Pane vs cmux
작성자 Parsa Khazaeepoul, Pane 공동 창업자. 이 비교에 나온 모든 에이전트 관리자를 실제 개발 환경에서 테스트했습니다. .
cmux is a native macOS terminal app (Swift / AppKit) by manaflow-ai built on libghostty for GPU-accelerated rendering. It adds 에이전트-aware UX — vertical sidebar tabs showing 에이전트 state, a blue ring when an 에이전트 waits for input, a 내장 scriptable browser, and Claude Code Teams integration. v0.64.10 shipped May 23 2026, roughly three months after the February 2026 launch. Pane is a cross-플랫폼 데스크톱 앱 (Windows + Mac + Linux) that manages the full 에이전트 lifecycle: worktree provisioning, multi-에이전트 orchestration, diff 검토, and commit / push from the keyboard. Both tools have legitimate niches — they differ most on 플랫폼 지원, worktree 관리, and how much of the terminal 작업 흐름 they replace.
사용 사례별 결론
- → If you need Windows or Linux, choose Pane — cmux is macOS 전용, and the community wmux Windows-port attempt confirms the gap.
- → If you want worktree lifecycle managed for you (create / assign / destroy 자동ally), choose Pane — cmux is terminal-centric and leaves git 작업 흐름 to you.
- → If you want a lightweight terminal app that adds 에이전트 알림 without becoming a full IDE, choose cmux — it stays close to the terminal with minimal footprint and composable primitives.
- → If you are already a Ghostty user on macOS and want native 에이전트 UX with minimal disruption, choose cmux — it composes with your existing Ghostty 작업 흐름 and uses the 동일한 rendering engine via libghostty.
기능 비교
| Pane | cmux | |
|---|---|---|
| 플랫폼 | Windows + Mac + Linux (first-class) | macOS 전용 |
| 최초 출시 | — | Feb 2026 (v0.64.10 on May 23 2026) |
| worktree 관리 | 자동 — create pane, get worktree; delete pane, cleaned up | 수동 — cmux leaves git 작업 흐름 to you |
| 에이전트 notification UI | desktop + sound, per-에이전트, 내장 | blue ring + sidebar tab highlight when 에이전트 waits for input |
| 스크립팅 / API | 데스크톱 앱 API | libghostty + MCP layer via cmuxlayer (26 MCP tools) |
| 세션 유지 | app-managed, 재시작 후에도 유지 | layouts, working dirs, scrollback, browser history — no live process restore |
| multi-에이전트 orchestration | purpose-built — launch, track, notify, 검토, commit | composable primitives — self-described "a primitive, not a solution" |
| 라이선스 | AGPL-3.0 (OSI-approved 오픈 소스) | GPL-3.0 with commercial license available |
| 학습 난이도 | low — 데스크톱 앱 UX | low-medium — terminal-centric; Homebrew install |
what cmux does well
libghostty rendering
cmux is the first major app to ship on libghostty — the embeddable rendering library from the Ghostty terminal 프로젝트. This gives cmux GPU-accelerated font rendering with Metal, the 동일한 rendering quality as Ghostty itself, without requiring users to install Ghostty separately.
visual 에이전트 상태 in the sidebar
The cmux sidebar shows per-워크스페이스: git 브랜치, linked PR 상태 and number, working directory, listening ports, and latest notification text. When an 에이전트 waits for input, the tab highlights with a blue ring and a centralized notification panel fires. This is more visual signal than vanilla terminal + tmux provides out of the box.
composable primitives and 내장 browser
cmux explicitly positions itself as "a primitive, not a solution" — composable building blocks rather than an opinionated orchestrator. The 내장 browser 지원s scriptable actions: click, fill forms, evaluate JS, snapshot accessibility tree. SSH 지원 with 로컬 우선 routing and scp drag-and-drop are included. Custom commands via cmux.json. Claude Code Teams native integration.
