An indie developer launched Baton on April 1, 2026, a desktop application designed to orchestrate multiple AI coding agents working simultaneously without creating repository chaos. The Show HN post received 61 points and 52 comments, highlighting a pain point many developers face as they adopt AI-assisted coding workflows.
Developer Built Tool to Solve Personal Workflow Problem
The creator, tordrt, explained their motivation: "I built this because running multiple Claude Code agents across multiple IDE and terminal windows was getting messy. Like many, I went from working at one thing at the time, to multiple, and it was all changing quite fast. I needed one place to see all my agents and worktrees, seamlessly switch between them, monitor their status and once their done, review their changes."
The tool addresses what the developer calls "branch soup" — the chaos that emerges when managing multiple parallel agent tasks. As stated on the website: "One agent is fun. Two feels clever. Four is usually where the whole thing turns into branch soup..."
Git Worktree Isolation Enables True Parallel Development
Baton's core architecture uses git worktrees to provide complete isolation for each AI agent. Each workspace operates in its own git worktree with a dedicated branch, preventing agent conflicts and enabling true parallel development. This allows multiple agents to work on the same repository simultaneously without interference.
The application includes smart notifications with labeled status badges showing Input, Done, and Error states, enabling developers to context-switch efficiently without constantly checking agent progress.
Built-in Code Review and Developer Tools
Baton integrates a comprehensive review workflow:
- Diff viewer with Monaco editor for reviewing agent changes
- Git GUI for branch management and pull request creation
- Commit history browsing with per-commit diffs
- File viewer with content and file search using fzf and ripgrep integration
- Terminal tabs and splits with search capabilities
- Keyboard customization and multi-window support
Works With Claude, Gemini, and Custom CLI Agents
The tool provides first-class support for Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, and Gemini CLI. It includes a built-in MCP server allowing agents to launch workspaces and update metadata. Developers can configure custom agent presets for any CLI tool, with optional AI-generated workspace titles and branch names.
One-Time $49 Purchase, No Subscription Required
Baton uses a straightforward pricing model: a free tier with all features limited to 4 concurrent workspaces, or a one-time $49 USD purchase for unlimited workspaces. The application requires no accounts, keeps code entirely local, and only sends prompts to external AI providers for optional workspace title generation, with no data retention.
Meta-Circular Development: Built With Itself
The developer noted they've been "building Baton from within Baton for a while now, which has been a pretty fun loop," suggesting the tool was developed using AI agents managed by Baton itself — a meta-circular development approach that validates the tool's core use case.
Baton is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and requires Git installation.
Key Takeaways
- Baton is a desktop app that manages multiple AI coding agents in isolated git worktrees to prevent repository conflicts
- Each workspace operates in its own git worktree with dedicated branch, enabling true parallel development
- The tool includes built-in code review with diff viewer, git GUI, and terminal access in one interface
- Pricing is a one-time $49 purchase for unlimited workspaces, with a free tier supporting up to 4 concurrent workspaces
- The developer built Baton using Baton itself, demonstrating the tool's effectiveness for AI-assisted development workflows