Running one AI coding agent is easy. Running three at once (Claude Code refactoring in one terminal, Codex writing tests in another, Cursor open on the frontend) is where a Mac setup starts to creak. Windows pile up, the fans spin, diffs land faster than you can read them, and you find out you've hit a usage limit only when an agent stops mid-task.
These are the seven apps I'd put on a Mac that runs agents in parallel. Most are free.
1. Ghostty: a fast terminal with native splits
Free and open source: ghostty.org
Agents that stream a lot of output need a terminal that renders quickly and doesn't slow down after an hour. Ghostty is GPU-accelerated, feels native on macOS, and has tabs and splits built in, so you can keep one pane per agent in a single window instead of juggling five terminal windows.
2. TokenBar: usage limits and cost for every agent in the menu bar
$15 lifetime: tokenbar.site
When you split work across Claude, Codex, Cursor, Gemini and Copilot, each one has its own limits, reset windows and billing page. TokenBar puts usage, cost and reset times for all of them in your menu bar, so you can see which agent is close to its limit before you hand it the next big task. It can also notify you when an agent finishes, needs input, or stalls (on supported integrations), which helps when three of them are running at once. It is built on the open-source, MIT-licensed CodexBar. It needs macOS 14 or later. There's also a $5/month Basic plan if you'd rather subscribe.
Disclosure: I built TokenBar.
3. Amphetamine: keep the Mac awake during long agent runs
Free: Mac App Store
Nothing wastes an agent run like the Mac going to sleep 20 minutes in. Amphetamine keeps it awake for a set time, while a specific app is running, or until a download or process finishes. Start a session before you kick off a long refactor and walk away.
4. Stats: see what your agents are doing to CPU and memory
Free and open source: github.com/exelban/stats
Parallel agents mean parallel builds, test runs and language servers. Stats puts CPU, memory, disk, network and temperature readouts in your menu bar, so when everything slows down you can tell at a glance whether it's the agents, a runaway node process, or your Docker VM.
5. Fork: review what the agents changed
Free to evaluate, one-time license: git-fork.com
The bottleneck in agent-heavy work is review, not writing code. Fork is a fast native Git client with a clear side-by-side diff view, line-level staging, and easy branch and worktree switching. It's much easier to read three agents' worth of changes there than in git diff output scrolling past in a terminal.
6. Rectangle: tile agent windows with one shortcut
Free and open source: rectangleapp.com
Three terminals plus an editor plus a browser is too many windows to drag around. Rectangle snaps windows into halves, thirds and quarters with keyboard shortcuts, so a "three agents side by side" layout takes a few keystrokes.
7. Raycast: jump between projects and agents fast
Free (Pro is paid): raycast.com
With several repos open at once, switching between them is constant. Raycast opens projects, switches windows, runs scripts and keeps a searchable clipboard history (handy for passing the same error message to two different agents) from one launcher.
The setup in one line
Fast terminal panes (Ghostty), visible limits (TokenBar), a Mac that stays awake (Amphetamine), a resource monitor (Stats), a proper diff viewer (Fork), and window tiling (Rectangle and Raycast). With those in place, running agents in parallel feels like managing a small team rather than babysitting a pile of windows.
How many agents do you run at once, and what's in your setup? Tell me in the comments.
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