What is Claude Squad?
Claude Squad is a terminal user interface for running several command-line coding agents side by side. Each session gets its own tmux session and its own git worktree on a separate branch, so agents can work in parallel without touching each other's files. It starts Claude Code by default and runs Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, OpenCode, Amp or any other terminal agent through a -p flag or named profiles in its config file.
From one list you create, attach to, pause and delete sessions, switch between a live preview and a diff of each branch, and commit and push a branch to GitHub with one key. An experimental auto-yes mode accepts agent prompts so sessions can finish in the background.
It is written in Go by smtg-ai, licensed under AGPL-3.0, and installs as a single cs binary through Homebrew or an install script, with builds for macOS, Linux and Windows. It needs tmux and the GitHub CLI. Version 1.0.20 came out on 20 August 2026.
Is Claude Squad worth it?
Claude Squad is a thin, dependable layer over two tools developers already trust. tmux keeps each agent running in the background, git worktrees keep each agent's edits on its own branch, and the interface on top is a list of sessions with a preview pane and a diff pane. That narrowness is its strength: there is no server, no account and no hosted relay, and the README's whole explanation of how it works is three lines long.
Agent support is generic rather than integrated. Any command that runs in a terminal can be a session, and profiles in ~/.claude-squad/config.json let you pick Claude Code, Codex or a local Aider model per session. The cost is that Claude Squad knows nothing about what the agent is doing beyond the terminal and the diff: no usage tracking, no inline review comments sent back to the agent, no issue board. Orca and Vibe Kanban both do more of that.
The pace is slow and steady. Releases arrive every month or two, 1.0.18 in May, 1.0.19 in June and 1.0.20 in August 2026, mostly fixes such as recovering sessions whose tmux server died and computing diffs only for the selected session. The open issues are about input handling and convenience, such as a reported race between the interface and tmux over keyboard input, and requests for a compact mode and for starting sessions in another repository without relaunching.
The AGPL-3.0 licence is the one detail a company should read. Running it locally is unaffected, but anyone who modifies Claude Squad and offers it to others over a network must publish their changes, which rules it out as the base for a closed hosted product.
Where it earns its place
A backend developer working over SSH on a cloud VM
Keep three agent sessions running after the laptop disconnects
Install the cs binary on the VM and start sessions there; tmux keeps them alive between SSH connections and each works on its own branch. The tool is free; the cost is the agents' own subscriptions or API usage.
A senior engineer on a Claude Max plan
Hand routine fixes to agents in the background while working on something else
Create a session per ticket with a prompt, let each run on its own worktree, then review the diff tab and press s to push the branch. Parallel sessions multiply token use, so rate limits arrive sooner.
An open-source maintainer comparing local and hosted models
Run the same task through Claude Code and a local Aider model side by side
Define two profiles in the config file, for example claude and aider with an Ollama model, and pick one per session from the profile picker. The local model costs only the GPU it runs on.
Before you commit
- Setup
- brew install claude-squad or the install script, plus tmux and gh; run cs inside a git repository and press n and the first session starts Claude Code in a new worktree.
- Integrations
- Any terminal coding agent, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, OpenCode and Amp; GitHub through the gh CLI for pushing branches.
- Data and privacy
- Runs entirely on your machine; code and prompts go only to whichever agent providers you launch. Configuration and session state live in ~/.claude-squad.
- Cost at scale
- Free for any team size; the bill is your agents' subscriptions or API usage, which rises with each parallel session.
- Limits
- Sessions depend on tmux, and the README's main troubleshooting note is a tmux start-up timeout fixed by updating the agent; there is no review, task-tracking or usage view beyond the diff.
What's good
- No server, account or analytics code in the app; just tmux and git worktrees
- Runs any terminal agent, with per-session profiles
- One key to commit and push a session's branch
- Single Go binary for macOS, Linux and Windows
What's not
- Requires tmux and the GitHub CLI
- No inline review comments, usage tracking or task board
- Auto-accept mode is experimental
- AGPL-3.0 limits reuse in closed hosted products
Best for
Terminal-first developers who want to run a few coding agents in parallel without adopting a desktop app or a new workflow.
Claude Squad alternatives
Claude Squad: common questions
- Is Claude Squad worth it?
- Claude Squad is the lightest way to run parallel coding agents if you already live in tmux, and it deliberately does little beyond that. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does Claude Squad cost?
- Free and open source under AGPL-3.0. You bring your own agent subscriptions or API keys.
- What are the downsides of Claude Squad?
- Requires tmux and the GitHub CLI; no inline review comments, usage tracking or task board; auto-accept mode is experimental; aGPL-3.0 limits reuse in closed hosted products.
- Who is Claude Squad best for?
- Terminal-first developers who want to run a few coding agents in parallel without adopting a desktop app or a new workflow.
- How much does Claude Squad cost for a team or in production?
- Free for any team size; the bill is your agents' subscriptions or API usage, which rises with each parallel session.
- Is Claude Squad safe for company data?
- Runs entirely on your machine; code and prompts go only to whichever agent providers you launch. Configuration and session state live in ~/.claude-squad.
- What are the best Claude Squad alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Orca, Vibe Kanban and OpenCode.
Answers checked Oct 26, 2026.