Chapter 1: Getting Started

Welcome to Chapter 1: Getting Started. In this part of Claude Squad Tutorial: Multi-Agent Terminal Session Orchestration, you will build an intuitive mental model first, then move into concrete implementation details and practical production tradeoffs.

This chapter gets Claude Squad installed and ready for your first multi-session run.

Install

brew install claude-squad
ln -s "$(brew --prefix)/bin/claude-squad" "$(brew --prefix)/bin/cs"

Alternative manual install:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad/main/install.sh | bash

Prerequisites

• tmux
• gh (GitHub CLI)

Launch

cs

Source References

• Claude Squad README

Summary

You now have Claude Squad installed with prerequisites for multi-session execution.

Next: Chapter 2: tmux and Worktree Architecture

Source Code Walkthrough

main.go

The init function in main.go handles a key part of this chapter's functionality:

			storage, err := session.NewStorage(state)
			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("failed to initialize storage: %w", err)
			}
			if err := storage.DeleteAllInstances(); err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("failed to reset storage: %w", err)
			}
			fmt.Println("Storage has been reset successfully")

			if err := tmux.CleanupSessions(cmd2.MakeExecutor()); err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("failed to cleanup tmux sessions: %w", err)
			}
			fmt.Println("Tmux sessions have been cleaned up")

			if err := git.CleanupWorktrees(); err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("failed to cleanup worktrees: %w", err)
			}
			fmt.Println("Worktrees have been cleaned up")

			// Kill any daemon that's running.
			if err := daemon.StopDaemon(); err != nil {
				return err
			}
			fmt.Println("daemon has been stopped")

			return nil
		},
	}

	debugCmd = &cobra.Command{
		Use:   "debug",
		Short: "Print debug information like config paths",

This function is important because it defines how Claude Squad Tutorial: Multi-Agent Terminal Session Orchestration implements the patterns covered in this chapter.

main.go

The main function in main.go handles a key part of this chapter's functionality:

package main

import (
	"claude-squad/app"
	cmd2 "claude-squad/cmd"
	"claude-squad/config"
	"claude-squad/daemon"
	"claude-squad/log"
	"claude-squad/session"
	"claude-squad/session/git"
	"claude-squad/session/tmux"
	"context"
	"encoding/json"
	"fmt"
	"path/filepath"

	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
)

var (
	version     = "1.0.17"
	programFlag string
	autoYesFlag bool
	daemonFlag  bool
	rootCmd     = &cobra.Command{
		Use:   "claude-squad",
		Short: "Claude Squad - Manage multiple AI agents like Claude Code, Aider, Codex, and Amp.",
		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
			ctx := context.Background()
			log.Initialize(daemonFlag)

This function is important because it defines how Claude Squad Tutorial: Multi-Agent Terminal Session Orchestration implements the patterns covered in this chapter.

app/app.go

The Run function in app/app.go handles a key part of this chapter's functionality:

const GlobalInstanceLimit = 10

// Run is the main entrypoint into the application.
func Run(ctx context.Context, program string, autoYes bool) error {
	p := tea.NewProgram(
		newHome(ctx, program, autoYes),
		tea.WithAltScreen(),
		tea.WithMouseCellMotion(), // Mouse scroll
	)
	_, err := p.Run()
	return err
}

type state int

const (
	stateDefault state = iota
	// stateNew is the state when the user is creating a new instance.
	stateNew
	// statePrompt is the state when the user is entering a prompt.
	statePrompt
	// stateHelp is the state when a help screen is displayed.
	stateHelp
	// stateConfirm is the state when a confirmation modal is displayed.
	stateConfirm
)

type home struct {
	ctx context.Context

	// -- Storage and Configuration --

This function is important because it defines how Claude Squad Tutorial: Multi-Agent Terminal Session Orchestration implements the patterns covered in this chapter.

app/app.go

The newHome function in app/app.go handles a key part of this chapter's functionality:

func Run(ctx context.Context, program string, autoYes bool) error {
	p := tea.NewProgram(
		newHome(ctx, program, autoYes),
		tea.WithAltScreen(),
		tea.WithMouseCellMotion(), // Mouse scroll
	)
	_, err := p.Run()
	return err
}

type state int

const (
	stateDefault state = iota
	// stateNew is the state when the user is creating a new instance.
	stateNew
	// statePrompt is the state when the user is entering a prompt.
	statePrompt
	// stateHelp is the state when a help screen is displayed.
	stateHelp
	// stateConfirm is the state when a confirmation modal is displayed.
	stateConfirm
)

type home struct {
	ctx context.Context

	// -- Storage and Configuration --

	program string
	autoYes bool

This function is important because it defines how Claude Squad Tutorial: Multi-Agent Terminal Session Orchestration implements the patterns covered in this chapter.

How These Components Connect

flowchart TD
    A[init]
    B[main]
    C[Run]
    D[newHome]
    E[updateHandleWindowSizeEvent]
    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D
    D --> E