Do I need an agent manager?

If you run one agent at a time, probably not. It pays off once you run two or more at once and start losing track of which terminal has which agent on which branch.

What's the difference between an agent manager and an orchestrator?

The words overlap. "Orchestrator" usually means more automation: software that splits work and hands it to agents. "Agent manager" usually means you still direct each agent, and the tool handles the workspace. Some tools, Pane included, do both: Pane Sessions are an agent that runs your other agents.

How do I run multiple AI coding agents at the same time?

Give each agent its own git worktree so they can't overwrite each other, then run them side by side. You can do it by hand with git worktree add, or let an agent manager create the worktrees, run the agents and show you their diffs.

What's the difference between an agent manager and an AI IDE like Cursor?

Cursor and Windsurf are code editors with an AI agent built in. An agent manager has no editor and no agent of its own: it runs the CLI agents you choose, and you keep whatever editor you like.

Is an agent manager the same as an AI IDE?

No. An AI IDE edits code and usually comes with its own agent. An agent manager runs the agents you already use and organizes their sessions, diffs and git work.

Is an agent manager just a terminal multiplexer?

No. A terminal multiplexer arranges shells. An agent manager knows which terminal is an agent, which branch it's on, what it changed, and whether it needs you.

Why do agent managers use git worktrees?

So several agents can work in the same repo without sharing one folder. Each change stays on its own branch, which keeps it reviewable.

Do I need an agent manager for one agent?

Probably not. It starts to matter when you run several agents, tasks or branches at once.

Can an agent manager run any CLI agent?

Pane can, because each agent runs in a real terminal. Some other managers only support the agents they've built a direct integration for.

Why does Windows support matter?

Many agent tools are Mac-first or need tmux. If you code on Windows, or keep your code in WSL, check that the manager runs natively and handles WSL repos properly.

What should I look for in an agent manager?

Platform support, which agents it runs, a worktree per task, a diff view, git actions, sessions that survive a restart, and whether it works alongside your editor instead of replacing it.

what is an agent manager?

TL;DR

An agent manager is a desktop app for running several AI coding agents, like Claude Code, Codex, Aider and Goose, in parallel, each in its own git worktree. It replaces terminal chaos and manual worktree bookkeeping with one place for sessions, status, diffs and git. You'll also hear these tools called multiplexers, orchestrators or agentic development environments. Pane, Conductor, Superset and Emdash are examples.

An agent manager is a desktop app for running several AI coding agents at once, such as Claude Code, Codex, Aider and Goose, each on its own git worktree. It sits between you and the agents: it starts them, shows you which one needs you, and lets you review and ship what they changed.

The category is new, and the names aren't settled. You'll also hear "multiplexer", "orchestrator" and "agentic development environment" (ADE). This page explains what these tools do, why they exist, and what they still don't solve.

the problem

Several agents in plain terminals means lost track, clashing edits and a review backlog.

terminal chaos

Claude Code in one terminal, Codex in another, Aider in a third, each on a different branch. You switch between windows, lose track of which is which, and paste a prompt into the wrong one.

worktree hell

Git worktrees are the right way to keep agents apart, but running them by hand is tedious: git worktree add, git worktree remove, copying .env files, remembering paths, cleaning up old ones. Even experienced developers get it wrong.

the review bottleneck

As one developer put it: "the bottleneck is not how fast we can produce code but the speed at which we can review it and context switch." More agents means more diffs to read and more branches to reconcile.

what these tools actually do

Isolation, attention, persistence and review, in one app.

context isolation

Each agent gets its own git worktree, so agents never edit the same copy of a file. The tool creates the worktree, copies in what the agent needs, and removes it when you're done.

attention management

A status for every agent, and a notification when one finishes or needs input. You stop watching terminals and look only when something needs you.

session persistence

Close the app and reopen it, and your agents and their history are still there. No re-explaining what you were working on.

unified review workflow

See the diff, commit, push and open a pull request from one window, instead of switching between a terminal, a git client and a diff viewer.

what people call them

Multiplexer, orchestrator, ADE, agent manager: mostly the same idea.

The names are still settling. tmux users say "multiplexer". Hacker News and larger companies say "orchestrator". Emdash and Orca call themselves an "agentic development environment" (ADE). We say "agent manager", but the name matters less than the problem: running several agents without losing track of them or their work.

the conductor vs orchestrator spectrum

Most agent managers keep you steering each agent while several run at once.

Addy Osmani described a useful spectrum. "Conductors" keep a tight loop with one agent: you prompt, it codes, you review, repeat. "Orchestrators" run a fleet in the background: you hand out tasks, and review pull requests as they come back. Most agent managers sit in the middle. You run several agents at once, but you still steer each one and read its diff.

what's still unsolved

Reviewing many diffs, budgeting usage and keeping context healthy are still hard.

the review flood

Five agents that each change 200 lines means 1,000 lines to review. Few tools help you compare parallel attempts at the same task or take the best parts of each.

token costs at scale

Several agents burn through usage limits fast; some developers on Claude Pro report hitting their limit in 10 to 15 minutes with several agents running. Pane and a few others now show usage per pane and per agent, but budgeting across sessions is still mostly manual.

context window degradation

The longer an agent runs, the fuller its context window gets, and quality drops. One developer noticed that "agents cut corners as their context window fills up." Keeping several long-running agents healthy is still a manual job.

the current landscape

Pick by platform first, then by whether you want a desktop app or a terminal tool.

The category has grown fast during 2026. These are the main tools as of October 2026, grouped by approach:

desktop apps

→ Pane: Windows, macOS and Linux, including repos kept in WSL. Runs any CLI agent in a real terminal with a worktree, diff view and git actions per pane. Open source (AGPL-3.0), no account.
→ Orca: open source, for Windows, macOS and Linux. Worktrees, real terminals, a built-in browser, git review and a phone app, with about 40 agents.
→ Emdash: open source (YC W26), for Windows, macOS and Linux. Supports about 35 agents, pulls tasks from Linear, Jira and GitHub, and runs agents over SSH.
→ Conductor: a polished Mac-only app with a chat UI over Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode. Closed source; needs an account; paid cloud and team plans.
→ Superset: a feature-packed, Mac-first app with an experimental Linux build and no Windows build. Runs many agents in real terminals; needs an account.
→ T3 Code: an open source chat-style window over the agents you already have, with iOS and Android apps.
→ Nimbalyst: a visual workspace for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, with markdown and mockup editors. Open source (MIT). It replaced Crystal, which was discontinued in February 2026.

terminal-native tools

→ Herdr: an agent-aware terminal multiplexer for Windows, macOS and Linux. Agents keep running when you disconnect, which suits remote servers.
→ Claude Squad: an open source TUI that runs each agent in a tmux session and worktree. Needs tmux, so on Windows it runs inside WSL. In maintenance mode.
→ cmux: a native Mac terminal built on Ghostty's engine that shows which agent needs you. No worktrees by design. About 27,600 GitHub stars.
→ Vibe Kanban: a kanban board for agent tasks in the browser. The company shut down in April 2026, and it's now an unfunded community project.
→ Chloe: a small Rust TUI for managing several Claude Code instances; last updated April 2026.

For a full comparison of all agent manager tools, see the complete comparison.

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

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.