Hello, and welcome to the forum!!
I'm not sure what kind of cleaner you have, but I have a Polaris 380 with a booster pump and yes, the main pool pump has to be running while the cleaner is on. Some of the more knowledgeable motor people can chime in here and give you a better answer, but my experience has been that the cleaner pump is simply a booster for the main pump. Without the main pump, cleaning is very inefficient but is much better when both pumps are running.
My Polaris has a pressure relief valve in the part that connects to the pool side, and it has a small diaphragm in it that releases lots of bubbles and slows the cleaner down when it gets stuck open, which it sometimes does when there are pieces of gravel or small rocks that get in it. Might want to check your cleaner for a similar valve...
Janet
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