tmux-conductor
nicheParallel AI agent orchestration via tmux, state files, and a real-time dashboard.
What it is
A tmux-based orchestration layer that runs multiple AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Aider) in parallel, with a SQLite task queue, per-agent state files, and a real-time web dashboard.
How it differs from vanilla Claude
A capable base agent can be run in multiple tmux windows manually. This tool automates task dispatching, idle detection via lifecycle hooks, and provides a UI. However, a simple bash loop polling a file for tasks achieves similar coordination with far less complexity.
Skill, plugin, or workflow shift?
Large: requires tmux 3+, bash 4+, Node 22, jq, SQLite, and optionally Claude Code CLI for hooks. The project includes bash scripts, a Fastify server, and a React frontend.
Devil's advocate — is this just complexity?
The core problem (running multiple agents in parallel) can be solved with a 10-line bash loop that spawns tmux windows and reads tasks from a text file. The state file approach is file-based polling, which is primitive; a proper IPC or message queue would be overengineered for a local setup. The web dashboard is a nice-to-have but adds significant complexity (Fastify, React, Vite, SSE, dnd). For a single user, just watching tmux panes is simpler. This tool is complexity for complexity's sake—it turns a simple shell loop into a full-stack project.
The honest case for it
When you have 5+ agents working on different parts of a codebase, manually tracking their idle/busy state becomes error-prone. The hook integration provides precise state transitions that a polling loop cannot match. The dashboard gives at-a-glance overview and drag-and-drop task reordering, which is hard to replicate in a terminal. The vendor-agnostic design (regex fallback) means you can mix agents. For a team of AI agents, this is a genuine coordination layer that base CLI cannot provide.
Who it's for
Audience fit
Depth and leverage for a technical engineer who wants to understand it and level up their workflow — not just offload work.
Value for someone who wants a more capable tool without the technical depth — accessible, does-it-for-you.
Requires tmux, bash, Node setup; the dashboard and hooks add real value for multi-agent workflows but the entry barrier is high for non-engineers.