Prepare the monitor and a dedicated node
The monitor must be reachable over HTTPS with a certificate Windows trusts. Add a server in the dashboard and obtain its ID and token. The agent detects its OS automatically.
Download the Windows amd64 agent release and extract it to a persistent directory such as C:\Pulse. Save the node token in C:\Pulse\agent.token and restrict access to accounts that need it.
Verify the agent from PowerShell
Open the agent directory. Replace the example URL and SERVER_ID with your own values. Keep the token out of published screenshots, issues and command history.
The node should become online. Resources show machine telemetry, and Processes lists accessible Windows processes. System processes may need additional privileges; the agent’s execution context determines access.
.\pulse-agent.exe -url https://monitor.example.com:8443 -server SERVER_ID -token-file C:\Pulse\agent.token -state C:\Pulse\agent-stateInstall a service for startup after reboot
Stop the manual agent and open an administrative PowerShell session. Run the installer from the agent archive. It creates the PulseAgent service; verify its state after installation.
The service account can have different file and Docker Engine access from your interactive user. Check token and state-directory permissions for the service account.
.\deployment\install-agent.ps1 -PanelURL https://monitor.example.com:8443 -ServerID SERVER_ID -TokenFile C:\Pulse\agent.token -AgentExe C:\Pulse\pulse-agent.exe
Get-Service PulseAgentDiagnose missing data or connection errors
If a manual agent works but the service does not, check paths, service permissions and certificate trust in its environment. Keep TLS validation enabled. For an internal CA, install its certificate in the appropriate trust store.
For missing metrics, check OS and driver limitations first. GPU monitoring needs supported hardware and drivers. Docker Desktop alone does not guarantee service access to the selected Docker Engine.
These instructions are based on the release documentation linked below. Commands containing example.com or SERVER_ID are templates: substitute values from your own dashboard. Check the matching release documentation when upgrading.