Running in the background

Timon's daemon runs under your operating system's supervisor, not inside the desktop window. Closing the window does not stop it, and on every supported system it can keep working after you sign out: scheduled Kanban tasks, overnight series and running missions carry on without an open session. On macOS this needs one extra step, a long-lived Claude token.

What each system needs is described on its own page:

System	What keeps Timon running without a session	Details
Linux	A systemd user service with user lingering: it starts at boot and survives logout.	Linux
macOS	A launchd daemon, once a long-lived Claude token is set: it starts at boot and survives logout. Without a token, the service is a launchd agent that stops when you log out.	macOS
Windows	The TimonOrchestrator scheduled task: it starts at boot and survives sign-out. After a restart, Timon waits for your first sign-in.	Windows

Check the service at any time with:

timon service status

Sign out, do not just lock

Locking the screen keeps your session open, so Timon keeps running whatever the installation. Signing out is the case covered above; on macOS without a Claude token, it stops Timon. Portable mode (Linux without systemd, or a daemon started by hand) is the exception: that daemon stops with the application.

Sleep stops everything

No system runs Timon while the computer is asleep. Missions pause, and a task scheduled during sleep only starts once the computer wakes up. Timon does not wake the computer.

If you schedule tasks for the night, turn off automatic sleep on that computer, or at least while it is plugged in:

• Linux: in your desktop's power settings, set automatic suspend to off. On a machine without a desktop, sudo systemctl mask sleep.target suspend.target disables suspend.
• macOS: System Settings → Energy (or Battery → Options on a laptop): prevent automatic sleeping while the display is off.
• Windows: Settings → System → Power → Screen and sleep: set "When plugged in, put my device to sleep after" to Never.

Turning off only the display is fine: it does not stop Timon.

After a restart

On Linux, Timon starts at boot, before anyone signs in.

On Windows, Timon waits for your first sign-in after each restart, including restarts made by Windows Update during the night. After that sign-in you can sign out again and Timon keeps running. To keep a machine working through unattended restarts, enable automatic sign-in on it, or sign in after each restart.

On macOS with a Claude token, Timon starts at boot, before anyone logs in. If FileVault is turned on, nothing starts until someone unlocks the disk at the login screen. Without a token, Timon waits for you to log in.

Limits while no session is open

A background daemon runs as you, but without the resources that only exist in an open session.

• Tools that use the system credential store. A CLI tool that keeps its sign-in in the operating system's credential store may not be signed in for a mission that runs while you are signed out. On macOS, this is the case of Git over HTTPS and gh. Git over SSH with a key file works in every case.
• Windows: network shares. While you are signed out, missions may not be able to reach mapped network drives (Z:\…) or shared folders that require your credentials. Keeping agent working directories on a local disk avoids the question.
• No windows. Nothing a mission launches can show a window or a prompt on your screen. A tool that needs an interactive sign-in must be signed in beforehand, from a terminal under the same account.

If a mission fails only while you are signed out, check timon service status and the daemon log first; see Troubleshooting.