Background Tasks, /loop & Scheduling
Not everything is a quick edit. Claude Code can run work that outlives a single prompt: long commands in the background, recurring loops, and scheduled runs.
Background tasks
Kick off a long-running command (a dev server, a test watcher, a build) without blocking the session. Claude keeps working and is notified when the task produces output or finishes. Use it for anything you'd normally background with & — but managed, so Claude can read the output later.
:::tip Don't busy-wait Start the task in the background and continue; let the completion notification bring you back, rather than polling in a tight loop. :::
Recurring loops (/loop)
/loop runs a prompt or command on a recurring interval within a session — e.g. "every 5 minutes, check the deploy status." Give it an interval, or let Claude self-pace. Great for babysitting a CI run or polling an external job that the harness can't otherwise notify you about.
Scheduled cloud agents
For work that should happen on a clock, ongoing — "every morning summarize new issues," "hourly, check for news and update the docs" — use scheduled tasks / routines (cron-style). Each run starts fresh, so its instructions must be self-contained.
Choosing between them
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Run a long command, keep working | Background task |
| Poll something every N minutes this session | /loop |
| Do something on a schedule, indefinitely | Scheduled routine |
:::warning Autonomy needs guardrails Anything that acts unattended on a schedule should be tightly scoped and reversible. Pair it with strict permissions and read Hardening Autonomous Runs. :::