hcom
A CLI that lets agents in different terminals message, watch and spawn each other
Install
brew install aannoo/hcom/hcomThis is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
hcom connects Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Cursor CLI, Copilot CLI and other agents. You launch an agent with a command like hcom claude, and it can message others, read their transcripts, terminal screens and file edits, and subscribe to events. Messages flow through hooks and a local SQLite database, arriving between tool calls or waking an idle agent. Agents can spawn, fork and kill each other, and both get warned when two edit the same file. It has a TUI dashboard, bundled scripts such as debates, and encrypted cross-machine relay over MQTT.
Who it is for. For developers running several agents at once who want them to collaborate without manual copy-paste.
Good fit when
- You want one agent to review another's work and send fixes
- You need to split a task across several agents and collect results
- You want agents from different vendors to act as each other's subagents
Not a fit when
- One agent with built-in subagents is enough
- You cannot install global hooks into agent configs
Example request
Spawn three opencode agents, split the task between them and collect the resultsLimitations
On first run hcom writes hooks into agent config directories under your home folder. The relay token grants full control of agents on every enrolled device and cannot be revoked, only replaced. Agents without hooks must pull messages manually.
How to disable. Run hcom hooks remove, then uninstall with brew uninstall hcom or the method you installed with.
Security check
- Writes hooks into agent configs
- Agents launch and kill other agents; with the relay this extends to other devices
README in short
The README covers install via Homebrew, uv, pip or a script and a two-terminal quickstart. It describes what agents can do to each other, how delivery works through hooks and SQLite, and which terminals are supported. It details the security model of the cross-device relay. The reference lists commands, config keys and bundled scripts. MIT licensed.
FAQ
Does it need a background service?
No, it is a single Rust binary. Hooks write events to a local database and deliver messages from it.
Can I isolate hcom to one project?
Yes, HCOM_DIR moves state and hooks into the given folder.
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