Pair mode
Pair mode puts two agents on the same task and passes their work back and forth for you. One can implement while the other reviews every diff, both can review independently and debate, or they can brainstorm and then build together.
Written for PATerminal v1.8.3
The four modes
- Implement × review
- One agent implements. Each time it finishes a step, the other reviews the diff and the feedback goes back — a second pair of eyes on every change.
- Cross review
- Both agents review the same changes independently, swap findings and argue them out, then agent A merges everything into one final list. Nobody edits files.
- Brainstorm
- The agents bounce ideas about your topic back and forth, then agent A sums up the strongest ones. Choose Build on ideas (yes, and...) or Devil's advocate. No code is written.
- Brainstorm → build together
- After brainstorming, agent A splits the work into two shares that don't touch the same files, and both build side by side with sync points along the way.
Start a pair
- Click Pair in the toolbar.
- Choose a Mode.
- Choose how to set up the two panes: Create a new pair session, Pair two panes in this session, Add a reviewer next to the focused pane, or Make this session a pair session.
- Check the commands for each agent (by default
claudeandcodex) and the number of rounds. - Fill in the task, topic, or review target, then press Start pair mode.
| Mode | What you enter | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| Implement × review | First task (optional) for the implementer | Review rounds |
| Cross review | What to review (optional) — empty means uncommitted changes, or e.g. “PR #123 via gh pr diff” — and a Review focus | Times to swap findings |
| Brainstorm | Topic (required) and the discussion style | Idea exchanges |
| Brainstorm → build together | Topic (required) | Idea exchanges and Sync points while building |
How handoffs work
A strip above the terminals shows the mode, the current round, and what happens next. Handoffs follow the agents' official completion signals — Claude Code's Stop hook and Codex's turn-complete event — rather than guessing from silence.
- In implement × review, press Hand off to review when the implementer reaches a good stopping point. PATerminal captures the diff, pastes it to the reviewer, and submits it. The reviewer's reply is forwarded back automatically when it goes quiet.
- The handoff button (Return the feedback, Swap findings, Sync progress, Move to the summary, …) is always there to hand over manually.
- If an agent asks for approval in its terminal, the pair waits for you — nothing is sent automatically.
- If there are no uncommitted changes to review, nothing is handed off and the round isn't counted.
Controls while running
- − / ＋
- Remove or add a round.
- Back to implementer
- Return the turn without sending anything; the round isn't counted.
- Pause / Resume
- Hold automatic handoffs.
- Stop
- End pair mode. Both agents keep running.
- Continue into implementation
- After a brainstorm, have the same two agents split the work and build it.
Default commands
Settings → Pair mode defaults sets the commands for the implementer and reviewer (claude and codex out of the box). Swap exchanges them. You can still change them per pair in the setup dialog.
Combining different agents — Claude Code implementing and Codex reviewing, or the reverse — tends to catch more problems than two copies of the same model.
Still stuck?
Check the FAQ, or email us with your OS, PATerminal version, and what you tried. We reply to every message.