pipeline_core/skills_library/all/ai-coding-agents/SKILL.md

name	description	tags	related_skills
ai-coding-agents	Delegate coding to external AI agents: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, OpenCode. Comparison, orchestration patterns, PTY handling, and per-agent CLI reference.	Coding-Agent Claude Codex OpenCode autonomous delegation PTY	hermes-agent

AI Coding Agents — Orchestration Guide

Overview

Three autonomous coding agent CLIs can be orchestrated from Hermes via terminal/process tools. Each has different strengths:

Agent	Provider	Best For	Key Flag
Claude Code	Anthropic	Complex multi-step, PR review, MCP integration	claude -p "task"
Codex	OpenAI	Fast one-shot edits, parallel batch work	codex exec "task"
OpenCode	Multi-provider	Provider-agnostic, open-source	opencode run "task"

Decision Guide

Need	Use
One-shot coding task	Any agent's print/run mode
Multi-turn iterative work	Claude Code (tmux) or OpenCode (background PTY)
PR review	Claude Code (--from-pr) or Codex (codex review)
Parallel batch fixes	Codex (worktrees) or Claude Code (parallel tmux)
MCP tool integration	Claude Code only
Provider flexibility	OpenCode (any LLM provider)
Cost control	Claude Code (--max-budget-usd) or Codex

Two Orchestration Modes (All Agents)

Mode 1: Print/Run Mode — Non-Interactive (PREFERRED)

One-shot task, returns result, exits. No PTY needed.

# Claude Code
claude -p "Add error handling to src/" --allowedTools 'Read,Edit' --max-turns 10

# Codex
codex exec --full-auto "Refactor the auth module"

# OpenCode
opencode run "Add retry logic to API calls"

Mode 2: Interactive — Multi-Turn Sessions

Requires PTY (tmux for Claude Code, background+pty for others).

# Claude Code via tmux
tmux new-session -d -s claude && tmux send-keys -t claude 'claude' Enter

# Codex background
terminal(command="codex exec --full-auto 'task'", background=true, pty=true)

# OpenCode background
terminal(command="opencode", workdir="~/project", background=true, pty=true)

Common Patterns

Isolated Worktrees (All Agents)

Always use isolated worktrees for untrusted agent output:

git worktree add -b agent/task-42 /tmp/task-42 main
# Run agent in /tmp/task-42
# Review diff, cherry-pick accepted changes
git worktree remove /tmp/task-42

Monitoring Progress

# Claude Code (tmux)
tmux capture-pane -t claude -p -S -50

# Codex/OpenCode (process tool)
process(action="poll", session_id="<id>")
process(action="log", session_id="<id>")

Kill Conditions

• No useful output for remaining budget
• Agent requests secrets/credentials
• Agent modifies files outside worktree
• Agent starts unrelated rewrites

Per-Agent References

Agent	Reference	Key Details
Claude Code	references/claude-code.md	Full CLI flags, PTY dialogs, hooks, MCP, settings, slash commands
Codex	references/codex.md	Flags, worktree patterns, batch operations
OpenCode	references/opencode.md	Run command, TUI keybindings, session management

Critical Pitfalls (All Agents)

1. Never trust agent self-reports — always inspect diff and re-run tests from Hermes
2. Always isolate in worktrees — agents can make unexpected changes
3. Set budget limits — prevent runaway costs with --max-turns / --max-budget-usd
4. Clean up — kill processes and remove worktrees when done
5. PTY requirement — Codex always needs PTY; Claude Code needs tmux for interactive; OpenCode run mode doesn't need PTY