[DOCS] Agent view docs omit background shell-command rows and completed-row behavior
Documentation Type
Missing documentation (feature not documented)
Documentation Location
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view
Section/Topic
"Monitor sessions with agent view", especially row types, state transitions, and what opening a completed row does
Current Documentation
The current agent view docs describe the table as session-only UI:
Run claude agents to open agent view. It takes over the full terminal and lists every session grouped by state, with pinned sessions and the ones that need you at the top. Each row shows the session's name, current activity, and how long ago it last changed.
Press Space on a selected row to open the peek panel. It shows what the session needs from you, its most recent output, and any pull requests it opened.
PressEnteror→on a selected row to attach. Agent view is replaced by the full interactive session, exactly as if you had runclaudein that directory.
Related docs acknowledge background shell commands elsewhere, but only as generic background tasks:
For long-running processes such as dev servers or watch builds, Claude can setrun_in_background: trueto start the command as a background task and continue working while it runs. List and stop background tasks with/tasks.
What's Wrong or Missing?
The v2.1.144 release notes fixed two user-visible agent view behaviors for shell-command rows: completed command rows could linger under Working, and pressing Enter on a completed row could re-run the command after its cached output expired.
The current docs never explain that background shell commands can appear as rows in agent view, how those rows transition from Working to Completed, or what reopening a completed command row is supposed to do. As written, agent-view reads as though every row is an attachable session, while background shell commands are documented only under /tasks.
Suggested Improvement
Add a short note to agent-view explaining that background shell commands can surface as rows, alongside session rows, and document their expected behavior.
For example:
Background shell commands may appear as rows in agent view while they are running. When they finish, they move toCompletedinstead of remaining underWorking. Opening a completed command row should show the saved command result or task details; it should not start the command again just because the inline output preview has expired.
If /tasks is still the preferred place to inspect or stop those commands, cross-link that workflow explicitly from agent-view.
Impact
Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand
Additional Context
Affected Pages:
| Page | Line(s) | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view | 73-81, 153-161 | Describes agent view rows as sessions and documents Space/Enter behavior, but not shell-command rows |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference | 121 | Documents background Bash commands as tasks, without connecting them to agent view |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands | 117 | /tasks is listed as the command for background tasks, but does not clarify how this relates to agent view |
Total scope: 3 pages affected
Version context: This gap is about behavior fixed in Claude Code v2.1.144.
3 Comments
Issue #60413 Verification
Title: [DOCS] Agent view docs omit background shell-command rows and completed-row behavior
Issue Date: 2026-05-19
Verification Date: 2026-06-04
Status: RESOLVED
---
Issue Summary
This issue reports that the
agent-viewdocs treated rows as session-only UI and did not explain that background shell commands can appear as rows, how completed command rows behave, or how those rows relate to the background-task workflow.---
Verification Results
Claim 1: Agent view now documents background shell-command rows
Status: RESOLVED
At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 249-256, the dispatch table now says: "
! <command>| Run a shell command as a background job instead of starting a Claude session. The job appears as a row you can attach to, watch, and detach from". The same page then states at lines 326-339: "To run a shell command as a background job instead of a Claude session, type!as the first character..." and "The command runs as a PTY-backed job and appears as a row in agent view, with the most recent line of output as its status."Verdict: The page now explicitly states that shell commands can appear as agent-view rows and describes how they are started.
---
Claim 2: The docs now describe completed-row behavior for background shell commands
Status: RESOLVED
At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 107-116, the row-state table says "
Completed|Green|The task finished successfully". The shell-command section adds at lines 338-340: "To see the output, attach to the row, pressSpaceto peek without attaching, or runclaude logs <id>from your shell. The captured output stays in memory and is not written to disk. The row and its output clean up automatically about five minutes after the command exits..."Verdict: The current docs describe what a finished command row represents and what reopening it does: it exposes the captured output via attach, peek, or logs until the row is cleaned up, rather than presenting the row as a fresh command launch.
