Terminal Opener
affaan-m/ECC
Open an executable and its argument array in a visible terminal window through a reusable, shell-free launch plan with dry-run, JSON, capability detection, detached fallback, and standalone recovery…
Run and manage long-lived shell commands in background terminals.
MITAuto-check passed
Install Background Terminals
$ npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install openpi-dev/openpi background-terminals --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/background-terminals .claude/skills/background-terminals && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "background-terminals" agent skill from https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi/tree/main/skills/background-terminals into .claude/skills/background-terminals/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "background-terminals", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi/tree/main/skills/background-terminalsType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install openpi-dev/openpi background-terminals --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/background-terminals .agents/skills/background-terminals && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "background-terminals" agent skill from https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi/tree/main/skills/background-terminals into .agents/skills/background-terminals/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "background-terminals", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install openpi-dev/openpi background-terminals --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/background-terminals .cursor/skills/background-terminals && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "background-terminals" agent skill from https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi/tree/main/skills/background-terminals into .cursor/skills/background-terminals/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "background-terminals", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi.git --path skills/background-terminals--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install openpi-dev/openpi background-terminals --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/background-terminals .gemini/skills/background-terminals && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "background-terminals" agent skill from https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi/tree/main/skills/background-terminals into .gemini/skills/background-terminals/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "background-terminals", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install openpi-dev/openpi background-terminalsInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/background-terminals .github/skills/background-terminals && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "background-terminals" agent skill from https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi/tree/main/skills/background-terminals into .github/skills/background-terminals/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "background-terminals", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install openpi-dev/openpi background-terminals --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/background-terminals .opencode/skills/background-terminals && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "background-terminals" agent skill from https://github.com/openpi-dev/openpi/tree/main/skills/background-terminals into .opencode/skills/background-terminals/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "background-terminals", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
background-terminals- GitHub stars
- 171
- Token cost
- ~362 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 174 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 3
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Run and manage long-lived shell commands in background terminals.
- Streaming builds
- SKILL.md covers Start and Inspect and stop
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- Other commands that should keep running while the agent continues working
What it does
Background Terminals is an agent skill from openpi-dev/openpi. Run and manage long-lived shell commands in background terminals. Use for dev servers, watchers, streaming builds, and other commands that should keep running while the agent continues working.
Its SKILL.md is about 360 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
The repository describes itself as: The setup I use for pi. Changes a ton, don't recommend hard copying it, just a taste of what's possible with it. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Streaming builds
- Other commands that should keep running while the agent continues working
Example prompts
- “/background-terminals”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3cb2ecf. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Background Terminals loads about 362 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 54 tokens; SKILL.md has 174 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from openpi-dev/openpi at commit 3cb2ecf, republished under its MIT licence (© openpi-dev). 174 words, ~362 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/background-terminals/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- background-terminals
- description
- Run and manage long-lived shell commands in background terminals. Use for dev servers, watchers, streaming builds, and other commands that should keep running while the agent continues working.
Background Terminals
Use bg_start for long-running commands; use regular bash for quick commands.
Start
Call bg_start with:
command: shell command to runtitle: short recognizable labelworking_dir: project directory when different from the current directorytimeout_seconds: optional deadline for finite work such as builds, tests, or migrations; omit for servers and watchers
Background commands receive no stdin. Never use them for interactive prompts.
After starting, continue useful work instead of polling. The terminal sends one completion message when it exits or times out.
Inspect and stop
- Use
bg_statusonly when current output or status is needed. - Use
bg_listto inventory all tracked terminals. - Use
bg_killwhen a process is no longer needed or is stuck; termination continues even if the tool wait is aborted. - Tell the user they can open
/psto inspect live output and kill terminals interactively.
Prefer meaningful titles and avoid starting duplicate servers or watchers. Full output is captured to spill files; tool and completion output shows a concise tail. Terminals are session-scoped and are stopped during shutdown or reload.
© openpi-dev, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/background-terminals of openpi-dev/openpi.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3cb2ecf
Compare with similar skills
Background Terminals next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background Terminals this skillopenpi-dev/openpi | 171 | — | ~362 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Terminal Openeraffaan-m/ECC | 275k | — | ~635 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Live DashboardNousResearch/hermes-agent | 252k | — | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Shell ScriptingRightNow-AI/openfang | 18k | — | ~827 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Crush Shell Builtinscharmbracelet/crush | 29k | — | ~790 | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Python Background Jobswshobson/agents | 40k | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
Similar skills
Live Dashboard
NousResearch/hermes-agent
Build self-updating dashboards from live sources. An agent skill from NousResearch/hermes-agent.
Shell Scripting
RightNow-AI/openfang
Shell scripting expert for Bash, POSIX compliance, error handling, and automation
Crush Shell Builtins
charmbracelet/crush
Explains how to add a new in-process builtin command to Crush's embedded POSIX shell, so it is intercepted before reaching the OS, with context polling and exit-status rules.
Python Background Jobs
wshobson/agents
Python background job patterns including task queues, workers, and event-driven architecture.
Openclaw Live Updater
openclaw/openclaw
Maintain the canonical live OpenClaw main checkout, macOS LaunchAgent-managed Gateway, local macOS app, exact-head main CI, and recurring full release validation.
More from openpi-dev/openpi
Questions about Background Terminals
What does Background Terminals do?
Run and manage long-lived shell commands in background terminals. Background Terminals is an agent skill from openpi-dev/openpi. Run and manage long-lived shell commands in background terminals.
When should I use Background Terminals?
Background Terminals fits situations like: streaming builds; other commands that should keep running while the agent continues working.
How do I install Background Terminals in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/background-terminals in openpi-dev/openpi) into .claude/skills/background-terminals in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Background Terminals in Codex?
Run `npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/background-terminals in openpi-dev/openpi) into .agents/skills/background-terminals in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Background Terminals in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add openpi-dev/openpi --skill background-terminals -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/background-terminals, .gemini/skills/background-terminals, .github/skills/background-terminals and .opencode/skills/background-terminals in your project.
What does Background Terminals need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Background Terminals is instructions for the agent only.
Does Background Terminals access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Background Terminals safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Background Terminals use?
Background Terminals is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Background Terminals use?
About 362 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 1.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Background Terminals?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Background Terminals: Terminal Opener (affaan-m/ECC, 275k stars), Live Dashboard (NousResearch/hermes-agent, 252k stars), Shell Scripting (RightNow-AI/openfang, 18k stars) and Crush Shell Builtins (charmbracelet/crush, 29k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Background Terminals?
openpi-dev (a GitHub organization) maintains it in openpi-dev/openpi, which has 171 GitHub stars. The repository holds 3 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 5, 2026.
Source: openpi-dev/openpi on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.