Supported Agents

Tempest supports multiple AI coding agents out of the box. This guide covers the exact CLI commands, configuration options, and integration details for each agent.

Agent Configuration System

Each agent in Tempest is defined by an AgentConfig object with the following properties:

Property	Description
`name`	Display name shown in the UI (e.g., “Claude Code”)
`hint`	CLI command to invoke the agent (e.g., “claude”)
`sessionIdArgs`	Flags passed on first spawn to establish a session (e.g., `["--session-id", "{UUID}"]`)
`resumeArgs`	Flags passed when reopening to resume a conversation (e.g., `["--resume", "{UUID}"]`)
`capturePattern`	Optional regex to extract session ID from PTY output (for agents that mint their own ID)
`captureResumeArgs`	Optional flags for resuming with a captured ID (e.g., `["-s", "{UUID}"]`)

The {UUID} placeholder is replaced by Tempest with the actual session or conversation UUID.

Claude Code

Display Name: Claude Code
CLI Command: claude
Resumable: Yes (by conversation ID)

Launch Command

First spawn:

claude --session-id <conversation-uuid>

Resuming a saved session:

claude --resume <conversation-uuid>

Configuration

Claude Code reads configuration from:

~/.claude directory (user home)
Environment variables (e.g., ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
MCP configuration from .mcp.json in the project root (if Token Intelligence is enabled)

API Key Setup

Set your Claude API key via the Claude CLI:

claude configure

This stores credentials in ~/.claude/config.json so Tempest can access them.

Model Selection

Claude Code uses the model configured in your Claude CLI settings. To change the model:

claude config --model claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

Tempest Integration

Session ID: Persisted as conversationId in localStorage
Work-Done Detection:
- Primary: OSC 9 notification signal at turn completion
- Secondary: Title-based detection (title starts with ✳ for idle, Unicode spinners for busy)
- Fallback: Quiet timer (5 seconds no output)
MCP Support: Enabled by default if Token Intelligence is configured
Tab Badge: Shows ”✳ Claude Code” title when idle

Troubleshooting

If Claude Code doesn’t launch:

Ensure claude is installed: which claude (macOS/Linux) or gcm claude (Windows)
Run claude configure to set up your API key
Test in a terminal: claude --help should print the help menu
Check that the API key is valid by running claude in the terminal

Gemini CLI

Display Name: Gemini CLI
CLI Command: gemini
Resumable: Yes (by conversation ID)

Launch Command

First spawn:

gemini --session-id <conversation-uuid>

Resuming a saved session:

gemini --resume <conversation-uuid>

Configuration

Gemini CLI reads configuration from:

~/.gemini directory (user home)
Environment variables (e.g., GOOGLE_API_KEY, GOOGLE_PALM_KEY)
MCP configuration from .gemini/settings.json in the project root (if Token Intelligence is enabled)

API Key Setup

Set your Google API key via the Gemini CLI:

gemini configure

Or set the environment variable:

export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Model Selection

Gemini CLI uses the model configured in your settings. To change the model:

gemini config --model gemini-pro

Tempest Integration

Session ID: Persisted as conversationId in localStorage
Work-Done Detection:
- Primary: OSC 9 notification signal at turn completion
- Secondary: Title-based detection (title starts with ◇ for idle, ✦ or ✋ for busy)
- Fallback: Quiet timer (5 seconds no output)
MCP Support: Enabled if Token Intelligence is configured (writes to .gemini/settings.json)
Tab Badge: Shows title with busy/idle indicators

Troubleshooting

If Gemini CLI doesn’t launch:

Ensure gemini is installed: which gemini (macOS/Linux) or gcm gemini (Windows)
Run gemini configure to set up your API key
Test in a terminal: gemini --help should print the help menu
Check that the API key is valid by running gemini in the terminal

Opencode

Display Name: Opencode
CLI Command: opencode
Resumable: Yes (session ID captured from output)

Launch Command

First spawn:

opencode

Resuming a saved session:

opencode -s <captured-session-id>

Session ID Capture

Unlike Claude Code or Gemini CLI, Opencode does not accept a --session-id flag on first spawn. Instead, it prints a session ID to stdout when it starts. Tempest captures this ID using a regex pattern:

\b([0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12})\b

When a UUID is matched in the PTY output, it is extracted and stored for resumption.

