Package Templates
A package template is a reusable, multi-step deployment definition you build once in the console and deploy over and over. This page covers the visual package editor at Deployments › Package Templates — the package information form, the master-detail step list, and the per-step Details, Condition, and Options tabs. For the API/scripted view of packages and how a deployment is targeted and monitored, see Software Deployment; for the full per-step field reference and an end-to-end example, see Deployment Package Steps.
Overview#
Open Package Templates from the quick-action card (or the View all
packages button) on the Deployments page. The list
(/deployments/packages) shows every package template with a search box, a
grid/list view toggle, and pagination. Each package displays its name, step count, deployment
count, folder name, and creation date, and offers per-row actions:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Deploy | Opens the deploy flow for that package so you can name the run and pick targets. |
| Edit | Opens the package in the visual editor. |
| Duplicate | Creates an editable copy — the name gets a (Copy) suffix and the folder name a _copy suffix — so you can branch from an existing template without touching the original. |
| Delete | Removes the template after a confirmation prompt. |
A package template only describes what to do. Building or editing a template never touches an endpoint — a template runs only when you Deploy it to agents, at which point every run is written to the audit log.
Access & roles#
Viewing and searching package templates requires the Operator or Admin role. Changes that alter a template — creating, editing, duplicating, deleting, and uploading or removing files — require the Admin role, as does deploying a package to agents. See Roles & Permissions for the full model.
Package information#
Click Create New to start a template, or Edit on an existing one. The editor opens with a Package Information section:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Package name * | Required. Display name for the template. |
| Folder name * | Required, and must be unique. This is the folder that holds the package's payload files on the server. As you type a package name, Athena auto-generates a lowercase, hyphenated folder name from it; you can override it. A live check validates availability as you type (a ✓ or ✗ appears), and the name must be a single, safe path segment — no path separators and no ... |
| Description | Optional free text describing the package. |
The Deployment Steps section stays disabled until a valid folder name is entered — the editor shows “Enter package name first” until then. Choose the name and folder before adding steps or uploading files.
Building the steps#
Steps run in order on the agent. The editor uses a master-detail layout: the left column lists the steps, and the right column configures whichever step is selected.
- Add step appends a new step (it defaults to a Run Command step
with a 300-second timeout and success exit code
0). - The up/down controls and the drag handle reorder steps; the running number reflects the execution order.
- Remove deletes the selected step.
Each step carries three tabs — Details, Condition, and Options — described below.
Step types#
On the Details tab, pick a Step Type. The rest of the form changes to show only the fields that type needs. The available step types are:
| Step type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Run Command | Run an arbitrary command. |
| PowerShell | Run a PowerShell script. |
| Batch | Run a Windows batch script. |
| Shell | Run a shell script (Linux). |
| Install Application | Install an application from an uploaded installer (EXE/MSI). |
| Uninstall | Uninstall an application. |
| Copy Files | Copy package files into a target directory. |
| Start Service | Start a Windows service by name. |
| Stop Service | Stop a Windows service by name. |
| Restart Service | Restart a Windows service by name. |
| Wait | Pause for a fixed number of seconds before the next step. |
| Reboot | Reboot the endpoint. |
| Trigger Inventory | Trigger an inventory scan on the agent. |
Details tab#
Every step has a Step Name, a Step Type, and a
Timeout (s) (default 300). Type-specific fields appear as needed:
| For these step types | Fields shown |
|---|---|
| Start / Stop / Restart Service | Service Name — the Windows service to act on. |
| Install Application / Uninstall | Installer File (pick an uploaded file or upload one) and optional Arguments (for example /quiet /norestart). |
| Run Command / PowerShell / Batch / Shell | Command (the script or command body) and an optional Working Directory. |
| Copy Files | Source File (an uploaded file) and a Target Directory on the endpoint. |
| Wait | Wait (Seconds) — 1 to 3600. |
All step types also expose Success Exit Codes — a comma-separated list of exit
codes treated as success (default 0). This is how you accept installer codes such
as 3010 (reboot required) or 1641, for example 0, 3010, 1641.
Files for a step are uploaded in place from the Details tab. Uploaded files land in the package's folder and become selectable in the Installer File / Source File pickers. (The console accepts uploads up to 500 MB per file.)
Condition tab#
By default a step always runs. Turn on Enable condition to gate it behind a
PowerShell expression: supply a script that returns $true or $false,
and the step runs only when the script evaluates to $true. Leave the condition
disabled to run the step unconditionally.
Options tab#
| Option | Notes |
|---|---|
| OS condition | Restrict the step to specific operating systems. This is a multi-select — tick any of Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016/2019/2022/2025, All Windows Server, All Windows Client, All Windows, 32-bit, or 64-bit — or leave it on Any to run everywhere. |
| Run as | Choose System (the default) or Current User. Steps that run as the local SYSTEM account cover most software-deployment tasks; use Current User when a step needs the interactive user's context. Alternate vault credentials can also be attached to a step from the deployment model. |
| Continue on error | Continue to the next step even if this step fails, instead of stopping the deployment. |
| Download entire folder | Download all files in the package folder to the endpoint, not just this step's file — useful when a step references companion files. |
Saving & deploying#
Press Save to store the template. Name and folder name are required; the folder name must still be available. Saved templates appear in the list immediately and can be edited, duplicated, or deleted at any time.
When you're ready to roll a template out, use Deploy from the list (or the package card). Name the deployment, pick your targets — individual agents, one or more tags, or a collection — and optionally schedule it for later; unscheduled deployments start immediately. Progress is tracked per agent on the Deployments page.
The same package templates are fully scriptable over the product REST API and the PowerShell module, so you can create, upload files to, build, and deploy a package without opening the console. See Software Deployment for the endpoints.
Practical tips#
- Use Duplicate to create test or per-environment variants of a proven package rather than editing the original in place.
- Add the correct installer Success Exit Codes up front (for example
3010for “reboot required”) so a normal install isn't reported as a failure. - Set OS conditions on steps that only apply to certain platforms so a single template can safely target a mixed fleet.
- Enable Continue on error on non-critical steps (such as best-effort cleanup) so one failure doesn't abort the whole deployment.