Background runs & approvals

Everything in NextOS works fully with just a browser tab open. Turning on background runs (Settings > Privacy) lets schedules and automations keep going after you close it - useful for anything that should happen overnight, on a recurring schedule, or while you're away.

What runs in the background

A schedule or automation qualifies for background execution when every tool it needs can run without your browser open - reading and writing your files, sending a notification, calling a model. Eligible jobs are picked up and run on our servers using a securely stored, opt-in copy of your provider key, and you're notified with the result by push notification the moment they finish.

Approvals

Some actions are worth a second look before they happen - deleting something, spending money, sending a message on your behalf. When an agent hits one of these mid-run, it pauses and asks. If you have a tab open, you'll see the approval right there; if you don't, you get a push notification with Approve and Deny right on it, so a paused run doesn't have to wait for you to come back and open NextOS again.

The pulse rail

The pulse rail (in the strip) is where you watch what's running and what's waiting on you - agents in progress, automations that just fired, and anything paused for your decision.

What's next

• See how speculation affects the cost of a run.
• Set team-wide approval rules if you're managing this for more than yourself.