Shuriken vs Claude Squad (2026)

We make Shuriken. We tried to be fair; corrections welcome at office@shuriken.sh.

Quick answer#

Claude Squad is a free, open-source terminal app that runs each coding agent in its own tmux session and git worktree. Shuriken is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that does the parallel part too, then adds automatic switching between your own accounts, MCP servers you sign in to once, a phone web app, voice and a browser.

If you live in tmux and want nothing more, Claude Squad is hard to beat. If you keep running out of Claude limits, want to check on agents from your phone, or work on Windows, read on.

At a glance#

Read on 2026-10-22. Claude Squad's column comes from its GitHub README.

What Claude Squad does well#

It's tiny and it's yours. One binary, cs, installed with Homebrew or a one-line script. No account, no cloud, no app window. The code is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0, so you can read every line and change what you don't like.

It stays out of the way. If your whole day already happens in a terminal, Claude Squad adds exactly one thing: a list of sessions. You press N, type a prompt, and a new agent starts in its own worktree. ↵ attaches you to it, ctrl-q detaches. Nothing to learn beyond a dozen keys.

It works with any terminal agent. Claude Code is the default, but -p starts anything: cs -p "codex", cs -p "aider ...". If a new agent comes out tomorrow, it already works.

Diff and push from the list. tab flips between the agent's screen and its diff. s commits and pushes the branch. For a quick review loop, that's most of what you need.

We like it. If this describes you, keep using it.

Where Shuriken is different#

It's an app, not a terminal#

Shuriken runs the same agents, each in its own worktree, but in a window. Every chat shows its messages, tool calls and file changes. A side panel has Files, Changes (git) and Activity, which lists subagents, background commands and workflow phases while they run. There are still built-in terminals, and any chat can open in its agent's own terminal UI when you want it.

You can also type while an agent works. Messages wait in a queue and run in order, and you can edit, reorder or remove them. More in how to run Claude Code agents in parallel.

Your accounts switch by themselves#

This is the reason we built Shuriken. Add every Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or other subscription you own, plus API keys. When the account in use reaches your switch point (99% by default, adjustable from 50 to 100%) or hits a limit, your chats move to the account with the most room left, on every device at once. A Claude Code chat moves on its next request, mid-task, with its subagents. A card in the chat says "Switched to …", so you always know.

Shuriken also starts idle accounts' 5-hour windows with one tiny background request each, once per window, so limits come back early. The details are on source switching and session limits.

Only add accounts you own and are entitled to use.

MCP servers, signed in once#

Claude Squad leaves MCP to each agent's own config. Shuriken keeps one list of MCP servers for every project and account. You sign in to GitHub, Linear or Notion once; the sign-in belongs to the server, not to your AI account, so switching accounts never asks again. Claude Code and Codex chats are both handed the list when they start. See global MCPs.

Your phone, your voice, a browser#

• Phone: open app.shuriken.sh in any phone browser to see every chat, the queue and Changes, and send messages or voice. Native iOS and Android apps are planned for November 2026. See phone.
• Voice: NVIDIA Parakeet turns your speech into text on your own computer by default, or a live provider such as ElevenLabs or AssemblyAI does on your own key. Paste text mid-sentence and it lands where you were.
• Browser: your running app opens beside the chat. Turn on Design mode, click an element, write what to change, and the agent gets the element's details and a screenshot.

Know when an agent needs you#

In a terminal tool you find out an agent is waiting by looking at it. Shuriken sends a notification on your computer when a chat needs you: an approval, a question, finished work. Activity keeps a digest of what happened while you were away, so coming back to six chats doesn't mean scrolling through six terminals.

Windows, Linux and servers#

Shuriken runs natively on macOS, Windows and Linux, and headless on a server you add from the app. A chat can move to another of your computers and carry on there.

What Shuriken doesn't do as well#

It's bigger. It's an app with an account, not a single binary. Each worktree is a full checkout, so ten chats use ten checkouts of disk, the same as Claude Squad. And it isn't a tmux tool: if your muscle memory is prefix + w, you'll miss it.

Pricing#

Shuriken never bills model usage. Your agents use your own plans and keys, as they do in Claude Squad.

Using them together#

They don't fight. Both use plain git worktrees in your repo, and both run the real Claude Code CLI with your sign-in. You can keep Claude Squad for quick one-offs in the terminal and use Shuriken for the long-running work you want to follow from your phone. If you want to try that, download Shuriken and add the same repo.