How do I install the Background Process skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add igorwarzocha/background-process in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Background Process safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Background Process?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Background Process free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Background Process?

igorwarzocha (@igorwarzocha) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Background Process by igorwarzocha — Agent Skill

Name: Background Process
Author: igorwarzocha

Background Process

Housekeeping guide for background process tools. You SHOULD load this skill before launching background processes to avoid stale processes, port conflicts, and buffer issues. Examples: - user: "Start the dev server" → load skill, then launch with proper cleanup practices - user: "Run npm run dev" → load skill to verify startup and use meaningful IDs - user: "What background processes have we launched?" → check for duplicate processes, port conflicts

igorwarzocha 02a6e98 2.0 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Background Process Best Practices

Keep the Process List Clean

Kill processes when done - don't leave stale servers running
Use background_process_cleanup periodically to remove exited processes
Before launching, check background_process_list to avoid duplicates
Use remove: true when killing to clean up in one step

Verify Startup

After launching, wait before reading output - servers need time to start:

Launch the process
Sleep at least 30 seconds (use bash sleep or just wait before next action)
background_process_read to confirm startup
If output is empty or incomplete, wait longer and re-read

Look for: "listening on", "ready", "started" - or errors like port conflicts

Use Meaningful IDs

When running multiple processes, set custom id for clarity:

id: "frontend" and id: "backend" instead of vite-1, node-2
Makes kill/read commands unambiguous

When to Use Each Signal

Signal	Use When
SIGTERM (default)	Normal shutdown - gives process time to cleanup
SIGINT	Simulate Ctrl+C - some processes handle this differently
SIGKILL	Process won't die with SIGTERM - force kill

Processes persist for the session - they don't auto-cleanup on conversation end
Output buffer is limited (500 lines default) - increase maxOutputLines for verbose builds
stderr is prefixed with [stderr] in output - helps distinguish errors

---name: background-processdescription: Housekeeping guide for background process tools. You SHOULD load this skill before launching background processes to avoid stale processes, port conflicts, and buffer issues. Examples: - user: "Start the dev server" → load skill, then launch with proper cleanup practices - user: "Run npm run dev" → load skill to verify startup and use meaningful IDs - user: "What background processes have we launched?" → check for duplicate processes, port conflicts---# Background Process Best Practices<housekeeping>## Keep the Process List Clean- Kill processes when done - don't leave stale servers running- Use `background_process_cleanup` periodically to remove exited processes- Before launching, check `background_process_list` to avoid duplicates- Use `remove: true` when killing to clean up in one step## Verify StartupAfter launching, wait before reading output - servers need time to start:1. Launch the process2. Sleep at least 30 seconds (use bash `sleep` or just wait before next action)3. `background_process_read` to confirm startup4. If output is empty or incomplete, wait longer and re-readLook for: "listening on", "ready", "started" - or errors like port conflicts## Use Meaningful IDsWhen running multiple processes, set custom `id` for clarity:- `id: "frontend"` and `id: "backend"` instead of `vite-1`, `node-2`- Makes kill/read commands unambiguous</housekeeping><signals>## When to Use Each Signal| Signal | Use When ||--------|----------|| SIGTERM (default) | Normal shutdown - gives process time to cleanup || SIGINT | Simulate Ctrl+C - some processes handle this differently || SIGKILL | Process won't die with SIGTERM - force kill |</signals><gotchas>- Processes persist for the session - they don't auto-cleanup on conversation end- Output buffer is limited (500 lines default) - increase `maxOutputLines` for verbose builds- stderr is prefixed with `[stderr]` in output - helps distinguish errors</gotchas>

Frequently asked questions