Documentation

Getting Started

DropOps eliminates friction between intent and execution. Authenticate, and immediately manage infrastructure through natural language.

• The Operator - Headless, stateless execution agent—your AI's gateway to the physical world
• Cloud Operator - Enterprise-ready EC2 AMI with Terraform, kubectl, AWS CLI, and security tools pre-installed. Zero Standing Privileges—AI requests access only when needed.
• Standalone Binary - Lightweight 5MB agent for Linux/macOS. Same security model, zero dependencies—a flexible building block for any environment.
• No Inbound Connections - Zero listening ports, zero attack surface
• Unique API Keys - Each Operator authenticates independently. Revoke instantly.
• Least-Privilege - Operators run with only the permissions you grant
• Human-in-the-Loop - You approve all changes before execution

Login & Authentication

Sign In with Google

DropOps uses Google OAuth for authentication. Click "Sign in with Google" on the landing page, authorize the application, and you're in. No passwords to manage, no separate credentials to remember.

After signing in, you'll be presented with our Terms of Service. Review and accept to continue to your dashboard.

Web Session Security

Your browser session is encrypted and stored securely. Sessions expire after inactivity for security. If you're logged out unexpectedly, simply sign in again—your operators, investigations, and history remain intact.

Operator Authentication

Each operator authenticates using its own unique API key found in the Operator Panel dropdown drawer. These operator keys are different from the user download key—the user's download key can only be used to download the operator binary, while each operator's individual API key can be used to both download and start that specific operator. Revoke an operator key instantly to disconnect that specific operator.

Deploy the Standalone Binary

The standalone binary is a lightweight 5MB execution agent for Linux and macOS. For AWS environments, consider the Cloud Operator instead—it includes pre-installed tools and intent-based IAM permissions.

Step 1: Download The Operator

From your dashboard, click the "0 of 100 OPERATORS ACTIVE" tab in the Operator Panel to expand the operator list.

This reveals the operator list where you can see all your available operators.

Click the "Operator Download" button. This opens the download drawer where you'll find your Download API Key—used only for downloading the operator binary.

Follow the steps in the download drawer: copy the install command, paste your download key when prompted, and the operator binary will be downloaded to your system.

Step 2: Get Your Operator API Key

Click "Operator List" or the back arrow to return to the Operator Panel. Find an available operator and copy its unique Operator API Key—this key can be used to both download and start that specific operator.

Important: Know the difference between keys. The user's download key can only download the binary. Each operator's individual API key can both download and start that specific operator.

Step 3: Authenticate & Run

Run The Operator with the operator-specific API key from the Operator Panel (not the download key). It connects, registers, and starts listening for commands. Run it as a background service, in screen, or via systemd.

$ curl -fsSL https://dropops.ai/operator/drop | bash

DropOps Operator Drop Script

Detected platform: linux/amd64

Enter your DropOps Download API key:

Downloading operator binary...
Fetching checksum...
Downloading binary...
Verifying integrity...
Checksum verified.

Operator dropped successfully!

Enter the API key for an eligible DropOps Operator:

Starting operator...

=================
DropOps Operator
Version: 1.0.0
=================
 - Requires port 443 outbound only
 - Run with sudo only if elevated permissions are needed.
 - Login to https://DropOps.ai
============================================
INFO: DropOps Operator initializing...
INFO: Authenticating with DropOps.ai...
INFO: Authentication successful
INFO: Applying operator configuration...
INFO: Execution service initialized
  - max_concurrent_tasks: 25
  - max_memory_mb: 2048
INFO: File operations ready
INFO: Establishing DropOps connectivity...
INFO: Establishing connection with operator.dropops.ai
  - operator_id: 421979eb-5...073
  - operator_session_id: session_17...832d2
INFO: Connection established - Standing by
INFO: Channel established - Ready to receive
INFO: DropOps Operator started successfully!
  - max_concurrent_tasks: 25
  - startup_duration: 596ms
INFO: Standing by

That's it. Your operator appears in the dashboard with system metadata, heartbeat status, and connectivity status. Run it as a background service, in screen, or via systemd.

DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS

For AWS environments, the DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS provides a pre-configured EC2 instance with all infrastructure tools pre-installed. The Cloud Operator uses a Zero Standing Privileges model—it starts with zero AWS access and requests permissions only when needed to fulfill your intent.

