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Conductor Alternative for Windows: Run Claude Code in Parallel

Run parallel Claude Code tasks in separate threads and worktrees on Windows 10+, alongside Codex and other supported local CLIs.

Panagiotis Visilias

Oct 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Painted desk scene with a laptop and two task cards

Conductor runs parallel Claude Code sessions in separate Git worktrees on a Mac. Its install guide says the desktop app is not available for Windows or Linux yet. Aiola supports separate task threads and worktree execution on Windows.

How Conductor isolates each task

Conductor gives each task its own workspace, branch, files, terminal, diff, and review path. That workspace is a Git worktree, so two Claude Code chats do not share one checkout. Conductor helps you review the diff, open a pull request, merge, and archive the workspace. In Conductor docs, this workspace means the isolated checkout for one task.

Separate Conductor workspaces get separate branches and pull requests. Multiple chats in one workspace share that branch and the current code state. Create a new workspace when the task should have its own pull request.

When you open Conductor, it checks GitHub authentication in your terminal environment. Claude sign-in is claude /login, and Codex sign-in is codex login, both in a terminal. Cursor uses an API key that you add under Settings, then Agents, then Cursor. You need GitHub and at least one agent provider to use Conductor.

How you run the same work in Aiola

In Aiola, a workspace means one project around a local folder. Add the repository, then start each task from its own draft on that project. Set these controls before sending, because context-defining choices can lock once the thread starts. The chat documentation describes these controls and their execution settings.

Composer controlWhat you set
Provider and modelThe local CLI and the model
Project or new worktreeThe execution location
Branch controlsThe branch or the worktree base, plus branch actions
Permission modeHow execution approval behaves

Available controls depend on the provider. Choose a new worktree for an isolated checkout instead of the project checkout.

A draft becomes a thread when you send its first message. The thread keeps its original workspace and its execution context. You cannot reassign that thread to another workspace. From Central Home, pick the target workspace before the draft starts. That choice scopes files, branches, agents, and record mentions to one project.

Where should the branch and the review live?

Open Workspace Settings, then Git, and connect the repository remote when it is missing. Set a branch prefix there, and Aiola applies it when an AI workflow creates a branch. Separate toggles can run App Logs, Feedback, and GitHub issue actions in a fresh worktree. The panel beside chat can show Review, Files, Terminal, and browser tabs.

You can post an AI summary to an issue after a fix, or post the analysis. A toggle closes the issue after Fix It succeeds. The duplicate toggle comments on detected duplicates and closes them instead of marking them only locally. Enable Comment on PRs after review to post a summary on the pull request. That setting is separate from the Chat action on an open pull request.

Tabs in the side panel can be reordered or closed. You can expand that panel, collapse it, or display it fullscreen beside the thread. Select the workspace in the rail before you open a route for that project.

What can the thread see besides code?

Workspace chat can use project files, branches, tasks, GitHub records, App Logs, and Feedback. Use record mentions to include the relevant project records in your prompt. Hand an App Logs error group to one fix thread, and keep a documentation task in another thread. Central shows tasks, logs, feedback, analytics, and GitHub records from all workspaces. Each combined GitHub record still carries the workspace that owns it.

The workspace also holds agents, instructions, brief.md, and rules.md for that repository. Tasks, automations, Plan, Notes, and Todo stay on that same project. Automations are edited per workspace, and Central has no editor for them.

Which agents can sit beside Claude Code?

Conductor's harness docs list Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode. Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode come bundled, so those three are already in the app. Cursor sessions use Cursor Agent through the Cursor API. Aiola supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok CLI, OpenCode, and Antigravity. It uses locally installed CLIs. You bring your own subscriptions, and Aiola adds no token markup.

Install each CLI and authenticate it in a terminal before you enable it. For Claude Code, run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, then run claude login. Open Central Settings, then Providers, and use Re-check to read that local login. The Providers page does not accept an API key. An installed provider cannot be enabled until it is authenticated.

Where Conductor goes further

On Conductor's pricing page, Pro adds cloud workspaces that keep working after you close the app. Those workspaces run in an Amazon Linux sandbox, and cloud chat is stored on Conductor's servers. Pro also includes multiplayer for shared orgs of up to five Pro users. Teams adds an admin portal, centralized billing, and live collaboration for any team size. Aiola automations run while the desktop app is open. Their execution settings include provider, model, agent, and Local or Worktree run mode. Run a manual automation from its detail page. That page shows duration, output, errors, and linked threads.

What does Aiola cost?

Aiola is a free download. Pro costs $24 a month or $240 a year. GUI Lifetime is a one-time purchase at $49, $89 or $129.

For task-based execution, choose Local or Worktree on the task itself. Local runs in the workspace checkout; Worktree runs in an isolated Git worktree. Moving a task to In Progress starts its configured agent workflow. Moving it to Create PR starts pull-request creation. Workspace task settings control the default run mode and automatic PR creation after completion.

Try it in Aiola

Download Aiola free for macOS 12 or later and Windows 10 or later. Start a draft, choose a provider, and select a new worktree before sending.

Common questions

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