Is Atera Agents safe to install?

SaferSkills independently audited Atera Agents (Agent Skill) and scored it 100/100 (green). The audit ran 55 deterministic rules across Security, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Transparency, and Community; it found 0 high-severity and 0 lower-severity findings. The full rule-by-rule trace and per-finding evidence are below. Free, methodology-open.

CategoryWeightCategory scoreContribution

Securityprompt, exec, net, exfil, eval

35%

100

35.0 pts

Supply chainhash, typosquat, maintainer, lockfile

20%

100

20.0 pts

Maintenancestaleness, pinning, CI

15%

100

15.0 pts

TransparencySKILL.md, perms, README

15%

100

15.0 pts

Communityinstalls, verify, response

15%

100

15.0 pts

Findings & checks · 0 flagged

Securityscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All security checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Supply chainscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All supply chain checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Maintenancescore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All maintenance checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Transparencyscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All transparency checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Communityscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All community checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

The primary manifest — the file an agent reads to learn what this artifact does.

msp-claude-plugins/atera/atera/skills/agents/SKILL.md · 1 file

msp-claude-plugins/atera/atera/skills/agents/SKILL.md8.5 KB · Markdown

name: "Atera Agents"

description: >

Use this skill when working with Atera RMM agents - listing, searching,

monitoring, or executing commands on managed devices. Covers agent

information, online/offline status, PowerShell execution, and agent lifecycle.

Essential for MSP technicians managing endpoints through Atera RMM.

when_to_use: "When listing, searching, monitoring, or executing commands on managed devices"

triggers:

- atera agent

- rmm agent

- atera device

- agent status

- agent online

- agent offline

- powershell atera

- run script atera

- managed device

- endpoint atera

Atera Agent Management

Overview

Atera agents are lightweight software installed on managed endpoints that provide remote monitoring and management capabilities. Agents report system information, health metrics, and enable remote execution of scripts and commands.

Agent Information Fields

Core Fields

Field	Type	Description
`AgentID`	int	Unique agent identifier
`AgentName`	string	Agent display name
`MachineID`	int	Machine reference ID
`CustomerID`	int	Associated customer ID
`CustomerName`	string	Customer display name
`Online`	boolean	Current online status
`LastSeenDate`	datetime	Last communication timestamp

System Information

Field	Type	Description
`MachineName`	string	Computer hostname
`DomainName`	string	AD domain (if joined)
`OS`	string	Operating system name
`OSVersion`	string	OS version/build
`OSType`	string	Windows, Mac, Linux
`OSSerialNumber`	string	OS serial number
`Processor`	string	CPU model
`Memory`	long	Total RAM in bytes

Network Information

Field	Type	Description
`IPAddresses`	string	Comma-separated IP list
`MacAddresses`	string	Network adapter MACs
`LastIPAddress`	string	Most recent IP

Agent Status

Field	Type	Description
`AgentVersion`	string	Installed agent version
`CreatedDate`	datetime	When agent was installed
`Monitored`	boolean	Monitoring enabled
`MonitoredStatus`	string	Monitoring state
`Favorite`	boolean	Marked as favorite

Hardware Details

Field	Type	Description
`Vendor`	string	Hardware manufacturer
`VendorSerialNumber`	string	Device serial number
`VendorModel`	string	Device model
`VendorBrandModel`	string	Full brand/model string

API Patterns

List All Agents (Paginated)

GET /api/v3/agents?page=1&itemsInPage=50
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Response:

{
  "items": [
    {
      "AgentID": 98765,
      "AgentName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
      "MachineName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
      "CustomerID": 12345,
      "CustomerName": "Acme Corporation",
      "Online": true,
      "LastSeenDate": "2024-02-15T14:30:00Z",
      "OS": "Windows 11 Pro",
      "OSType": "Windows",
      "Processor": "Intel Core i7-12700",
      "Memory": 34359738368,
      "IPAddresses": "192.168.1.100,10.0.0.50",
      "AgentVersion": "2.0.1.25",
      "Monitored": true
    }
  ],
  "totalItems": 500,
  "page": 1,
  "itemsInPage": 50,
  "totalPages": 10
}

Get Agent by ID

GET /api/v3/agents/{agentId}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Response:

{
  "AgentID": 98765,
  "AgentName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
  "MachineName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
  "DomainName": "ACME.LOCAL",
  "CustomerID": 12345,
  "CustomerName": "Acme Corporation",
  "Online": true,
  "LastSeenDate": "2024-02-15T14:30:00Z",
  "OS": "Windows 11 Pro",
  "OSVersion": "10.0.22621",
  "OSType": "Windows",
  "OSSerialNumber": "00330-80000-00000-AA123",
  "Processor": "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-12700 CPU @ 2.10GHz",
  "Memory": 34359738368,
  "IPAddresses": "192.168.1.100",
  "MacAddresses": "00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E",
  "Vendor": "Dell Inc.",
  "VendorSerialNumber": "ABC1234567",
  "VendorModel": "OptiPlex 7090",
  "AgentVersion": "2.0.1.25",
  "CreatedDate": "2023-06-15T09:00:00Z",
  "Monitored": true,
  "MonitoredStatus": "Healthy"
}

