Tidal Orchestration

Tmux-based orchestration pattern for coordinating multiple Claude Code sessions. One orchestrator watches, many workers build.

The Pattern

One tmux session, split into panes. One orchestrator running a capable model. Workers running something faster and cheaper. Each worker gets a clear, scoped task. The orchestrator watches, corrects, and redirects.

Why Not Just Agents

Sub-agents inherit the parent’s context, assumptions, and drift. Tmux sessions start clean. Each one reads the project instructions from scratch with no residue from previous tasks. The isolation is the feature.

What It Proves

Every worker loads CLAUDE.md on startup. If a fresh session can’t build the right thing from your instructions alone, the instructions are wrong. The pattern is a quality gate for your documentation.