---
title: "Background agents"
canonical: "https://canmyagentuse.com/features/background-agents"
contentKind: "feature"
locale: "en"
description: "Keep a run going after the operator leaves the session."
llmSummary: "Background agents continue running after the operator leaves the active session. Hosting, subscription, duration, and notification behavior are qualifiers."
publishedAt: "2026-08-28T00:00:00.000Z"
updatedAt: "2026-08-28T00:00:00.000Z"
verifiedAt: "2026-08-28"
tags: ["runtime"]
---

# Background agents

Background agents continue running after the operator leaves the active session. Hosting, subscription, duration, and notification behavior are qualifiers.

- HTML: https://canmyagentuse.com/features/background-agents
- JSON: https://canmyagentuse.com/api/v1/features/background-agents.json
- Markdown: https://canmyagentuse.com/features/background-agents.md

Terminology basis: **Common product term** — https://openworklabs.com/docs/cloud/get-started.

## Current support at a glance

Background agents: 1 supported, 5 partial, 0 unsupported, 25 unreviewed across 31 cataloged products.

- Reviewed current products: 6 of 31
- Supported: 1
- Partial: 5
- Unsupported: 0
- Unreviewed: 25
- Not applicable: 0

Unknown or unreviewed means insufficient published evidence; it does not mean unsupported.

Keep a run going after the operator leaves the session.

The matrix below lists published **web**, **desktop**, and **CLI** surfaces. Unreviewed cells remain **unknown** until a dated note and public source support a more specific status.

Use the Markdown and JSON twins if you are an agent reading this site.

## Catalog context

- Category: [runtime](/categories/runtime.md)
- Terminology basis: Common product term
- Aliases: None

## Compatibility assertions

Unknown means insufficient published evidence; it does not mean unsupported.

### ChatGPT (web)

- Harness: [ChatGPT](/harnesses/chatgpt-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Claude (web)

- Harness: [Claude](/harnesses/claude-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Gemini (web)

- Harness: [Gemini](/harnesses/gemini-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Copilot (web)

- Harness: [Copilot](/harnesses/copilot-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Grok (web)

- Harness: [Grok](/harnesses/grok-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Grok Bot (desktop)

- Harness: [Grok Bot](/harnesses/grok-bot-desktop.md)
- current: **Supported**
  - Target: hosted-observation — 2026-08-28 Grok Bot desktop documentation observation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: hosted-default
  - Constraint (runtime): work runs on an account-scoped hosted computer and can continue after the desktop preview or operator laptop is closed
  - Constraint (plan): an eligible SuperGrok or Cursor plan is required
  - Evidence: [xAI — Grok Bot computer and apps](https://docs.x.ai/grok-bot/computer-and-apps) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 2: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Grok Bot runs from a persistent cloud computer, continues when the desktop preview or operator laptop is closed, and can run scheduled routines in the background.

### Perplexity (web)

- Harness: [Perplexity](/harnesses/perplexity-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Le Chat (web)

- Harness: [Le Chat](/harnesses/le-chat.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Devin (web)

- Harness: [Devin](/harnesses/devin-web.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Replit Agent (web)

- Harness: [Replit Agent](/harnesses/replit-agent.md)
- current: **Partial**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Replit Agent task-system documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: hosted-default
  - Constraint (plan): Core supports one active background task and Pro supports up to ten
  - Constraint (runtime): background task isolation and queuing are documented, but continuation after closing the web session is not explicitly stated
  - Evidence: [Replit — Agent task system](https://docs.replit.com/core-concepts/agent/task-system) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 5: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Replit Agent supports plan-limited background tasks in isolated task threads, but the reviewed page does not explicitly promise continuation after the browser is closed.
- preview: **Unknown**

### ChatGPT (desktop)

- Harness: [ChatGPT](/harnesses/chatgpt-desktop.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Claude (desktop)

- Harness: [Claude](/harnesses/claude-desktop.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Cursor (desktop)

