The present disclosure provides world-controlled augments and application-controlled augments. World-controlled augments can be controlled directly by a shell in the artificial reality environment. To allow even inexperienced users to develop world-controlled augments, a world-controlled builder system is provided. Application-controlled augments may be resource intensive (e.g., using eye-tracking, social-media tie-ins, etc.), may support complicated interactions among themselves, may require or have extensive use of inputs and permissioned resources, and are controlled by their hosting application. When a running application is halted, the application closes its application-controlled augments but can choose to have the XR system run a “place-holder” world-controlled augment for as long as the application is not running. The place-holder world-controlled augment preserves the appearance of the application in the artificial reality environment but uses few system resources. Upon a user selecting a place-holder world-controlled augment, the XR system can run the associated application and close the place-holder world-controlled augment.