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DorkOS vs Claude Squad

Claude Squad vs DorkOS, in plain words: what each one is for, and how to pick.

The short answer

Claude Squad does one thing very well: every agent gets its own terminal session and its own copy of your project, so several can work at once without treading on each other. It costs nothing, needs no account, and will run whatever terminal agent you name. What it does not do is anything above that line: no schedule, no way to look in from a phone, no messages between the lanes, and joining the work back up is yours. That upper layer is what DorkOS is.

Made by
smtg-ai
What it is
Terminal manager for parallel agents
Price
Free, with no account and nothing to buy. You still pay for whichever agent you point it at, using the plan or the key you already have.
Source code
Open under the AGPL. You can read and change it freely, and building a paid service on top of it means publishing your changes too.
See Claude Squad for yourself

Which one is for you

Use DorkOS if

  • you want jobs that start at a set time without you pressing anything
  • you want agents that can book repeating work, but only with your say-so
  • you want agents that can hand work to each other instead of working alone
  • you want a limit that stops your agents answering each other all night
  • you want to open your agents from any screen you are near, not just the one they run on
  • you want to say yes or no from your phone or your chat app, not just your desk
  • you want one list of everything waiting on you, instead of hunting through tabs
  • you want to add your own tools and share the setup with other people

Use Claude Squad if

  • you live in the terminal and want parallel agents without leaving it
  • you want no account and no server: one small program and a short settings file
  • you want to run any terminal agent at all, including one released this week, by naming its command
  • you want what it makes to outlive it: plain terminal sessions and plain git branches

Side by side

Many agent tools, one placeCan you run more than one company’s coding agent from the same screen?DorkOSYesClaude Code, Codex, and OpenCode, all on one screenEvery Agent, One PlaceSession DurabilityMore on thisClaude SquadYesYes. It starts whatever terminal command you name, so Claude Code, Codex, Gemini and Aider all work, and a brand new agent works the day it ships.Where this comes from
Runs on the plans you already pay forDoes it work through the plans you already pay for, or sell you the model use again?DorkOSYesYour own Claude, ChatGPT and OpenCode sign-ins do the work, so DorkOS adds nothing to your bill. You can send one agent, or one chat, to a different Claude account.Every Agent, One PlaceClaude AccountsClaude SquadYesIt starts whatever agent you name, on the plan or the key you already have.Where this comes from
Work that runs on a scheduleCan you hand over a job that runs at a set time without you sitting there?DorkOSYesSchedule agents to run on their own, so they work while you don'tTasks SchedulerNotificationsMore on thisClaude SquadNoNo. Its background mode answers prompts in sessions you started yourself; nothing here ever starts on a clock.
Agents that book their own workCan an agent set up a repeating job, with you approving it first?DorkOSYesAn agent has to ask before it books itself a repeating jobSchedule ApprovalsTasks SchedulerControl CenterMore on thisClaude SquadNoIt has no scheduler, so there is nothing for an agent to ask for.
Agents that work togetherCan several agents find each other and pass work along?DorkOSYesYour agents can message you, and each other, wherever you already chatRelay MessagingRoomsAgent DiscoveryMore on thisClaude SquadNoNo. Each session is its own lane on its own branch. Nothing passes a message from one to another, so you are the part that joins the work back up.
Limits on agents talking to agentsWhen your agents talk to each other, can you stop the bill running away?DorkOSYesAgents talk to each other without running up a billReply LimitsControl CenterRoomsMore on thisClaude SquadNoEach session is its own lane and none of them talk, so there is nothing to cap.
Runs on your machineDoes the tool run on your own computer, with your work staying there?DorkOSYesDorkOS runs on your own machine: your projects, your sessions and your history stay there, under your own accounts.CLIWorkspacesRemote TunnelClaude SquadYesYes, completely. One program on your own machine, a small settings file beside it, no account, and no server of its own anywhere.Where this comes from
Open, and yours to runCan you read the source, run it yourself, and skip making an account?DorkOSYesFree and open source under the MIT licence. It runs on your own machine, and there is no DorkOS account to make.CLIRemote TunnelWorkspacesClaude SquadYesOpen under the AGPL. One small program, a settings file, no account, and no server.Where this comes from
Where you can use itCan you open your agents and watch them work from any screen you are near?DorkOSYesReal work from your phone, not just a screen to watchDorkOS on Your PhoneChat InterfaceNotificationsClaude SquadNoTerminal only, on macOS and Linux. There is no phone app and no browser screen, and its own issue tracker reports the Windows build failing as soon as you open a session.
Saying yes from anywhereWhen an agent stops to ask permission, can you answer from wherever you are?DorkOSYesAn agent asks before it does something you cannot take backAction ApprovalsTool ApprovalDorkOS on Your PhoneTelegram AdapterMore on thisClaude SquadNoTerminal only. Nothing reaches you anywhere else.
One list of what needs youIs there one place holding everything waiting on your answer?DorkOSYesOne list of everything waiting on you, and everything that happenedInboxNotificationsAlerts That Reach YouMore on thisClaude SquadNoIts list shows your sessions. Whether one is stuck waiting is something you notice by looking.
Adding your own toolsCan you add your own tools and share the setup with other people?DorkOSYesInstall a working agent, plugin, or skill in one commandMarketplaceMCP ServerConnectionsMore on thisClaude SquadNoNothing of its own: no add-ons, no hooks, no outside-tool setup. Whatever your agent already has keeps working, because all it does is start the agent.
Price and opennessWhat does the tool itself cost, and can you read its source code?DorkOSYesFree and open source. You pay only for the model plan your agents already use.CLIClaude SquadYesFree, and open source under the AGPL. The only bill is the agent you point it at.Where this comes from