Configuration

Opencode reads configuration from:

opencode.json or opencode.jsonc in the project root
Environment variables
MCP configuration under mcp.atlas in the config file (if Token Intelligence is enabled)

MCP Configuration (Atlas)

If Token Intelligence is enabled, Tempest writes:

{
  "mcp": {
    "atlas": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["node", "--liftoff-only", "<entry-path>", "--path", "<project-path>"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Tempest Integration

Session ID: Captured from output on first spawn, then persisted as conversationId
Work-Done Detection: Uses standard heuristics (quiet timer, signal-based detection)
MCP Support: Writes to opencode.jsonc or opencode.json
Resume Behavior: Uses -s <captured-id> flag on reopening

Troubleshooting

If the session ID is not captured:

Check that Opencode prints a UUID to stdout on startup
Run Opencode in a terminal and look for UUID output: opencode
If Opencode prints a different ID format, the regex pattern in NewSessionMenu.tsx may need tuning
Check the Tempest logs (DevTools console) for capture errors

Copilot CLI

Display Name: Copilot CLI
CLI Command: gh copilot
Resumable: No (stateless)

Launch Command

gh copilot

Configuration

Copilot CLI reads configuration from:

GitHub CLI config (~/.config/gh/config.yml on macOS/Linux)
GitHub authentication token (use gh auth login to set up)

Authentication

Authenticate with GitHub:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to log in. Tempest will use your authenticated GitHub session.

Tempest Integration

Session ID: Not persisted (stateless sessions)
Resumption: Not supported; each spawn creates a fresh session
Work-Done Detection: Uses heuristics and signal detection
Limitations: Copilot CLI is designed for one-off suggestions, not persistent conversations

Use Cases

Quick code suggestions
Testing command generation
One-off questions without conversation context

Cline

Display Name: Cline
CLI Command: cline
Resumable: No (stateless)

Launch Command

cline

Configuration

Cline reads configuration from:

~/.cline directory (user home)
Environment variables (model selection, API keys)
Project-level configuration files

API Key Setup

Set your Anthropic API key:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Tempest Integration

Session ID: Not persisted
Resumption: Not supported; each spawn creates a fresh session
Work-Done Detection: Uses signal detection and heuristics
Model Support: Typically runs Claude models; configuration via environment

Troubleshooting

If Cline doesn’t launch:

Ensure cline is installed: which cline (macOS/Linux) or gcm cline (Windows)
Set your API key: export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key"
Test in a terminal: cline --help or cline to start a session

Cursor Agent

Display Name: Cursor Agent
CLI Command: cursor
Resumable: No (stateless)

Launch Command

cursor

Configuration

Cursor Agent reads configuration from:

Cursor IDE settings (if the user also has Cursor installed)
Environment variables
.cursor/mcp.json for MCP configuration (if Token Intelligence is enabled)

MCP Configuration

If Token Intelligence is enabled, Tempest writes:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atlas": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["--liftoff-only", "<entry-path>", "--path", "<project-path>"]
    }
  }
}

Tempest Integration

Session ID: Not persisted
Resumption: Not supported; each spawn creates a fresh session
Work-Done Detection: Uses signal detection
MCP Support: Writes to .cursor/mcp.json if Token Intelligence is configured

Troubleshooting

If Cursor doesn’t launch:

Ensure the Cursor CLI is installed: which cursor or gcm cursor
Cursor may require the Cursor IDE to be installed or configured
Check Cursor’s documentation for CLI setup

Goose

Display Name: Goose
CLI Command: goose
Resumable: No (stateless)

Launch Command

goose

Configuration

Goose reads configuration from:

~/.goose directory (user home)
Environment variables
Project-level configuration files

