What is the best tool for running parallel AI coding agents?

It depends on where you work. In a terminal, Claude Squad or tmux; on a Mac in a separate app, Superset or Conductor; inside VS Code or Cursor on any operating system, Paneherd or VS Code Agent Sessions. For two sessions, plain terminals are enough.

Which tools work on Windows?

Paneherd and VS Code Agent Sessions run inside VS Code on Windows. Superset, Conductor and cmux are described as macOS apps and Claude Squad needs tmux. Check each project for its current support.

Do I need a tool at all?

Not for one or two sessions. A tool starts to pay off when answering prompts and keeping agents out of each other's files becomes the work.

Guide

Best tools for running parallel AI coding agents

By Eren Çolak, who makes Paneherd · Updated 24 October 2026

There is no single best tool; the right one depends on where you work (terminal, separate app, or editor), your operating system, and how much of the branch-and-merge routine you want handled. Descriptions below come from each project's README or website when we last checked (24 October 2026); they change quickly, so confirm before you commit. The full table is on the comparison page. We make Paneherd, so it is listed too, with its limits.

If you live in the terminal

Plain terminals or tmux. Free, works with any CLI and any OS you can run tmux on. You watch each session yourself and handle isolation by hand with git worktrees.
Claude Squad. A terminal app that manages several agents (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Aider and others), each in a tmux session with its own worktree and branch. It needs tmux and gh; licensed AGPL-3.0.

If you want a separate app that manages branches

Superset. A desktop app that runs any CLI agent with a status view, one worktree per task. Described as macOS with an experimental Linux build, no Windows yet; free tier, Elastic License 2.0.
Conductor. A Mac app for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor agents that also helps you review and merge their changes, with an isolated workspace per agent.
cmux. A macOS terminal with vertical tabs and notifications when an agent needs input; free, GPL-3.0-or-later.

If you want to stay in VS Code or Cursor

VS Code Agent Sessions. VS Code's own list of agent sessions: Copilot, plus Claude and Codex agents run through GitHub Copilot's chat. Part of VS Code; the agents need a GitHub Copilot plan.
Claude Code agent view and the official extension. Claude Code only. Agent view lists background sessions by state and isolates each in a worktree; the extension runs several conversations in tabs.
Paneherd. Runs the Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Cursor and Gemini CLIs you already have as a grid of editor terminals, with live status, broadcast, usage limits and a phone remote; Pro adds a single permission inbox and a same-file conflict guard. It works on Windows, macOS and Linux. Free up to four sessions; Pro is a one-time purchase.

What to look at when you choose

Where it runs. A separate app means switching windows; an extension does not.
Isolation. Some tools give every agent a branch; Paneherd does not, and warns instead when two sessions edit the same file.
Review and merge. Superset, Conductor and Claude Squad are built for that part. Paneherd leaves it to you.
Which CLIs. Claude Code only, or any CLI you can run.
Limits. Parallel agents spend plans faster. See Claude Code's limit.

Frequently asked questions

Which of these work on Windows?

Paneherd and VS Code Agent Sessions run inside VS Code on Windows. The Mac apps do not, and Claude Squad needs tmux.

Do I need one at all?

For one or two sessions, no. See how to run multiple sessions with just terminals.

Install Paneherd free