Conductor alternatives for Windows and Linux

Does Conductor run on Windows or Linux?

Not yet. Conductor (conductor.build) is a Mac app, and its install page says: “Conductor is not available for Windows or Linux yet.” That was the page’s wording on October 15, 2026, so check it before you rule Conductor out.

Here is what it does, so you know what to look for in an alternative. Its docs say it runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode in parallel, and that each task gets its own workspace, branch, files, terminal, diff and review path. Underneath, each workspace is a git worktree. As of October 2026, its pricing page lists local Mac workspaces on the free plan, and Conductor Cloud, which runs workspaces in hosted sandboxes, from the Pro plan at $50 a month. Its home page lists macOS, iOS and an API as ways to use it.

What are the alternatives to Conductor?

Several tools do the same job: one worktree per task, and one view of every agent. These have public docs or READMEs, so their claims can be checked.

Claude Squad. A terminal app that manages several Claude Code, Codex, Gemini and Aider sessions, using tmux for the terminals and git worktrees to isolate each task (README). It is AGPL-3.0 licensed and needs tmux and the GitHub CLI. The README lists no Windows install, and tmux’s install page covers Linux and macOS only, so on Windows you would need WSL.

Emdash. An Apache-2.0 desktop app that runs agents in parallel, each task in its own git worktree, with Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Amp and more, on local projects or over SSH. It can send tickets from Linear, GitHub or Jira to an agent, and its README says it does not send your code or chats to Emdash servers. The README offers a Windows installer and a portable build, macOS builds, and Linux builds for x64 and ARM64.

Nimbalyst. A free, MIT-licensed visual workspace for Codex, Claude Code and OpenCode, with parallel sessions in git worktrees, for macOS, Windows and Linux (README). It is what Crystal became: the Crystal repository says it was deprecated in February 2026 and replaced by Nimbalyst.

Sculptor, from Imbue. An MIT-licensed desktop app that runs coding agents in parallel in isolated workspaces. Claude Code and Pi are integrated, and other terminal agents can run in it. The README links downloads for Mac (Apple silicon), Linux and Linux ARM64, none for Windows, and calls the app an experimental research preview.

Superset. A desktop app that runs Claude Code, Codex or another CLI agent in parallel worktrees. Its README says macOS is the primary target, calls the Linux AppImage experimental and says Windows is not yet available. Its license is the Elastic License 2.0, which is source-available rather than open source.

Vibe Kanban. A kanban board that runs agents in workspaces, started with npx vibe-kanban. Its maker, bloop, shut down in April 2026, and the announcement says the project continues as open source, maintained by the community.

The vendors’ own apps. Each can run parallel sessions with worktrees, but only with its own agent: Claude Code’s desktop app on Windows and macOS, the ChatGPT desktop app for Codex on Windows, and Cursor’s Agents Window.

Which Conductor alternatives work on Windows?

Emdash and Nimbalyst are the two apps above that run several vendors’ agents on Windows, and both are open source. Claude Code’s desktop app (x64 and ARM64), the ChatGPT desktop app and Cursor (Windows 10 or later, per its quickstart) run on Windows too, each tied to its own product. Claude Squad is a tmux terminal app, so Windows means WSL. Sculptor and Superset list no Windows build.

Which Conductor alternative works on Linux?

Emdash, Nimbalyst, Sculptor and Superset all have Linux builds, with the caveats above: Sculptor is a research preview and Superset’s AppImage is experimental. Claude Squad runs in any Linux or macOS terminal that has tmux. The vendor apps reach Linux too. Claude Code’s desktop app is in beta for Ubuntu 22.04 or later and Debian 12 or later. The ChatGPT desktop app is in preview for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Arch. Cursor publishes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and RHEL packages.

Claude Squad vs Conductor: which fits you?

They solve the same problem from opposite ends. Claude Squad is a terminal interface built on tmux, started with cs. Conductor is a Mac app with a diff viewer and a pull request flow. Claude Squad launches claude by default and can launch others with cs -p "codex", cs -p "gemini" or cs -p "aider ...", per its README. Conductor lists Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode. Claude Squad is free software, while Conductor is free for local Mac workspaces and needs a paid plan for cloud ones.

Claude Squad suits a terminal-first workflow on Linux or macOS. Conductor suits a Mac user who wants a graphical review flow. If you want a Claude Squad alternative with a window instead of tmux, Emdash and Nimbalyst do the same worktree-per-task job as desktop apps on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Do you need an app at all?

No. Most of the tools above are a layer over git worktree. By hand it is git worktree add ../app-auth -b auth for each task, one terminal per worktree, and tmux if you want one screen. The agent CLIs help. Claude Code has claude --worktree <name> and a claude agents view, the Codex CLI has a /worktree command, and Cursor documents /worktree and /best-of-n.

What you give up is the overview of which agent is waiting for you. Our guides to git worktrees and to running several Claude Code sessions cover the manual route.

Apps and plain worktrees share one limit. A worktree separates files, not processes. Conductor’s docs say workspace isolation is development isolation, not a security boundary, and Superset’s README says worktrees separate working files but do not sandbox processes or prevent merge conflicts. Agents still run with your user permissions.

What do you need before you start?

These apps run agent CLIs that you install and sign in to yourself. Conductor’s install page says it checks for GitHub authentication in your terminal and for a Claude Code login, a Codex login or a Cursor API key, and Emdash detects installed provider CLIs automatically. Install and sign in to the CLIs first. Most of these tools build on git worktrees, so Git has to be installed too. On Windows, our guide to running Claude Code on Windows has the steps.

One app for Mac, Windows and Linux

SwarmPane is a desktop app for Mac, Windows (x64) and Linux (x64) that runs the coding CLIs you already pay for side by side. Agent Grid runs up to 16 agents in real terminals, each pane showing whether it is working, waiting for you or done. Layouts can open a set of agents in one click, each in its own worktree if you want, and Attention lists the sessions waiting for you first. Agent Race gives two or three agents the same task in separate copies of the project, and your tests pick the winner.

A naming note: SwarmPane’s Jev Conductor (beta) is a different feature. It routes a goal to one of your agents and runs your checks. It is not a port of Conductor (conductor.build). Start with a 7-day trial for $1 and cancel before it ends if it is not for you.