> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.asteroid.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # What a node can do > The three capability switches on an agent node, the runtime features they unlock, and how the environment overrides them. Every [agent node](/concepts/nodes) declares three capability switches. They decide which tools the node gets during an execution. The runtime resolves the node's toolset from these switches and from the workflow's [environment](/concepts/environments). The environment wins where the two disagree. The object is optional. Omit it and the runtime applies the defaults below. ```yaml theme={null} label: "Submit Form" type: agent capabilities: browser_use: true computer_use: false ask_user_question: true model: asteroid-balanced ``` Over the API, the SDK, and the MCP tools, the same object sits at `properties.capabilities`. *** ## The three switches Navigate and interact with web pages (`browser_use`) Vision-based mouse and keyboard control (`computer_use`) Pause mid-run and ask a person for input (`ask_user_question`) ### Browser use Gives the node the browser toolset: navigating, clicking, typing, filling forms, reading page content, capturing screenshots, saving PDFs, uploading files, and running Playwright code. Turn it on when the node drives a website. This is how most workflows work on the web. Browser use also opens the node-script bridge that the [Google Sheets](#google-sheets) skill runs on. ### Computer use Gives the node vision-based control of a full desktop. The node looks at the screen and moves the mouse and keyboard, instead of working through the DOM. Use it for native applications, and for pages that a DOM-based approach cannot handle. It is slower and costs more than browser use, so prefer browser use when either would work. ### Ask user question Lets the node stop and ask a person for a value, a decision, or a confirmation. The execution moves to `paused_by_agent` until someone answers. Turn it on for workflows with a person in the loop. Leave it off for unattended executions, where a paused run has nobody to answer it. This switch is separate from email. Inbox tools appear automatically when the execution has a profile with an inbox attached. What `paused_by_agent` means and how an execution leaves it *** ## The environment overrides two of them Browser use and computer use are resolved against the workflow's environment. | Environment | `browser_use` | `computer_use` | | ---------------- | -------------- | -------------- | | Browser | On by default | Off by default | | Linux or Windows | **Always off** | **Always on** | On a Linux or Windows environment, setting `browser_use: true` has no effect. If a switch looks like it is being ignored, check the environment first. Browser, Linux, and Windows, and what each one runs *** ## Runtime features These features are available to an agent node. Each one becomes usable once its own prerequisite holds. | Feature | What it does | Prerequisite | | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Base workspace tools | Read, write, edit, search, run commands, manage todos, use bundled skills | None | | Google Sheets | Read and write spreadsheet data | `browser_use`, and the sheet open in the active tab | | Two-factor codes | Generate TOTP codes | A TOTP secret stored as a credential on the profile | | Send and read email | Use the workflow's inbox | A profile with an inbox attached to the execution | | Handoffs | Move to the next node along an outgoing transition | An outgoing transition | | Output variables | Pass structured data to later nodes | A schema on the transition, or a scripted node that returns one | A feature works only where its prerequisite holds. A workflow that cannot use one says which prerequisite is missing, rather than guessing. ### Google Sheets The Google Sheets skill reads and writes cell ranges. It works when all of these are true: * `browser_use` is available, because the skill runs through the browser node-script bridge. * The spreadsheet is open in the active browser tab. * The profile or session has edit access to the sheet. * The target sheet tab is selected. Google Sheets draws the grid as a canvas. Do not ask the workflow to inspect or edit cells by clicking around the grid. Tell it to use the Google Sheets skill for range reads and writes. ```text theme={null} The spreadsheet is open in the active tab. Use the Google Sheets skill to read A1:D200, find rows with missing Status values, then write "Complete" into the matching Status cells. Verify the changed range. ``` ### Two-factor codes The Generate TOTP skill produces authenticator codes. Save the TOTP secret on the attached [agent profile](/concepts/profiles) as a vault credential. Write the credential in the node instructions as a `##CREDENTIAL_NAME##` placeholder. Tell the workflow to generate the code immediately before it submits the code. ### Talking to people and systems A node has two ways to reach a person: * **Ask a question.** Turn on `ask_user_question` for nodes that may need an answer mid-run. * **Send or read email.** Attach an [agent profile](/concepts/profiles) with an inbox. The runtime then exposes `send_mail` and `get_mail` on its own. `send_mail` and `get_mail` need a profile attached to the execution, because the inbox address comes from the profile. See [Workflow emails](/concepts/emails) for setup and for verification-code patterns. *** ## Related Where capabilities sit on an agent node The sandbox that gates browser use and computer use Credentials, inboxes, and saved browser state Give a workflow an inbox it can send from and read