How It Works

Step 1: Create the IAM Role

Use CloudFormation to create a minimal IAM role that allows the Operator to discover its identity and update its own permissions based on your chat responses.

CloudFormation Console

Option B: AWS CLI (Recommended)

$ aws cloudformation create-stack \
  --stack-name DropOps-Operator-Role \
  --template-url https://dropops-public.s3.amazonaws.com/operator-role.yaml \
  --capabilities CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM

$ aws cloudformation wait stack-create-complete --stack-name DropOps-Operator-Role

Step 2: Launch the Cloud Operator

Get your API key first. Go to https://dropops.ai, open the Operator dropdown, copy your API key, and paste it in User Data during launch.

EC2 Console

Advanced Details

dropops_op_XXXXX

Step 3: Connect Your Cloud Operator

The Operator appears in the Operator dropdown. Click the link link icon to bind it to your chat session and start.

Zero Standing Privileges

The Cloud Operator launches with zero access to your AWS resources. When you request something outside its current permissions, the AI asks for approval, grants itself least-privilege access, and executes—all in one step. Revoke any permission anytime.

                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │  Cloud Operator │  ◀── Starts with ZERO access
                    │  (Your VPC)     │
                    └────────┬────────┘
                             │
         ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
         │                   │                   │
    ┌────▼────┐         ┌────▼────┐         ┌────▼────┐
    │ EC2     │         │ S3      │         │ RDS     │
    │ Access  │         │ Access  │         │ Access  │
    └─────────┘         └─────────┘         └─────────┘
         Just-in-Time Permissions (granted on request—revocable anytime)

Intent-Based Permissions

The DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS starts with minimal permissions—just enough to identify what it can reach using the AWS SDK. The AI asks you questions in plain English:

You answer Yes or No. The AI translates your intent into IAM policies and the Operator updates its own role—no JSON required.

Available Intent Policies

The AI can request these permissions through natural conversation:

Pre-installed Tools

The DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS comes with everything needed for infrastructure automation:

Security Tools

The DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS includes security tools preconfigured to use AWS IAM role credentials:

Helper Scripts

The DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS includes convenient wrapper scripts for backup operations:

# Backup files to S3 (uses IAM role automatically)
$ dropops-backup init
$ dropops-backup backup /home /etc
$ dropops-backup snapshots

Security Group Requirements

The DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS requires minimal network access:

File Locations

Key files and directories on The DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS:

DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS Troubleshooting

If the operator panel isn't showing the correct status:

1. Refresh the page
2. Stop the operator in the operator panel
3. Restart the EC2 instance from the AWS Console or CLI

The operator service starts automatically on boot and will appear in your operator panel when it reconnects.

Slack Interface Coming Soon

When available, Slack integration will provide:

• Direct Messages - DM the DropOps bot for private, individual work sessions
• Channel Integration - Invite the bot to any channel for team collaboration
• Same Approval Workflow - Approve changes with interactive buttons directly in Slack
• Full Feature Parity - Everything you can do in the web UI, available in Slack

In the meantime, use the DropOps web interface for full functionality.

Your First Investigation

Once your operator is running, start a new investigation from the dashboard. Investigations are conversational sessions where you and the AI accomplish a goal—diagnosing issues, deploying software, configuring services, or auditing security.

Starting Simple

Try asking the AI to perform basic reconnaissance:

The AI analyzes your request, presents commands for approval, executes them, and streams results in real-time. You control everything—every command requires your explicit approval.

Moving to Complex Workflows

Move to multi-step workflows when ready. The AI handles dependencies, sequences operations, and adapts based on results.

The AI breaks requests into logical steps and guides you through execution. When something fails, it analyzes the error and suggests fixes.

Working with AI

DropOps acts like a senior systems engineer. It understands infrastructure, security, and best practices. Here's how to get the most out of it.

Context Awareness

The AI maintains full context throughout your investigation. When you bind an operator to your session, that system becomes part of the conversation—the AI remembers commands run, results received, system state, and everything you've discussed.

Each conversation works with one bound operator. To work on multiple systems, start separate investigations and bind different operators to each one. The AI maintains context within each investigation.

