AI coding tools matrix
Multica supports 10 AI coding tools; they implement the same interface, but the capability details diverge significantly.
Multica ships with built-in support for 10 AI coding tools. They all implement the same interface — queue, dispatch, execute, return results — so you can drive any of them from the same Multica board. But the capability details diverge significantly: whether session resumption actually works, whether MCP is supported, where skill files live, how models are selected. This page is the full matrix.
For guidance on picking a tool when creating an agent, see Creating and configuring agents.
Capability matrix
| Tool | Vendor | Session resumption | MCP | Skill injection path | Model selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Anthropic | ✅ | ✅ (the only one that actually uses it) | .claude/skills/ | Static + flag |
| Codex | OpenAI | ⚠️ Code exists but unreachable | ❌ | $CODEX_HOME/skills/ | Static |
| Copilot | GitHub | ✅ | ❌ | .github/skills/ | Static (determined by account entitlement) |
| Cursor | Anysphere | ⚠️ Code exists but unusable | ❌ | .cursor/skills/ | Dynamic discovery |
| Gemini | ❌ | ❌ | .agent_context/skills/ | Static | |
| Hermes | Nous Research | ✅ | ❌ | .agent_context/skills/ (fallback) | Dynamic discovery |
| Kimi | Moonshot | ✅ | ❌ | .kimi/skills/ | Dynamic discovery |
| OpenCode | SST | ✅ | ❌ | .config/opencode/skills/ | Dynamic discovery |
| OpenClaw | Open source | ✅ | ❌ | .agent_context/skills/ (fallback) | Bound to the agent, can't be switched per task |
| Pi | Inflection AI | ✅ (session is a file path) | ❌ | .pi/agent/skills/ | Dynamic discovery |
What each tool is for
Claude Code
From Anthropic. First choice for new users — the most complete feature set: session resumption actually works, it's the only one of the 10 that truly reads MCP configuration, and it supports fine-tuning flags like --max-turns and --append-system-prompt. Requires an Anthropic API key.
Codex
From OpenAI. Uses JSON-RPC 2.0, has stronger statefulness, and a finer-grained approve mechanism (manual approval for exec_command and patch_apply). Session resumption code exists but is currently unreachable — if you need resume, pick Claude Code or one of the ACP family.
Copilot
From GitHub. Model routing goes through your GitHub account entitlement — the tool doesn't select a model itself; GitHub decides which model you get. Placing skills in .github/skills/ is GitHub CLI's native discovery mechanism.
Cursor
From Anysphere, the CLI counterpart to the Cursor editor. Session resumption code exists but doesn't actually work — the Cursor CLI event stream doesn't return a session ID, so any resume value you pass is always invalid. If you need resume, pick something else.
Gemini
From Google, supports the Gemini 2.5 and 3 series. No session resumption and no MCP — suitable for one-shot tasks that don't need long context memory.
Hermes
From Nous Research. Uses the ACP protocol (shares a transport with Kimi). Session resumption works. But the skill injection path is the generic fallback (.agent_context/skills/), not a dedicated one — if the Hermes CLI itself doesn't read this path, skills may not take effect. Verify by testing.
Kimi
From Moonshot, aimed at the Chinese market. Shares the ACP protocol with Hermes, but the skill path .kimi/skills/ is Kimi CLI's native discovery mechanism — different from Hermes's fallback.
OpenCode
From SST, open source. Dynamically discovers available models (scans the CLI's configuration file). Session resumption works. Suitable for tinkerers who want to customize their model catalog.
OpenClaw
Open-source project, a CLI agent orchestrator. Model is bound at the agent layer (openclaw agents add --model) — it can't be overridden per task. Configuration is strictly controlled: users can't pass --model or --system-prompt; the agent-registration config decides.
Pi
From Inflection AI, minimalist. Session resumption is unusual — the session ID is a file path on disk (~/.pi/...) rather than a string ID. In other tools, the resume id is a string returned by the CLI; in Pi, the resume id is the session file itself.
Session resumption: who really supports it
The session resumption mechanism is covered in Tasks. Here's the exact current state per tool:
| Status | Tools | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Really works | Claude Code, Copilot, Hermes, Kimi, OpenCode, OpenClaw, Pi | Pass the resume id and it continues from the previous context |
| ⚠️ Code exists but unreachable | Codex, Cursor | Resume paths exist in the code but aren't actually reached (Codex silently falls back; Cursor doesn't return session id) — treat as unsupported |
| ❌ None | Gemini | The CLI has no resume mechanism |
For your decision: if your workflow needs agents to preserve context across tasks (failure retries, manual reruns, conversational iteration), pick only from the ✅ row.
MCP configuration: only Claude Code actually reads it
Of the 10 tools, only Claude Code actually consumes mcp_config. The other 9 accept the field but completely ignore it — no error, no warning, the config just has no effect.
If you set mcp_config in an agent configuration but pick a tool other than Claude Code, your MCP servers have no effect on that agent. MCP integration currently covers Claude Code only.
Where skill files go
Each tool uses its own skill discovery path. Before a task runs, the Multica daemon copies the workspace's skill files into the corresponding path:
| Tool | Path | Native discovery? |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | .claude/skills/ | ✅ Native |
| Codex | $CODEX_HOME/skills/ | ✅ Native |
| Copilot | .github/skills/ | ✅ Native |
| Cursor | .cursor/skills/ | ✅ Native |
| Kimi | .kimi/skills/ | ✅ Native |
| OpenCode | .config/opencode/skills/ | ✅ Native |
| Pi | .pi/agent/skills/ | ✅ Native |
| Gemini | .agent_context/skills/ | ⚠️ Generic fallback |
| Hermes | .agent_context/skills/ | ⚠️ Generic fallback |
| OpenClaw | .agent_context/skills/ | ⚠️ Generic fallback |
Whether a fallback-path tool actually reads this directory depends on the tool's own documentation — no guarantees. If your skills aren't taking effect for Gemini / Hermes / OpenClaw, check this first.
For creating and using skills, see Skills.
Next
- Creating and configuring agents — pick a tool for your agent
- Tasks — task lifecycle and session-resumption mechanics
- Daemon and runtimes — where the tools run and how they connect to Multica