How to delegate work to multiple agents by talking to just one
You no longer need to switch between multiple terminal windows to check agent progress or copy and paste context. firstmate is structured so that when you talk to one agent, it instructs other agents to handle the remaining tasks in their own independent environments. Like a captain directing crew members through a helmsman, you only need to review the final deliverables, such as a PR or a report.
The relationship between the captain and the helmsman
firstmate is not an installable app but a directory containing instructions and scripts for agents to follow. After cloning the repository and running a supported coding agent, a 'first mate' is created. The first mate receives your requests, generates as many 'crewmate' agents as needed, and assigns each a clean git worktree. The crewmates work in parallel while the first mate supervises them until completion. All state is stored on disk, so previous work states can be restored even if the session restarts.
Work methods and deliverables
Tasks are divided into two main forms. 'ship' tasks include code changes and either create a PR or perform a local merge depending on the configured project mode. 'scout' tasks leave only investigation results as a report without code changes. Each task runs in an independent window or tab within a chosen backend from tmux, Herdr, Zellij, cmux, or Orca, allowing users to observe progress in real time or intervene. The first mate wakes the user only when necessary through an event-based watcher that does not consume tokens.
Preparation to get started
To start using it, you must first authenticate with GitHub CLI (gh) and clone the firstmate repository. Then, select and run one of Claude Code, Grok, Pi, Codex, OpenCode, or Cursor Agent CLI. Among these, Claude Code, Grok, and Pi are equally first-class supported targets, with their respective features for restarting or monitoring workers verified. tmux is used as the default session backend, and using other backends requires additional configuration according to their documentation. The first mate detects missing tools and can install them with your consent.
When to choose this structure
This is suitable for developers who need to handle multiple parallel tasks simultaneously but want to reduce the burden of managing each session directly. It is particularly useful when conducting multiple fixes, investigations, and planning tasks simultaneously within a single repository. However, since firstmate is a 'distro' for operating agents rather than a model or framework, it must be used with a supported coding agent. Project boundaries are strictly maintained, and the first mate has read-only access to the project for any tasks other than approved ones. Complex remote secondmate configurations or Relay (social media integration) features are optional and do not affect basic usage.