Show HN: Agent-exchange - messaging and coordination for terminal-based agents

Martin Krasserm released agent-exchange, an open-source tool that lets terminal-based agents such as Claude Code and Codex exchange messages via the asn command-line interface, supporting local, remote, and container sessions. The project includes agent-session as the core, with optional components for a web interface, dispatch, and Docker execution, and requires macOS or Linux, tmux, jq, Python 3.13+, and uv. Sessions can be coordinated by human-directed agents, and the tool allows humans to observe or take over any session.

agent-exchange enables supported terminal-based agents, currently Claude Code and Codex, to exchange messages through the asn command-line interface. It provides two doors into each session: a generic CLI for sending and receiving messages programmatically, and the agent's native terminal UI for direct human interaction. Sessions can run locally, remotely, or in containers. A human typically gives a goal to a coordinator, which uses asn to organize other agent sessions. Coordinators and sub-coordinators are ordinary agent sessions given that role; there is no hidden orchestration engine. Worker sessions can communicate directly with peers. Humans can observe, guide, or take over any participant's session at any time. agent-session-web shows every asn -managed session in one browser. Here a coordinator briefs a local Claude Code session, which uses asn to message a remote Codex peer; its reply returns to the same Claude Code conversation, while either terminal remains open to the human. | Project | Description | |---|---| agent-session | asn CLI for managing agent sessions, backed by persistent, distributed messaging infrastructure. agent-session-web agent-session-top agent-dispatch agent-docker agent-session is the core. The other projects add user interfaces, dispatch behavior, or an execution environment without introducing a different kind of agent session. - macOS or Linux tmux and jq and Python 3.13 or newer uv - an authenticated claude or codex executable on PATH | Feature | Additional requirements | |---|---| | Browser interface | Node.js 18 or newer and npm | | Remote sessions | SSH access from the local machine to the remote machine that succeeds without prompting; tmux , jq , and the authenticated agent executable on the remote machine | asn prep --check reports missing requirements without making changes. Add --host HOST and/or --docker to check the intended remote or container placement. The agent-session README /krasserm/agent-exchange/blob/main/agent-session explains the preparation steps. Claude Code and Codex are the two terminal-based agents supported today. Additional terminal-based agents can be integrated without changing the common asn interface. git clone https://github.com/krasserm/agent-exchange.git cd agent-exchange uv tool install --editable ./agent-session The full asn CLI must be discoverable through PATH on the local machine before sessions are started, because sessions running directly on that machine invoke it themselves. Remote and container sessions receive an asn command limited to messaging and inspection during setup, so the full CLI does not need to be installed in those environments. If command -v asn prints nothing, run: uv tool update-shell Open a new terminal, then confirm that the executable is found through PATH : command -v asn asn --help Start Codex in an existing project directory: asn start /absolute/path/to/project --agent codex Claude Code is the default, so this starts Claude Code: asn start /absolute/path/to/project asn start prints a session key and a tmux session name. Use the key, or an unambiguous prefix, to address the session: asn send SESSION KEY "Review the authentication flow and summarize the main risks." asn status SESSION KEY asn messages SESSION KEY asn send is fire-and-forget: it submits text to the agent's terminal but does not wait for the work to finish. status reports the session state, messages returns recent assistant responses, and capture reads recent terminal output. Find the tmux name with asn status SESSION KEY , then attach to the agent's native terminal UI: tmux attach -t TMUX SESSION NAME Text entered here and text sent with asn send reach the same running session. Detach with Ctrl-b d ; stop the session explicitly when it is no longer needed: asn stop SESSION KEY With at least one session running, start agent-session-web from another terminal: cd agent-session-web AGENT SESSION WEB HOST=127.0.0.1 ./run.sh Open http://127.0.0.1:8770 http://127.0.0.1:8770 . The session list, interactive terminal, recent responses, and controls are different views onto the same sessions managed by asn ; selecting a remote or container session works the same way. Continue with the agent-session README /krasserm/agent-exchange/blob/main/agent-session for detailed usage, or use the project table above to explore another component. The bundled agent-exchange plugin teaches Claude Code or Codex how to operate asn and, when explicitly asked, coordinate a team of sessions. Claude Code: claude plugin marketplace add . claude plugin install agent-exchange@agent-exchange Codex: codex plugin marketplace add . codex plugin add agent-exchange@agent-exchange Start a new agent session after installation so the skills are loaded. The plugin contains one skill for operating sessions and a separate, explicitly activated skill for coordinating a team.