> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.variable.global/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Background tasks

> Follow long-running work, such as imports, from the task tray while you keep working

Some work takes longer than you would want to wait on one screen. When your company has background tasks turned on, that work runs in the background and you can follow it from the task tray, the checklist icon next to the notification bell. You can leave the page, open another one or reload; the task keeps going and the tray picks it up again.

## What the tray shows

Each task shows its name, a progress bar and a line such as **Step 3 of 5: Creating materials · 1,250 / 4,000 · 2m 10s · about 4m left**. The estimate appears once the current step can be counted and some of it is done; a step that cannot be counted, such as recalculating impacts, shows a moving bar instead. Tasks started through the API or MCP are tagged **via API** or **via MCP**.

The badge on the icon counts tasks that are running and tasks that finished as **Done** or **Failed** since you last opened the tray.

When a task finishes, its row says how it ended:

| Outcome | What it means |
| :- | :- |
| Done | The work finished. If some rows could not be processed, the count of failed rows follows, and **Show errors** lists up to 100 of them. |
| Failed | The work stopped with an error, shown on the row. |
| Interrupted | The task stopped reporting, usually because of a release. The row shows how far it got; start it again from where you started it. |

When a task you were watching finishes, a message in the corner of the screen says how it ended, with **Open** to show the tray. If the Variable tab is in the background, your browser also shows a notification, once you've allowed notifications. The browser asks the first time you open the tray.

Dismiss a finished task with the cross on its row, or clear every finished task with **Clear all**. Dismissing only hides a task — nothing it created is removed.

## Your company's tasks

Owners and admins see a **Company** tab listing every task running in the company, with the name of the person who started it.


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