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Tools: Background & Web

Background Bash

#057 0:14 Part of the Rysh video series

Long-running jobs don't block the agent -- bash_background returns a session id and keeps running.

Background Bash — 0:14 walkthrough

What you'll see

  1. Launch rysh; double-Esc to prompt mode.
  2. Prompt: "start a long-running command in the background."
  3. The bash_background tool launches it and returns a session id; starting it is approval-gated -- press y.
  4. Narrate: output is captured in a 256KB ring buffer; the session persists until killed or the pane closes.

Commands shown

rysh
start a long-running ping to localhost in the background
y

Keys used

EnterEscape

Transcript

0:00Long-running jobs don't block the agent -- bash_background returns a session id and keeps running.

0:03Start rysh in a project with something long-running, like a dev server.

0:08Double-press Escape for prompt mode.

0:13Ask it to start a long-running command in the background. The bash_background tool launches it and immediately returns a session id, so the agent stays free to keep working. Starting a background job is approval-gated -- press y to allow it.

0:32Output is captured in a 256-kilobyte ring buffer, and the session persists until you kill it or close the pane -- perfect for dev servers, watchers, and build daemons you want to leave running.

0:42Fire it off, get a session id, and move on.

Key takeaway
bash_background runs long-lived jobs (dev servers, watchers) off the main loop, returning a session id, with a 256KB ring buffer for output.