Multi-Claude Collaboration

Beyond standalone use, some of the most powerful applications involve running multiple Claude instances in parallel for efficient collaborative development.

Collaboration Modes

1. Coding and Validation Separation

Have one Claude write code while another reviews or tests:


# Terminal 1: Write code
claude
> Please implement user authentication functionality
 
# Terminal 2: Code review  
claude
> Please review the user authentication code just implemented, focusing on security

Workflow:

Claude A writes code
Run /clear or start new Claude instance
Claude B reviews Claude A’s work
Claude C edits code based on feedback

2. Test-Driven Collaboration


# Claude 1: Write tests
claude
> Write comprehensive test cases for user login functionality
 
# Claude 2: Implement features
claude  
> Implement login functionality based on these test cases, ensure all tests pass

Multi-Checkout Strategy

Git Multi-Checkout

Create independent workspaces for different tasks:


# Create multiple checkouts
git clone <repo> project-auth
git clone <repo> project-ui  
git clone <repo> project-api
 
# Start Claude in each directory
cd project-auth && claude &
cd project-ui && claude &
cd project-api && claude &

Git Worktrees

Lightweight multi-branch management:


# Create worktrees
git worktree add ../project-feature-a feature-a
git worktree add ../project-feature-b feature-b
 
# Start Claude in each worktree
cd ../project-feature-a && claude &
cd ../project-feature-b && claude &

Worktree Advantages:

Shared Git history and reflog
Independent working directories and files
Lightweight, no need for repeated cloning

Collaboration Best Practices

1. Task Division


# Claude 1: Focus on backend API
claude
> Specialize in implementing RESTful API and database operations
 
# Claude 2: Focus on frontend UI
claude
> Specialize in React components and user interaction logic
 
# Claude 3: Focus on testing
claude  
> Specialize in writing and maintaining test cases

2. Shared Workboard

Let Claude instances communicate through documentation:


# Create shared workboard
echo "# Project Collaboration Board" > COLLABORATION.md
 
# Claude 1 writes tasks
claude
> Record completed API interfaces in COLLABORATION.md
 
# Claude 2 reads and responds
claude
> Check COLLABORATION.md, implement frontend calls based on API interfaces

3. Version Control Coordination


# Regular sync
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main
 
# Avoid conflicts
git status
git diff

Advanced Collaboration Modes

Fan-out Mode

Suitable for large-scale migrations or analysis:


# Generate task script
tasks = generate_migration_tasks()
 
for task in tasks:
    subprocess.run([
        "claude", "-p", f"Migrate file {task.file}",
        "--allowedTools", "Edit,Bash(git commit:*)"
    ])

Pipeline Mode

Integrate Claude into data processing pipelines:


# Data processing pipeline
cat data.json | claude -p "Analyze data quality" --json | process_results.py

Environment Setup

iTerm2 Notifications

Set up notification reminders on Mac:


# ~/.zshrc
export CLAUDE_NOTIFY=true
 
# Notify when task completes
claude && osascript -e 'display notification "Claude task completed"'

Terminal Management


# Use tmux to manage multiple sessions
tmux new-session -d -s claude-auth
tmux new-session -d -s claude-ui
tmux new-session -d -s claude-test
 
# Switch sessions
tmux attach -t claude-auth

Cleanup and Maintenance

Worktree Cleanup


# View worktrees
git worktree list
 
# Remove completed worktrees
git worktree remove ../project-feature-a
git branch -d feature-a

Process Management


# View running Claude processes
ps aux | grep claude
 
# Batch stop
pkill -f "claude"

Team Collaboration

Shared Configuration


# Team-shared CLAUDE.md
git add CLAUDE.md
git commit -m "Update team Claude configuration"

Collaboration Standards

Naming Convention: Use consistent branch and worktree naming for different tasks
Communication Protocol: Define when human intervention and decisions are needed
Merge Strategy: Determine when to merge independently developed features

Related: Headless Mode - Learn about infrastructure automation implementation.