A multitasking terminal for Claude Code

Frequently asked questions

What's the best terminal for Claude Code?

crystl is a macOS terminal built specifically for Claude Code. Every shard runs the Claude Code CLI, and crystl adds what a plain terminal can't: run multiple sessions in parallel, surface hook approvals as on-screen panels, manage CLAUDE.md files per project, and track token and context usage. It also works as a regular terminal for any command-line work.

Can I use crystl instead of tmux to run Claude Code?

Yes, and it's built for it. tmux multiplexes terminal panes but knows nothing about your agents. crystl is agent-aware: it groups Claude Code sessions into projects, gives each isolated agent its own git worktree and branch, and floats approvals and questions as on-screen panels instead of burying them in a pane you have to switch to. You get the parallelism of a multiplexer plus controls tmux can't offer.

How do I run multiple Claude Code sessions at once?

In crystl, each project is a gem that holds multiple terminal shards: open as many Claude Code sessions as you want and run them side by side. Isolated shards each get their own git worktree and branch, so many agents can work the same repo simultaneously without stepping on each other.

How do I keep track of multiple Claude Code agents?

crystl shows every session at a glance: which agents are working, which are waiting on you, and what each one needs. Approval requests and questions float as glass panels color-coded by project, so you answer the right agent without hunting through windows, and token tracking shows how much context each session has left.

What is a multitasking terminal for AI agents?

It's a terminal that lets you handle many different tasks and agents at once without getting lost in tabs and windows. crystl solves this in several ways. Every project is discoverable by name and a custom colored icon, and a dockside rail keeps them all in one place: click an icon and that project comes forward. Agentic hooks surface 'action panels' for approvals, questions, and notifications that you can act on by clicking a button or typing a reply, without switching to that project at all. Orchestration makes multitasking easier still: assign an orchestrator agent to run subagents, or launch crystl quest to spawn a preselected party of agents that collaborate on a task together. And a per-project workbench keeps a shared task list your agents read and write alongside you, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Does crystl only work with Claude Code?

No. Any CLI agent runs in crystl, since every shard is a full terminal session. The deeper integrations depend on what each agent exposes: Claude Code has the deepest integration, and Codex supports hooks too, so approval panels and notifications work for both. Antigravity CLI doesn't support hooks yet, so those features aren't available for Antigravity sessions, but everything else works.

Can I use crystl for regular terminal work?

Yes. Every shard is a full terminal session. You can use crystl as your daily terminal for any command-line work: git, npm, docker, ssh, whatever you need. The AI-specific features are there when you want them.

What is the CLAUDE.md manager?

crystl lets you store and name different CLAUDE.md starter files. When you open a project, you can insert the right starter file into the directory, useful if you maintain different instruction sets for different types of work.

Why did my new shard open in a different directory than my last one?

Every shard starts at its gem's project directory. Running cd in one shard only moves that shard; the next shard you create still starts at the gem root, so a project's shards stay predictable no matter where any one of them has wandered. crystl prints a hint in the new shard when this happens. If you do want a shard to start where you are, right-click (or control-click) the shard button. And if you start an agent in a sub-project (a git repo inside your gem), crystl offers to open that folder as its own gem, a suggestion you can always dismiss.

Where did the isolation button go?

Its jobs moved closer to the things they act on. Creating an isolated shard now happens with the isolated-shard button in the shard bar (or the File menu). Merging and rebasing live on each shard's tab: a shard with unmerged commits shows a small ↑N badge you can click, and every action names the branch, target, and commit count so you know exactly what will move. A 'branches' button appears in the shard bar only when orphaned worktree branches exist, listing parked work from closed shards so you can reattach, merge, or discard it.

Is crystl free?

The free plan includes isolated shards & parallel sessions, action panels, the agent activity panel, split view, history navigator, token tracking, workbench, project optimizer, agent file editor, screenshot & copy bars, MCP servers, API key storage, remote development over SSH, Metal-accelerated GPU rendering, and facet inserts. The Guild plan ($170/year) adds the Prompt Library integration, formations (with session restore), CLI orchestration, agent scheduling, and priority support.

Does crystl work on Linux or Windows?

crystl is macOS only. It's a native Swift app and it uses macOS-specific features like the Keychain for secure API key storage.