Work that runs in the background
Some work takes minutes and does not need you watching it. Start the message with /parallel and
the agent takes it away:
/parallel prepare the monthly invoice run for Basis Bürobedarf KG and list what is missing
The chat is yours again immediately. The job runs beside it.
/parallel works in Cowork only. Extend builds structure, and structure is not something to
build unattended.
While it runs
A line appears above the message box: Background job started, with what you asked for. Click the line to unfold the full request — useful when it was three sentences long and the line is one.
Beside it sits Cancel.
Stopping it
Cancel ends the job. It takes effect after the step the agent is in — if it is waiting for the model mid-sentence, that sentence finishes first — so give it a moment. The list shows the job as Cancelled right away, and it will not turn back into a result.
Nothing you cancelled is reported to you as a failure afterwards. You ended it; you know.
When it is done
A DONE card appears in the conversation that started it, with a short preview and two choices:
- View result — the deliverable is appended to this chat as a normal answer.
- In a new session — it opens in a conversation of its own, which is the better choice when the result is long or begins a new thread of work.
The × dismisses the card without throwing the result away; the job stays in the list.
The list of jobs
In the chat header, the This session menu opens Background Processes — every job this workspace has run, with its state: queued, running, done, failed, cancelled. You can unfold a request there too, and cancel anything still running.
The panel opens where you last had a panel — beside the chat or above it. The two icons at the top right switch that.
If it needs you
A background job can reach an action that needs approval. It stops and waits, and the card appears in the conversation that started it. See when the agent asks first.