---
Claim 3: The background-task workflow is now linked from the current docs set
Status: RESOLVED
At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 507-509, the troubleshooting section says: "Run
/tasksto see what's running, then/bgto confirm abandoning them." Separately, https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agents, lines 49-54, says: "For anything running in the background of the current session,/taskslists each item and lets you check on, attach to, or stop it." The command reference at https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands, line 128, lists "/tasks| List and manage background tasks."Verdict: The current docs set now documents the
/tasksworkflow alongside agent-view and background-task behavior.---
Current State
| Claim | Status |
|-------|--------|
| Agent view documents shell-command rows | RESOLVED |
| Agent view explains completed-row behavior for shell commands | RESOLVED |
| Background-task workflow is documented with
/tasksreferences | RESOLVED |---
Suggested Fix
N/A - issue has been resolved.
---
References
Completedas "The task finished successfully."! <command>as a shell command that appears as an agent-view row./tasksfor running background tasks./tasksas the way to check on, attach to, or stop background items./tasksas the command to list and manage background tasks.---
Conclusion & Recommendation
Primary Concern: The report said
agent-viewdid not explain shell-command rows or what happens when those rows finish.Resolution Status: RESOLVED
Recommendation: CLOSE
The current documentation now explicitly describes shell-command rows in agent view, explains how to inspect their output after completion, and points readers to
/tasksfor background-task management.---
Issue #60413 Verification
Title: [DOCS] Agent view docs omit background shell-command rows and completed-row behavior
Issue Date: 2026-05-19
Verification Date: 2026-06-04
Status: RESOLVED
---
Issue Summary
This issue reports that the
agent-viewdocs treated rows as session-only UI and did not explain that background shell commands can appear as rows, how completed command rows behave, or how those rows relate to the background-task workflow.---
Verification Results
Claim 1: Agent view now documents background shell-command rows
Status: RESOLVED
At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 249-256, the dispatch table now says: "
! <command>| Run a shell command as a background job instead of starting a Claude session. The job appears as a row you can attach to, watch, and detach from". The same page then states at lines 326-339: "To run a shell command as a background job instead of a Claude session, type!as the first character..." and "The command runs as a PTY-backed job and appears as a row in agent view, with the most recent line of output as its status."Verdict: The page now explicitly states that shell commands can appear as agent-view rows and describes how they are started.
---
Claim 2: The docs now describe completed-row behavior for background shell commands
Status: RESOLVED
At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 107-116, the row-state table says "
Completed|Green|The task finished successfully". The shell-command section adds at lines 338-340: "To see the output, attach to the row, pressSpaceto peek without attaching, or runclaude logs <id>from your shell. The captured output stays in memory and is not written to disk. The row and its output clean up automatically about five minutes after the command exits..."Verdict: The current docs describe what a finished command row represents and what reopening it does: it exposes the captured output via attach, peek, or logs until the row is cleaned up, rather than presenting the row as a fresh command launch.
---
Claim 3: The background-task workflow is now linked from the current docs set
Status: RESOLVED
At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 507-509, the troubleshooting section says: "Run
/tasksto see what's running, then/bgto confirm abandoning them." Separately, https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agents, lines 49-54, says: "For anything running in the background of the current session,/taskslists each item and lets you check on, attach to, or stop it." The command reference at https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands, line 128, lists "/tasks| List and manage background tasks."Verdict: The current docs set now documents the
/tasksworkflow alongside agent-view and background-task behavior.---
Current State
| Claim | Status |
|-------|--------|
| Agent view documents shell-command rows | RESOLVED |
| Agent view explains completed-row behavior for shell commands | RESOLVED |
| Background-task workflow is documented with
/tasksreferences | RESOLVED |---
Suggested Fix
N/A - issue has been resolved.
---
References
Completedas "The task finished successfully."! <command>as a shell command that appears as an agent-view row./tasksfor running background tasks./tasksas the way to check on, attach to, or stop background items./tasksas the command to list and manage background tasks.---
Conclusion & Recommendation
Primary Concern: The report said
agent-viewdid not explain shell-command rows or what happens when those rows finish.Resolution Status: RESOLVED
Recommendation: CLOSE
The current documentation now explicitly describes shell-command rows in agent view, explains how to inspect their output after completion, and points readers to
/tasksfor background-task management.---
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