How to Use Multiple AI Agents in One Terminal

Here's a fact that most developers haven't internalized yet: no single AI coding agent is the best at everything.

Claude Code is exceptional at architecture, complex reasoning, and multi-file refactors. Codex CLI is fast and direct — great for quick edits and bash-adjacent work. Gemini CLI brings Google's context window and a different reasoning style. Aider has the tightest git integration and excellent diff-based workflows.

The power users aren't picking one. They're running all of them.

MOLTamp makes this practical by giving you tabbed sessions where each tab can run a different agent — same skin, same widgets, same keyboard shortcuts, different AI brain underneath. Here's how to set it up and when to reach for each tool.

The Multi-Agent Tab Layout

Open MOLTamp and set up four tabs. This is your base configuration:

Tab 1: Claude Code — The Architect

This is your primary workspace. Claude Code handles the complex stuff — system design, multi-file refactors, debugging gnarly issues, writing code that needs to understand your whole codebase.

Start your day here. Plan the work, discuss the approach, set up CLAUDE.md context. When you need to reason through a problem before writing code, this is where that happens.

Tab 2: Codex CLI — The Sprinter

Codex CLI from OpenAI is built for speed. It excels at quick, targeted edits. Need to rename a function across the codebase? Add a field to a model? Write a utility function from a clear spec? Codex is fast and cheap.

I use Codex for the tasks that don't require deep architectural understanding — the ones where I know exactly what I want and I just need it typed out.

Tab 3: Gemini CLI — The Researcher

Google's Gemini CLI shines when you need broad context. Its massive context window means you can throw entire codebases at it for analysis. I use Gemini for:

Reading and summarizing large codebases I'm unfamiliar with
Analyzing documentation and finding inconsistencies
Comparing approaches across different frameworks
Research-heavy tasks where breadth matters more than depth

Gemini also brings a different "opinion" to the table. When Claude Code and I disagree on an approach, I'll ask Gemini for a third perspective. Different training data, different reasoning patterns, different blind spots.

Tab 4: Aider — The Git Specialist

Aider is purpose-built for code editing with tight git integration. Every change is a commit. The diff-based workflow is excellent for:

Making precise, surgical edits to specific functions
Working through a list of small changes methodically
Maintaining a clean git history with atomic commits
Pair programming where you want to see every change as a diff

Aider's repo map feature also gives it strong codebase awareness without consuming context on file contents.

When to Use Which Agent

This is the part that matters. Having four agents open is useless if you don't know when to reach for each one.

Start of day: Claude Code

Open your project, review the plan, discuss today's priorities. Claude Code is the strategic thinker — use it for the "what should we build and how" conversation.

Feature implementation: Claude Code or Aider

For complex features that touch multiple files and require understanding system interactions, Claude Code. For straightforward features with a clear spec, Aider's commit-per-change workflow keeps things clean.

Quick fixes and boilerplate: Codex CLI

Bug report comes in. You know exactly what file and function need to change. Switch to Codex, describe the fix, done. Don't burn expensive tokens on a one-line fix.

Code review and analysis: Gemini CLI

Before merging a big PR, paste the diff into Gemini. Its large context window can analyze the full changeset. Ask it to find issues, inconsistencies, or missed edge cases. A second AI opinion catches things the first one missed.

Debugging: Depends on the bug

Logic errors — Claude Code. It reasons well about complex state.
Quick "why isn't this working" — Codex CLI. Fast turnaround.
"I have no idea what's wrong" — Start with Claude Code, escalate to Gemini if you need broader analysis.

Refactoring: Claude Code + Aider

Plan the refactor with Claude Code. Execute mechanical parts with Aider (its atomic commits make refactors easy to review and revert).

The MOLTamp Advantage

Running multiple agents in separate terminal windows is technically possible. People have been doing it. But it's clunky.

The tab bar tells you which agent is running in each tab. Your skin, widgets, and visualizer persist across all tabs. Switching between agents is Cmd+1 through Cmd+4. There's no context switch penalty because you never leave your workspace.

The telemetry widget is especially useful here — it tracks token usage and cost per agent, per session. You can see that Claude Code burned 50K tokens on architecture while Codex handled 10 quick edits for 3K tokens. That cost visibility changes how you allocate work.

Practical Workflow: Building a Feature

Let me walk through a real example. Say you're adding a commenting system to a web app.

Step 1 — Architecture (Claude Code, Tab 1)

"I need to add a commenting system. Posts can have comments, comments can be nested, users need to be authenticated. What's the approach?"

Claude designs the schema, API endpoints, component structure. You discuss trade-offs — flat vs. threaded comments, real-time vs. polling, moderation strategy.

Step 2 — Database and API (Aider, Tab 4)

Take Claude's schema design and hand it to Aider. "Create the comments migration and API endpoints." Aider generates the code with clean, atomic commits. Each endpoint is a separate commit — easy to review.

Step 3 — Frontend (Claude Code, Tab 1)

Back to Claude for the React components. The comment thread, the reply form, the moderation panel. This is complex UI logic that benefits from Claude's deeper reasoning.

Step 4 — Quick Fixes (Codex CLI, Tab 2)

During testing you find three small bugs — a typo in an error message, a missing null check, a CSS alignment issue. Switch to Codex. Three prompts, three fixes, 30 seconds.

Step 5 — Review (Gemini CLI, Tab 3)

Before merging, switch to Gemini. Paste the full diff. "Review this for security issues, edge cases, and consistency with the existing codebase." Gemini's fresh perspective catches a missing rate limit on the comment endpoint.

Total time: faster than using any single agent alone. Each tool did what it's best at.

Setting Up Multi-Agent in MOLTamp

Configuration is straightforward:

Install each CLI agent globally (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, etc.)
Open MOLTamp, hit Cmd+T to create tabs
In each tab, start the agent you want: claude, codex, gemini, or aider
Label your tabs (right-click the tab header) for quick identification

MOLTamp auto-detects which agent is running and shows it in the tab indicator. The status line updates to show the active model and provider.

The Future Is Multi-Agent

We're past the point of debating which AI coding tool is "the best." The best setup is the one that uses the right tool for each task. A carpenter doesn't pick one tool and use it for everything — neither should you.

MOLTamp exists because this multi-agent future needs a unified workspace. Same environment, same aesthetics, same shortcuts, different brains.

Set up your tabs. Learn each agent's strengths. Stop asking "which one should I use?" and start asking "which one should I use right now?"