Desktop apps for running Claude Code, Codex, and other coding agents in parallel with worktrees, diffs, and review workflow.
A desktop agent manager is a real OS application — not a TUI inside a multiplexer, not a browser tab, not a CLI wrapper. It owns its own window, gets native notifications, persists across reboots, and ships an installer instead of brew install instructions you have to remember.
The trade is weight (Electron is not free) for control. You get visual diff review, keyboard navigation that does not collide with tmux, and a session model that survives a closed terminal.
Same goal — manage parallel terminal agents — three very different starting points. Click through.
GUICmd/Ctrl+N → name session 'add-auth' → pick base branch→Pane creates worktree, opens terminal, starts your CLI agent→Cmd+D switches to the diff viewer (always live)→Cmd+K → commit / push / open PR — keystroke awayTwo questions narrow the field fast: what OS are you on and how many agents do you want to run.
| claude code only | any CLI agent | |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Conductor, Crystal (deprecated), Harness | Pane, Superset, Codirigent |
| Windows / Linux | ClaudeTerminal | Pane |
- create — name the session, pick a base branch, the app makes the worktree
- run — agent starts in its own terminal inside the app
- monitor — status (idle, active, waiting on input, errored) per session
- review — diff viewer in the same window as the terminal
- ship or discard — commit, push, open PR — or remove the worktree
- does it run on your operating system?
- does it support any CLI agent or only one provider?
- does it manage worktrees and review diffs?
- is it a terminal cockpit or a full IDE/workspace?
Pane is the terminal-first desktop option: cross-platform, open source, keyboard-first, any CLI agent, and built around worktree isolation plus git review.
| tool | constraint | what pane does instead |
|---|---|---|
| Conductor | Mac-only. Claude Code and Codex only. | cross-platform; runs any CLI agent |
| Superset | Mac-first. limited Linux, no Windows. | Windows, Mac, and Linux from day one |
| cmux | Mac-only. Ghostty-based, sidebar-driven. | same parallel-agent model on Windows and Linux |
| ClaudeTerminal | Windows-focused. Electron, Claude Code only. | Windows-native and agent-agnostic |
| Codirigent | early-stage. Rust, tmux-style layout. | stable desktop UI, no tmux required |
| Nimbalyst | Crystal's successor. Claude Code and Codex. | broader agent support, same review surface |
| Harnss | ACP-focused desktop client. | any CLI agent, ACP or not |
Treating every desktop app as equivalent. Some are Mac-only, some are Claude-only, some are IDE-like workspaces, and some are terminal-first agent managers.
a desktop agent manager is enough when you want to stay local, keep your editor, and manage several agents without adding a larger orchestration system.
Ready to try the cross-platform option? Download Pane.