Introduction
Reboot a device as part of an automation — silently in the background, or with an end-user prompt that gives them a chance to save their work before the restart happens.
⚙️ PREREQUISITES
An automation must exist before adding actions. See Getting Started with Automations if you haven't set one up yet.
The Level agent must be installed and the device must be online when the action runs.
Adding a Restart Action
From the automation pipeline in edit mode, click + Add action and select Restart from the System category.
The action panel opens with two configuration sections: Action type (pre-set to Restart) and Step configuration.
Configuring the Step
Restart immediately
Performs the restart without any notification to the end user. The device reboots as soon as the action runs.
Use this for off-hours maintenance windows, devices without active users, or situations where the restart is non-disruptive.
⚠️ WARNING: There's no grace period. Any unsaved work on the device will be lost.
Prompt user for approval
Shows a message to the end user and waits for them to accept before restarting. If they decline or ignore the prompt, Level re-prompts on the configured interval.
When Prompt user for approval is selected, configure the following:
Prompt The message displayed to the end user. Keep it specific — tell them why the restart is needed and what happens if they accept. Click {x} to insert variables (such as device name or automation name) into the message.
Prompt frequency (in minutes) How often Level re-prompts if the end user dismisses or ignores the initial message.
💡 TIP: A prompt frequency of 60 minutes is reasonable for most cases. Drop it to 15–30 minutes if the restart is time-sensitive — for example, immediately after deploying a critical security patch.
Force compliance When enabled, Level forces the restart after the end user has dismissed the prompt a set number of times or after a maximum time has elapsed. Without this, the restart never happens if the user keeps declining.
Enforcement method | Behavior |
Max attempts | Forces restart after the user dismisses the prompt N times |
Max time | Forces restart after N minutes have passed since the first prompt, regardless of how many times the user was prompted |
Enter the threshold in the field that appears next to the enforcement method selector.
ℹ️ NOTE: Force compliance is only available when Prompt user for approval is selected. It has no effect with Restart immediately.
Conditions
The Conditions section lets you restrict when this action runs based on device attributes or the outcome of a previous action. Expand the section to add conditions.
See Action Conditions for the full reference on condition types, operators, and values.
Additional Options
Expand Additional options for additional execution settings including action name, failure behavior, output variables, and retries.
See Actions Overview for the full reference on additional options available on every action.
FAQ
Will the restart happen if the device is offline when the action runs? The action will queue and resume once the device comes back online. If you're using Prompt user for approval, the prompt won't appear until the device is online and a user session is active.
What if the end user keeps dismissing the prompt and Force compliance isn't enabled? The restart never happens. Level re-prompts at the configured interval indefinitely until the user accepts. Enable Force compliance if you need a guaranteed restart window.
Can I customize the message the end user sees? Yes. The Prompt field accepts free text and supports variables via the {x} button. Write something specific — users are more likely to comply when they understand why the restart is needed.
Who can add or modify Restart actions in an automation? Technicians with permission to edit automations in the relevant group. See Workspace → Permissions for access control configuration.
Does Force compliance give the end user any warning before forcing the restart? The behavior at the enforcement threshold isn't explicitly a "final warning" — the restart is forced when the limit is reached. If you want a warning, lower the prompt frequency so the end user gets reminded more often before hitting the threshold.