Ian Nuttall (@iannuttall) shared a useful Claude Code pro tip for handling long-running tasks.

Claude Code Pro Tip

Add this line to your .zshrc or .bashrc (ask Claude Code to do it for you):

export ENABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS=1

This allows you to move long-running tasks to the background to keep chatting with Claude Code while tasks execute.

Key Points

• Environment variable enables background task execution in Claude Code
• Keeps the chat interface responsive during long operations
• Can be added to shell configuration files automatically by Claude Code
• Improves workflow efficiency for developers