All screens in use can mean one Bot's screen failed to start
Staff say the error is misleading when other Bots on the same computer still have screens. They are tracking it as a known issue.
If a Bot says "All screens on the shared computer are in use" while other Bots on that computer keep working, treat it as a stuck screen start for that Bot, not a full capacity problem. On Oct 13 at 4:14 AM ET, Cursor staff member Colin told a reporter that "this isn't a capacity problem," that "one of your bots can't get its screen started, while your other bots on the same computer can still use theirs," and that the all-screens message "is misleading in this case."
What changed#
Devon_Lybbert reported on Oct 12 that overnight browser work failed with the all-screens error even when only one agent was working and idle screens showed no browser. Logs showed Screenshot hold lapsed after 120000ms without a release. "Update Bot's Computer" cleared it for about an hour, then it returned. Colin said the hold-lapsed line is a side effect of a saved-password autofill safety check after a two-minute wait, "not the cause." He called it "a known issue we're already tracking," added the report to that ticket, and tweaked the user's box on the backend.
Why it matters#
Teams that share one Bot computer for browser-only jobs (no API) can lose a whole night of work if one screen fails to start and the error looks like capacity.
How to use it#
- Check whether other Bots on the same computer can still take screenshots. If they can, it is not a full pool outage.
- Retry the screenshot once.
- If it keeps failing, run Update Grok Bot's Computer, then retry. Devon said that cleared it only briefly.
- If it returns, open a Bug Reports thread with times and timezone, and mention Colin's note that the message can be misleading. Do not Reset the computer as a first step.
On my shared Bot computer, try a screenshot on this Bot. If it says all screens are in use, list which of my other Bots can still screenshot, and say whether this looks like a stuck screen start rather than capacity.
Good to know#
- Status: Open. Staff confirmed and are tracking.
- First seen in this form: Oct 11 to 12 overnight (user report); staff reply Oct 13, 4:14 AM ET.
- Symptoms: Screenshot fails with "All screens on the shared computer are in use" while other Bots on the same computer still work. Overnight browser jobs stall.
- Workaround: Retry; Update Bot's Computer may help briefly; staff can tweak a box on the backend. No user control to release a stuck screen lease is documented.
- Related older reports about backup gates and screen leases sit in forum topic 173022.
What to watch#
Whether a software fix lands so a failed screen start does not keep saying the whole pool is full.