This means you can have natural, continuous conversations within a single investigation: "Check disk space, then check memory usage, and compare the results." The AI doesn't forget what it just saw—it's working with complete information for that system.

Be Conversational

Talk to the AI naturally—describe what you want to accomplish and it figures out the technical details. Or, just type a command directly. The AI will interpret your intent, understand you want to execute that command, and propose it for your approval.

Provide Context

Mention what you're trying to accomplish, what's broken, or what you've tried. The AI uses conversation history to make better decisions.

Ask Questions

The AI explains commands before execution, suggests alternatives, and walks you through complex operations.

Approval Workflow

All commands require your approval. You remain in complete control of what executes on your systems.

Command Approval Required

All commands require your explicit approval before execution. The AI analyzes each command for risk and presents you with clear approval requests.

Changes Require Approval

Any operation that modifies system state requires your explicit approval:

Intelligent Risk Assessment

The AI evaluates each change contextually—considering the command itself, your system state, and the broader operation. It provides clear explanations of what each command does and flags anything that could have significant impact.

Approval Cards

Each command is presented with an approval card showing what will be executed. The AI explains the purpose, potential effects, and suggests safer alternatives when appropriate.

Multi-Step Operations

For complex workflows, the AI breaks operations into logical steps. You can approve individual commands or review the full plan. The AI adapts based on results from each step.

Managing Operators

The Operator Panel provides complete control over all your deployed operators. Monitor real-time status, manage connections, and organize your infrastructure from a central dashboard.

Operator Status

Each operator sends comprehensive heartbeat data every 30 seconds, including system metrics (CPU, memory, disk), network information, and active investigations. Status is determined by authentication, binding, and heartbeat state:

Tier Limits & Capacity

Your tier determines the maximum number of operator slots available:

Operator Binding

Binding connects an operator to your current web session for command execution:

• Manual Binding Required - Click the link icon next to any active operator to bind it to your session
• One-to-One Binding - Each web session can bind to only one operator at a time
• Operator Exclusivity - Each operator can only be bound to one web session
• Unbinding - Click the unlink icon or bind a different operator to unbind the current one
• Session Independence - Unbinding leaves the operator running and available for other sessions

Canceling Running Operations

You maintain full control over executing operations at all times:

• Stop AI Processing - Click the stop button in the chat header to cancel active AI reasoning and any pending commands
• Cancel Executing Commands - While a command runs, click the cancel button to terminate the process immediately via SIGKILL
• Deny Command Approval - When presented with an approval card, click "Deny" to prevent execution entirely

Stopping Operators

Multiple ways to stop an operator, from remote control or direct system access:

• Remote Stop Button - In the Operator Panel, click the stop icon next to any online operator to send a shutdown command via the DropOps network
• Refresh API Key - Click the refresh icon to generate a new API key, instantly destroying the old key and disconnecting the operator
• Local Process Termination - On the target system, use Ctrl+C or kill to terminate the operator process directly
• Cloud Operator Service - For AWS Cloud Operators, use systemctl stop dropops-operator or manage the EC2 instance directly
• System Reboot - Rebooting the target system stops all operator processes

Revoking Access

Refresh an operator's API key from the Operator Panel to immediately invalidate its credentials. The old key is destroyed instantly—any operator using it is disconnected and unable to reconnect. Generate new keys as needed for security rotations or access control.

Organizing Operators

Tag operators with descriptive labels (production, staging, database-servers, web-tier) to organize your infrastructure. Filter by tags when starting investigations to quickly target the right systems.

Team Management

Professional, Ultra, Founding, and Enterprise tiers include team collaboration features. Invite team members to share operators and work together on investigations.

Accessing Team Management

Click your profile avatar in the top-right corner to open the profile dropdown. Professional+ users will see a Manage Team button that opens the Team Dashboard.

Team Dashboard

The Team Dashboard at /team provides a central place for managing your organization:

• Organization Name - Customize your team's display name
• Team Members - View all members with their roles (Admin or Member)
• Invite Links - Generate shareable invite links with optional restrictions
• QR Codes - Download QR codes for easy invite sharing
• Statistics - Track invites sent and accepted

Inviting Team Members

Create invite links with customizable options:

Team Member Limits by Tier

Managing Members

As the team admin, you can:

• Remove Members - Click the remove icon next to any team member
• Revoke Invites - Cancel pending invites before they're used
• View Activity - See when members joined and invite usage

Joining a Team

When you receive an invite link, click it to join the team. You must be logged in with a Professional+ tier account. Once joined:

• Shared Operators - Access the team's operator pool
• Pooled Resources - Approved operations count against the team's shared pool
• Leave Anytime - Use the "Leave Team" button to exit the organization

Security Model

Security is foundational, not an afterthought.

