Agent Manager is a free, Apache-2.0 Go TUI over tmux that runs nine coding CLIs side by side with per-CLI status detection, worktree spawning, and a review mode that delivers line comments back to the agent. **Agent Manager is the best-executed member of the most crowded, least differentiated genre in this category, and the debate in its own launch thread named the genre's problem: dozens of tools, barely distinguishable.** ## What it is A single Go binary that attaches to a private tmux server named `agentmgr` and lays out sessions for Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Grok Build, Gemini CLI, Pi, Command Code, Hermes Agent, and Muse Code. Status detection is per-CLI: the TUI reads each pane the way a person would and reports the agent's state. You can send a prompt without attaching, spawn an agent into a worktree, open full-file diffs, leave review comments that go back into the agent's conversation, and kill or revive a session on its own conversation. It is distributed as brew, an install script, an AUR package, mise, go install, and release binaries; Apache-2.0 since v0.19.0 (2026-08-04), MIT before, which is why older write-ups state the wrong license. ## Status Active and young: 570 stars and 58 forks as of 2026-10-05, created 2026-07-15, with 29 contributors. Releases run roughly weekly: v0.39.0 shipped 2026-09-26 after five releases in September alone. The Show HN thread from 2026-07-30 reached 98 points and about 80 comments, dominated by the genre question: one commenter argued submissions like it should be filtered automatically "since there are dozen of these and they are barely distinguishable except for couple of opinioned choices". ## Strengths - Nine CLIs with per-CLI state detection is the deepest pane-reading integration among the tmux columns here. - The review loop closes: comments travel back into the agent's conversation instead of stopping at a diff view. - Kill and revive on the same conversation answers the lost-context fear that stops people from restarting agents. - Sessions live on a private tmux server, so the tool's panes never mix with your own, and distribution breadth (brew, AUR, mise, go install, binaries) makes trying it a two-minute decision. ## Cautions - The genre is saturated: the launch thread's own verdict was that these tools are barely distinguishable, and picking this one over Claude Squad or dmux is a preference, not a derivation. - The site's own feature list ends with "Not here yet: cost tracking", so teams that bill per agent need another tool. - The mid-stream license change (MIT through v0.18.0, Apache-2.0 from v0.19.0 on 2026-08-04) means older coverage misstates the license. - 0.x versioning with weekly releases: expect churn, and 570 stars is the smallest maintained footprint among the tmux columns besides The Perfect Orchestrator. ## Pricing Free, in the site FAQ's own word: "Nothing", under Apache-2.0, with no account. No paid tier exists; sessions run on the CLIs and subscriptions you already have. ## Compared to - [Claude Squad](../claude-squad/index.md): the minimal tmux-and-worktrees manager; choose Claude Squad for the smallest footprint, Agent Manager for status detection and the comment-back review loop. - [dmux](../dmux/index.md): the TUI that gives every task pane its own worktree and branch; choose dmux for per-task isolation by default, Agent Manager for nine-CLI breadth. - [cmux](../cmux/index.md): the macOS terminal built around attention routing; choose cmux on a Mac for notification rings and cloud tasks, Agent Manager anywhere tmux runs. ## Bottom line **Recommended for terminal-first engineers who run three or more different coding CLIs and want one pane of glass with review comments that reach the agent.** Not for teams that need cost tracking, per-task worktree defaults, or a GUI. ## Changes - 2026-10-06 - Created. ## See also - [Orchestration Feature Matrix](../orchestration-feature-matrix/index.md) - the category comparison this note joins - [Claude Squad](../claude-squad/index.md) - the minimal tmux incumbent - [dmux](../dmux/index.md) - the worktree-per-task tmux TUI - [cmux](../cmux/index.md) - the macOS terminal rival - [The Agentic Development Environment Landscape](../../the-agentic-development-environment-landscape/index.md) - the tracker this category extends ## References - https://api.github.com/repos/YoanWai/agent-manager - stars, forks, Apache-2.0 license, creation date, and push date as of 2026-10-05 - https://agent-manager.dev - the FAQ: license history, the "Nothing" pricing answer, distribution, the nine-CLI list, and the cost-tracking gap - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/YoanWai/agent-manager/main/README.md - status detection, review mode, kill and revive, worktree spawning, and the private tmux server - https://api.github.com/repos/YoanWai/agent-manager/releases - v0.39.0 (2026-09-26) and the weekly cadence - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49107749 - the Show HN thread (98 points, about 80 comments) and the distinguishability debate