Claude Code's MCP Tasks beta lets remote jobs outlive a session

Claude Code can hand a long-running job to an MCP server, continue working and recover the result after returning to the same session. Its MCP Tasks public beta requires version 2.1.304 or later and a server that supports the extension.

The distinction from an ordinary background call is persistence. Claude Code already moves slow calls into the background, but those calls do not survive exiting the session. A remote MCP task runs on the server. Local stdio servers are different: their process stops when Claude Code exits, so survival depends on whether the server arranges for the work to continue elsewhere.

The MCP extension makes the mechanism explicit. A server returns a durable task ID; the client polls for status and eventually retrieves the result. Both sides must opt in. Tasks can enter an input_required state, with the client supplying requested input through tasks/update.

Support also depends on the client surface. Anthropic’s documentation lists terminal CLI, Agent SDK and GitHub Actions sessions, with further conditions for non-interactive runs. It excludes the VS Code extension and desktop app. A one-shot claude -p invocation does not get MCP tasks.

Persistence makes cancellation more consequential. The protocol defines cancellation as cooperative: a request records the client’s intent, without obliging the server to stop the work. Claude Code likewise warns that stopping a task may leave it running remotely.

Its documentation also distinguishes an unknown outcome from a failed job. If the server no longer recognizes a task ID, blindly repeating the original call may repeat work already done. For plugin developers, the task ID now carries part of the workflow’s history, including after the chat has closed.