Running a 24/7 AI Agent on an Old Mac — pm2, Playwright, and Discord Operations
A practical operations note on keeping the GRAXEL automation agent alive with pm2, browser automation, and Discord command workflows.
GRAXEL uses a local agent system as the operational assistant for browser automation, Discord commands, and long-running checks. The important lesson is that a small always-on machine can be enough when the process model is simple and observable.
Why this matters for GRAXEL
Browser automation fails in different ways from API code. Sessions expire, pages change, popups appear, and networks go idle at the wrong time. Running it 24/7 requires restart discipline, logs that are easy to inspect, and commands that can be triggered without opening the development machine.
The agent is treated like a service rather than a script. pm2 keeps the process alive, Playwright performs browser work, and Discord provides a lightweight command surface. This keeps automation close to the operator while still leaving a trace that can be reviewed later.
Operational notes
- Keep the user-facing promise narrow enough that the service can be verified in a browser.
- Document the boundary between automated AI output and source-backed data so reviewers can understand the workflow.
- Link the implementation back to the public trust pages: About GRAXEL, Contact, and the platform overview.
For a small SaaS portfolio, trust comes from showing the real operating system behind the product: what runs, why it exists, and how it is maintained.
What changed in practice
For GRAXEL, this makes the site more than a set of static pages. It shows the operating system behind the brand: monitoring, recall, automation, and browser verification are part of the workflow. The same pattern now influences how the portal presents public services: planned ideas stay out of the main catalog, while usable beta services and documented operating notes receive stronger internal links.
When this article is read together with the monorepo operations note and the zero-cost infrastructure note, it gives a more complete view of how GRAXEL turns small service ideas into maintained products.
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