Some Windows applications will never get an API. Vision agents can operate the UI like a person. This guide shows how to automate them safely with policy parity and strong observability.

Pick the right candidates

Good fits: repetitive steps, stable screens, bounded data, predictable error states.

Poor fits: heavy free text entry, frequent UI redesigns, multi modal workflows without clear handoffs.

Pick two test: Start with flows that are 1) stable and 2) bounded. If a workflow fails either, defer it. If it passes both, run a 30 minute pilot: one happy path, one failure path, and one DLP test.

Select items with score ≥ 14 to start.

Set up - the quick path

1. Publish the Windows app to a secure browser workspace.
2. Bind identities for users and agents in your IdP.
3. Apply least privilege and DLP rules.
4. Build the agent’s steps.
5. Test with recordings on, gather failure cases.
6. Approve, version, and promote.

Stability patterns that work

• Prefer labels, visible text, and accessibility properties over brittle XPaths.
• Add retries with backoff for slow dialogs.
• Shorten flows into smaller, composable tasks.
• Insert checkpoints: title contains, field has value, status equals.
• Keep a human in loop on high impact steps.

Rollback recipe

1. Keep the last two agent versions available.
2. If the error rate doubles, rollback to the prior version.
3. Open the failed session recording, tag the failure cause, and re promote once fixed.

Security that satisfies audit

• Session recording for users and agents with searchable events.
• DLP to keep data in the workspace and stop risky downloads.
• Least privilege entitlements tied to roles and apps.
• SIEM export for detections and dashboards. [to validate export specifics]

Key takeaway

You can automate Windows apps safely without building VDI stacks or shipping devices. Keep the work in the browser, apply policy parity, and record every click.

Learn more about Sonet.io's approach to workflow automation with vision agents.

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