Leaving Conductor? Pick the layer, not another worktree app
Coding orchestrators run Claude Code/Codex in worktrees; a control plane is the org chart, budgets, and approvals when you outgrow tabs.
If you are leaving Conductor, start by naming the job you still need. Most “conductor alternatives” pages compare tools that run coding agents side by side in git worktrees. That answers one question. The comparison does not tell you whether you also need roles, budgets, review and a human who signs off across agent teams.
Which layer do you need next?
Pick the layer before you pick a vendor. A coding-agent orchestrator runs coding agents such as Claude Code or Codex in parallel, usually in isolated git worktrees, sometimes with cloud or phone control. An agent control plane is the org chart for agents: it sets roles, tools and permissions, then lets you delegate work, follow progress, review results and improve with each run, with a person accountable for what ships.
You may need the first, the second or both. Current roundups such as Flavio Copes’s Conductor alternatives list and Andrew’s 2026 note on parallel coding agents compare tools in the worktree layer.
What changed at Conductor
On November 4, 2026, Conductor announced it is joining Meta and posted this timeline:
- November 4, 2026: no new sign-ups. Existing users can keep using Conductor; pro features stay available to current pro users at no charge.
- November 13, 2026: Conductor Cloud goes read-only. You can still read old chats and export data, but you cannot send new messages.
- November 20, 2026: Conductor Cloud shuts down, and deletion of Conductor Cloud user data begins. Export before that date if you still need the cloud copy.
- Local Conductor continues to receive new models and critical bug fixes until it winds down in early 2027.
The announcement also describes a way to transfer Cloud workspaces to the local app if you are staying on local Conductor. Cloud and the local app follow different clocks, so no single shutdown date covers every way people use Conductor. Nothing below walks you through moving that work into Paperclip.
Lists collapse two jobs into one column
Lists of Conductor alternatives usually put every option in one column: another place to run coding agents in parallel. Two different jobs sit under that heading.
A coding-agent orchestrator is built for a developer (or a small group of developers) who wants several CLI coding agents working at once, typically each in its own git worktree or isolated checkout. The useful output is code you can inspect in a diff or a pull request.
An agent control plane is built for someone running a team of agents (coding agents and other stacks) who needs an org chart: owners, permissions, budgets, delegation, review, recovery and a human who signs off. The useful output is finished work someone can take accountability for. For the definition, see What is an AI agent control plane?.
When those two jobs share one “alternatives” column, worktree apps fill the table and a control plane looks like a missing row. The control plane is a different layer.
When a coding orchestrator is the right next step
Choose this layer when the work leaving Conductor is still “run coding agents side by side in isolated worktrees.” You want another surface for Claude Code, Codex or similar CLI agents, and the checkout model still matches how you ship.
Handle Conductor itself first. If you used Conductor Cloud, export your data or transfer Cloud workspaces to the local app before November 20, 2026; Cloud stops taking new messages on November 13. If local Conductor still fits, it keeps getting new models and critical bug fixes until early 2027, so you may not need to move this month at all.
If you do move, check how each tool isolates work. That is where the products in this layer differ on their own sites:
- One worktree per task: Orca describes each agent in its own worktree; Paradev describes each task in its own Git worktree and branch.
- Cloud or sandbox: Cloudroom describes each agent in its own sandbox, in the cloud or on your computer. Orca describes running on a laptop or in the cloud.
- Worktrees optional: Paseo’s FAQ says worktrees are optional.
- Which CLIs it drives: T3 Code lists the coding agents it orchestrates, so check that yours is on the list.
Pick the isolation model that matches how you review diffs today.
When you need a control plane
Choose this layer when the hard part is no longer starting another isolated checkout. Several agents share work, not only coding agents. Someone has to own each task. Someone has to approve the result. Spend needs to be visible per agent. A person remains accountable for what ships.
Paperclip sits in this layer. Paperclip is the org chart for agents. You choose the model, tools and permissions for each agent, delegate work, follow progress and review results, and use feedback to improve performance with each run. People stay accountable for what the team ships. See the org chart.
For how a control plane sits next to harnesses, frameworks and runtimes, see Agent harness vs. framework vs. runtime vs. control plane.
Shortlist by layer
Read the names below as examples of each layer. One line each, from that product’s public site on November 7, 2026. We did not install or benchmark them for this guide.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns
| Layer | Example | What their public site says |
|---|---|---|
| Coding-agent orchestrator | Conductor (local app) | Local Conductor keeps getting new models and critical bug fixes until it winds down in early 2027. |
| Coding-agent orchestrator | Orca | Describes running Claude Code and Codex in parallel, each in its own worktree, on a laptop or in the cloud. |
| Coding-agent orchestrator | T3 Code | Describes itself as “the open-source control plane for coding agents,” and as a surface that orchestrates Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, OpenCode, Cursor and Grok. |
| Coding-agent orchestrator | Herdr | Describes itself as a native app for running coding agents, including from terminals, with work that can keep going in herdr-core after you close the window. |
| Coding-agent orchestrator | Paradev (formerly Superset) | Describes itself as an open-source workspace for Claude Code and Codex, with each task in its own Git worktree and branch. |
| Coding-agent orchestrator | Paseo | Describes itself as an agentic development environment for running many coding agents at once, from a desk or a phone. Its FAQ says worktrees are optional. |
| Coding-agent orchestrator | Cloudroom | Describes itself as a platform for running AI coding agents in the cloud, each in its own sandbox, or on your computer. |
| Control plane / org chart for agents | Paperclip | The org chart for agents: roles, model, tools and permissions; delegate, follow, review and improve; humans accountable. |
Paradev is the same product that appeared as Superset.sh.
Choose with three questions
For example, let’s say you are an eng lead trying to keep several coding agents working after Conductor Cloud goes read-only on November 13, 2026, but every alternatives list you open only compares worktree apps. Here’s how to approach it.
Write down three answers for your team:
- What work is leaving Conductor? [parallel coding agents in isolated worktrees / operations across a broader agent team / both]
- Who has to approve the results? [you in the checkout / a named reviewer / the person accountable for what ships]
- What do you need next? [another place to run CLI coding agents / budgets and an org chart / both]
If the work is still coding worktrees and you need another place to run CLI agents, look at a coding-agent orchestrator. If you need owners, approvals and budgets across agent teams, you need an agent control plane. Many teams leaving Conductor still need the first. They add the second when they outgrow tabs.
For the durable layer language list-makers can reuse, see Coding-agent orchestrator vs agent control plane. If you are comparing how to run several Claude Code or Codex sessions today, see Manage multiple Claude Code and Codex sessions.
FAQ
What should I use instead of Conductor?
If you need parallel coding agents in git worktrees, look at a coding-agent orchestrator. If you need roles, budgets, review and a human who signs off across agent teams, you need an agent control plane — the org chart for agents. Many teams leaving Conductor still need the first; they add the second when they outgrow tabs.
Is Paperclip a Conductor alternative?
Not as a peer on worktrees or managed cloud. Paperclip is the org chart for agents: choose model, tools and permissions, delegate work, follow progress, review results and improve with each run.
Is Conductor already shut down?
No. Conductor Cloud goes read-only on November 13, 2026 and shuts down on November 20, 2026. The local app continues with new models and critical fixes until it winds down in early 2027. Dates are from Conductor’s announcement.