API Key Setup

Set your API key (if required):

export GOOSE_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Tempest Integration

Session ID: Not persisted
Resumption: Not supported; each spawn creates a fresh session
Work-Done Detection: Uses signal detection and heuristics
Limitations: Designed for autonomous task execution without persistent conversation

Use Cases

Autonomous task execution
One-shot agents that solve specific problems
Testing and automation workflows

Troubleshooting

If Goose doesn’t launch:

Ensure goose is installed: which goose (macOS/Linux) or gcm goose (Windows)
Check that any required environment variables are set
Test in a terminal: goose --help or goose to start

Comparison Table

Agent	Resume	Session ID	Config Location	API Key Required
Claude Code	Yes	`--session-id` / `--resume`	`~/.claude`	Yes (Anthropic)
Gemini CLI	Yes	`--session-id` / `--resume`	`~/.gemini`	Yes (Google)
Opencode	Yes	Captured from output	`opencode.json`	Varies
Copilot CLI	No	N/A	`~/.config/gh`	GitHub token
Cline	No	N/A	`~/.cline`	Yes (Anthropic)
Cursor Agent	No	N/A	Cursor IDE config	Varies
Goose	No	N/A	`~/.goose`	Varies

Adding a New Agent

To add support for a new agent to Tempest:

Define the agent config in src/components/NewSessionMenu.tsx:

{
  name: "My Agent",
  hint: "myagent",           // CLI command
  iconSrc: myAgentIconSrc,   // Icon SVG
  sessionIdArgs: ["--session-id", "{UUID}"],    // or null
  resumeArgs: ["--resume", "{UUID}"],           // or null
  capturePattern: /pattern/,  // optional
  captureResumeArgs: ["-s", "{UUID}"],  // optional
}

Provide an icon as an SVG file in src/assets/agent-icons/
Implement work-done detection (if needed):
- Add title-based classification to sessionManager.ts classifyTitle() method if your agent sets a title
- Test that the agent’s terminal output triggers the work-done state correctly
Test the agent in Tempest:
- Launch a new session with your agent
- Verify the command is constructed correctly
- Confirm work-done detection fires at the right time
- Test resumption if your agent supports it

​Supported Agents

​Agent Configuration System

​Claude Code

​Launch Command

​Configuration

​API Key Setup

​Model Selection

​Tempest Integration

​Troubleshooting

​Gemini CLI

​Launch Command

​Configuration

​API Key Setup

​Model Selection

​Tempest Integration

​Troubleshooting

​Opencode

​Launch Command

​Session ID Capture

​Configuration

​MCP Configuration (Atlas)

​Tempest Integration

​Troubleshooting

​Copilot CLI

​Launch Command

​Configuration

​Authentication

​Tempest Integration

​Use Cases

​Cline

​Launch Command

​Configuration

​API Key Setup

​Tempest Integration

​Troubleshooting

​Cursor Agent

​Launch Command

​Configuration

​MCP Configuration

​Tempest Integration

​Troubleshooting

​Goose

​Launch Command

​Configuration

​API Key Setup

​Tempest Integration

​Use Cases

​Troubleshooting

​Comparison Table

​Adding a New Agent

Supported Agents

Agent Configuration System

Claude Code

Launch Command

Configuration

API Key Setup

Model Selection

Tempest Integration

Troubleshooting

Gemini CLI

Launch Command

Configuration

API Key Setup

Model Selection

Tempest Integration

Troubleshooting

Opencode

Launch Command

Session ID Capture

Configuration

MCP Configuration (Atlas)

Tempest Integration

Troubleshooting

Copilot CLI

Launch Command

Configuration

Authentication

Tempest Integration

Use Cases

Cline

Launch Command

Configuration

API Key Setup

Tempest Integration

Troubleshooting

Cursor Agent

Launch Command

Configuration

MCP Configuration

Tempest Integration

Troubleshooting

Goose

Launch Command

Configuration

API Key Setup

Tempest Integration

Use Cases

Troubleshooting

Comparison Table

Adding a New Agent