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

# Workspaces

> Keep your work life, personal life, and side projects completely separate.

A workspace is your identity context in Runner. Think of it like a Chrome profile. Each workspace has its own connected apps, conversations, automations, and settings. Nothing bleeds between them.

Most people set up two: one for work, one for personal. Some add a third for a side project. The point is that when you're in your Work workspace, Runner only sees your work Gmail, work Slack, and work calendar. Your personal stuff doesn't exist there.

## Why workspaces matter

Without workspaces, Runner would mix your work emails with personal ones. Your morning briefing would include dentist appointments alongside board meeting prep. Your Slack messages from your team would show up next to messages from your fantasy hockey league.

Workspaces keep everything clean.

***

## Your first workspace

When you sign up, Runner creates your first workspace automatically. You land in it, connect your apps, and start working. That's it.

If all your apps are tied to one context (say, work), you might never need a second workspace. But the moment you want to connect a personal Gmail or a separate set of tools, create a new one.

***

## Create a new workspace

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the workspace switcher">
    Click the workspace name in the sidebar. A dropdown opens showing all your workspaces.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click New Workspace">
    At the bottom of the dropdown, click **New Workspace**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Give it a name">
    Something short and clear. "Work", "Personal", "Side Project". You can rename it later.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect apps">
    Your new workspace starts empty. Connect the apps that belong to this context. Work Gmail for your work workspace. Personal Gmail for your personal one.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Switch between workspaces

Click the workspace name in the sidebar and pick the one you want. Runner remembers where you left off in each workspace, so when you switch back, your conversations and context are right where you left them.

***

## What's scoped to each workspace

Everything that matters is isolated per workspace:

| Scoped to workspace    | What this means                                                               |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Connected apps**     | Each workspace has its own set. Work Gmail in one, personal Gmail in another. |
| **Conversations**      | Chat history stays in the workspace where it happened.                        |
| **Automations**        | Your morning briefing runs in the workspace it was created in.                |
| **Custom MCP servers** | Local and remote servers can be workspace-specific or global.                 |
| **Settings**           | Name, icon, AI model, theme. All per-workspace.                               |

Your connected accounts (the actual OAuth grants) live at the user level. So if you connect your work Google account once, you can link it to multiple workspaces without re-authenticating. But most people keep it simple: one account per workspace.

***

## Common setups

### Work + Personal

The classic setup. Most people start here.

**Work workspace:**

<CardGroup cols={4}>
  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/gmail.svg" alt="Gmail" width="20" height="20" />} title="Gmail" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/google-calendar.svg" alt="Calendar" width="20" height="20" />} title="Calendar" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/slack.svg" alt="Slack" width="20" height="20" />} title="Slack" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/linear.svg" alt="Linear" width="20" height="20" />} title="Linear" />
</CardGroup>

**Personal workspace:**

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/gmail.svg" alt="Gmail" width="20" height="20" />} title="Personal Gmail" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/google-calendar.svg" alt="Calendar" width="20" height="20" />} title="Personal Calendar" />
</CardGroup>

### Work + Personal + Side project

For founders running something on the side.

**Work workspace:**

<CardGroup cols={4}>
  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/gmail.svg" alt="Gmail" width="20" height="20" />} title="Gmail" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/slack.svg" alt="Slack" width="20" height="20" />} title="Slack" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/linear.svg" alt="Linear" width="20" height="20" />} title="Linear" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/google-drive.png" alt="Drive" width="20" height="20" />} title="Drive" />
</CardGroup>

**Side project workspace:**

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/gmail.svg" alt="Gmail" width="20" height="20" />} title="Project Gmail" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/notion.png" alt="Notion" width="20" height="20" />} title="Notion" />
</CardGroup>

### Multiple clients

For consultants, freelancers, or agencies juggling different clients.

**Client A workspace:**

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/gmail.svg" alt="Gmail" width="20" height="20" />} title="Client A Gmail" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/slack.svg" alt="Slack" width="20" height="20" />} title="Client A Slack" />
</CardGroup>

**Client B workspace:**

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/gmail.svg" alt="Gmail" width="20" height="20" />} title="Client B Gmail" />

  <Card icon={<img src="/images/apps/notion.png" alt="Notion" width="20" height="20" />} title="Client B Notion" />
</CardGroup>

***

## Customize your workspace

Open **Settings** in Runner to customize each workspace.

### Name and icon

Give each workspace a name and pick an icon from the icon picker. Runner has dozens of icons to choose from: briefcase, rocket, heart, coffee, globe, and more. Makes it easy to tell them apart at a glance in the sidebar.

### Color theme

Each workspace can have its own color theme. Useful visual cue so you always know which context you're in.

### AI settings

Override the default AI model, connection, or thinking depth for a specific workspace. Maybe your work workspace uses a different API key, or you want a faster model for quick personal tasks.

### Local MCP servers

Toggle whether Runner starts local MCP servers (the `stdio` type) for this workspace. Remote HTTP and SSE servers always work regardless of this setting.

***

## Rename a workspace

Two ways:

* **Double-click** the workspace name in the sidebar. Edit it inline, press Enter.
* **Settings page.** Find the workspace and edit the name there.

***

## Delete a workspace

Go to **Settings**, find the workspace, and click **Delete Workspace**. This removes the workspace and its local data (conversations, automations, connector configs). Your connected accounts survive since they live at the user level.

You can't delete your last workspace. Runner always needs at least one.

***

## Good to know

* **You always have at least one workspace.** Runner won't let you delete the last one.
* **Switching workspaces is instant.** Runner remembers your place in each one.
* **Connected accounts are reusable.** Connect once, link to multiple workspaces. But most people just connect per-workspace and keep it simple.
* **Automations are workspace-scoped.** A morning briefing in your Work workspace only looks at Work apps.
* **Workspace data lives locally** at `~/.runner/workspaces/`. Each workspace gets its own directory.

***

## What's next?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect your apps" icon="plug" href="/get-started/connecting-accounts">
    Link Gmail, Calendar, Slack, and more to your workspace.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set up a workflow" icon="arrows-spin" href="/workflows/overview">
    Put your workspace to work with multi-step workflows.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>