Windows - Configuration - Start SentinelOne Agent Service

What the SentinelOne agent startup Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ monitors the SentinelOne Agent service on Windows endpoints and automatically starts it if the service is not running. The Worklet first verifies that the SentinelOne Agent application is actually installed on the endpoint by checking both the 64-bit and 32-bit registry hives under the Windows uninstall registry key.

If the SentinelOne Agent is installed, the Worklet evaluates the current status of the SentinelAgent service. When the service is stopped or in any state other than Running, the Worklet flags the endpoint for remediation and automatically starts the service using Windows Service Control Manager.

Why maintain continuous SentinelOne agent operation

SentinelOne provides autonomous endpoint protection, but the agent service can stop unexpectedly due to resource conflicts, Windows updates, driver conflicts, or power management issues. When the SentinelOne service stops, your endpoint loses real-time threat detection, behavioral analysis, and the ability to respond autonomously to attacks. The endpoint appears online in your inventory but provides zero protection against malware, ransomware, or exploit attempts.

Security operations teams rely on SentinelOne telemetry for threat hunting, incident response, and forensic investigations. When an agent service stops, you lose visibility into endpoint activity during that time window. If an attack occurs while the service is stopped, you have no data to analyze, no forensic artifacts to examine, and no way to determine what happened on that endpoint.

SentinelOne's management console shows agent status, but distinguishing between endpoints that are offline versus endpoints with stopped services requires drilling into individual endpoint details. When managing thousands of endpoints, identifying service failures hidden among legitimately offline systems becomes a time-consuming manual process.

Virtual desktop environments, particularly those using non-persistent images or complex power management, can experience service failures when endpoints resume from saved states or after snapshot operations. These failures create protection gaps in environments that handle sensitive data and face elevated risk profiles.

How SentinelOne agent startup works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet checks both 64-bit and 32-bit registry hives for the SentinelOne Agent application. If the application is not found, the Worklet exits without flagging remediation. If the application is installed, the Worklet checks the SentinelAgent service status using Get-Service. If the service is already running, the Worklet exits with success. If the service is stopped or in any other state, the endpoint is flagged for remediation.

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet uses Start-Service to start the SentinelAgent service. If the service starts successfully, the Worklet completes with success status. If the service cannot be started or is not found on the endpoint, the remediation fails and reports an error for further investigation.

SentinelOne agent startup requirements

• SentinelOne Agent application must be installed on the endpoint

• Windows Server 2016 or later, or Windows 10 and newer

• Local administrator privileges to start Windows services

• PowerShell 3.0 or later for script execution

Expected SentinelOne service status after remediation

The SentinelOne agent service starts immediately and resumes normal operation. The service transitions from Stopped to Running, and the agent begins its initialization process. Within two to five minutes, the agent reconnects to the SentinelOne management console and resumes telemetry transmission.

The endpoint regains full protection from SentinelOne's behavioral AI, static AI, and threat intelligence capabilities. The agent monitors process execution, file system operations, network connections, and registry modifications. If malicious activity occurs, SentinelOne detects and responds according to your configured policies.

The SentinelOne management console updates the endpoint's status to Active with a current last-contact timestamp. Any security events that queued while the service was stopped are uploaded to the console. Security analysts can now see current endpoint activity in their threat hunting and investigation workflows.

The service continues running until the next system reboot or service failure. This Worklet only starts the service, it does not modify service startup configuration or add resilience features. You should investigate the root cause of the service stoppage to prevent future failures on this endpoint.

How to validate start sentinelone agent service changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot Windows endpoint and review evaluation output for start sentinelone agent service.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as Get-ChildItem, Get-ItemProperty, Where-Object.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as Get-Service, Start-Service, Write-Output, then rerun evaluation for compliance.