Background tasks
A background task is a progress tracker for work that takes a while to finish. When DMJBot starts something that doesn't complete instantly — a long-running command, a file sync, a coding agent working on your project — it creates a task so you can see that the work is running, follow its progress, and know when it's done.
A task is just a status marker. It has no logic of its own: the system creates it, updates its progress, and marks it finished (or failed, or cancelled) when the underlying work ends.
You don't create tasks — they appear automatically
Tasks are not something you start. You can't say "create a task." They are created for you whenever long work begins, in two situations:
- An assignment runs. When an assignment fires (on a schedule or an event), the work it does is tracked as a task.
- A tool does long work. When a connected MCP server starts an operation that takes more than a moment, it reports a task so its progress is visible.
For example, the Command server can run a backup command on a device. A backup takes time, so DMJBot creates a task to track it — you watch it progress instead of waiting blindly. The same happens when an Agent works on a project or a Git operation like a clone or push runs.
Monitoring your tasks
In the web interface you can watch tasks in two places:
- The Tasks page (left menu) — a dedicated page listing your background tasks with their current status and progress.
- The right panel during a chat — running tasks are shown alongside the conversation, so you can keep an eye on them while you keep working.
Results and final status also appear in the chat session the work belongs to.
Cancelling a task
Some tasks can be cancelled while they run — but only when the tool behind the task supports cancellation. If a running task can be stopped, a Cancel control is available for it; if the tool doesn't support stopping, the task simply runs to completion.
For example, a long command or a running coding agent can usually be cancelled, which stops the underlying process. Quick or non-stoppable operations don't offer a cancel option.
See also
- Assignments — scheduled and event-based work that runs as tasks.
- Tools and MCP — the tools that report long-running tasks.
- Agent MCP Server and Command — examples of cancellable, long-running work.