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background-agent-pings

background-agent-pings

github.com/parcadeiAgent workflows3.9k502 installsUpdated 39w ago
Repository

About background-agent-pings

A workflow skill for using system reminders to track background-agent progress without polling. It helps agents continue other work while waiting for progress or completion notifications.

Key features

  1. 01Reminder-based progress tracking
  2. 02Avoids repeated polling
  3. 03Checks output files after notifications

Use cases

  1. 01Working while a background agent runs
  2. 02Reading results after completion signals

Install

Copy the command and run it in a terminal.

$npx skills add https://github.com/parcadei/continuous-claude-v3 --skill background-agent-pings

After installing, type/background-agent-pingsin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.

Details

From the project README

Background Agent Pings

Trust system reminders as agent progress notifications. Don't poll.

Pattern

When you launch a background agent, continue working on other tasks. The system will notify you via reminders when:

  • Agent makes progress: Agent <id> progress: X new tools used, Y new tokens
  • Agent writes output file (check the path you specified)

DO

1. Task(run_in_background=true, prompt="... Output to: .claude/cache/agents/<type>/output.md")
2. Continue with next task immediately
3. When system reminder shows agent activity, check if output file exists
4. Read output file only when agent signals completion

DON'T

# BAD: Polling wastes tokens and time
Task(run_in_background=true)
Bash("sleep 5 && ls ...")  # polling
Bash("tail /tmp/claude/.../tasks/<id>.output")  # polling
TaskOutput(task_id="...")  # floods context

Why This Matters

  • Polling burns tokens on repeated checks
  • TaskOutput floods main context with full agent transcript
  • System reminders are free - they're pushed to you automatically
  • Continue productive work while waiting

Source

  • This session: Realized polling for agent output wasted time when system reminders already provide progress updates

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