Shuriken vs Emdash (2026)

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

Quick answer#

Emdash is a free desktop app, Apache-2.0 on GitHub, that runs coding agents in parallel with one git worktree per task, on macOS, Windows and Linux. It pulls issues in from Linear, Jira, GitHub and seven other trackers. Shuriken, as an Emdash alternative, does the same parallel work and adds what Emdash's site doesn't describe: chats that move between your own accounts at the limit, session limits, your phone, and voice.

Pick Emdash if an open-source licence comes first. The account rows below matter if your sessions keep ending on "usage limit reached".

At a glance#

Emdash's column comes from emdash.com and its GitHub README, read on 22 October 2026.

What Emdash does well#

It's open source, for real. Apache-2.0 on GitHub. You can read it, fork it and build it. For a tool that runs agents with access to your code, that's worth a lot to some teams, and we understand why.

It runs everywhere. macOS, Windows and Linux, with ARM64 builds for Linux and the Mac, and a Homebrew cask on the Mac. Many tools in this space are still Mac-first; Emdash isn't.

Issue intake is excellent. Send issues and tickets from Linear, GitHub, Jira, GitLab, Asana, Featurebase, Monday.com, Forgejo, Plain or YouTrack straight into an agent with their context. That's the widest list we've seen.

It brings your agents. Emdash detects the CLIs you have installed and says it supports more than 25, including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Amp and Devin.

It covers the whole loop. Worktree per task, diff review, pull requests, CI checks, merge, recurring runs on a schedule, SSH to remote machines, and setup and teardown scripts for isolated environments.

Momentum. It's backed by Y Combinator (W26), its site says "Over 1M downloads", and a 2.0 has an early-access waitlist.

Where Shuriken is different#

Chats move between your accounts#

Emdash runs each agent on whatever sign-in that agent's CLI already has. When that account runs out, the agent stops, and you're the one who logs out, logs in and re-explains.

In Shuriken you add every account and key you own as a source, several per provider. When the one in use reaches your switch point or the provider reports a limit, every chat on that account moves to the source with the most room, on every device at once. A Claude Code chat moves on its next request, with its subagents and workflows. Codex and the other agents move when their current turn ends. A "Switched to …" card in the chat names the source that took over and why: "Switch point reached" or "Limit reached".

The rules are under Switch settings at the top of Sources (source switching has the rest):

• Switch at: 99% by default, anywhere from 50% to 100%.
• How: When one runs out stays on one source until it reaches the bar; Spread the work moves chats to the source with the most left every 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes.
• Switch to API keys: off by default. Turned on, API keys take chats only once every subscription is out.
• Spend cap per fallback: $25 by default, counted across every key the fallback run uses.

How switching picks the next account walks through the order. Use accounts you own and are entitled to use. Providers' terms may not allow sharing a subscription sign-in.

Session limits#

Claude's 5-hour window starts the first time an account is used, not at a fixed time. So if you only ever touch your second account after the first runs dry, its window starts late and resets late.

Shuriken's session limits fix that. When an account's window isn't running, Shuriken sends it one tiny request in the background, once per window, so its window starts. Your chats stay where they are, and the request never shows in a chat. Your limits then come back early, instead of hours after you first needed them. It's on by default. The longer story is in the 5-hour clock starts when you do, and the feature page is session limits.

Your phone#

Emdash is a desktop app, and its site doesn't mention a phone companion. Shuriken's web app at app.shuriken.sh runs in any phone browser and installs to your home screen: every chat on every computer and server, the queue, Changes and voice. Browsers never count as linked devices. Native iOS and Android apps are planned for November 2026. More in your agents on your phone.

Voice#

By default your speech becomes text on your own computer, with NVIDIA Parakeet TDT 0.6B v3; Settings › Dictation shows the model and lets you download it per device. A live provider on your own key is the other option. The transcript fills in while you talk. Text you paste mid-sentence goes in where you stopped, and images and files attach as you go. See voice.

Agents that keep running#

Agents run in a background service, so closing the window doesn't stop them. A computer signed in to Shuriken starts with Keep awake set to Always. On a Mac, the syringe in the top bar turns on Cocaine mode, which keeps the machine running with the lid shut. Yes, it's called that; here's why.

What you give up#

Shuriken isn't free without limits: the free plan covers two sources and two linked devices. Emdash also sends issues from Linear, Jira, GitHub and other trackers straight to an agent.

Pricing#

Emdash: free and open source (Apache-2.0). You pay for your own agent subscriptions or API keys. A 2.0 version has an early-access waitlist.

Shuriken (euros, VAT included for EU consumers): Free is €0 with no card: two sources, two linked devices, every agent, automatic switching, session limits, global MCPs, the browser, voice and the phone web app. Pro is €49 a month or €490 a year (2 months free), with unlimited sources and devices and the Pro features listed on pricing. Shuriken never bills model usage.

Which should you choose?#

• You want an Apache-2.0 codebase you can fork: Emdash.
• You feed agents from Jira, GitLab or YouTrack: Emdash.
• You run several Claude or ChatGPT accounts and want work to continue when one runs out: Shuriken.
• You want to follow and steer agents from your phone, or talk to them: Shuriken.

Conductor gets the same treatment in Shuriken vs Conductor, and the best tools for parallel coding agents puts Emdash next to six other tools in one table: platforms, agents, isolation, phone, limits and price. To try Shuriken on your own projects, download it.