# Introduction
**git-paw** (Parallel AI Worktrees) orchestrates multiple AI coding CLI sessions across git worktrees from a single terminal using tmux.
Working with AI coding assistants like Claude, Codex, or Gemini is powerful — but what if you could run them in parallel across multiple branches at once? That's exactly what git-paw does.
## The Problem
You have a feature branch, a bugfix branch, and a refactoring branch. You want an AI assistant working on each one simultaneously. Normally you'd need to:
1. Open multiple terminals
2. Create git worktrees manually
3. Navigate to each worktree
4. Launch your AI CLI in each one
5. Juggle between them
## The Solution
With git-paw, you run a single command:
```bash
git paw
```
git-paw will:
- **Detect** which AI CLIs you have installed (Claude, Codex, Gemini, Aider, etc.)
- **Prompt** you to pick branches and a CLI (or different CLIs per branch)
- **Create** git worktrees for each selected branch
- **Launch** a tmux session with one pane per branch, each running your chosen AI CLI
- **Persist** the session state so you can stop, resume, or recover after crashes
## Key Features
- **One command** to go from zero to parallel AI sessions
- **Smart start** — reattaches to active sessions, recovers crashed ones, or launches fresh
- **Per-branch CLI selection** — use Claude on one branch and Gemini on another
- **Session persistence** — stop and resume without losing your place
- **Custom CLI support** — register any AI CLI binary, not just the built-in ones
- **Presets** — save branch + CLI combos in config for one-command launch
- **Non-interactive mode** — pass `--cli` and `--branches` flags for scripting
- **Dry run** — preview what git-paw will do before it does it
## How It Works
```
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ tmux session │
│ ┌────────────────────┐ ┌────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ feat/auth → claude │ │ feat/api → claude │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ (git worktree) │ │ (git worktree) │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ ├────────────────────┤ ├────────────────────────┤ │
│ │ fix/bug → gemini │ │ refactor/db → aider │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ (git worktree) │ │ (git worktree) │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ └────────────────────┘ └────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
Each pane runs in its own git worktree, so there are no branch conflicts. Your AI assistants work independently and in parallel.
## Requirements
- **Git** (2.20+ recommended for worktree improvements)
- **tmux** (any recent version)
- At least one AI coding CLI installed (see [Supported AI CLIs](supported-clis.md))
- macOS or Linux (Windows via WSL only)
## Next Steps
- [Install git-paw](installation.md)
- [Quick Start: Same CLI Mode](quick-start-same-cli.md) — get running in 2 minutes
- [Quick Start: Per-Branch CLI Mode](quick-start-per-branch.md) — mix different AI CLIs