Pick Your Agent: Using Claude and Codex on Agent HQ

The GitHub ecosystem continues to expand its AI capabilities with the introduction of Agent HQ, a new platform that gives developers the freedom to select between different AI models for their coding needs. This development represents a significant shift in how developers can approach AI-assisted programming, moving beyond a single-model approach to offer genuine choice.

What Agent HQ brings to the table

Agent HQ serves as a unified interface where developers can access multiple AI coding agents, specifically highlighting the ability to work with both Claude and Codex. This flexibility addresses a growing demand in the developer community for choice in AI tools, recognizing that different models excel at different types of coding tasks.

The platform essentially acts as a marketplace for AI coding assistance, allowing users to:

• Switch between Claude and Codex based on task requirements
• Compare outputs from different models on the same problem
• Leverage the strengths of each model where they shine
• Maintain consistency across projects while using different AI backends

Why model choice matters

For years, developers have been limited to whatever AI model their platform provided. Agent HQ breaks this paradigm by acknowledging that no single model is optimal for every scenario. Claude, developed by Anthropic, tends to excel at certain types of reasoning and code generation, while Codex (the model behind GitHub Copilot) has its own strengths in code completion and context awareness.

This choice becomes particularly valuable when:

• Working on complex algorithmic problems where Claude's reasoning capabilities might provide better solutions
• Needing rapid code completion where Codex's integration with GitHub's ecosystem offers advantages
• Comparing approaches to the same problem across different AI architectures
• Building tools that need to work with multiple AI backends

How to get started

Getting started with Agent HQ is straightforward. Developers can access the platform through GitHub's interface and immediately begin experimenting with both Claude and Codex. The setup process involves:

1. Navigating to the Agent HQ section in your GitHub account
2. Selecting your preferred AI model for a given task
3. Beginning your coding session with the chosen agent
4. Switching models as needed for different aspects of your work

The platform maintains consistency in how you interact with the AI, regardless of which model you choose, making the transition between Claude and Codex seamless from a user experience perspective.

The bigger picture

This move by GitHub reflects a broader trend in the AI development space toward model-agnostic platforms. Rather than locking users into a single AI provider, Agent HQ embraces the reality that the best tool often depends on the specific job at hand.

For developers, this means more flexibility and potentially better outcomes as they can match the right AI to the right task. For the AI ecosystem, it creates healthy competition that should drive continued improvements across all models.

As AI coding tools continue to evolve, platforms like Agent HQ that prioritize developer choice will likely become increasingly important. The ability to pick your agent isn't just a feature—it's a fundamental shift in how we think about AI-assisted development.

Featured image: Agent HQ interface showing model selection options