    PHASE_RUNNING
vm:       murmur-a1b2c3d4 (acme-agents/us-central1-a) [running]
version:  0.4+a1b2c3d4
progress: Investigating auth middleware (2m ago)
```

### Completed agent with output

```bash theme={null}
murmur status fix-auth
```

```
workflow: github_oauth/alice/w/backend/fix-auth
phase:    PHASE_COMPLETED
response: Fixed the auth middleware to validate JWT expiry before checking claims.
pr:       Fix JWT expiry validation (https://github.com/acme/backend/pull/42)
commits:  3
cost:     $0.85
```

### Status with children

```bash theme={null}
murmur status director --children
```

```
workflow: github_oauth/alice/w/backend/director
phase:    PHASE_RUNNING
progress: Coordinating child agents
children:
  fix-auth (github_oauth/alice/w/backend/director/fix-auth): CHILD_STATUS_COMPLETED
  add-tests (github_oauth/alice/w/backend/director/add-tests): CHILD_STATUS_RUNNING
```

### Service agent status

```bash theme={null}
murmur status merge-queue --service
```

```
workflow: github_app/acme/w/backend/s/murmuration/merge-queue
phase:    PHASE_SLEEPING
```

### Self-status on a VM

When running on an agent VM, omit the slug to query the current agent:

```bash theme={null}
murmur status
```

## Errors

| Code               | Meaning                               | What to do                                                         |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `NOT_FOUND`        | No agent with that slug exists.       | Check the slug spelling. Use `murmur ls` to see running agents.    |
| `UNAUTHENTICATED`  | Identity token is missing or expired. | Run `murmur auth` or check your `murmur.local.yaml` configuration. |
| `INVALID_ARGUMENT` | `service status requires a slug`      | The `--service` flag requires a slug — it cannot default to self.  |

## Related

* [Agents](/concepts/agents) — concept overview
* [`murmur spawn`](/cli/spawn) — start an agent
* [`murmur ls`](/cli/ls) — list running agents
* [`murmur kill`](/cli/kill) — cancel an agent
* [`murmur wait`](/cli/wait) — block until an agent reaches a target phase
* [`murmur sleep`](/cli/sleep) — stop an agent's VM
* [`murmur wake`](/cli/wake) — restart a sleeping agent's VM