Comparison
Nix Agents vs Conductor: parallel coding agents, Windows or Mac
Conductor and Nix Agents solve the same first problem — one task per agent, one worktree per task, so two agents never edit the same file — and then stop at different places.
The overlap
Both apps take the same idea seriously: an agent without its own checkout is an agent that will collide with the next one. Conductor puts each Claude Code or Codex session in its own git worktree and gives you a review-and-merge flow when the work comes back. Nix Agents does that too, and calls the result a workspace rather than a runner.
If that is all you need, both tools will do it.
Where they differ
The first difference is the platform, and it is worth stating precisely rather than flattering ourselves: Conductor runs on macOS. Nix Agents ships for Windows today — x64 and native ARM64 — with Linux and macOS among the build targets but no published installer yet. If you are on a Mac, Conductor is available and this app is not. The Windows side is the gap this project was started to fill.
The second difference is what surrounds the agents. Nix Agents is organised as modes on one board — two live in the beta today, three are coming:
- Code (live) — terminals, worktrees and diffs on one board.
- Chat (live) — questions about the project, with your own model provider.
- Agent (coming soon) — a tool loop that reads, edits, runs and reports back.
- Loop (coming soon) — one task run until it passes, against an exit condition you set.
- Swarm (coming soon) — several agents, several worktrees, one merge queue.
| Feature / Dimension | Conductor | Nix Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Target Platform | macOS native | Windows native (x64 and native ARM64) |
| Supported Agents | Claude Code and Codex | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Aider, +20 CLIs |
| Workspace Model | Worktrees in separate windows | Unified 5-mode board (Code, Chat, Agent, Loop, Swarm) |
| Terminal Engine | macOS Terminal / PTY | Windows ConPTY with full ANSI/VT100 support |
| Diff Inspection | Per-session review dialog | Built-in interactive diff viewer per worktree |
| Project Chat | CLI chat session | Embedded repository chat with file citations |
| Windows Support | No (macOS only) | Yes (native x64 and ARM64 installers) |
Which one to pick
On a Mac, running Claude Code and Codex, Conductor is a good answer and this page is not going to pretend otherwise.
Pick Nix Agents if you are on Windows, if you run more than two CLI agents, or if you want the worktrees, terminals and project chat in one window.
Questions
- Do I need a Claude subscription for Nix Agents?
- Not for the app itself. Nix Agents runs the CLIs you already have installed and authenticated — Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot and others. Your provider relationship stays yours.
- Is Conductor available for Windows?
- Conductor is a macOS app. Nix Agents is the Windows-native answer to the same problem, which is why the project exists at all.
- Does Nix Agents run on macOS or Linux?
- Not yet — there is no published installer for either. Windows x64 and Windows ARM64 are the builds you can download today, and the other two targets are listed as planned rather than offered.
- Can I import existing git worktrees?
- Yes — Nix Agents works on ordinary git repositories and creates worktrees inside them, so nothing about your repo layout changes.