Skip to main content
Rubber Duck can run multiple sessions concurrently, allowing you to start a long-running task in one session while continuing to work in another.

​
How Background Sessions Work

By default, voice output is tied to the active voice session. When other sessions produce responses:
  • Output streams to terminals following that session
  • No voice is spoken (unless configured otherwise)
  • Notifications can alert you when work completes
Background sessions continue running until they complete or are explicitly aborted. Always monitor resource usage when running multiple concurrent sessions.

​
Starting Background Work

1

Create a session for the background task

duck new --name test-suite
2

Start the task

duck use test-suite
duck say "Run the full test suite and report any failures"
3

Switch to another session

duck use main-work
The test-suite session continues running in the background.
4

Monitor progress

Open a separate terminal to follow the background session:
duck follow test-suite

​
Managing Concurrent Sessions

​
Checking Running Sessions

View all active sessions: 
duck sessions
The output shows which sessions are currently running: 
SESSION         WORKSPACE        STATUS      LAST ACTIVE
test-suite      ~/projects/app   running     2m ago
main-work ✓     ~/projects/app   running     30s ago
refactor        ~/other/repo     stopped     1h ago
The ✓ indicates the active voice session.

​
Aborting Running Tasks

To stop a background task: 
duck abort test-suite
This sends Pi’s abort command, which:
  • Stops the current agent turn
  • Interrupts any running bash commands
  • Preserves the conversation history up to that point

​
Notification Settings

Configure how Rubber Duck notifies you about background work:
When a background session completes:
  • Default: Silent completion (no notification)
  • Configurable: Enable notifications in Settings for non-voice sessions
The menu bar icon updates to show session status changes.
By default, only the active voice session speaks responses.You can enable “Background sessions speak” in Settings to hear all session output, but this is not recommended as it can be confusing when multiple sessions talk simultaneously.

​
Example: Concurrent Development Workflow

Here’s a practical example of using background tasks:
1

Start a long-running analysis

duck new --name security-audit
duck say "Scan the entire codebase for security issues and generate a report"
2

Continue normal work

duck use main
Press Option+D: “Fix the login page styling bug”You can continue working normally while the security audit runs.
3

Check on background progress

In a separate terminal:
duck follow security-audit
Watch the live stream of file scans and findings.
4

Review results when complete

duck use security-audit
Press Option+D: “Summarize the security findings”

​
Barge-In Behavior

The Auto-abort on barge-in setting (enabled by default) controls what happens when you interrupt the assistant:

​
With Auto-Abort Enabled (Default)

When you start speaking while the assistant is responding:
  1. TTS stops immediately
  2. The current agent run is aborted
  3. Your new speech becomes a fresh prompt
  4. Any running bash commands are interrupted

​
With Auto-Abort Disabled

When you interrupt:
  1. TTS stops immediately
  2. Your speech is sent as a steering message
  3. The current tool completes
  4. Remaining planned tools are skipped
  5. The assistant responds to your steering input
Toggle this in Settings under “Voice Agent”.

​
Resource Management

Each running session:
  • Spawns a separate Pi subprocess
  • Maintains its own memory and context
  • Can execute tools independently
Running many concurrent sessions can consume significant system resources. Monitor your system performance and close sessions you’re not actively using.

​
Stopping Sessions

Sessions automatically stop after a period of inactivity, but you can manually stop them: 
# Abort the current operation
duck abort session-name

# Kill the daemon (stops all sessions)
pkill -f duck-daemon

​
Session Lifecycle Events

When following a session, you’ll see events indicating:
  • Session started/resumed
  • Agent turn started
  • Tool executions (read, write, bash, etc.)
  • Agent turn completed
  • Session switched (when voice changes to another session)

​
Best Practices

  • Monitor background sessions in separate terminal windows
  • Use descriptive session names to identify background tasks
  • Abort long-running tasks that are no longer needed
  • Check duck sessions regularly to see what’s running
  • Limit concurrent sessions to what your system can handle comfortably
  • Review background work by switching to that session and asking for a summary

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us