> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stoutdata.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Locks

> Lock a box so that other people do not drive its instruments while you work.

A lock tells your team that you work on a box. Lager keeps the lock on the box itself, so Stout and the Lager CLI see the same lock.

## Before you lock a box

You must have a display name. Stout holds each lock under the display name of the holder, with the spaces changed to dots. For example, `Alice Smith` locks as `Alice.Smith`.

Display names are unique in an organization. To set your display name, see [Account](/source/organizations/account).

## Lock or unlock a box

Anyone who can see a box can lock it. Use one of these controls:

* On the **Boxes** page, select the lock icon in the **Lock** column.
* In the **…** menu of a row, select **Lock** or **Unlock**.
* On the box page, open the **…** menu in the header, and then select **Lock** or **Unlock**.

The **Lock** column shows **You** when you hold the lock. It shows the name of the holder when another person holds it.

Only the holder can unlock a box. If a member tries to unlock a box that another person holds, Stout tells the member to ask an admin.

## Force unlock a box

Owners and admins can force unlock a box that another person holds. When they select **Unlock** on that box, Stout opens the **Force Unlock** dialog.

<Warning>
  Before you force unlock a box, talk to the holder. A force unlock can stop their work in the middle of a test.
</Warning>

When you open the page of a box that another person holds, the **This box is locked** window opens. Owners and admins can select **Force unlock**, or they can close the window. Members select **Go back**.

## Use the same lock in the Lager CLI

If you use the Lager CLI too, give it the same name as your lock. Then Stout and the Lager CLI both count your locks as yours.

```bash theme={null}
lager defaults add --user Alice.Smith
```

The **Edit display name** dialog on your account page shows this command with your own name. Stout also counts a lock as yours when its holder is your email address.

To lock a box from the Lager CLI, run `lager boxes lock --box BENCH-1`. For how locks work in Lager, see [Box Locking](https://docs.lagerdata.com/source/reference/cli/locking) and [lager defaults](https://docs.lagerdata.com/source/reference/cli/defaults) in the Lager docs.

## What a lock blocks

While another person holds the lock on a box, these limits apply to you:

* Workbench refuses most instrument commands, for every role. Only the status of power supply, battery, and USB hub panels, and the battery model list and export, still work. See [Workbench](/source/workbench/overview#locked-boxes).
* Before an owner or admin edits, updates, regroups, or deletes the box from the box list, Stout asks them to confirm. A lock does not stop the change.
* A member who opens the box page sees **This box is locked** and goes back to the box list.

Bulk updates and the daily update schedule skip every locked box. This includes a box that you hold. See [Updates](/source/boxes/updates).

<Warning>
  Do not depend on a lock alone to keep other people off a box. A lock does not stop a UART console, a firmware flash, a script from **Import Test**, or a Factory run. Tell the people who share the box before you start work that must not be interrupted.
</Warning>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Updates" href="/source/boxes/updates">
    Update Lager and Stout on your boxes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Account" href="/source/organizations/account">
    Set the display name that your locks use.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>