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feat: Show background tasks status in sidebar

Open dccarbone opened this issue 2 days ago • 2 comments

Problem

When using background tasks (background_task, call_omo_agent with run_in_background=true), there's no visibility into which tasks are currently running.

The user has to:

  1. Remember the task_ids manually
  2. Use background_output to check status one by one
  3. Hope they don't forget to cancel tasks before finishing

Proposed Solution

Add a visual indicator in the sidebar showing active background tasks:

  • Task count badge on sidebar (e.g., "3 running")
  • Expandable list showing:
    • Agent type (explore, librarian, oracle, etc.)
    • Task description (the short description passed to the tool)
    • Duration/elapsed time
    • Quick actions: view output, cancel

Why This Matters

  • Resource awareness: Users can see if they're spinning up too many agents
  • Better UX: No need to track task_ids mentally
  • Easier cleanup: One-click cancel instead of background_cancel(all=true)

Alternatives Considered

  • Toast notifications for task start/end (less persistent)
  • Status bar indicator (less detailed)

Feature request from a user who frequently uses parallel background agents for exploration.

dccarbone avatar Jan 14 '26 01:01 dccarbone