> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.notatechguy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Herdr: terminal runtime keeps AI coding agents alive, 45k stars - URL: https://www.notatechguy.com/herdr-terminal-runtime-keeps-ai-coding-agents-alive-45k-stars/ - Published: 2026-10-25T12:09:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T12:09:18.000Z - Description: Herdr, a Rust terminal runtime trending on GitHub, keeps Claude Code and Codex sessions alive when SSH drops, with 45,735 stars. - Author: Marcello Babbili - Tags: Technology & AI, AI Agents Herdr is an open-source terminal runtime written in Rust. It landed on GitHub's daily trending list on October 25 with 45,735 total stars after gaining 144 that day [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). The pitch cuts against how most developers handle AI coding agents: start a session, lose your connection, watch the work die. **My read:** This is the first terminal multiplexer I've seen that treats AI agents as first-class citizens rather than incidental processes inside a pane. The "owns their terminals" framing is clever because herdr doesn't reimplement Claude Code or Codex. It keeps the terminal they live in from vanishing. I'm skeptical of the restart-resume claim, because the maintainers themselves admit the original processes do not survive [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). You're resuming a session state, not a running process, and that distinction matters more than the README lets on. I'd watch whether agent vendors build native hooks for this, or whether they decide to own this layer themselves. ### What herdr actually does The maintainers describe herdr as a terminal runtime that keeps sessions alive on a background server even after the client closes or an SSH link drops [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). It supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Opencode, Grok, and other coding agents, but it does not wrap or replace them. It owns their terminals [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). Every pane is marked working, blocked, or idle. When an agent stops and needs a human answer, herdr sends a notification [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). Agents can also drive herdr through a CLI and socket API, spawning panes and prompting each other, then waiting until another agent is genuinely blocked [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). That last detail is where herdr parts ways with a standard terminal multiplexer like tmux: it is built for agent-to-agent orchestration rather than human window management. The tool ships as a single Rust binary with no Electron dependency. It is installable via curl script, Homebrew, mise, or PowerShell on Windows [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). The project carries an Apache 2.0 licence [P²](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr/blob/HEAD/LICENSE?ref=notatechguy.com), with documentation at herdr.dev [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). ### The gap it targets Running multiple AI coding agents in parallel has become common enough that tooling around it is proliferating. Earlier this month, [cc-switch, which manages eight AI coding agents, hit 142,000 GitHub stars](https://www.notatechguy.com/cc-switch-manages-8-ai-coding-agents-hits-142k-github-stars/). Last week, [Codync turned 40-plus AI coding agents into phone bots](https://www.notatechguy.com/codync-turns-40-ai-coding-agents-into-phone-bots/). Herdr sits at a different layer: not switching between agents or calling them remotely, but keeping their terminal sessions alive when infrastructure fails underneath them. The maintainers say that after a server or machine restart, herdr restores the saved layout and can resume supported agent sessions [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). They also state plainly that the original processes do not survive [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). A restart brings back the pane arrangement and the agent session state, but not the running process itself. Nobody outside the project has verified these claims, and the README is the maintainers' own description, not an independent review [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). For a developer running three or four agent sessions across local and remote machines, the practical appeal is clear: one window combining local work and saved SSH machines, with a combined agent list and independent reconnects [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). A team lead who has watched a 20-minute Codex session die because a VPN hiccupped will recognise the problem. The broader question, which [the SimLife benchmark's finding that AI agents can't learn user habits after 15 hours of observation](https://www.notatechguy.com/simlife-benchmark-ai-agents-watch-15-hours-can-t-learn-your-habits/) also raises, is whether agent reliability belongs in the terminal layer or in the agents themselves. Herdr supports tmux-style prefix keys, mouse interaction for click and drag to split panes, and plugins to extend workflows [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). The repository includes AGENTS.md and CONTRIBUTING.md for contributors, with past sponsors listed in SPONSORS.md [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). Enterprise enquiries go to hey@herdr.dev [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). As of October 25, the day it trended, herdr's README lists no published roadmap or release schedule [S¹](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com). The code is open, the install takes one command, and the next test is whether 45,735 stars translate into production-grade reliability or whether the restart limitation sends developers back to tmux. --- *Sources: [S1 — herdrdev/herdr: the runtime your coding agents live on](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr?ref=notatechguy.com) · [P2 — LICENSE](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr/blob/HEAD/LICENSE?ref=notatechguy.com) · [P3 — Licenses · Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/en/repositories-licenses?ref=notatechguy.com) · [P4 — Hugging Face](https://github.com/huggingface/?ref=notatechguy.com) · [P5 — README.md](https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr/blob/master/README.md?ref=notatechguy.com)* ## Related reading - [Codync turns 40+ AI coding agents into phone bots](https://www.notatechguy.com/codync-turns-40-ai-coding-agents-into-phone-bots/) — our technology desk, 2026-10-20 - [cc-switch manages 8 AI coding agents, hits 142k GitHub stars](https://www.notatechguy.com/cc-switch-manages-8-ai-coding-agents-hits-142k-github-stars/) — our technology desk, 2026-10-10 - [SimLife benchmark: AI agents watch 15 hours, can't learn your habits](https://www.notatechguy.com/simlife-benchmark-ai-agents-watch-15-hours-can-t-learn-your-habits/) — our technology desk, 2026-09-20 --- *Written from 5 sourced items, 4 of them primary.*