- Harness: [Cursor](/harnesses/cursor.md)
- current: **Partial**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Cursor Cloud Agents documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: hosted-default
  - Constraint (runtime): Cursor Desktop starts a separate Cloud Agent VM; the default local desktop agent is not itself detached
  - Constraint (plan): a paid Cursor plan and connected source-control account are required
  - Evidence: [Cursor — Cloud Agents](https://cursor.com/docs/cloud-agent) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 3: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Cursor Desktop can start Cloud Agents in isolated hosted VMs that do not require the local machine to remain connected.
- preview: **Unknown**

### OpenWork Desktop (desktop)

- Harness: [OpenWork Desktop](/harnesses/openwork-desktop.md)
- current: **Partial**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current OpenWork Cloud documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: hosted-default
  - Constraint (plan): active OpenWork Cloud subscription required
  - Constraint (runtime): work runs on a connected hosted worker rather than the local desktop process
  - Evidence: [OpenWork — Get started with OpenWork Cloud](https://openworklabs.com/docs/cloud/get-started) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 1: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: OpenWork Desktop can connect to hosted OpenWork Cloud workers; the background-run claim is conditional on that remote worker and an active Cloud subscription.

### Copilot Chat (desktop)

- Harness: [Copilot Chat](/harnesses/vscode-copilot.md)
- current: **Partial**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current VS Code cloud-agent documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: hosted-default
  - Constraint (runtime): continuation after closing VS Code is supplied by a cloud session on GitHub infrastructure rather than the local Copilot process
  - Constraint (policy): availability depends on eligible account, repository, and organization settings
  - Evidence: [Microsoft — Agent sessions and where agents run](https://code.visualstudio.com/learn/foundations/agent-sessions-and-where-agents-run) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 4: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: VS Code can hand a task to a cloud agent on GitHub infrastructure, after which the operator can close VS Code and return later to the pull request.
- preview: **Unknown**

### Chrome WebMCP origin trial (desktop)

- Harness: [Chrome WebMCP origin trial](/harnesses/chrome-webmcp-preview.md)
- current: **Unknown**

### Windsurf (desktop)

- Harness: [Windsurf](/harnesses/windsurf.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Zed Agent (desktop)

- Harness: [Zed Agent](/harnesses/zed-agent.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Continue (desktop)

- Harness: [Continue](/harnesses/continue.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Cline (desktop)

- Harness: [Cline](/harnesses/cline.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### JetBrains AI (desktop)

- Harness: [JetBrains AI](/harnesses/jetbrains-ai.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Warp (desktop)

- Harness: [Warp](/harnesses/warp.md)
- current: **Partial**
  - Target: dated-documentation — current Warp and Oz documentation; observed 2026-08-28
  - Environment: hosted-default
  - Constraint (runtime): background execution is provided by an Oz cloud agent on Warp-hosted or customer infrastructure rather than the default local Warp agent
  - Evidence: [Warp — Getting started with Warp and Oz](https://docs.warp.dev/) — documented; observed 2026-08-28
  - Qualification note 6: Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Warp can hand work to Oz cloud agents that run in the background on hosted or customer infrastructure.
- preview: **Unknown**

### Claude CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Claude CLI](/harnesses/claude-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### ChatGPT CLI (cli)

- Harness: [ChatGPT CLI](/harnesses/chatgpt-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Codex CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Codex CLI](/harnesses/codex-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### OpenCode (cli)

- Harness: [OpenCode](/harnesses/opencode.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Gemini CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Gemini CLI](/harnesses/gemini-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Aider (cli)

- Harness: [Aider](/harnesses/aider.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Goose (cli)

- Harness: [Goose](/harnesses/goose.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Copilot CLI (cli)

- Harness: [Copilot CLI](/harnesses/copilot-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**

### Amp (cli)

- Harness: [Amp](/harnesses/amp-cli.md)
- current: **Unknown**
- preview: **Unknown**