Claude Squad made a simple idea popular: one terminal app that runs several Claude Code sessions at once, each in its own tmux session and its own git worktree, so they can't step on each other's files. It also runs Codex, Gemini, Aider or any other command-line agent, and it's free and open source (AGPL-3.0), with about 8,700 stars on GitHub.
People look for alternatives for a few reasons:
- It needs tmux, which doesn't run natively on Windows, so on a PC it's WSL only.
- It moves slowly now. Its last release, 1.0.20, came out on August 20, 2026.
- It shows little about each session. Its list doesn't mark which agent is waiting for you, which is the first thing most alternatives added.
These are the alternatives worth trying in November 2026, each checked against its own README or website on November 4. (I build Morphy, a desktop app that's one of the options at the end.)
The alternatives at a glance
| Needs tmux | Platforms | A worktree per session | Shows who needs you | License | GitHub stars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Squad | Yes | macOS, Linux (Windows through WSL) | Yes | Limited | AGPL-3.0 | 8,700 |
| Claude Code's own tools | No | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes, in agent view | – | – |
| herdr | No (it is the multiplexer) | macOS, Linux, Windows | No, use claude --worktree | Yes | Apache-2.0 | 48,000 |
| CCManager | No | macOS, Linux, Windows | Yes | Yes | MIT | 1,300 |
| Agent of Empires | Yes | macOS, Linux | Optional | Yes | MIT | 3,500 |
| Agent Deck | Yes | macOS, Linux (Windows through WSL) | Yes | Yes | MIT | 1,200 |
The alternatives, one by one
Claude Code's own tools
Before you install anything: Claude Code now does much of what Claude Squad was made for. claude --worktree <name> starts a session in its own git worktree, and claude agents opens agent view, one screen that lists every background session, shows which one needs you, and lets you reply to it without leaving the list. A session started there moves into a worktree of its own before it edits anything.
- Good for: Claude Code alone, with nothing extra to install, on any platform.
- Watch out for: it's Claude only, and agent view is still a research preview.
More in how to run multiple Claude Code agents and the Claude Code worktrees guide.
herdr
A terminal multiplexer built for coding agents, and by far the most popular tool here, with about 48,000 stars. It runs as one Rust binary in whatever terminal you use, keeps your terminals running in a background server when you close it or lose an SSH connection, and marks every pane as working, blocked or idle. Agents can drive herdr too: they can open panes, prompt each other and wait for another agent.
- Good for: many agents across several machines: add any machine you reach over SSH, and its agents show in the same list. It runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Grok and the rest as they are.
- Watch out for: it doesn't make worktrees for you, so start each Claude Code with
--worktree. On Windows, endpoint-protected PCs have their own install notes.
CCManager
The closest thing to Claude Squad without tmux. It's a terminal app that runs Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, Cursor Agent, Copilot CLI, Cline CLI, OpenCode and Kimi CLI in parallel worktrees, across several repositories, with each session marked busy, waiting or idle.
- Good for: creating, merging and deleting worktrees from the app, reopening the sessions that were running after a restart, and carrying gitignored files like
.envinto new worktrees (.worktreeinclude). It can also copy a Claude Code conversation from one worktree to another. Install it withnpm install -g ccmanager. - Watch out for: its auto-approval of "safe" prompts is experimental; keep it off unless you've read what it does.
Sources: GitHub.
Agent of Empires
A session manager for macOS and Linux that keeps each agent in its own tmux session, so they keep running when you close it or your SSH connection drops. Beyond the terminal, it has a web dashboard (aoe serve) with a structured view for your phone, and an HTTP API.
- Good for: isolation in two layers: optional worktrees and multi-repo workspaces, plus sandboxing in Docker, Podman or Apple Containers. Diff review, profiles and repo hooks are built in.
- Watch out for: it needs tmux, and there's no Windows build.
Agent Deck
A command center in the terminal for Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Gemini and more: one screen shows every session, running, waiting or done, grouped by project.
- Good for: turning MCP servers and Claude skills on and off per project without editing config files, a separate Claude account per group of sessions, worktree setup scripts, and a web view (
agent-deck web). - Watch out for: it runs on tmux, and on Windows only through WSL. It ships often (1.16.36 on November 2), so expect changes.
Sources: GitHub.
Also worth knowing
- Uzi, a command-line tool for many agents in worktrees, hasn't changed since June 2025.
- Plain tmux and worktrees still work: a tmux window per agent, each started with
claude --worktree. It's what Claude Squad automates.
If you'd rather leave the terminal
Several desktop apps do the same job with a window around it, and most run on Windows natively:
- Pane: a keyboard-first desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, free and open source (AGPL-3.0), with a worktree per agent and a git workflow built in.
- Sheprd: a native app for macOS, Linux and Windows that runs on herdr's terminal engine (it isn't made by herdr), with worktrees, review, pull requests and SSH machines.
- Orca: free and open source, a worktree per task, terminals with splits, and phone apps.
- Morphy: every agent as a chat on one canvas, on Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Grok and more, with a worktree per chat when you want one. Free for 3 agents at a time.
They're all compared in the 12 best tools to run multiple AI coding agents.
Which should you pick?
- You only use Claude Code: its own
--worktreeandclaude agents, before anything else. - You want the terminal, with every agent's status, across machines: herdr.
- You're on Windows and like Claude Squad's idea: CCManager.
- You want agents sandboxed in containers: Agent of Empires.
- You want a window instead of a terminal: Pane, Orca or Morphy.
Questions
Does Claude Squad work on Windows? Only through WSL. It needs tmux, which doesn't run natively on Windows. CCManager, herdr and Claude Code's own agent view do.
Claude Squad or Conductor? Claude Squad is a free terminal app built on tmux, for macOS and Linux. Conductor is a Mac app with review, pull requests and, on Pro, cloud workspaces. See the Conductor alternatives.
Claude Squad or herdr? Claude Squad makes a worktree and a tmux session for each agent. herdr replaces tmux with its own multiplexer that knows when an agent is working or waiting, keeps sessions alive in the background and reaches other machines over SSH, but leaves worktrees to you.
Is Claude Squad still maintained? It hasn't changed since its last release, 1.0.20, on August 20, 2026. It still works, but newer agents and Claude Code features may not be covered.
Can these run Codex and other agents, not just Claude Code? Yes: all of them run Codex and other command-line agents, except Claude Code's own tools.
Comparisons in this series
- The best tools to run multiple AI coding agents
- The best Conductor alternatives
- How to run multiple Claude Code agents
- Orca vs Morphy
References
Each tool's sources are listed in its entry above. Background:
- Claude Squad: README, releases
- Anthropic: worktrees, agent view
