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Jobs are long-running computational tasks that run autonomously in a dedicated cloud sandbox. Unlike inline code execution — which runs a single code block and returns results immediately — jobs are designed for multi-step pipelines that can take minutes to hours: RNA-seq analysis, MD simulations, genome assembly, multi-file processing, and other workflows that require sustained compute. You start a job from chat. MIP spins up a sandbox, plans the work, and executes it step by step. You can monitor progress, send follow-up instructions, pause, resume, or cancel at any time. When the job finishes, output files are saved to your Files library.

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Starting a job from chat

Ask MIP to run something that requires extended computation. Be specific about what you want done, what data to use, and what outputs you expect. Examples:
  • “Run differential expression analysis on my RNA-seq count matrix using DESeq2. Compare treated vs control groups. Output a results CSV and a volcano plot.”
  • “Set up and run a 10ns MD simulation of PDB 1UBQ using OpenMM. Save the trajectory and energy plots.”
  • “Process all FASTA files in my uploaded dataset — run BLAST against nr, filter hits with E-value < 1e-10, and generate a summary table.”
MIP will create a background job, plan the steps, and begin execution. A job panel opens in your chat showing real-time progress.
Include specific parameters, file references, and expected outputs in your request. The job agent works autonomously — the more context you provide upfront, the better the results.

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How a job runs

Once triggered, the job follows this lifecycle:
  1. Planning — The agent reads your instructions, inspects available data, and creates a step-by-step execution plan.
  2. Execution — Each step runs sequentially: installing packages, writing scripts, processing data, generating outputs. You can see progress in the job panel.
  3. File sync — Output files are uploaded directly to cloud storage as they are produced. No data passes through the web server.
  4. Completion — The job finishes, output files appear in your Files library, and you receive a notification.

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What the job panel shows

While a job is running, the panel displays:
  • Progress bar with current step and total steps
  • Timeline of completed steps with outputs
  • Plan showing the agent’s to-do list and completion status
  • Messages for any follow-up communication between you and the agent
  • Files produced so far, with download links

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Sandbox environment

Each job runs in an isolated cloud sandbox with: Pre-installed tools:
  • Python 3 with pip
  • R with development libraries
  • Git, curl, jq, and standard build tools
  • BWA, SAMtools, BCFtools for bioinformatics workflows
Pre-installed Python libraries:
  • Core: NumPy, SciPy, pandas, matplotlib
  • Bioinformatics: Biopython, openpyxl
  • R integration via rpy2
Additional packages can be installed by the agent during execution using pip install or apt-get. Data access:
  • Your uploaded files are automatically available in the sandbox workspace
  • The agent can download additional data from public sources as needed

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Interacting with a running job

You are not limited to watching. While a job is running, you can:
If the agent needs input from you — for example, to choose between analysis options — the job will show an input prompt. Respond in the message panel to continue execution.

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Output files

All files produced by a job are automatically saved to your Files library. Common outputs include:
  • Results tables (CSV, TSV)
  • Plots and figures (PNG, SVG)
  • Processed data files (H5AD, BED, FASTA)
  • Scripts used during execution
  • Execution logs
Files are uploaded directly from the sandbox to cloud storage — they never pass through the web application. Each file gets a time-limited download URL when you access it. You can find job outputs on the Files page, where they appear with a “Generated by MIP” badge. You can also download them directly from the job panel.

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Jobs vs code execution

Use inline code execution for quick tasks: “Plot the distribution of allele frequencies” or “Convert this CSV to JSON.” Use jobs for anything that requires multiple steps or will take more than a minute.

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Limits

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Viewing all jobs

Navigate to Jobs in the sidebar to see all your background jobs. The page shows:
  • Job title and status (running, paused, completed, failed, cancelled)
  • Progress indicator (steps completed)
  • Duration
  • Creation date
Click any job to open its detail panel with the full timeline, messages, files, and execution plan.