feat: bash tool execution in background

[uinstinct]

Description

Introduces moving terminal command to run in the background

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Checklist

• [] I've read the contributing guide
• [] The relevant docs, if any, have been updated or created
• [] The relevant tests, if any, have been updated or created

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feat.mp4

Tests

[ What tests were added or updated to ensure the changes work as expected? ]

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Summary by cubic

Run Bash tool commands in the background from the CLI. Press Ctrl+B to background a running command, monitor with /jobs or the CheckBackgroundJob tool; foreground runs now stream live output and background output is capped at 1000 lines.

• New Features
  • Background job system with IDs, output capture, live streaming, and status tracking (max 5 concurrent; output capped at 1000 lines; auto-kill on exit).
  • Ctrl+B moves the current Bash execution to the background and returns the Job ID.
  • /jobs opens an interactive screen to view job details (status, duration, last output) and cancel running jobs.
  • CheckBackgroundJob tool returns a job’s status, exit code, and full output.
  • TUI shows “ctrl+b to background” while the Bash tool is running.

^{Written for commit 1d2cba8. Summary will update on new commits.}

[cubic-dev-ai]

4 issues found across 20 files

Prompt for AI agents (all issues)

Check if these issues are valid — if so, understand the root cause of each and fix them.


<file name="extensions/cli/src/ui/JobsSelector.tsx">

<violation number="1" location="extensions/cli/src/ui/JobsSelector.tsx:49">
P2: Polling effect uses a stale closure: viewMode/selectedJob aren’t in the dependency array, so the interval never sees updates and detail view auto-refresh won’t run.</violation>
</file>

<file name="extensions/cli/src/tools/runTerminalCommand.ts">

<violation number="1" location="extensions/cli/src/tools/runTerminalCommand.ts:225">
P2: After moving the process to background, stdout/stderr/data listeners are never detached, so they keep appending to captured buffers and updating chat history even though the tool call is resolved, causing memory growth and spurious updates.</violation>

<violation number="2" location="extensions/cli/src/tools/runTerminalCommand.ts:242">
P2: Backgrounding a command returns unbounded stdout without applying the existing truncation limits, which can overflow context if the process has produced large output before backgrounding.</violation>
</file>

<file name="extensions/cli/src/services/BackgroundJobService.ts">

<violation number="1" location="extensions/cli/src/services/BackgroundJobService.ts:72">
P2: Output capture decodes each Buffer chunk with toString(), which can corrupt multi‑byte characters split across chunks. Use StringDecoder or setEncoding on the streams to preserve UTF‑8 sequences across chunk boundaries.</violation>
</file>

_{Reply with feedback, questions, or to request a fix. Tag @cubic-dev-ai to re-run a review.}

[cubic-dev-ai]

P2: Polling effect uses a stale closure: viewMode/selectedJob aren’t in the dependency array, so the interval never sees updates and detail view auto-refresh won’t run.

Prompt for AI agents

Check if this issue is valid — if so, understand the root cause and fix it. At extensions/cli/src/ui/JobsSelector.tsx, line 49:

<comment>Polling effect uses a stale closure: viewMode/selectedJob aren’t in the dependency array, so the interval never sees updates and detail view auto-refresh won’t run.</comment>

<file context>
@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@
+    }, 1000);
+
+    return () => clearInterval(interval);
+  }, []);
+
+  useInput((input, key) => {
</file context>

[cubic-dev-ai]

P2: Backgrounding a command returns unbounded stdout without applying the existing truncation limits, which can overflow context if the process has produced large output before backgrounding.

Prompt for AI agents

Check if this issue is valid — if so, understand the root cause and fix it. At extensions/cli/src/tools/runTerminalCommand.ts, line 242:

<comment>Backgrounding a command returns unbounded stdout without applying the existing truncation limits, which can overflow context if the process has produced large output before backgrounding.</comment>

<file context>
@@ -187,6 +222,34 @@ IMPORTANT: To edit files, use Edit/MultiEdit tools instead of bash commands (sed
+
+        if (job) {
+          resolve(
+            `Command moved to background. Job ID: ${job.id}\nOutput so far:\n${stdout}\nUse CheckBackgroundJob("${job.id}") to check status.`,
+          );
+        } else {
</file context>

Suggested change

	`Command moved to background. Job ID: ${job.id}\nOutput so far:\n${stdout}\nUse CheckBackgroundJob("${job.id}") to check status.`,
	const truncationResult = truncateOutputFromStart(stdout, { maxChars, maxLines });
	const outputSoFar = truncationResult.wasTruncated
	? appendParallelLimitNote(truncationResult.output)
	: truncationResult.output;
	resolve(
	`Command moved to background. Job ID: ${job.id}\nOutput so far:\n${outputSoFar}\nUse CheckBackgroundJob("${job.id}") to check status.`,
	);

[cubic-dev-ai]

P2: After moving the process to background, stdout/stderr/data listeners are never detached, so they keep appending to captured buffers and updating chat history even though the tool call is resolved, causing memory growth and spurious updates.

Prompt for AI agents

Check if this issue is valid — if so, understand the root cause and fix it. At extensions/cli/src/tools/runTerminalCommand.ts, line 225:

<comment>After moving the process to background, stdout/stderr/data listeners are never detached, so they keep appending to captured buffers and updating chat history even though the tool call is resolved, causing memory growth and spurious updates.</comment>

<file context>
@@ -187,6 +222,34 @@ IMPORTANT: To edit files, use Edit/MultiEdit tools instead of bash commands (sed
         return output;
       };
 
+      const moveToBackground = () => {
+        if (isResolved) return;
+        isResolved = true;
</file context>

[cubic-dev-ai]

P2: Output capture decodes each Buffer chunk with toString(), which can corrupt multi‑byte characters split across chunks. Use StringDecoder or setEncoding on the streams to preserve UTF‑8 sequences across chunk boundaries.

Prompt for AI agents

Check if this issue is valid — if so, understand the root cause and fix it. At extensions/cli/src/services/BackgroundJobService.ts, line 72:

<comment>Output capture decodes each Buffer chunk with toString(), which can corrupt multi‑byte characters split across chunks. Use StringDecoder or setEncoding on the streams to preserve UTF‑8 sequences across chunk boundaries.</comment>

<file context>
@@ -0,0 +1,218 @@
+    this.processes.set(jobId, child);
+
+    child.stdout?.on("data", (data: Buffer) => {
+      this.appendOutput(jobId, data.toString());
+    });
+
</file context>