Written by the team developing Dure, a macOS workspace for coding agents. Comparisons use linked product documentation and describe workflows, not hands-on benchmark results.
Dure is a Herdr alternative to try when you want agents, projects, and local change review arranged in a Mac workspace with separate windows. Herdr is a terminal multiplexer built around agent sessions, with a background server, mouse interaction, and automation controls. The decision is about where you want to coordinate and review the work; Herdr is not limited to manually typing commands into unrelated terminals. Dure Spaces · Herdr quick start · Herdr automation
Locate the friction between running and reviewing
Starting several agents is only the beginning. Later, one needs an answer, another finishes, and a third has changed a file you want to inspect. A useful workspace helps you understand which agent needs attention and connect that agent to the right files.
If you already coordinate that work comfortably in a terminal multiplexer, another interface may add little. If you often reconstruct the relationship between projects, terminal panes, and diffs, try a desktop review workflow on a small task. This article compares documented behavior, not measured productivity gains.
Dure and Herdr at a glance
| Decision | Dure | Herdr |
|---|---|---|
| Working environment | Mac workspace with agents, terminals, project views, and separate windows. | Terminal workspace organized into sessions, workspaces, tabs, and panes. |
| Interaction | Arrange views across desktops and open a session in a dedicated window. | Mouse interaction, pane layouts, keyboard commands, and context menus. |
| Review to evaluate | Local worktree diff with file or line comments sent to its linked agent. | Evaluate your preferred terminal review workflow alongside the agent panes. |
| Agent control | Use existing provider CLI sessions inside the workspace. | Agent-aware states and commands for prompting, sending keys, and waiting. |
| Closing a view | Managed sessions can outlive the app view while their host remains alive. | Detaching the client leaves its background server and agents running. |
Sources: Dure Spaces, Dure review, Dure session model, Herdr quick start, Herdr agent states, and Herdr automation.
When Dure is worth evaluating
Try a task where implementation and review need different amounts of screen space. Keep an implementation agent visible, give a second agent a bounded review task, and open the local worktree diff. Move the reviewer into its own window when a longer answer needs attention, then return to the overview. Dure's layout changes the view rather than changing the session's working directory or provider conversation. Dure layout guide
Pick one actual changed line and send a precise comment. Confirm which agent receives it, inspect the revised files, and decide whether the comment is resolved before combining the work. This is the workflow to compare with the way you currently review in Herdr. Opening Dure's local diff does not itself stage or commit changes. Dure review and feedback
When Herdr may be the better fit
Keep Herdr in consideration if the terminal is already your preferred control surface. Its documentation describes mouse-driven interaction as well as commands, so switching to Dure should not be justified by assuming Herdr requires memorizing keyboard shortcuts for every action. Herdr quick start
Herdr also distinguishes raw pane text from operations on a recognized agent. Its automation guide covers prompts, key input, and waiting for agent progress. If scripts already depend on those controls, test how your complete automation would work before changing tools. Herdr agent automation
Compare one implementation and review cycle
- Choose a familiar repository and a small task with a concrete acceptance check.
- Start the same provider CLI in Dure. Give a second agent a separate review task, using separate worktrees if both agents will edit.
- Arrange the sessions and a local diff. Send one line-specific comment and inspect the response.
- Close and reopen a view while the host stays running. Separately read the recovery documentation for host or machine restarts; these are different situations.
Use the installation guide, parallel workflow, and session model. This exercise does not import Herdr's live processes, layout, or automation scripts.
Frequently asked questions
Does Herdr support mouse interaction?
Yes. Its quick start describes clicking, dragging, and context menus. It is inaccurate to compare Dure against a keyboard-only version of Herdr. Herdr quick start
Is running an agent in Herdr the same as typing into a raw pane?
Not for all operations. Herdr documents recognized-agent controls and agent state separately from raw pane input. Review those capabilities when comparing automation. Herdr automation guide
Does closing a window stop every agent?
Not necessarily. Dure documents managed sessions whose host can remain alive independently of the app view. Herdr documents detaching from a background server while agents continue. In both evaluations, distinguish closing the client from stopping the host. Dure sessions · Herdr quick start
Does Dure keep the original process alive after a reboot?
No. A machine restart ends the original process. Supported recovery creates a replacement, and provider conversation recovery has limits. Verify the working directory and files before retrying interrupted work. Dure recovery
Keep the workflow you can inspect
Use Dure's first parallel workflow to compare one complete change, from assigning the task to reviewing its result. Choose the environment that helps you connect agent activity to the files you are responsible for.