How do I give every agent the same refactor spec?

Commit the spec file before creating the panes, so every worktree has it. If you'd rather not commit it, add it to the list of files Pane copies into new worktrees in Settings.

Can I try several approaches to the same refactor?

Yes. In the Create Pane dialog, set Panes to 2 to 5 to make that many panes from the same base branch, run an agent in each, and keep the best diff.

What if the packages depend on each other?

Refactor the shared code first, merge it, then rebase the other branches on top before their agents start, or accept a rebase after it lands.

Use case

Refactoring

TL;DR

A refactor across several packages is the easiest job to run in parallel: one spec, applied to separate parts of the codebase. Commit the spec once, open one pane per package, and point an agent in each pane at it. Every pane has its own worktree and branch, so the agents never touch each other's files. Review and commit each package on its own, in a fraction of the time.

The most repetitive agent task is also the easiest to parallelize: the same spec, a different scope. “Switch every logger call to the new structured logger” across packages A to E is five identical jobs on five separate parts of the code. Five panes, five agents, a fifth of the wall time.

Why it fits panes

One package per agent means no shared state while they work.

With one package per agent, each works in isolation, with nothing shared while they run and no chance of two agents writing the same file. The only coordination is at merge, by which point each package is already clean.

A refactor also has a clear definition of done: a before-and-after pattern the agent can check. Write the spec once; the agents do the mechanical work; you review the diffs.

Walkthrough

Commit the spec, one pane per package, review and commit each.

1Write refactor.md at the repo root: the before-and-after pattern, which folders to touch, and what to avoid. The more precise it is, the less the agent improvises. Commit it, so every new worktree has a copy.
2Create a pane per package with Ctrl+N, named after the package, such as refactor/pkg-auth and refactor/pkg-billing. Each gets its own worktree and branch.
3In each pane, start your agent and point it at refactor.md and its package. Same spec, different folder.
4Watch progress from the sidebar; move between panes with Ctrl+Tab. A notification tells you when an agent finishes or gets stuck.
5Review each pane's Changes with Ctrl+Shift+B and commit it with Ctrl+Shift+K. If packages share a boundary, rebase the next branch on the previous one first.

Pane showing a diff of src/index.js as a tab and the Changes panel listing three files with Commit and Restore buttons — Changes panel and diff tabsEvery touched file is listed with its line counts. Click one and its diff opens as a tab next to the agent.
1.Diff as a tab: The diff sits next to the agent. Drag it beside the agent to watch both.
2.Unified or split: Switch views in the corner.
3.Commit and Restore: Commit everything, or throw away uncommitted changes, from the list.
4.Open PR: Once the branch has a pull request, this opens it inside Pane.
Pane 2.4.155, after the agent finished

Variation: best of N

Unsure of the approach? Run several attempts and keep the best.

If you're not sure how a refactor should go, run several agents on the same package from the same base branch and compare. In Pane's Create Pane dialog, set Panes to 2 to 5 and it makes that many worktrees at once. Review each diff, keep the one you like, and archive the rest. It costs more tokens but helps when the task is ambiguous.

Pane's Create Pane dialog with repository, base branch, pane name and the Use worktree toggle — Creating a panePick the repo, base branch and name, and Pane makes a worktree for the task.
1.Base branch: The branch the new pane starts from.
2.Name: Becomes the branch name. Name it after the task.
3.Use worktree: On by default, so every pane gets its own branch and folder.
4.Create: Or press Ctrl+Enter (⌘↩ on a Mac).
Pane 2.4.155 on Windows 11, repo inside WSL2

When this breaks

Shared interfaces and global side effects need an order.

→ Shared interfaces. If the refactor changes a type or function every package imports from a shared library, do the library first, merge it, then rebase each package branch on top.
→ Packages that import each other. If package B imports package A and both change in parallel, B's agent works against the old A. Sequence them, or plan a rebase after A lands.
→ Global side effects. Database migrations, code generation and similar steps should run one branch at a time.

See also parallel features and Pane vs Emdash.

Sources

Corrections

If anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it and update the date at the top. Open an issue on GitHub

Sources

→ Git worktrees for AI agents

frequently asked questions

Download*

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

Paste that in PowerShell.Linux

By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. Last reviewed October 2026.