# Continue a stopped task

If a background task stopped or failed before it finished, its task card may offer **Continue**. Continuing picks up the existing work in the same project when its session is available; it does not mean Nock discards what was already written and starts over.

## Check why it stopped

Open **Tasks** and read the card's final status. Common reasons include:

- **Stopped: you stopped it** — you selected **Stop task**.
- **Stopped: Nock was closed** or **closed unexpectedly** — the app quit or crashed while the task ran.
- **Stopped: waiting for your approval timed out** — an approval was not answered in time.
- **Stopped: out of credits**, **usage limit**, or **connection dropped** — the provider or connection prevented the task from continuing.
- **Failed: …** — the task encountered an error. Some failed tasks can still be continued.

If the card says **Stopped, can continue** or **Failed, can continue**, inspect the result and any files already changed before resuming.

## Resume the task

Choose **Continue** on the card, or ask Nock to continue the named task. If several tasks stopped, say which project or task you mean. Nock uses the task's existing session and folder when they are still available. If the session cannot be reopened, it may start a replacement session in the same folder with a handoff describing the request and recent work.

Continuing needs the same plan or account permission as starting that kind of task. It does not bypass coding-agent permissions, Nock action approvals, or project-folder access choices.

## After Nock closes or updates

Tasks that were running when Nock closes, crashes, or restarts may appear as **Stopped, can continue** the next time you open the app. Review the card and choose whether to continue. Nock does not resume every task automatically.

A completed task stays in **Tasks**. You can send a follow-up on its task card or worker window to continue the same task session when supported. It runs again only after you send a new message.

## Verify before you continue

Read the result, inspect the project changes, and check which tests ran. A previous attempt may have completed one part of the request before stopping. Confirm whether any external action already happened before retrying it, and avoid running a second task against the same files at the same time.

See [Background tasks](/nock/background-tasks), [Project folders](/nock/projects), and [Coding task troubleshooting](/nock/coding-troubleshooting).