MAO vs cmux: a canvas of wired agents or a Mac terminal built for them?

cmux is a free, open-source native macOS terminal from Manaflow, built on libghostty, that organizes many coding agents into workspaces with vertical tabs, notification rings, split panes, an in-app browser and a CLI and socket API to script all of it. MAO is a desktop canvas for macOS, Windows and Linux where each agent runs as a real terminal node, and agents you wire together can hand tasks to each other and drive a browser or a phone. Choose cmux if you work on a Mac and want a free, scriptable terminal you shape yourself; choose MAO if you need Windows or Linux, a Git worktree per agent built in, or agents that pass work along a wire.

What is cmux?#

cmux is a native macOS terminal app for running AI coding agents side by side, made by Manaflow.

It is written in Swift and AppKit and uses libghostty, Ghostty's rendering library, for the terminal; its FAQ says it is not a fork of Ghostty, and it reads your existing Ghostty config for themes, fonts and colors. A window holds workspaces listed in a vertical sidebar; each workspace splits into panes, and each pane holds tabs called surfaces, which are a terminal or a browser. The sidebar shows each workspace's git branch, linked pull request, working directory, listening ports and latest notification.

cmux works with any agent that runs in a terminal and names Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Kiro, Aider, Goose, Amp, Cline and Cursor Agent. When an agent needs you, its pane gets a blue ring and its tab lights up, from terminal escape sequences (OSC 9, 99 and 777), agent hooks or cmux notify. cmux claude-teams runs Claude Code's agent teams with each teammate in its own split, and after cmux hooks setup, supported agents such as Codex and OpenCode resume their sessions when cmux reopens.

Everything is scriptable through the cmux CLI and a Unix socket: create workspaces, split panes, send input to a terminal, read its screen and drive the in-app browser. cmux ssh user@remote opens a workspace on another machine. The app itself is free; the paid plans add cmux Cloud, persistent Linux machines in the cloud that open as cmux workspaces, plus the iOS app.

How do MAO and cmux differ?#

Both run agents in real terminals and give them a browser to drive; they differ on platforms, on isolation, and on whether agents can reach each other.

When does cmux fit better?#

When you work on a Mac and want a free, open-source terminal that you script and shape yourself.

• Free and open source. The terminal and local agents cost nothing, and the app's source is on GitHub under GPL-3.0-or-later, so you can read it, build it and change it.
• Terminal first. cmux is a terminal with tabs, splits and keyboard shortcuts, and it reads your Ghostty config. Its own docs call it "a primitive, not a solution": it does not prescribe how you work with agents.
• Everything scriptable. Every action is a CLI command and a socket call, so your own scripts and agents can open workspaces, type into terminals, read their screens and drive the browser.
• Claude Code agent teams. cmux claude-teams turns Claude Code's teammates into visible splits with sidebar status and notifications, with no tmux.
• Native Mac app control. Computer Use lets Claude Code and Codex read and click native Mac apps. MAO's portals cover a browser, Android and the iOS Simulator.
• Cloud machines and a phone app. Paid plans add persistent Linux machines in the cloud that keep running with your laptop closed, and an iOS app that attaches to your Mac's terminals.

When does MAO fit better?#

When you work on Windows or Linux, want a worktree per agent built in, or want agents to hand work to each other.

• Windows and Linux. MAO runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. cmux's FAQ says it supports macOS only, for now.
• Hand-offs along wires. Connect two agents on the canvas and one can send the other a task with mao ask and get the result back by task ID. An agent marked as the Orchestrator can recruit more agents and connect them to notes and portals.
• A worktree per agent. A MAO layer is a Git worktree on its own branch with its own canvas, and Land… checks for conflicts and uncommitted changes before merging it into Ground.
• Phones and simulators for agents. Besides a browser, a wired agent can drive an Android emulator or phone, and on a Mac an iOS Simulator.
• A canvas instead of tabs. Agents, notes, files, Git changes, portals and the connections between them sit side by side on one surface you pan and zoom.
• One payment. MAO is a one-time purchase; remote workspaces run on your own Linux server over SSH with no monthly plan.

How do I compare them on a real task?#

Run the same two-part task in each on a Mac, since cmux runs only on macOS.

1. 1Pick a task with two parts, such as an API change and its tests, in a repository you know.
2. 2In cmux, open a workspace, split it into two panes and start one agent in each. Run cmux hooks setup so the agents' notifications reach the sidebar. For separate files per agent, create a worktree for each with git worktree add first.
3. 3In MAO, place two agent nodes, give each a role and connect them, or create a layer for each agent. Have one agent send the other its part with mao ask.
4. 4Have each agent check a web change in the built-in browser: a browser pane in cmux, a browser portal in MAO.
5. 5Compare how you learned which agent needed you, how work moved between the agents, and what it took to merge the result.

Frequently asked questions#

Sources#

• cmux website: a native macOS terminal built on libghostty, the agents it names, the in-app browser, notifications, SSH and remote tmux, free to use and GPL-licensed, made by Manaflow.
• cmux README on GitHub: Swift and AppKit, the sidebar's contents, notification rings and OSC 9, 99 and 777, cmux claude-teams, cmux ssh, session restore and cmux hooks setup, "macOS only, for now", the Zen of cmux, and the supported agents.
• cmux LICENSE: GPL-3.0-or-later for the apps and CLI, BUSL-1.1 for the server software directories.
• cmux: Getting started: macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon or Intel, DMG and Homebrew install, the CLI.
• cmux: Concepts: windows, workspaces, panes, surfaces and panels.
• cmux: CLI reference: the socket, cmux send and send --surface, notification and sidebar commands.
• cmux: Browser automation: the cmux browser commands.
• cmux: Computer Use: native Mac app control for Claude Code and Codex.
• cmux: Claude Code Teams: teammates as native splits through a tmux shim.
• cmux: SSH: cmux ssh workspaces, mosh and reconnection.
• cmux Cloud: persistent Linux machines that open as cmux workspaces, on a paid plan.
• cmux pricing: Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, Cloud VMs in isolated remote sandboxes, the iOS app.
• cmux for Linux: the nightly Linux x64 build of cmux Browser.
• MAO home and pricing: platforms, the one-time price and the 7-day free trial.
• Run a shell or agent and Switch an agent node to chat mode: terminal nodes and chat mode.
• Send a task and collect its result and Manage agents as an Orchestrator: mao ask, mao send, mao result, recruiting agents.
• Create a worktree layer and Land a layer into Ground: layers as Git worktrees and the checks before landing.
• Browser and device portals and View an iOS Simulator portal: browser, Android and iOS Simulator portals.
• Remote AI agent workspaces: workspaces on a Linux server over SSH and inside WSL, and the licence they need.

Checked on 2026-10-28.