Zero Inbound Connectivity

The Operator initiates all connections outbound. Your systems never listen on ports, never accept inbound connections, and never require firewall exceptions. All communication is pull-based.

API Key Authentication

Each operator uses a unique API key scoped to that specific system. These operator keys are separate from the user's download key—the download key can only download, while an operator's individual API key can both download and start that operator. Rotate or revoke operator keys instantly from the Operator Panel if suspicious activity is detected.

Least-Privileged Access

The Operator runs with whatever privileges you assign—typically a standard user. You control the user context, sudo permissions, and access policies. Root access is not required.

Human-in-the-Loop Control

Every command requires your explicit approval before execution. Combined with AI risk analysis, this ensures you review and authorize all operations.

Complete Audit Trail

Every command, result, and approval is logged for compliance. You can delete conversations from your dashboard, but we maintain immutable compliance logs following industry-standard data retention practices. Data export is available upon request—contact support if you need investigation history for documentation or runbooks.

Best Practices

Start with Reconnaissance

Gather information before making changes. Ask the AI to check system state and verify prerequisites first.

Use Descriptive Names

Give investigations clear names: "Deploy monitoring stack" or "Debug slow API". Makes finding historical investigations easier.

Verify Changes

Ask the AI to verify modifications worked: "Confirm the service is running" or "Check firewall rules are active".

Leverage History

Investigation history is searchable. Reference past solutions when tackling similar problems.

Work with One Operator at a Time

Each conversation works with a single bound operator. To work on multiple systems, start separate investigations and bind different operators to each one.

Flexible Plans

DropOps offers flexible plans to match your needs, from individual hobbyists to enterprise teams.

Cloud Operators

The DropOps Cloud Operator for AWS counts as 5 operator slots due to its expanded capabilities for managing your entire AWS infrastructure.

Approved Operations & Overage

An Approved Operation is any command or file change you approve. Your monthly allocation depends on your tier:

• Free - 25 operations/month (hard cap, no overage)
• Personal - 200 operations/month, then $0.25/operation overage
• Professional - 1,500 pooled operations, then $0.20/operation overage
• Ultra - 4,500 pooled operations, then $0.15/operation overage
• Founding - 10,000 pooled operations, then $0.10/operation overage

Troubleshooting

Operator Won't Connect

Check connectivity: Requires HTTPS to operator.dropops.ai:443. Verify firewall allows outbound connections.

Verify operator API key: Ensure you're using the operator-specific key from the Operator Panel. Note that each operator's API key can be used to both download and start that operator. Confirm it's correct and available, or already licensed to the existing operator.

Check logs: Run in foreground or review log file for connection/authentication errors.

Commands Running Slowly

No timeouts: Long-running operations like terraform apply complete naturally. Cancel manually if needed.

Check resources: Have the AI check CPU, memory, and disk I/O for bottlenecks.

AI Suggests Wrong Commands

Add context: Describe your setup, mention software versions, reference previous investigations.

Correct and guide: Tell the AI why something's wrong and what you prefer. It learns from feedback.

Permission Denied Errors

Check user context: The Operator runs as the Linux user that launched it.

Privilege escalation is blocked: The AI cannot use sudo or other privilege escalation. If a command requires elevated permissions, the AI will recognize the restriction and attempt alternative approaches that work within the current user's permissions.

Need elevated access? If the AI determines a task requires root privileges, it will let you know and suggest restarting the operator with sudo ./dropops-operator.

Still Stuck?

Email support@dropops.ai and we'll help you out.

Get Help with DropOps

DropOps is its own support system. Need help with DropOps or The Operator? Just ask. The AI has access to current DropOps documentation and can search the web when needed—support is built in.

The AI can help you understand features, troubleshoot issues, and guide you through setup—all from the same chat interface you use to manage your infrastructure.