wmux – an ADE (Agent Development Environment) for AI agents

What it is

wmux is a desktop application (Windows / macOS) that lets you run multiple AI‑agent command‑line tools (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, etc.) side‑by‑side in a tmux‑like pane layout. A background daemon keeps every pane alive even if you close the UI or reboot, and an iPhone app lets you answer the agents’ interactive prompts from your phone.

Core ideas

Idea	How wmux implements it
Run any CLI‑based AI agent	Each agent runs in its own PTY (ConPTY on Windows, forkpty on macOS). No WSL is required on Windows.
Session persistence	A daemon owns the PTYs. Closing the UI or a crash leaves the processes running; on restart the pane can Resume the exact conversation.
Phone‑based approvals	The iPhone client pairs with the daemon (HTTPS over Tailscale). When an agent asks a question (e.g., Claude Code permission), the prompt appears in the phone’s Inbox; your answer is sent back to the pane.
Fan‑out to git worktrees	One prompt can be split into up to eight independent tasks. Each task gets its own Git worktree on a wtask/* branch, its own pane, and you can review the diffs hunk‑by‑hunk before applying them as a single commit.
Built‑in browser automation	Agents can control a built‑in browser pane or a real Chrome instance via the Chrome DevTools Protocol. Recorded flows can be replayed.
Fleet view	A global attention list (⌘⇧A / Ctrl+Shift+A) shows all agents across workspaces, grouped by Needs you, Ready to review, Running, and Idle.
Git integration	A side rail shows issues/PRs, lets you open, comment, rerun CI, and drag an item onto a pane to hand it to an agent.

Main features (quick glance)

• Cross‑platform: native Windows 10/11 and macOS Apple‑Silicon builds (experimental Linux AppImage/.deb/.rpm).
• iPhone companion – answer questions, see inbox, optional push notifications (sealed envelopes).
• Worktree fan‑out – automatic creation of Git worktrees for parallel tasks, with a visual diff‑review UI.
• Browser panes – built‑in terminal‑based browser or dedicated Chrome tab per agent; record/replay flows.
• Agent‑to‑agent messaging – panes can send messages to each other (send_message).
• Usage‑limit handling – agents pause when quota runs out; optional Resume at reset restarts them automatically.
• Daemon‑managed sessions – survive quit, crash, reboot; panes can be supervised and auto‑restarted.
• Remote read‑only view – wmux web serves live panes to a browser (loopback‑only by default).
• Extensible CLI & API – script the wmux CLI or connect via a token‑authenticated socket to react to events.
• Keyboard‑driven UI – tmux‑style splits, workspaces, command palette, fully configurable shortcuts.

Who might use it?

• Developers who rely on code‑generation agents (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini) and want a stable, multi‑pane workspace.
• Teams that need to keep long‑running agent sessions alive across reboots and want to approve actions from a phone.
• Researchers experimenting with multi‑agent pipelines, needing a way to fan‑out a prompt into parallel Git worktrees.
• Power users who like terminal multiplexers but also want built‑in browser automation and GitHub integration.

Getting started

1. Install – winget install openwong2kim.wmux (Windows) or download the signed .dmg (macOS).
2. Run – the UI launches; a daemon starts in the background.
3. Add agents – pick a CLI agent from the picker (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, etc.) and a pane opens.
4. Pair iPhone – open Remote → Share & pair, enable HTTPS over Tailscale, scan the QR code with the iOS app.
5. Create a task – type a prompt, choose Fan‑out → up to 8 worktrees, then review diffs and apply.

Building from source (for contributors)

git clone https://github.com/openwong2kim/wmux.git
cd wmux
npm install          # Node 18+, Python 3, native toolchain
npm start            # dev mode
npm run make         # package installer

The project uses Electron, xterm.js, node‑pty, and Playwright for testing.

License & safety

• MIT license – free to use and modify.
• The daemon only runs the agent CLIs you install; you remain responsible for each provider’s terms of service.
• Communication between phone and daemon is token‑authenticated and encrypted; push notifications are sealed so the relay cannot read the content.

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wmux is a genuine software project focused on orchestrating AI agents, fitting squarely within the AI‑agent development environment space.