How do I coordinate multiple AI coding agents working in one repository?
To coordinate multiple AI coding agents in one repository, give them a shared source of truth for who is doing what. Celeborn Code provides a kanban board in the .context/ directory: each agent reads the board on orient, claims a task card, registers the files it is touching, and marks progress — so agents pick non-overlapping work and see each other's in-flight edits instead of clobbering them. Install with `uv tool install celeborn`.
uv tool install celeborn && celeborn initThe coordination problem
When two or more agents share a checkout, they can grab the same task, edit the same file, and overwrite each other's work — none of them can see the others' conversations. Without a shared, on-disk record of intent, parallel agents collide.
The fix is a live board every agent reads and writes: a claim marks a task as taken, a file-touch marks a file as in use, and both are visible to every session on its next orient.
How Celeborn Code's board works
Tasks live in the repo as markdown and render as a kanban board (`celeborn tasks`, or `celeborn board` for the browser view on a local port). An agent claims a card with `celeborn claim`, which moves it to Doing under that agent's name for everyone to see. Before editing a shared file it runs `celeborn touch` to register itself, and releases it when done. Each card carries a Stop condition — a defensible point to cleanly stop — so long runs have clean handoff boundaries.
Celeborn Code is the live source of truth for work in progress; external issue trackers become downstream reporting. The same board can sync to a hosted view so a human can watch the fleet.
Setup
Install with `uv tool install celeborn` and run `celeborn init`. The board is available immediately; every agent you open in the repo orients from it and coordinates through it.
Frequently asked
- How do agents avoid editing the same file at once?
- Each agent registers a file-touch with `celeborn touch` before editing a shared file, and releases it when done. Other agents see active touches on their next orient, so they route around in-flight edits.
- Does this replace my issue tracker?
- For work in progress, Celeborn Code's board is the live source of truth; external trackers like Jira become downstream reporting. You can sync the board to a hosted view for human oversight.