The multiplexer agents live in.
Herdr gives coding agents what tmux gave terminal users: real panes that stay open, detach and reattach, remote access, one control surface. Then it adds the part a multiplexer never had — it knows which agent is stuck.
Pick the center of gravity.
The question is not whether a tool can run a terminal. Most can. It is whether it combines terminal-native persistence with agent state and agent-controlled automation.
| Capability | Herdr | tmux / Zellij | cmux / Warp | Solo | Conductor / Emdash / Superset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs inside your existing terminal | yes | yes | no, terminal app | no, desktop app | no, app workspace |
| Persistent PTY session runtime | yes | yes | session/app restore | managed processes | embedded terminals |
| Detach, reattach, and SSH in | yes | yes | partial | no | remote projects |
| Direct attach to one agent terminal | yes | no | no | no | no |
| Semantic agent state | blocked / working / done / idle | no | attention or native-agent status | process status | workspace status |
| Agent-shaped API | read, send, wait, split, attach | terminal scripting | app APIs | MCP for processes | workflow APIs |
| Git worktree and diff review flow | pairs with it | no | partial | no | yes |
The intersection other tools miss.
Herdr keeps real terminal panes alive like a multiplexer, but treats agents as first-class runtime objects. Scan state, jump to blocked work, attach directly to one agent, and let agents read, send, split, and wait through the CLI and socket API.
They own panes and persistence. They do not know which pane is blocked, working, done, or ready for an agent wait.
They can add polished desktop UX, but the workflow moves into their app. Herdr stays inside the terminal you already use.
Process health and auto-restart are useful, but Herdr is about persistent interactive agent panes, not dev-stack supervision.
They are for branch isolation, diffs, and PRs. Herdr is the live terminal layer those agents can run inside or alongside.
Use this when deciding.
- Herdr vs tmux
- tmux persists terminals; Herdr persists agent workspaces and understands agent state.
- Herdr vs Zellij
- Zellij is a modern terminal workspace; Herdr is an agent multiplexer with state, waits, and orchestration.
- Herdr vs cmux
- cmux is a Mac terminal app for agents; Herdr is a terminal-native multiplexer that runs anywhere your terminal and SSH do.
- Herdr vs Warp
- Warp is an agentic development platform; Herdr is the local terminal control layer for your existing agents.
- Herdr vs OpenCode web
- OpenCode's web mode serves one agent over HTTP; Herdr is a terminal-native multiplexer for many agents and harnesses, reachable over plain SSH.
- Herdr vs Solo
- Solo manages your dev stack; Herdr manages persistent interactive agent panes.
- Herdr vs Conductor, Emdash, Superset
- They orchestrate isolated worktrees and review diffs; Herdr orchestrates live terminals and agent state.
If your agents live in terminals, put the terminals in Herdr.
Install Herdr, run two agents, split a pane, then detach once. The difference is obvious when the agents keep running.