Pangur docsBackground work and notifications
Pangur runs imports, exports, summaries and other long jobs in the background as tasks. This page explains where tasks appear, what their states mean, and how to be told when one finishes.
Some work takes Pangur longer than a page should wait for: finding a PDF, importing a reading list, preparing an export, writing a summary, analysing a source, transcribing a recording. Pangur runs this kind of work in the background as a task, so that you can carry on working or close the page. The tasks bell, the Activity page and notifications show you what is running and what it came to.
Only work that a person started becomes a task. Pangur's own reading of your files into its search index runs for the whole library and is not listed here; while a library is first being read, Ask shows a notice saying so instead.
Where tasks appear
Tasks are shown in three places, and all three cover every project in your account. The Activity row in the sidebar, on a wide window, carries a count on its icon: while work is running it reads, for example, "2 tasks running", and once work has finished that you have not looked at yet, "1 task finished". On a phone-width screen the tasks bell in the top bar does the same job. It opens a short list of recent tasks, each with its Progress, together with Mark all read and See all activity. The Activity page lists the tasks in full.
If a task you walked away from finishes while Pangur is open, a message appears at the bottom of the screen with an Open button that takes you to the result.
The Activity page
The Activity page lists every task that is waiting or running, together with the 20 most recent tasks that finished in the last seven days. Older finished tasks drop off the list, but their results stay wherever they were saved.
Show narrows the list to All, Running (with a count) or Finished. Project, which appears once you have more than one project, chooses one project or Every project. Each task shows its title (such as "Importing 42 references from reading-list.bib"), its state, its progress as "{done} of {total}" where the work can be counted, and a one-line summary once it has finished. Open takes you to the result, whether that is an item, a batch of imported references, a document, an export or an exhibition.
Task states
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Waiting | Queued, and not started yet. |
| Running | In progress. |
| Done | Finished. Its summary says what it produced. |
| Failed | Stopped without finishing. Its summary gives the reason. |
| Needs you | Finished, but needs you to act. For example, when Pangur found no open copy of a PDF, it says: "No open copy was found. Open it through your institution and add the PDF yourself." |
| Replaced | Superseded by a newer run of the same work, such as a resumed import. |
What runs as a task
| Kind of work | How it is titled |
|---|---|
| Looking for a work's PDF after you add it | "Finding a PDF for {title}" |
| Importing many references, from a reference file or a document's citations | "Importing {n} references" |
| Importing an ESTC collection | "Importing {n} ESTC records" |
| Preparing a project export | "Preparing the export of {project}" |
| Moving a Zotero library into a project | "Moving your library into {project}" |
| Importing files from the Zotero desktop app on a Mac | "Importing files into {project}" |
| Copying items to another project | "Copying {n} items to {project}" |
| Writing a summary of a work | "Summarising {title}" |
| A full write-up from Ask, or a full summary | "Writing the full version", "Writing the summary of {title}" |
| A whole-work answer in Ask | "Reading your sources for: {question}" |
| Analysing a source | "Analysing {title}" |
| Designing an exhibition | "Designing {exhibition}" |
| Copying media for an exhibition | "Copying media for {exhibition}" |
| Transcribing a recording | "Transcribing {title}" |
| Making a smaller copy of a large PDF | "Making a smaller copy of {title}" |
| Preparing a facsimile's pages | "Preparing pages for {title}" |
Preparing a facsimile's pages usually takes seconds. It is shown while it runs, but its finishing is not announced.
Notifications when work finishes
You can also be told when work finishes while Pangur is closed. In a browser, turn this on in Settings → Notifications with Tell me when background work finishes; each browser is turned on separately, as explained under Notifications. In the iPhone and iPad app and in Pangur for Mac, Pangur uses the system's own notifications, which you allow or block in the system settings.
A notification gives the task's title and summary, which may name a work in your library, and opening it takes you to the result.
Background work from the command line and assistants
pangur tasks lists the same tasks in a terminal, and pangur tasks --all includes finished ones. A connected assistant can follow tasks with the list_tasks and get_task tools. Both are described in the command-line reference and the MCP tools reference.
Security and privacy
This page explains how signing in works, where Pangur keeps your library and files, what it sends to outside services and models, what stays on your own devices, and what it records about your activity.
Get help
When something is unclear or not working, you can search this documentation, replay the workspace tour, or send a support request. This page explains each route.