Run your first background task in Reason
Open Reason on the web or the Mac app
Sign in at reasonmachines.com, or download the Reason app for macOS from reasonmachines.com/download. Both open the same Sessions. Cloud computers come with a Pro or Max plan.
Connect GitHub
In Customize, open GitHub and choose Connect GitHub, then pick the repositories Reason may work in.
Hand over the task before you log off
Push your branch and tell Reason in the composer what's done, what's next and how to check it, for example "finish the migration, keep the test suite green, and open a pull request". The Session runs on Reason's cloud computer, so it keeps going after you close your laptop.
Make it a Loop if it repeats
Open Loops in the sidebar and describe the job and when it runs, such as every night at 2am, or on each new GitHub issue or Slack message. Each run picks up the Loop's instructions and Reason's memory of your repository.
Background coding agents compared
| Where it works | Triggers and schedules | |
|---|---|---|
| Reason | Its own cloud computer per Session keeps working with your laptop closed; Loops run on a schedule, a webhook, a GitHub event or a Slack message; Slack, memory, and any connected model | Web, Mac, iOS, Slack, Grok Bot, API; Loops |
| Codex cloud | A workspace per task that keeps working while your computer is asleep | ChatGPT web, mobile and desktop, terminal; scheduled tasks |
| Claude Code on the web | Anthropic's cloud; keeps running after you close your laptop | claude.ai/code, Claude app, desktop, terminal, Slack; scheduled tasks (research preview) |
| Cursor Cloud Agents | Isolated cloud VMs; don't need your computer online | Cursor desktop, web, iOS, Slack, GitHub, Linear, API |
| GitHub Copilot cloud agent | A cloud environment; sessions on GitHub Actions run at most 59 minutes | GitHub and Copilot CLI; automations on a schedule or repository events |
| Jules | A cloud VM that clones your code | jules.google; recurring tasks, daily or weekly |
| Devin | Devin's cloud workspace with a shell, IDE and browser | Slack, Teams, web, CLI, API |
| OpenHands | Your machine by default, or OpenHands Cloud | Slack, GitHub, Linear; schedules and webhooks |
| Grok Bot | A persistent cloud computer per user; hands larger coding to Cursor cloud agents | Routines on a schedule or events, at least five minutes apart |
From each vendor's own docs, checked Nov 2, 2026.
What to look for
Where it runs (its own computer, not yours), what can start it (Slack, GitHub events, a schedule), what it hands back (a pull request with test results), and what happens at a usage limit. That last one decides whether a long job finishes overnight.
Hit your limit? Reason keeps going on your other connected accounts or Reason credits. Reason works on a branch, opens a pull request and leaves merging to your repository's own rules.
Sources (checked Nov 2, 2026)
- OpenAI: Codex cloud
- Claude Code docs: Claude Code on the web
- Claude Code docs: cloud scheduled tasks
- Cursor docs: Cloud Agents
- Cursor help: background agents
- GitHub Docs: about Copilot cloud agent
- Jules docs
- Jules docs: scheduled tasks
- Devin docs: introduction
- OpenHands/OpenHands on GitHub (MIT)
- xAI: Grok Bot overview
- Reason docs: plans
Questions
What are background coding agents?
Coding agents that work on a cloud computer or VM instead of your machine, so they keep going while you do something else or close your laptop, and hand back a change, usually a pull request.
How do background agents work?
You give one a task and a repository; it clones the code into its own environment, plans the change, edits files, runs commands and tests, and returns a pull request. Cursor says its background agents work over minutes or hours.
What's the difference between a coding agent and a background agent?
Where it runs. A coding agent in your terminal works on your computer while you watch; a background agent works on its own cloud computer, so it doesn't need yours.
Can I self-host a background coding agent?
Yes. OpenHands is MIT-licensed and runs on your own machine by default, with schedules, webhooks and Slack.
Which background agent keeps going at a usage limit?
Most stop at their plan's limit. Hit your limit? Reason keeps going on your other connected accounts or Reason credits.
What does Reason cost?
Pro is $50 a month and Max $200 a month per person, with cloud computers and weekly usage in credits; top-ups keep work going when a week's usage runs out. Models you run on your own connected plans or API keys are billed by that provider and keep its limits.