Practical overview
When it fits
Use Hcom when coding agents need to coordinate across terminal sessions—for example, to divide work, request a review, or send a follow-up when another agent becomes idle.
Who it is for
- Developers coordinating coding agents across terminal sessions.
- People splitting software tasks among different agent CLIs or using one agent to review another’s work.
- Users who want to monitor agent status, transcripts, terminal activity, or file edits from a shared workflow.
Documented uses
- Launch multiple coding agents in separate terminals and have them exchange messages.
- Spawn agents to divide a task, then collect or review their work.
- Monitor sessions and respond to status changes, file edits, or other events.
- Connect agent setups across devices through the documented MQTT relay workflow.
Requirements & limits
Hcom is an MIT-licensed project. The README documents installation with uv on macOS, Linux, and Windows, Homebrew on macOS and Linux, and separate installers for macOS, Linux, Android, and Windows.
- Hooks activate when an agent is launched with Hcom; supported tools have automatic message delivery, while other tools can join through a manual listening workflow.
- The project documents local SQLite storage for activity and message delivery.
- Hcom supports visible terminal sessions and headless operation; its README also lists terminal emulators with pane-closing support.
- Cross-device coordination uses an MQTT relay and a token that the project says to treat like an API or SSH key.
- The README lists a broad set of supported coding-agent CLIs, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Kilo, Pi, Cursor CLI, and Kimi.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Install Hcom and launch two coding agents
Set up Hcom and start separate Claude and Codex terminal sessions for agent coordination.
Before you start
- A supported operating system: the uv installation instructions list macOS, Linux, and Windows.
- Claude and Codex command-line tools available to launch.
Steps
Install Hcom with the command below or, on macOS or Linux,
brew install aannoo/hcom/hcom.uv tool install hcomIn one terminal, run
hcom claude.In a second terminal, run
hcom codex.Prompt an agent to message or ask the other agent to review work.
Expected outcome
Claude and Codex run in separate terminals launched through Hcom, where the documented workflow supports communication between agents.
Guide limitations
- Automatic message delivery depends on launching supported tools through Hcom.
- The guide describes launching and prompting agents, not a guaranteed result from a particular task.
Connect agents running on separate devices
Use Hcom’s documented MQTT relay commands to connect agent setups across machines.
Before you start
- Hcom installed on each device that will connect.
Steps
On one device, run
hcom relay newto obtain a token.On each device, run
hcom relay connectusing that token.Check the connection with
hcom relay status; usehcom relay offorhcom relay onto toggle it.
Expected outcome
Hcom is configured to connect agents across devices through its MQTT relay workflow.
Guide limitations
- The README says to treat the relay token like an API or SSH key.
- The commands document connection setup and status checks, not a guarantee of successful cross-device operation.
Compare options for AI coding assistance
These projects document a common task and share a project role. This is a source-based comparison, not an execution benchmark or a guarantee of interchangeability.
| Project | Documented purpose | Platform | Access and requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hcom | Launch multiple coding agents in separate terminals and have them exchange messages. | CLI, Desktop | Hcom is an MIT-licensed project. The README documents installation with uv on macOS, Linux, and Windows, Homebrew on macOS and Linux, and separate installers for macOS, Linux, Android, and Windows. |
| Claude Code Agent Farm | Run multiple coding agents on codebase bug-fixing tasks. | CLI | The project is available as a public GitHub repository and is used through a CLI. |
| Clawteam Openclaw | Create a team around a coding goal. | CLI | The project is open source under the MIT license. It is installed from its GitHub repository using Python packaging. |
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 13 October 2026
- Original website title
- aannoo/hcom · Official homepage title · retained in its source language

