[DOCS] Tools docs missing Monitor tool for streaming events from background scripts

Documentation Type

Missing documentation (feature not documented)

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference

Section/Topic

The built-in Monitor tool and how it should be used with background scripts/tasks.

Current Documentation

The tools reference currently lists the built-in tools, including:

TaskOutput | (Deprecated) Retrieves output from a background task. Prefer Read on the task's output file path

The interactive/background-task docs currently say:

Output is written to a file and Claude can retrieve it using the Read tool

There is no documentation for the new Monitor tool.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Claude Code v2.1.98 added a Monitor tool for streaming events from background scripts, but the official docs do not explain:

A. That the tool exists

The built-in tools table omits it entirely.

B. When to use it

Current docs only describe polling background-task output via Read or the deprecated TaskOutput path.

C. How it relates to existing background-task behavior

Users and plugin/agent authors have no guidance on when Monitor is preferable to Read, what it streams, or how it behaves with background scripts.

Suggested Improvement

Add a Monitor entry to tools-reference with a short description such as:

Monitor — Streams events from background scripts/tasks so Claude can react to progress updates without polling the output file.

Also update the background-task docs to explain:

• when to use Monitor versus Read
• whether it is intended for background Bash tasks, scripts launched by tools, or both
• what kinds of events are streamed (for example stdout/stderr chunks, status transitions, completion)
• any permission requirements or limitations

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Line(s) | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference | 13-46 | Built-in tool list omits Monitor |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/interactive-mode | 210-224 | Background task docs only describe output files + Read |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents | 242, 632 | Background subagent/task behavior is documented, but not the streaming Monitor path |

Total scope: 3 pages affected