Many agent tools, one place

DorkOSYes

Each chat picks its own agent tool. Start a job on Claude Code, run the next on Codex, keep a third on OpenCode, without leaving the tab or changing any setup. All three land in one list, and they keep running for as long as DorkOS does.

Claude SquadYes

There is no per-agent wiring here, and that is the point: you hand it a command and it runs it. The trade is that Claude Squad knows nothing about the agent it started, so every lane looks the same to it and the useful details stay inside each session. DorkOS supports fewer agents on purpose and knows what each session is doing, which is what lets one list hold them all.

Back to the table

Work that runs on a schedule

DorkOSYes

You write the job once and say when it runs: every night, every Monday, every hour. DorkOS starts the agent at that time on your own machine, then messages you when it finishes or needs a decision. Remembering is not your job.

Claude SquadNo

The background mode is easy to mistake for scheduling. It watches sessions you already opened and answers their questions for you, and the maintainers mark it experimental and limit it to two of the agents. Starting a job at three in the morning is still yours to arrange, with your computer’s own timer.

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Agents that book their own work

DorkOSYes

An agent can propose a repeating job. It never starts one on its own. You get a card naming the agent, quoting its reason, and showing the next three run times and the exact instructions. One button runs it once, supervised, before you agree to it forever.

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Agents that work together

DorkOSYes

Your agents share rooms the way people share a group chat. They see each other, answer each other, and hand a job along. You set how often they may reply, per room, so a busy channel never turns into a runaway bill.

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Limits on agents talking to agents

DorkOSYes

Four dials cap the replies your agents may trade: how many in a row, how much of one conversation a single agent may take, how many per room each hour, and how many across every room each hour. Set them once, or room by room. No room can skip the dial that covers everything.

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Saying yes from anywhere

DorkOSYes

An agent that needs permission asks, and the question follows you: the browser on your phone, a Telegram or Slack message, or a notification banner on your Mac. Only the person you name gets asked, so it is never broadcast to every chat you have connected.

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One list of what needs you

DorkOSYes

One bell holds every question, approval and finished run, with the things waiting on you above the things that merely happened. What you have read stays read on your other devices. A question left unanswered for the few minutes you chose rings your phone.

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Adding your own tools

DorkOSYes

DorkOS does not replace a marketplace of editor add-ons built up over years. It adds the other half: package a working agent, with its instructions and its tools, and hand the whole thing to someone else in one command. Signing those tools in to outside services is the part still finding its feet.

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Questions people ask

Is Claude Squad free?
Yes. It is open source under the AGPL, with no account and nothing to buy. You still pay for the agent you run through it, with your own plan or key.
Does Claude Squad work on Windows?
Not reliably. A Windows build exists, but the project’s own issue tracker has an open report that it fails as soon as you start a session. macOS and Linux are where it works.
Can Claude Squad run agents on a schedule?
No. It has no scheduler. Its background mode only answers prompts in sessions you opened yourself. A job that starts on its own is the gap DorkOS fills.
What does DorkOS add over Claude Squad?
A screen you can open from a phone, jobs that start at a set time and message you when they finish, and one list that knows what each session is doing. Claude Squad is lighter, and if you only want parallel lanes in a terminal it is the simpler answer.

Dig into the DorkOS side

How we checked

We last checked these facts on August 24, 2026. Tools in this space change fast. If something is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

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Terminal

~ $ curl -fsSL https://dorkos.ai/install | bash

Run in your terminal

Checks Node.js, installs via npm, offers setup wizard.

Desktop app for macOS
Other ways to install
  • Windows download the alpha installer, or use the terminal today.
  • Linux — install with the one-liner or npm; the web app runs the same everywhere.
  • Server — running DorkOS somewhere other than your own machine? Run it in Docker.
Open SourceMIT LicensedRuns on Your Machine

One person. Ten agents. Ship around the clock.