What is true regardless of what you pick
- This roundup is as of October 2026, checked against each tool's own website, docs or repository. The category moves monthly: Windsurf is now called Devin Desktop, Docker Sandboxes moved to a standalone sbx command, and the company behind Vibe Kanban shut down in April 2026.
- Local tools run the agent CLIs you already pay for, such as Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI, on your own subscription. The cloud agents are the exception: each runs its own vendor's agent on the vendor's machines.
- Claude Code now creates worktrees itself: claude --worktree with a name puts the session in its own checkout under .claude/worktrees on its own branch. For two or three agents, that may be all the tooling you need.
Your options, and where each one stops
| Approach | Good for | Breaks when |
|---|---|---|
| git worktree and tmux, by handOne git worktree add per agent, one tmux window per agent. Free, and already on any machine with git. | Two to four agents on one machine, for anyone comfortable in a terminal. Nothing new to install or trust. | Agents need to run the app: ports, databases and installed tools are shared. There is no view of which agent is waiting on you, and nothing survives the machine sleeping. |
| Claude SquadOpen-source terminal app (AGPL-3.0) that gives each agent a tmux session and a git worktree. Runs Claude Code by default, plus Codex, Gemini, Aider or any command. | The worktree and tmux recipe with the bookkeeping done for you, without leaving the terminal. Builds exist for macOS and Linux. | Agents collide on ports or services, since the isolation is worktrees. Windows needs tmux through WSL, and the agents live on one machine, reachable only from its terminal. |
| ConductorMac app that runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode in parallel, each in its own worktree, with review built in. Free tier; Pro is $50 a month. | Mac users who want a polished interface built for this, plus the option of Pro cloud workspaces that keep running after the app closes. | You are not on a Mac. Its own docs note that worktrees are not a security boundary: local agents run on your Mac with your user permissions. |
| SupersetDesktop app and CLI giving any CLI agent its own worktree, terminals and diff. Source-available (Elastic License 2.0); the desktop app is free, Pro is $20 per user a month. | Many agents at once with a preview port per worktree, and reaching workspaces on another connected machine, including from an iPhone with Pro. | You need Windows, which is not yet available, or first-class Linux, which is an experimental AppImage. |
| SculptorImbue's MIT-licensed desktop app: each agent gets its own worktree, branch, terminal and diff, on your Claude plan. macOS (Apple Silicon) and Linux, labelled beta. | Claude users who want a free, open-source desktop app and are comfortable with beta software. | You need Windows, or agents beyond Claude, which come only through experimental Pi agent support. Earlier versions ran each agent in a container; the current product page describes worktrees. |
| NimbalystMIT-licensed desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with an iOS companion, that pairs Claude Code and Codex with visual editors for documents, diagrams and mockups. | Work that is as much specs, diagrams and mockups as code, on whichever desktop OS you use. Free for individuals. | You want isolation by default: a worktree per session is opt-in. It is a local desktop app, not an always-on server. |
| Vibe KanbanApache-2.0 kanban board, started with npx vibe-kanban, that runs a long list of agent CLIs in worktrees with setup scripts. | A task board in front of local agents, if you are fine running community-maintained software. | You want a company behind the tool. Its maker shut down in April 2026, the README says the project is sunsetting, and the last tagged release is from that month. |
| Docker SandboxesDocker's sbx CLI runs an agent in a microVM with its own Docker daemon, filesystem and network, locally or in Docker's cloud. Supports Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, OpenCode and more. | Isolation well beyond a worktree, including Docker inside the sandbox. Local use is free on macOS (Apple silicon), Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04 or later. | You want a board, a review queue or several agents managed together: it is the isolation layer, not the workflow. Cloud sandboxes are pay-as-you-go and expire on a time-to-live. |
| Cloud agentsCodex cloud, Claude Code on the web and Devin run each task on the vendor's infrastructure, in a VM for the first two, and hand back a diff or pull request. | Parallel work with nothing to operate, started from a browser or phone, running while your laptop sleeps. Included from ChatGPT Plus (Codex) and Claude Pro (Claude Code). | Code or keys must stay on your infrastructure, your repository is not on GitHub (Codex cloud supports only GitHub so far), or you want several vendors' agents in one place. Cloud tasks also draw down the same plan allowance as your local work. |
| intenticMIT-licensed workspace: a Docker sandbox on your laptop, desktop or VPS, a git worktree per agent inside it, reached from any browser. Runs Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Kimi Code and Gemini on your own accounts. | Agents that keep running on a machine you own after the browser closes, with a board of who needs you, plan mode, per-hunk review and automations. | You want a native desktop app or zero setup. Agents in one sandbox share its environment, so different tools or credentials mean separate sandboxes. It is new, and says so. |
What to actually do
If you have not tried plain worktrees yet, start there, or with Claude Code's own --worktree flag. You will soon know whether your problem was file collisions, which they solve, or something else.