Get Agents by Customer

GET /api/v3/agents/customer/{customerId}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Get Agent by Machine Name

GET /api/v3/agents/machine/{machineName}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Delete Agent

DELETE /api/v3/agents/{agentId}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Response:

{
  "ActionID": 12345,
  "Success": true
}

PowerShell Execution

Run PowerShell Script

POST /api/v3/agents/{agentId}/powershell
X-API-KEY: {api_key}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "Script": "Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'Running'} | Select-Object Name, DisplayName"
}

Response:

{
  "ActionID": 55555,
  "Status": "Queued",
  "Message": "Script queued for execution"
}

PowerShell Best Practices

Keep scripts concise - Long-running scripts may timeout
Handle errors - Use try/catch blocks
Return structured data - Use Select-Object for clean output
Avoid interactive commands - No prompts or user input
Test locally first - Validate before remote execution

Common PowerShell Commands

Get system information:

Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object CsName, WindowsVersion, OsArchitecture

Check disk space:

Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk | Select-Object DeviceID, Size, FreeSpace

List running processes:

Get-Process | Sort-Object WorkingSet -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 Name, WorkingSet

Check Windows updates:

Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Restart a service:

Restart-Service -Name "Spooler" -Force

Agent Online Status

Checking Online Status

The Online field indicates current connectivity:

Status	Description	Action
`true`	Agent communicating	Commands available
`false`	Agent not responding	Check network/power

Handling Offline Agents

Check LastSeenDate - Determine when agent was last online
Verify network - Ensure device has connectivity
Check power state - Device may be powered off
Review alerts - Look for related alerts
Contact user - Verify device status

Offline Thresholds

Duration	Interpretation	Action
< 5 min	Temporary	Normal fluctuation
5-30 min	Short outage	Monitor
30 min - 4 hr	Extended outage	Investigate
> 4 hr	Long-term offline	Contact customer

Agent Lifecycle

Installation

Generate installer from Atera portal
Download and run on target device
Agent registers with Atera cloud
Appears in agent list within minutes

Monitoring

Agent sends heartbeat every few minutes
Reports system metrics and alerts
Receives commands from portal/API

Removal

Uninstall from device (if accessible)
Delete via API or portal
Agent record removed from system

Error Handling

Common API Errors

Code	Message	Resolution
400	Invalid agent ID	Verify agent exists
401	Unauthorized	Check API key
403	Forbidden	Verify permissions
404	Agent not found	Confirm agent ID
429	Rate limited	Wait and retry (700 req/min)

PowerShell Execution Errors

Error	Cause	Resolution
Agent offline	Device not connected	Wait for reconnection
Script timeout	Execution too long	Simplify script
Access denied	Insufficient privileges	Check agent permissions
Syntax error	Invalid PowerShell	Validate script locally

Best Practices

Monitor agent health - Track online/offline patterns
Keep agents updated - Use latest agent version
Use meaningful names - Rename agents for clarity
Group by customer - Organize for efficient management
Review regularly - Remove stale/decommissioned agents
Document scripts - Comment PowerShell for reuse
Test before bulk execution - Validate on single agent first

Atera Customers - Customer agent associations
Atera Alerts - Agent-generated alerts
Atera Devices - Non-agent monitored devices
Atera API Patterns - Authentication and pagination

Atera Agents— agent skill

Is Atera Agents safe to install?

Atera Agent Management

Overview

Agent Information Fields

Core Fields

System Information

Network Information

Agent Status

Hardware Details

API Patterns

List All Agents (Paginated)

Get Agent by ID

Get Agents by Customer

Get Agent by Machine Name

Delete Agent

PowerShell Execution

Run PowerShell Script

PowerShell Best Practices

Common PowerShell Commands

Agent Online Status

Checking Online Status

Handling Offline Agents

Offline Thresholds

Agent Lifecycle

Installation

Monitoring

Removal

Error Handling

Common API Errors

PowerShell Execution Errors

Best Practices

Audit the pieces. Scan the whole. Decide.

Is Atera Agents safe to install?

Atera Agent Management

Overview

Agent Information Fields

Core Fields

System Information

Network Information

Agent Status

Hardware Details

API Patterns

List All Agents (Paginated)

Get Agent by ID

Get Agents by Customer

Get Agent by Machine Name

Delete Agent

PowerShell Execution

Run PowerShell Script

PowerShell Best Practices

Common PowerShell Commands

Agent Online Status

Checking Online Status

Handling Offline Agents

Offline Thresholds

Agent Lifecycle

Installation

Monitoring

Removal

Error Handling

Common API Errors

PowerShell Execution Errors

Best Practices

Related Skills

Audit the pieces. Scan the whole. Decide.