When you uninstall or deregister the Automox agent and then reinstall it on the same device, the device may reappear in the group it was previously assigned to.
This is expected behavior.
Why this happens
Automox uses a generated device identity to recognize each device. That identity is based on hardware and system attributes, so uninstalling and reinstalling the agent on the same device usually produces the same Automox device identity.
When a device is removed from Automox, Automox does not immediately treat that device as an entirely new, unknown machine. Instead, the existing device record is retained so Automox can recognize the device if it checks in again.
Because the reinstalled agent reports the same device identity, Automox reconnects it to the existing device record rather than creating a duplicate device. That existing record still has the device’s previous group assignment, so the device can return to the group it belonged to before the agent was removed.
In other words:
- The agent is removed or deregistered.
- The device is removed from Automox.
- The agent is reinstalled on the same device.
- The agent reports the same generated device identity.
- Automox recognizes the device and restores the existing device record.
- The device reappears in its previous group.
Re-register the device to a different group
To place the device in a different group during re-registration, specify the destination group before the agent reconnects to Automox.
Use the agent command line
Use --setgrp to define the group the device should join when it connects to Automox.
For macOS or Linux:
amagent --setgrp 'Default Group/<Group Name>' amagent --deregister
For Windows:
amagent --setgrp "Default Group/<Group Name>" amagent --deregister
After setting the group and deregistering the agent, restart the Automox agent service.
For more details, see the Agent Command Line Guide.
Use the Windows bulk deployment script
When using the Windows bulk deployment script, include the access key and destination group name:
Install-AxAgentMsi.ps1 -AccessKey <ACCESS_KEY> -GroupName "<GROUP_NAME>"
If the destination group is under a parent group, include the parent group name:
Install-AxAgentMsi.ps1 -AccessKey <ACCESS_KEY> -GroupName "<GROUP_NAME>" -ParentGroupName "<PARENT_GROUP_NAME>"
The access key is available in the Add Devices window or from Settings → Secrets & Keys.
For more details, see Deploying the Automox Agent in Bulk.
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