오픈 소스 and Homebrew install
GPL-3.0 source is fully auditable at github.com/manaflow-ai/cmux. Install is a single Homebrew command: brew tap manaflow-ai/cmux && brew install --cask cmux. A commercial license is available for teams that cannot use GPL.
where cmux's gaps are honest
macOS 전용
cmux is a Swift / AppKit application — macOS 전용 by design. The community wmux Windows-port attempt confirms the gap: there is enough demand to attempt a port, but no official Windows 지원. Pane has first-class Windows, Mac, and Linux 지원 with identical features.
no worktree automation
cmux does not manage git worktrees. You create 브랜치es and worktrees 수동ly, 동일한 as with any terminal. For developers running multiple parallel 에이전트 on different 작업s, this means the 동일한 수동 git worktree add / remove cycle as the DIY stack.
no 작업 decomposition or orchestration
cmux's self-description as "a primitive, not a solution" is accurate: it does not decompose 작업s into sub에이전트, aggregate results across 에이전트, or provide a structured 검토 and commit loop. Those 작업 흐름s에 composing cmux with other tools or staying in the terminal for each step.
weak session restore
cmux saves layouts, working directories, scrollback, and browser history — but does not restore live processes. A running Claude Code 에이전트 is lost on restart. tmux has stronger 세션 유지 for long-running processes. Pane manages 에이전트 state at the app level.
young 프로젝트
cmux launched in February 2026. As of May 2026, it is roughly three months old with ~19.8k GitHub stars — unusually fast growth, likely from HN and Twitter viral cycles. The core primitives are solid, but the 프로젝트 is early. API and configuration format may change.
dual-license complexity
GPL-3.0 with a commercial license option means teams need to evaluate which license applies to their use case. For individual developers and open-source teams, GPL-3.0 is fine. For commercial teams embedding or distributing cmux, the commercial license terms apply. Pane is AGPL-3.0 with no paid license required for any use case.
where pane adds value
worktree lifecycle
Pane creates an isolated git worktree 자동ally when you create a new pane, and cleans it up when you delete the pane. No 수동 git worktree add / remove cycle. Each 에이전트 lives in its own 브랜치 and 파일ystem checkout.
orchestration layer
Pane is purpose-built for multi-에이전트 orchestration: launch multiple 에이전트 in parallel, see all their states in one UI, get a desktop notification when any 에이전트 needs input, 검토 diffs with ⌘D, commit and push with ⌘K. The entire loop from 작업 to merged 브랜치 is keyboard-driven.
Windows and Linux
Pane runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux with identical features. 70% of developers use Windows or Linux. If your team has one Windows developer, cmux does not work for them. Pane works for everyone on the team.
approval UI for diffs
When an 에이전트 finishes, Pane's 내장 구문 강조 diff 뷰어 lets you 검토 and approve 변경 사항 without switching to a terminal and running git diff. The 검토 + commit loop is a first-class part of the Pane UI, not a terminal command.
PR 작업 흐름
in cmux
Use ⌘1–8 to switch between 워크스페이스s. Switch to the 에이전트 tab. The blue ring fires when the 에이전트 needs input. Review terminal output in the sidebar. Create git worktrees 수동ly with git worktree add. Push and create the PR via gh pr create in the terminal.
in pane
Open Pane. Create a new pane — git worktree is provisioned 자동ally. Agent launches in the embedded terminal. Desktop notification fires when the 에이전트 needs input. Press ⌘D to open the 구문 강조 diff 뷰어. Press ⌘K to commit and push. Done.
기존 cmux 워크스페이스s map to pane
| cmux | Pane | note |
|---|---|---|
| 워크스페이스 | pane + worktree | 개념ual 1:1 — cmux 워크스페이스 is a 이름d terminal group; Pane's is a worktree-backed session |
| surface (tab) | Pane | 1:1 — each cmux tab maps to one Pane session |
| pane (terminal / browser) | pane terminal | terminal pane is 1:1; browser pane has no direct equivalent — Pane is terminal-전용 |
| 에이전트 session hooks (~/.cmuxterm/) | app-managed sessions | ~/.cmuxterm/ likely contains resumable session IDs — the most tractable adapter target |
| browser pane | no equivalent | cmux's 내장 scriptable browser has no analog in Pane |
| cmux.json | no direct equivalent | custom command definitions — re-create as shell aliases or scripts in your shell config |
Today this is 수동. A one-click "Import from cmux" adapter is on the Pane roadmap — cmux's snapshot format is closed-source so the adapter is empirical. The ~/.cmuxterm/ directory likely contains resumable session IDs and is the most tractable starting point.
결론
cmux is the right pick for macOS-전용 Ghostty users who want native 에이전트 알림 and a composable terminal primitive without leaving the terminal 작업 흐름. It is lightweight, 오픈 소스, GPU-accelerated via libghostty, and installs in one Homebrew command. Pane is the cross-플랫폼 pick when worktree lifecycle and multi-에이전트 orchestration matter more than terminal rendering quality — and the 전용 option for teams with Windows or Linux developers. The two tools are not mutually exclusive: Pane handles the lifecycle layer, cmux stays terminal-centric.