Pane is a desktop agent manager for developers who like terminal agents but hate managing ten terminal tabs. Run Codex, Claude Code, Aider, Goose, or any CLI agent in parallel, each with its own workspace and git review loop.
Windows SmartScreen warningDirect downloads can show a SmartScreen warning while Pane is unsigned. Pane is fully open source, so you can audit the code and build from source yourself.1. Click More info2. Click Run anyway3. Continue the installerThe PowerShell install downloads the official release directly and avoids most browser download friction.npm global install
Codex is OpenAI's CLI agent, relaunched in 2025 as an open-source tool for end-to-end software engineering tasks. It is available at openai/codex on GitHub and can run via an OpenAI API key or through a ChatGPT subscription.
Codex is oriented toward migration-heavy work and end-to-end feature shipping — tasks where you want the agent to plan, write, and test across many files in a single run. OpenAI announced it as a complement to ChatGPT for developers who prefer working in the terminal rather than the browser.
I keep a Codex session running in Pane for migration-style work when I want an OpenAI model on the task while Claude Code is running a separate refactor in the next pane.
the problem is not vscode
VS Code terminals are good terminals. The problem starts when Codex is writing one migration, Claude Code is fixing another feature, a test watcher is running, and every pane needs a branch, logs, and a diff. At that point you are not managing terminals. You are managing agent work.
why windows and wsl change the answer
Most agent-manager advice assumes macOS or tmux. If you are on Windows or WSL, that advice runs out the moment you try to install it. Pane is a native desktop app on Windows, Mac, and Linux, so the workflow is the same wherever you happen to code.
what pane does
- starts each agent in a separate session
- uses git worktrees so agents do not collide
- keeps terminal output, diff review, editor, logs, and git actions together
- lets Codex and Claude Code run side by side without a custom integration
when windows terminal or tmux is enough
If all you need is two shells, use Windows Terminal panes, tmux, or Zellij. They are good tools. Pane is for the next layer: named agent sessions, worktree isolation, diff review, and the decision of what actually ships.
Last verified against Codex's current release. Written by Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane.
frequently asked questions
Yes. Pane is a native Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop app, and Codex can run inside Pane like any other CLI agent.
Pane is not a tmux-in-WSL workaround. It is a native desktop app for Windows, and it fits Windows and WSL development workflows where agents run in terminals.
Yes. Each session is its own terminal on its own worktree, so you can have a Codex session writing a migration while Claude Code refactors auth in the next pane.
VS Code terminal tabs are fine for one or two shells. They get painful when each agent needs its own branch, diff, logs, status, and review loop.
Windows Terminal manages shells. Pane manages agent work: sessions, worktrees, diffs, git actions, status, and review.
No. Pane does not require tmux. That matters on Windows, where tmux-based workflows usually become WSL-specific workarounds.
No. Keep VS Code, Cursor, Vim, or whatever editor you like. Pane is the place where terminal agents run and where their diffs get reviewed.
Yes. Pane uses worktree-based isolation so each agent can work on a separate branch without colliding with another session.
Yes, but Pane becomes most valuable when you run several sessions or mix Codex with Claude Code and other terminal agents.
No. Pane is the manager. You bring your own Codex subscription, and Pane gives it an organized workspace.
Install git, install the Codex CLI, then install Pane. Pane does not bundle or resell the agent subscription.
A normal terminal is enough if you run one agent occasionally. Pane is for the moment agent sessions, branches, and diffs become a workflow.
