Run work in the background
Keep dev servers, test runs and subagents going while the conversation goes on, and follow them with ctrl+t.
Some commands keep running, like a dev server, or take a while, like a full test run. They can go on in the background while you and the agent keep working.
Start something in the background
Ask for it, and the agent starts it in the background:
start the dev serverA line above the prompt says what runs and for how long:
> start the dev server A dev server keeps running, so it goes in the background and the conversation goes on. +------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | $ pnpm dev | +--- Output -------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | [In the background | ctrl+t to see it] | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The dev server runs in the background on http://localhost:3000. ctrl+t shows its output, and x there stops it; I keep it running while we work. bg [|] pnpm dev 0s · ctrl+t -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ask jinion anything · / commands · $ skills · @ files --- Accept edits · shift+tab --------------------------------------------------------------- jinion · [M] Opus 5.5 · high · [D] code/api · ctx: 23K/200K · $0.09 Start the dev server
A command or subagent the turn is already waiting on can go to the background too. After it has run a few seconds,
the working line above the prompt reads Running bash · ctrl+b to run it in the background. Press ctrl+b, and
the turn goes on without waiting for it.
Follow and stop tasks
Press ctrl+t, or type /tasks, to open the tasks panel. It lists every task of the conversation with how it ended,
and the latest output of the one you're on.
+- Background tasks 1 running -------------------------------------------------------------+ | > 1. [|] pnpm dev 1s | | > acme-api@1.4.0 dev | | > tsx watch src/server.ts | | | | [watch] starting `node src/server.ts` | | Server listening on http://localhost:3000 | | | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Enter output · x stop · Up/Down move · Esc close | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Key | Does |
|---|---|
enter | Shows the whole output, following its end |
x | Stops the task |
esc | Closes the panel; tasks keep running |
In the output, up, down, pgup and pgdn scroll, x stops the task, and esc goes back to the list. A subagent
shows as Agent · and what it does, with its tool calls so far instead of output.
When a task ends
The conversation says so, such as [!] Background pnpm test · failed after 41s · exit 1, and the agent looks at the
result in a turn of its own. If the window isn't focused, you get a notification.
Tasks belong to the session. They stop with /clear, /resume, a rewind of the
conversation, an account switch, or when you quit. esc stops the turn but leaves background tasks running.
Subagents
When the agent hands part of the work to a subagent, the subagent's tool calls grow as a tree under
Agent · what it is doing, the latest six in view. When it is done, the tree folds into a line such as
6 tool calls · 34s; click it to open it again. Subagents can run in the background like commands.