splash

SplashCompareBaton

Splash and Baton, compared.

Splash and Baton are both desktop apps for running several coding agents at once, with git worktrees to keep their work apart. Baton runs each agent’s own command-line interface in a terminal pane and adds diffs, an editor and git tools. Splash drives agents over the Agent Client Protocol and shows each session as a transcript.

Checked 10 October 202634 sourcesNot affiliated with Tafjord Invest

Splash

Helge Sverre

A desktop app for running several coding agents at once, each session in its project folder or its own git worktree. It drives agents over the Agent Client Protocol.12

splash.computer

Baton

Tafjord Invest

A desktop app that runs several terminal coding agents side by side in separate git worktrees, with status badges, diffs, an editor and one-click pull requests. Free with up to four workspaces running at once.345

getbaton.dev

Side by side

SplashBaton
The basics
What it is Desktop app, plus a headless server you open in a browser16 Desktop app that runs terminal coding agents side by side in git worktrees, with diffs, an editor and git tools43
Release status v0.2.1, early development17 v3.4.1, released 8 July 2026; the Windows and Linux builds are labelled Beta89
License Open source (MIT)10 Proprietary; the terms grant a non-transferable license to use it and forbid reverse-engineering or decompiling it11
Price Free12 Free for 4 workspaces at once, every feature included; unlimited costs $19 a month, $79 a year or $99 lifetime5
Platforms macOS 14+ (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 11 x64, Ubuntu 24.04 x6413 macOS (Apple silicon and Intel); Windows and Linux (AppImage) for x64 and ARM64, labelled Beta. Git must be installed943
Agents
Agents Ships launch commands for 20 agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Goose, OpenCode1415 Any terminal CLI; hooks for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI and OpenCode, and presets for Cursor CLI, Amp and others316
How it runs agents Agent Client Protocol over stdio, natively or through a pinned adapter for the vendor’s CLI142 Each agent’s own CLI in a Baton terminal, keeping its flags, config and login; status comes from hooks Baton installs or from OSC notification sequences17168
Agent sign-in Who pays for the model You install and sign in to each agent’s CLI yourself; Splash runs it with that login15 Agents use their own logins and APIs; Baton’s AI for workspace names and commit messages is free for now31711
Account required Splash has no accounts; splash-server asks for a token it keeps in its data folder186 No account; paid plans activate with a license key that Baton’s server checks519
Permission requests When an agent asks before it acts Yes: Shown in the transcript and answered with the 1–9 keys; pending ones wait in Needs attention20 Yes: Handled by each agent’s own CLI, which keeps its native behavior; Baton flags pending prompts from Codex and OpenCode, and presets set permission modes1782122
MCP servers Partly: Read-only list of MCP servers from Claude Code, Codex, Pi, Pool and Glue config files2023 Yes: Agents keep their own MCP config; Baton adds a local MCP server for spawning workspaces, tabs and previews, with per-tool switches1738
Working in parallel
Isolation per session Yes: The project folder, or a git worktree on its own branch per session20 Yes: Each workspace gets its own git worktree and branch, or shares the folder of a non-git project; optional Lima VM or Safehouse sandboxes32425
Setup scripts and dev servers No: A worktree is a plain git checkout; Splash runs no setup scripts or dev servers2026 Yes: Setup steps for each project copy files such as .env, install dependencies and run commands; cleanup scripts run on archive. No port allocation is documented348
Terminal Yes: A terminal in the session folder20 Yes: WebGL xterm.js terminals in tabs and split panes, several per workspace, with output search and drag-and-drop reordering43
What needs you Yes: One queue for permission requests, connection failures and finished turns, kept across restarts2027 Yes: Card, sidebar and macOS dock badges, a dashboard and optional sounds show agents running, waiting, finished or errored; states vary by agent2834829
Built-in browser No: No built-in browser; the workbench holds git changes, a file tree, diff and file tabs, and a terminal20 Yes: A preview panel beside the agent loads the dev server, taking its URL from terminal output and reloading on file changes3
Agents handing off work One agent launching or messaging another No: Each session is one agent in one folder; sessions don’t hand work to each other120 Yes: Agents start other agents in new Baton workspaces or tabs through its MCP server or the baton CLI3248
Review and shipping
Review changes Yes: Latest response, failed tools and every changed file as a diff, with a box to send feedback20 Yes: Monaco diffs, split or unified, that follow the agent live; edit, roll back files or compare branches. Line comments aren’t documented28317
Files and diffs Partly: File tree, git changes and diff tabs; files open read-only, with no editor2030 Yes: A changed-file tree, a Monaco editor for edits, git blame, file and commit history, and fzf and ripgrep search34
Create pull requests No: Shows the PR for a session’s branch and starts worktrees from PR heads; does not create PRs2031 Yes: Opens a pull request on GitHub or GitLab in one click; fetch, pull, rebase, push and merge in the app38
GitHub Yes: Issues, pull requests and Actions runs across repositories, through the gh CLI2031 Partly: Pull requests open on GitHub; CI checks, review state and issues aren’t documented3
Where it runs
Remote access Yes: splash-server runs on the machine with your code; you use it in a browser over an SSH tunnel. Single user.6 Yes: SSH workspaces put agents, terminals, git and worktrees on your own Linux or macOS host; the UI stays local. No hosted cloud164
Mobile app No: No mobile app; builds cover macOS, Windows, Ubuntu and a headless server13 Partly: No native app; the home page marks remote control from a phone or tablet as coming soon, while the privacy policy describes it and a pairing page is live31932
Auto-update No: Download new versions from GitHub Releases; the app does not update itself1333 Yes: Updates itself, fetching new versions in the background with differential downloads8
History and search
Existing agent history Conversations started outside the app Yes: Browse, preview and import conversations agents list over ACP, including ones started outside Splash2027 Not documented: Not documented; each agent preset has a configurable continue command for resuming through the agent’s own CLI4
Search transcripts Yes: Search titles, folders and saved transcript text, archived sessions included20 Not documented: Not documented; workspace search finds old or active workspaces, and fzf and ripgrep search files343

