Background tasks don't sync changes to working directory when completed

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Jan 25, 2026 by erace Closed Jan 29, 2026

Description

When running tasks in the background via Claude Code CLI, if the task makes changes, commits them to a feature branch, and pushes to remote, the local working directory doesn't automatically receive those changes when the task completes or when resuming.

Current Behavior

  1. User starts a background task
  2. Task makes file changes
  3. Task commits to a feature branch and pushes to remote
  4. Task completes
  5. User resumes/checks results but local working directory doesn't have the new files
  6. User must manually pull/merge to get the changes

Expected Behavior

When a background task completes, the changes should be available in the local working directory without requiring manual git operations. Options could include:

  • Automatically merge the feature branch back to the working branch
  • Keep changes staged/committed on the current branch instead of a separate feature branch
  • Provide a prompt to sync changes when task completes
  • Auto-pull when resuming a completed background task

Impact

This creates a confusing workflow where:

  • The task reports success
  • Files appear to be created (in the task output)
  • But the user can't see or use the files until manual git operations

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