The original title is about AI assistants stopping work when chat is closed, and the need for background execution.

Short summary

Most AI assistants only function as chat boxes—work stops the moment you close the window. Real assistants need background execution: wake on schedule, run unattended, keep background work hidden from the main conversation, and route user replies back into paused runs when help is needed. The critical design lesson: scheduled reminders and scheduled assistant runs are fundamentally different—users feel this architectural distinction immediately.

• •Assistants need to work in the background, not just within open chat windows
• •Scheduled tasks should spawn independent assistant runs with fresh context, not reuse conversation history
• •Background work should stay hidden from user-facing chats until the assistant needs input

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.