diff --git a/frontend/src/adapters/mock/index.ts b/frontend/src/adapters/mock/index.ts
index a520224..b03caa6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/adapters/mock/index.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/adapters/mock/index.ts
@@ -1701,6 +1701,14 @@ export class MockWorkStateGateway implements WorkStateGateway {
       this.states.get(projectId) ?? { agents: [], conversations: [] },
     );
   }
+
+  async cancelBackgroundTask(_taskId: string): Promise<void> {
+    // No-op in the mock; real refresh is driven by domain events.
+  }
+
+  async retryBackgroundTask(_taskId: string): Promise<void> {
+    // No-op in the mock; real refresh is driven by domain events.
+  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/frontend/src/adapters/workState.ts b/frontend/src/adapters/workState.ts
index 7a5b0e1..9f523ca 100644
--- a/frontend/src/adapters/workState.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/adapters/workState.ts
@@ -16,4 +16,12 @@ export class TauriWorkStateGateway implements WorkStateGateway {
     const state = await invoke<unknown>("get_project_work_state", { projectId });
     return normalizeProjectWorkState(state);
   }
+
+  async cancelBackgroundTask(taskId: string): Promise<void> {
+    await invoke<unknown>("cancel_background_task", { taskId });
+  }
+
+  async retryBackgroundTask(taskId: string): Promise<void> {
+    await invoke<unknown>("retry_background_task", { taskId });
+  }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/features/projects/ProjectsView.ls7.test.tsx b/frontend/src/features/projects/ProjectsView.ls7.test.tsx
index 7c2db68..07695c2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/features/projects/ProjectsView.ls7.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/features/projects/ProjectsView.ls7.test.tsx
@@ -63,7 +63,11 @@ function fixedWorkState(): WorkStateGateway {
       },
     ],
   };
-  return { getProjectWorkState: async () => structuredClone(state) };
+  return {
+    getProjectWorkState: async () => structuredClone(state),
+    cancelBackgroundTask: async () => {},
+    retryBackgroundTask: async () => {},
+  };
 }
 
 /** A conversation gateway that returns one identifiable turn for any thread. */
diff --git a/frontend/src/features/workstate/ProjectWorkStatePanel.tsx b/frontend/src/features/workstate/ProjectWorkStatePanel.tsx
index ad52c12..85788f6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/features/workstate/ProjectWorkStatePanel.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/features/workstate/ProjectWorkStatePanel.tsx
@@ -323,11 +323,36 @@ function InboxRow({ item }: { item: InboxItem }) {
   );
 }
 
-function BackgroundTaskRow({ task }: { task: BackgroundCompletion }) {
+function BackgroundTaskRow({
+  task,
+  onRefresh,
+}: {
+  task: BackgroundCompletion;
+  onRefresh: () => Promise<void>;
+}) {
+  const { workState } = useGateways();
   const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [actionBusy, setActionBusy] = useState(false);
+  const [message, setMessage] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const hasOutput = Boolean(task.stdoutTail || task.stderrTail);
   const canCancel = task.status === "running" || task.status === "pending";
   const canRetry = task.status === "failed" || task.status === "cancelled";
+
+  async function runAction(
+    action: (taskId: string) => Promise<void>,
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    setActionBusy(true);
+    setMessage(null);
+    try {
+      await action(task.taskId);
+      await onRefresh();
+    } catch (e) {
+      setMessage(e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e));
+    } finally {
+      setActionBusy(false);
+    }
+  }
+
   return (
     <li className="min-w-0 text-xs text-muted">
       <div className="flex min-w-0 items-start gap-2">
@@ -348,8 +373,11 @@ function BackgroundTaskRow({ task }: { task: BackgroundCompletion }) {
         <Button
           size="sm"
           variant="ghost"
-          disabled={!canCancel}
-          title="Backend command not exposed yet"
+          disabled={!canCancel || actionBusy}
+          loading={actionBusy}
+          onClick={() =>
+            void runAction((id) => workState.cancelBackgroundTask(id))
+          }
         >
           Cancel
         </Button>
@@ -364,8 +392,11 @@ function BackgroundTaskRow({ task }: { task: BackgroundCompletion }) {
         <Button
           size="sm"
           variant="ghost"
-          disabled={!canRetry}
-          title="Backend command not exposed yet"
+          disabled={!canRetry || actionBusy}
+          loading={actionBusy}
+          onClick={() =>
+            void runAction((id) => workState.retryBackgroundTask(id))
+          }
         >
           Retry
         </Button>
@@ -376,6 +407,11 @@ function BackgroundTaskRow({ task }: { task: BackgroundCompletion }) {
           {shortTicket(task.taskId)}
         </code>
       </div>
+      {message && (
+        <p role="alert" className="mt-1 text-xs text-danger">
+          {message}
+        </p>
+      )}
       {open && hasOutput && (
         <pre
           aria-label={`task ${shortTicket(task.taskId)} output`}
@@ -609,7 +645,11 @@ function AgentRow({
             className="mt-1 flex flex-col gap-1"
           >
             {backgroundTasks.map((task) => (
-              <BackgroundTaskRow key={task.taskId} task={task} />
+              <BackgroundTaskRow
+                key={task.taskId}
+                task={task}
+                onRefresh={refreshAfterAction}
+              />
             ))}
           </ul>
         </div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/ports/index.ts b/frontend/src/ports/index.ts
index d13068c..2335b7e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/ports/index.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/ports/index.ts
@@ -666,6 +666,16 @@ export interface PermissionGateway {
 export interface WorkStateGateway {
   /** Reads the current per-agent live/offline and idle/busy state for a project. */
   getProjectWorkState(projectId: string): Promise<ProjectWorkState>;
+  /**
+   * Cancels a running/pending background task by id. The read-model refreshes
+   * through the `backgroundTaskChanged` domain event.
+   */
+  cancelBackgroundTask(taskId: string): Promise<void>;
+  /**
+   * Re-runs a failed/cancelled background task under a **new** task id (the
+   * original id is never reused).
+   */
+  retryBackgroundTask(taskId: string): Promise<void>;
 }
 
 /** One paginated page request over a conversation transcript (LS7). */