Let a long script finish in the background

2 minute read · Local Tasks

An agent can start an authorized project script as a background job, let Vortex own the process and continue the same conversation when it finishes. Use this for a bounded build, import or check whose result matters to the current task.

• Request a bounded job
• Keep Vortex open
• Read the result before retrying
• Choose the right kind of background work

Request a bounded job#

Name the project, the existing script and the result you need: “Run the article import check for this project, then read the result and tell me whether it passed.” The agent should inspect what the script does and use the current access mode. A test request does not authorize deployment just because the repository also contains a release script.

Jobs have an explicit timeout and saved status. They run noninteractively: a script that requires terminal input must fail clearly or use its supported noninteractive path. Do not put credentials into script arguments or chat text. Keep necessary secrets in the project's protected configuration.

Keep Vortex open#

After starting, the agent can complete independent work. When only the script remains, it yields. Vortex resumes this chat when the process exits, fails or times out; you do not need to keep sending status messages.

Keep Vortex open while the job runs. Closing the app or pressing Stop cancels the work. A restored conversation on another computer does not carry the old process with it. Settings → Notifications includes background-job notifications; operating-system notification settings still apply.

Read the result before retrying#

The resumed agent reads the actual exit status and relevant saved output, then verifies the intended outcome. Exit code zero can show that a script completed, but an import still needs its stored data checked and a release still needs publication verified.

A failed or interrupted script may have performed some actions. Inspect those effects before retrying. Stable requests avoid launching the same job twice; a deliberate new attempt after a correction is a separate run. Failed publication is not a reason to silently repeat an external action.

Choose the right kind of background work#

The mechanisms keep different histories and have different stop behavior. Closing a browser tab does not stop a server. Stopping a job does not reverse completed file changes. See runtime processes, schedules and linked tasks.