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Herdr is an open-source herdr terminal runtime for herdr coding agents and other agent CLIs. The project tagline on GitHub and herdr.dev is "the runtime your coding agents live on." It keeps agent terminals in a background server, shows whether each pane is working, blocked, or idle, and runs tools you already use (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Grok, and others) without replacing them. Checked November 6, 2026.

What Herdr does

Herdr's README lists these product claims:

  • Detach without stopping work: terminals keep running in a background server when you close the client or lose SSH. After a server or machine restart, Herdr restores the saved layout and can resume supported agent sessions; the original processes do not survive (see the session-state docs).
  • Several machines in one window: local work plus saved SSH machines share a combined agent list.
  • Pane status: each pane is marked working, blocked, or idle so you can find the stuck agent.
  • Agent-native control: agents drive Herdr through the CLI and socket API (spawn panes, prompt each other, wait until another agent is blocked).
  • Runs existing agents rather than wrapping them as a new chat product.
  • Keyboard and mouse both first-class (tmux-style prefix keys plus click / drag / split).
  • Plugins marketplace and a single Rust binary (no Electron), per the README.

Related site products on herdr.dev include the Herdr app / TUI and herdr-core (hc), which the core page describes as a terminal runtime that keeps programs alive, lets agents start other agents, and lets you attach and take over.

Install Herdr (curl, Homebrew, Windows)

The GitHub README install block:

curl -fsSL https://herdr.dev/install.sh | sh

Alternatives listed on the same README line: brew install herdr, mise use -g herdr, and on Windows powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://herdr.dev/install.ps1 | iex". Release binaries are on the GitHub releases page. After install, start with herdr. The README says ctrl+b q detaches and herdr reattaches.

The herdr-core page separately documents:

curl -fsSL https://releases.herdr.dev/core/install.sh | sh

and a PowerShell installer for Windows. Use the README path for the main Herdr app unless you specifically want the hc core CLI described on herdr.dev/core.

Herdr vs tmux (what the docs claim)

Herdr's own wording positions it next to tmux without claiming to be a drop-in clone:

  • It keeps tmux-style prefix keys while also treating mouse split/drag as first-class.
  • Agent workflows are meant to run in Herdr panes. Site copy warns that an agent running inside tmux within Herdr cannot report through tmux; run it in a Herdr pane directly.
  • Status markers (working / blocked / idle) and agent socket/CLI control are Herdr features called out in the README; classic tmux does not ship those agent semantics.

If you only need a plain multiplexer with no agent status model, tmux (or your existing tool) still fits. If you want detachable agent terminals with blocked/idle signals, Herdr's documented model matches that job.

Multi-agent status and when it fits

Herdr marks panes as working, blocked, or idle, and documents agent-to-agent spawn / wait / prompt flows via CLI and socket API. The core docs show hc run, hc ls, hc attach, hc wait, and hc send style commands for starting helpers and reading their output.

Practical fit (based on those docs, not a hands-on benchmark):

  • Several coding agents on one machine or across SSH hosts
  • Long jobs you want to detach from without killing the process tree Herdr owns
  • Teams that already standardized on Claude Code / Codex / Cursor and want a shared terminal host

Not a fit if you need a hosted SaaS chat UI, or if you refuse to run a local Rust binary / background server.

License and GitHub snapshot

Herdr is licensed Apache-2.0 (README / GitHub license metadata). GitHub API check for this article: 48,339 stars and 3,888 forks. Numbers move; open the repository for the live count.

→ Project ranking: herdrdev/herdr on AI Rank — on the 2026-11-06 open-source snapshot it sat around rank 110 (~48.2k stars in that crawl). Re-check the live page.

FAQ

What is Herdr?

An open-source terminal runtime for coding agents that keeps panes alive in a background server and surfaces working / blocked / idle status.

How do I install Herdr?

README primary path: curl -fsSL https://herdr.dev/install.sh | sh. Also listed: brew install herdr, mise, and a Windows PowerShell installer.

Does Herdr replace Claude Code or Cursor?

No. The README says it runs the agents you already use; it owns their terminals rather than replacing the agents.

Is Herdr the same as tmux?

No. It borrows tmux-style keys but adds agent status, socket/CLI control, and multi-machine agent lists per its own docs.

What license is Herdr under?

Apache-2.0.

Sources

Not affiliated with Herdr. Install commands and agent support lists can change; re-read herdr.dev/docs before you automate a fleet.

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Prepared with automated editorial assistance and checked against official sources and dated AI Rank data on November 6, 2026. We did not run our own benchmarks for this article.