Runner Sizes

Choose the smallest runner that keeps your normal work responsive. Bigger runners cost more per minute, but they also clear heavier tasks faster.

Size guide
2 CPU
4GB RAM
1x Cost

Quick edits and lightweight work

Use Basic for documentation, small fixes, and short tasks where startup cost matters more than raw throughput.

4 CPU
8GB RAM
2x Cost

Default choice for most repositories

Advanced balances runtime cost with enough compute for feature work, tests, and day-to-day engineering loops.

8 CPU
16GB RAM
4x Cost

Heavy builds and large codebases

Pick Pro when memory pressure, monorepo tooling, or full validation pipelines would slow smaller runners down.

Choose the smallest runner that still keeps your typical task responsive.

Tip: Start with Advanced unless you already know the repository is extremely small or unusually heavy.

How to Choose

Pick Basic When

  • You are handling documentation or tiny fixes
  • The repository is small and build steps are lightweight
  • You want the lowest billing rate for short tasks

Pick Advanced When

  • You are doing normal feature work
  • You expect to run tests or moderate validation steps
  • You want the best default balance of cost and speed

Pick Pro When

  • You work in a large monorepo or memory-heavy codebase
  • Builds, indexing, or test suites bottleneck smaller runners
  • Faster completion matters more than the higher multiplier

Quick Lookup

SituationRecommended Size
Fix a typo or docs issueBasic
Implement a feature in a normal codebaseAdvanced
Refactor a medium-sized moduleAdvanced
Run a heavy test suite or buildPro or Advanced
Work in a large monorepoPro

Codebase Heuristics

Lines of CodeSuggested Size
Under 10,000Basic
10,000 - 100,000Advanced
Over 100,000Pro

Note: These are starting points, not hard rules. Language, build tooling, dependency graph size, and repository layout all matter.

Setting a Default Size

Account Default

Set your preferred default for new runners:

  1. Go to Settings -> General
  2. Find Default Runner Size
  3. Select Basic, Advanced, or Pro

General settings page

Repository Override

Override the account default for a specific repository:

  1. Navigate to Repositories
  2. Find the repository
  3. Click Settings on the repository card
  4. Set Default Runner Size
  5. Click Save

Tip: Repository defaults are useful when one repo consistently needs more compute than the rest of your work.

Changing Size Later

Runner size is fixed for the lifetime of a session. To switch sizes:

  1. Stop the current runner
  2. Start a new runner with a different size

Warning: Stopping a runner discards uncommitted changes. Push or otherwise preserve work before you stop the session.

Cost Optimization

  1. Right-size your runners instead of defaulting to Pro
  2. Stop runners when they are idle
  3. Use repository defaults so recurring work starts with the right size

Next Steps