Claude Code and Codex, without a terminal

A GUI for
your coding agents.

By herval · Published November 1, 2026

“GUI for Claude Code” covers very different apps: workspaces that run many agents in parallel, each in its own worktree; terminals made for agents; and chat apps that let you follow and answer the agents you already run. This guide sorts the Mac ones by how you work.

What's the best Mac GUI for Claude Code and Codex?

It depends on how you work. To run several coding tasks in parallel, each in its own worktree with diffs and pull requests, use a workspace: Conductor (Mac only, with a free plan), Paradev, Nimbalyst (open source) or Agentastic. For Codex alone, OpenAI's own app. For Claude Code alone in a native window, Clarc. If you already run Claude Code in terminals and want one small window to follow, answer and approve it, with Codex next to it, use littleguys: it's a chat app, not a workspace.

The apps

1. littleguys

   A WhatsApp-style chat app: every Claude Code session on your Mac, in a terminal or the background, is a thread you follow and answer, and Codex is a contact next to it.

   Pick it if you already run Claude Code in terminals and want one small window to follow, answer and approve it, with Codex (and OpenClaw or Hermes) alongside, rather than a new place to code.

   macOS 13+, Apple silicon and Intel · Free, MIT · 17 MB · Download it

2. Conductor by Melty

   A Mac app that runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode agents in parallel, each in its own workspace: a git worktree and branch, with a terminal, diffs, pull requests and checks. It starts its own sessions, and has an iPhone app.

   Pick it if you hand out several coding tasks at once and review each one as a branch and a pull request.

   macOS, Apple silicon and Intel · Free plan with your own subscriptions, Pro $50 a month; closed source; needs GitHub · docs, pricing, changelog

3. Paradev by Superset

   A desktop app (formerly Superset) that runs any CLI coding agent in parallel, Claude Code and Codex among a dozen, each task in its own worktree with terminals, diffs, a browser and pull request review. It tracks only the agents it starts.

   Pick it if you run many agents of many kinds side by side and want a full workspace for each task.

   macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Linux beta; Electron · Free plan, Pro $20 a month; source-available (Elastic License 2.0) · 476 MB · README, pricing

4. Nimbalyst

   An open-source visual workspace for Codex and Claude Code, which replaced Crystal: parallel sessions on a kanban board, worktrees, diff review, a terminal, and docs and diagrams beside the code, with an iPhone app to reply and approve.

   Pick it if you want a visual, open-source workspace for your coding sessions, on Mac, Windows or Linux.

   macOS 12+, Windows, Linux; Electron · Free for individuals, MIT · 506 MB; analytics on by default, which you can turn off · README, site

5. Agentastic

   A native multi-agent IDE with 55 agents built in, Claude Code and Codex among them: each task in a git worktree or a container, with diffs, terminals, a browser, SSH hosts, and approvals from your iPhone.

   Pick it if you want a native app for many agents in parallel, for free, and don't need the source.

   macOS 14+, Apple silicon and Intel · Free; closed source; crash reports go to Sentry · site, what's new

6. Agentbox

   An inbox for running many Claude Code and Codex sessions at once: each task is a row that comes back when its agent is done or stuck, with a summary and suggested answers, plus worktrees, terminals and diffs. It starts its own session for each task.

   Pick it if you hand many coding tasks to Claude Code and Codex at once and want them back as an inbox, each with its own worktree.

   macOS · Free, GPL-3.0 · 235 MB · site, README

7. Codex in the ChatGPT app by OpenAI

   OpenAI's desktop app, where Codex now lives, with worktrees, code review, computer use, SSH projects and a phone remote. It runs Codex only, and needs a ChatGPT account.

   Pick it if you use Codex and want OpenAI's own app, with code review, computer use and SSH projects.

   macOS (Apple silicon), Windows, Linux preview · Part of ChatGPT plans, Free included; closed source · 783 MB · desktop app, pricing

8. Clarc by TNEAR

   A small native Mac client for Claude Code, around projects: streaming chat over the real claude CLI, approval prompts that show the diff, a terminal, git status and a file explorer. It starts its own sessions.

   Pick it if you only use Claude Code and want a native window for it, one project at a time.

   macOS 15+ · Free, Apache-2.0 · 6.5 MB; last release August 2026 · README, releases

9. crystl

   A terminal built for AI agents, with a worktree per agent, approval cards, orchestration and an iPhone app. Agents run inside it.

   Pick it if you'd rather stay in a terminal, made for agents, with a worktree per agent.

   macOS; iPhone · Free plan, or $170 a year; closed source · 65 MB · home and FAQ, pricing

Checked on November 1, 2026 against each app's own site, docs and releases. opcode (formerly Claudia) still shows up in roundups, but its only release is from August 2025 and its code hasn't changed since October 2025, so it's left out. For a longer list, Ry Walker keeps a comparison of 44 Mac apps for coding agents.

Claude Code and Codex in littleguys

• Claude Code: Add a bot → Claude Code installs a small plugin (hooks only). Every session on this Mac, in a terminal or in the background, becomes a thread you follow live and reply to. New threads start background sessions (claude --bg) in the folder you pick, and their permission prompts are cards: allow once, always allow, deny.
• Codex: Add a bot → Agents (ACP), pick Codex and a folder. littleguys starts Codex itself, with your existing login, and its permission requests are cards too. It needs Node.js.
• Both: slash commands in the composer, routines on a schedule, and the guy in the menu bar showing which one needs you. Claude Code's past sessions, from every folder, are there to pick up again, like claude --resume. More on Claude Code and Codex in littleguys.

What littleguys doesn't do

• It isn't a coding workspace: no worktrees, diff review, file tree or terminal. Agents change files with their own tools, in the folder you pick.
• It doesn't show a Codex session you started in a terminal, and it doesn't track quota, usage or cost.
• A terminal session's permission prompts stay in its terminal; littleguys answers background sessions'.

brew install herval/tap/littleguys