If you want an interface on one machine, choose by platform and licence: Conductor on a Mac, Nimbalyst on any desktop OS, Superset or Sculptor on a Mac or Linux, Claude Squad anywhere tmux runs.
If agents need to run the app, install packages or hold credentials, move to container isolation: Docker Sandboxes for the boundary alone, or a workspace with a board and review on top, such as intentic, when runs must keep going on hardware you own. If you would rather operate nothing, a cloud agent is the honest answer.
Sort the tools by isolation, not by interface
The interfaces in this list look alike: a sidebar of agents, a diff, a terminal. What differs is what each agent is kept away from, and that decides which problems you still have after installing it. Each level up removes a class of collision and adds setup.
- Files: a worktree per agent. Claude Squad, Conductor, Superset, Sculptor, Nimbalyst, Vibe Kanban and plain git.
- Environment: a container or microVM per agent or per workspace, with its own processes, ports and installed tools. Docker Sandboxes and intentic.
- Machine: a VM on someone else's infrastructure per task. Codex cloud, Claude Code on the web, Devin, and Conductor's cloud workspaces.
What every worktree tool shares, and where it stops
A worktree tool removes the collision that bites first: two agents writing the same file. It does nothing about the next one. Two agents that both start a dev server want the same port, two test runs share one database, and every worktree uses the same installed language versions and global packages.
Some tools soften this: Superset detects ports per workspace, and Vibe Kanban runs a setup script for each new worktree. None of them turn a worktree into a separate machine. Superset's README says it plainly: worktrees separate working files; they do not sandbox processes.
Where the agents run decides whether they keep going
A desktop app runs agents on the computer it is installed on, so closing the lid stops them. Conductor Pro and the cloud agents get around that on vendor infrastructure; Superset reaches workspaces on another machine you connect. intentic runs the sandbox wherever you start it, so it keeps going on a desktop or VPS and stops on a laptop you close.
Price and licence, side by side
Open-source options: Claude Squad (AGPL-3.0), Sculptor, Nimbalyst and intentic (MIT), and Vibe Kanban (Apache-2.0). Superset publishes its source under the Elastic License 2.0, which is not an OSI licence. Conductor and Devin are commercial products with free tiers.
With every local tool, model usage comes out of your own provider subscription. Cloud agents spend the same allowance: OpenAI notes that cloud tasks may use more of it than local messages.
Related questions
What is the best tool for running parallel Claude Code agents?
It depends on what is colliding. For file collisions, Claude Code's own --worktree flag or Claude Squad is enough. For a desktop interface, Conductor on a Mac or Sculptor and Nimbalyst elsewhere. When agents need separate environments or must keep running on your own machine, use a container-based option such as Docker Sandboxes or intentic.
Is there an orchestrator for Claude Code?
Several. Claude Squad, Conductor, Superset, Sculptor, Nimbalyst and intentic all start and track several Claude Code sessions, each in its own checkout. Claude Code also runs subagents and worktree sessions itself, so check whether the built-in features already cover your case before adding a tool.
Do I need a tool at all, or are git worktrees enough?
Worktrees are enough while the agents only edit files. A tool earns its place when you lose track of which agent needs you, or when agents start running servers, databases or installs that collide. The first is an interface problem; the second needs containers.
Which parallel coding agent tools are open source?
As of October 2026: Claude Squad (AGPL-3.0), Sculptor, Nimbalyst and intentic (MIT), and Vibe Kanban (Apache-2.0). Superset's source is public under the Elastic License 2.0, which is source-available rather than open source. Conductor, Devin and the hosted cloud agents are not open source.
Which of these tools work on Windows?
Nimbalyst ships a Windows desktop app, Docker Sandboxes supports Windows 11, and intentic runs its sandbox in Docker through WSL2. Claude Squad needs tmux through WSL. Conductor is Mac-only, Superset has no Windows build yet, and Sculptor supports macOS and Linux only. Cloud agents work from any browser.
Read next
Written against the state of the field in 2026-10. This area moves fast. Spot something out of date or wrong? Open an issue and it is fixed in the next build.