---
name: probe-compute-environment
description: Inspect a registered execution server before compute planning and interpret its persisted capability profile. Use when a server is added, when the user clicks Probe, before enabling an unfamiliar SSH/WSL resource, or when deciding whether GPU, sudo/root, a scheduler, Python, R, conda, mamba, or environment modules are available.
---

# Probe compute environment

Use Wisp's environment Probe action. It performs bounded, read-only checks and
stores the result on the `ExecutionContext`; do not replace it with an ad-hoc
SSH discovery loop.

After probing:

1. Treat persisted capabilities as the server contract until it is probed again.
2. Treat `gpu_summary: null` as **no usable GPU**. Plan CPU work and never add
   CUDA/GPU flags speculatively.
3. Treat `privilege: unprivileged` as **no root or passwordless sudo**. Do not
   use `sudo`, system package managers, or system paths; prefer user-space
   environments, modules, containers already installed by the administrator,
   or ask the user for an administrator-installed dependency.
4. Use a detected scheduler rather than running long work on a login node.
5. Use the recorded interpreter paths and environment managers. Do not assume
   `python`, `Rscript`, conda, mamba, or modulecmd exists when absent.
6. If the probe failed or is stale relative to a server change, probe again
   before submitting work.