Claude Code creator Boris Cherny just announced that the next version will default to running sub-agents in the background. That means you can chat with Claude about your plan while it automatically handles code refactoring, running tests, and submitting pull requests. If you need a sub-agent to run in the foreground, you just tell it.
The feature is already rolling out to a small group of users. Claude Code has previously launched Scheduled Routines (which run in the cloud, even when your laptop is closed) and Dynamic Workflows (which coordinate dozens to hundreds of sub-agents for complex tasks). This update makes background execution the default, lowering the friction even further.