Run background agents
A published walkthrough shows custom agent shows up in a write-up about run background agents. The linked post is the primary source for steps and outcomes.
- Agent or tool
- Custom agent
- Topic
- Personal Assistant
- Reported on
- Hacker News
- Added
- 2026-10-15
Why it matters
This is the classic promise of AI agents: a helper that handles errands and reminders on your behalf. Real cases like this show how close that promise is today. It is one of 50 sightings filed under Personal Assistant on Agent Sightings (number 25 by interest), and one of 182 involving Custom agent.
How you could try it
Here is a reusable prompt, written by us in our own words, that captures the task. Paste it into your own agent or any similar agent and adjust the details to your situation.
Assistant mode: run background agents. Log every action, prefer reversible steps, and ask before emailing, paying, or deleting.
Tip: Start small: run it once on a low-stakes example, read what the agent did, and only then let it run on real work.
Source
Read the original first-hand account on Hacker News: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49713894. Our summary is a paraphrase; details are in the source.