Where they differ

How agents connect

Baton runs each agent’s own CLI in a terminal, keeping its flags, config and login, and tracks its status through hooks it installs for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI and OpenCode, or through OSC notification sequences. Baton’s pages don’t mention ACP. Splash speaks the Agent Client Protocol with every agent and draws each session as a transcript.171681142

Where agents run

Baton runs agents on your computer, optionally inside a managed Lima VM (macOS and Linux), a Safehouse sandbox (macOS) or your own wrapper such as Docker, or on SSH hosts you configure; there is no hosted cloud. Splash runs agents on your computer, or under splash-server on the machine with your code, opened in a browser over SSH.2516416

Price, license and accounts

Baton is proprietary and needs no account. The free tier includes every feature and runs four workspaces at a time, a limit its terms say may change; paying $19 a month, $79 a year or $99 once (an early-access price) lifts the cap. Splash is free, MIT-licensed and has no accounts.115101218

Tools around the agent

Baton surrounds the terminal with setup scripts, a dev server preview, a Monaco editor with blame and history, GitHub or GitLab pull requests, linked workspaces across repositories, offline voice dictation, and an MCP server and CLI for agents to launch agents. Splash centers on the conversation: a Needs attention queue, a review panel, transcript search and session import.38242027

Platforms and updates

Baton ships for macOS, with Windows and Linux builds for x64 and ARM64 labelled Beta, and updates itself in the background. Splash builds for macOS 14+, Windows 11 x64 and Ubuntu 24.04 x64 plus a headless server, and is updated by downloading a new release from GitHub.9481333

Which one fits

Splash may suit you if

  • You want a free, MIT-licensed app with no account, or a server you run on the machine that holds your code.
  • You want every agent driven over the Agent Client Protocol, with permission requests answered in the transcript.
  • You want to import conversations agents started outside the app and search saved transcripts.
  • You want a GitHub triage view of issues, pull requests and Actions runs across repositories.

Baton may suit you if

  • You want each agent’s own terminal interface, and to add any CLI agent with a custom command.
  • You want setup scripts, a dev server preview and a Monaco editor for each worktree.
  • You want to rebase, push and open GitHub or GitLab pull requests from the app.
  • You want agents to run in a local VM or sandbox, or on your own SSH hosts, from an app that updates itself.

Sources

Facts about Baton come from its public website, documentation and repositories as they read on 10 October 2026; we haven't confirmed each one by running Baton. Facts about Splash link to its source. Products change, so check the linked pages before deciding. Something wrong or out of date? Open an issue.

  1. 1 Splash README Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  2. 2 Agent Client Protocol agentclientprotocol.com · agentclientprotocol.com · checked 2026-10-09
  3. 3 Baton — Run AI Coding Agents in Parallel Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  4. 4 llms.txt Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  5. 5 Buy Baton — Run & Monitor Unlimited AI Coding Agents Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  6. 6 Splash README: Run as a web app over SSH Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  7. 7 Splash releases Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  8. 8 latest-mac.yml (update manifest with release notes) Tafjord Invest · downloads.getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  9. 9 Download Baton — Free AI Coding Agent Manager for Mac, Windows, Linux Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  10. 10 LICENSE Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  11. 11 Terms of Service Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  12. 12 Download Splash splash.computer · splash.computer · checked 2026-10-09
  13. 13 Splash README: Download the app Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  14. 14 src/agents/registry.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  15. 15 Splash README: Agents Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  16. 16 Run AI Coding Agents on Remote Machines over SSH Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  17. 17 Conductor vs Baton for AI Coding Agents Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  18. 18 Splash README: Build from source Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  19. 19 Privacy Policy Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  20. 20 Splash README: Features Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  21. 21 OpenCode Parallel Sessions and Multiple Sessions Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  22. 22 Claude Code Multiple Sessions in Parallel Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  23. 23 src/agents/customize.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  24. 24 Baton CLI — Control Baton from your agent Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  25. 25 Sandboxing AI Coding Agents Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  26. 26 src/worktree.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  27. 27 Splash README: Existing sessions and review Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  28. 28 Run Multiple CLI Agent Sessions in Parallel Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  29. 29 Codex CLI Multiple Sessions in Parallel Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  30. 30 app/src/components/FileTab.svelte Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  31. 31 Splash README: GitHub view Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  32. 32 Baton remote pairing client Tafjord Invest · remote.getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  33. 33 app/src/components/settings/About.svelte Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  34. 34 cmux vs Baton for AI Coding Agents Tafjord Invest · getbaton.dev · checked 2026-10-10