---
title: "Conductor for Linux? A free alternative: microManager"
description: "Conductor has no Linux app. microManager runs Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build and more in parallel git worktrees on Linux, as a free AppImage or .deb."
url: "https://micromanager.win/conductor-for-linux"
updated: "2026-11-08"
---

# A Conductor alternative for Linux

Conductor is a Mac app with no Linux version, so on Linux you need another tool for its way of working. microManager is a free Linux app, as an AppImage or a .deb, that runs Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, OpenCode and Gemini CLI in parallel, each in its own git worktree, and reads Conductor’s repository settings files.

Updated 8 November 2026

[Download the AppImage](https://micromanager.win/download/linux) [Download the .deb](https://micromanager.win/download/linux-deb) [Install steps](https://micromanager.win/install#linux)

## Is there a Conductor app for Linux?

No. Conductor’s own site and documentation describe a Mac app and offer no Linux or Windows version (we checked on 8 November 2026). Since Meta acquired Conductor on 4 November 2026, nobody new can sign up or download its Mac app, and Conductor Cloud is shut down from 20 November 2026; the [shutdown timeline](https://micromanager.win/conductor-shutdown) has the details.

## What does microManager do on Linux?

The same things it does on a Mac, with your Linux shell, desktop and apps.

| Part            | On Linux                                                                                                                              |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Packages        | x64, as an AppImage that runs on most distributions and a .deb for Debian and Ubuntu.                                                 |
| Isolation       | Every workspace is a git worktree on its own branch, with ten reserved ports and your ignored files (such as .env) copied in.         |
| Scripts         | Setup, run and archive scripts run with your login shell when it is zsh or bash, otherwise bash, with your login shell’s environment. |
| Terminals       | A terminal drawer per workspace running your $SHELL, or bash.                                                                         |
| Open in         | your file manager, your default terminal, VS Code, Cursor, Zed, Windsurf, or the branch on GitHub.                                    |
| Review and ship | Diff review with line comments sent back to the agent, checkpoints before every message, and pull requests through the GitHub CLI.    |
| Shortcuts       | Ctrl takes the place of the Mac’s ⌘: Ctrl+N new workspace, Ctrl+T new tab, Ctrl+K command palette.                                    |

## Which coding agents can I run on Linux?

[Claude Code](https://micromanager.win/agents/claude-code), [Codex](https://micromanager.win/agents/codex), [Grok Build](https://micromanager.win/agents/grok), [OpenCode](https://micromanager.win/agents/opencode), [Gemini CLI](https://micromanager.win/agents/gemini-cli) and any other [ACP agent](https://micromanager.win/features/acp-agents) whose CLI is installed and signed in. microManager looks them up on your login shell’s `PATH`, the same one a new terminal gets, or uses the absolute path you set in Settings → Agents.

## Will scripts written for Conductor work on Linux?

Usually, yes. microManager reads `.conductor/settings.toml`, `conductor.json` and `.worktreeinclude`, sets the same `CONDUCTOR_*` variables, and runs scripts with bash or zsh. Only commands that exist just on macOS, such as `open`, `pbcopy` or `brew`, need a Linux equivalent (`xdg-open`, `xclip`, your package manager). Put a Linux-only version in `.micromanager/settings.local.toml`, which takes precedence (see [repository settings](https://micromanager.win/docs/repository-settings)).

## How do I install microManager on Linux?

Paste `curl -fsSL https://micromanager.win/install.sh | sh` into a terminal: it downloads the AppImage, checks its SHA-512, installs it as `~/.local/bin/micromanager` and adds it to your applications menu, without sudo. Or download the AppImage, make it executable with `chmod +x` and run it, or install the .deb with `sudo apt install ./FILE.deb`. The [download page](https://micromanager.win/install#linux) has the steps, requirements and how to check the file’s SHA-512.

## I used Conductor on a Mac. How do I move my work to Linux?

Conductor’s workspaces are ordinary git branches, so push the ones you want to keep from the Mac, clone the repository on Linux and add it to microManager; then **Ctrl+Shift+N** starts a workspace on each branch, which it checks out as it is. Chats stay on the Mac, because Import from Conductor reads Conductor’s local data, which exists only there. If you keep a Mac as well, [import there](https://micromanager.win/migrate-from-conductor) to keep your chats.

## Sources

1. [Conductor home page](https://www.conductor.build/), Conductor. Read 8 November 2026.
2. [Conductor documentation: introduction](https://www.conductor.build/docs/), Conductor. Read 8 November 2026.
3. [Conductor is joining Meta](https://www.conductor.build/announcement), Conductor. Read 8 November 2026.

## Questions about Linux

### Is there a Conductor app for Linux?

No. Conductor describes itself as an app for running coding agents on a Mac, and its site offers no Linux version. Since 4 November 2026 it has also stopped taking new users on any system.

### Which Linux distributions does microManager support?

The AppImage runs on most x64 desktop distributions without installing anything, and the .deb installs on Debian, Ubuntu and their derivatives. ARM64 Linux is not supported yet.

### Does it need root?

The AppImage does not: make it executable and run it. Installing the .deb goes through your package manager, which asks for sudo as usual.

### Does it update itself on Linux?

Yes. The AppImage and the .deb check for a new version when they start and every six hours, like the Mac and Windows apps, and show Restart to update when it is ready. Updating the .deb asks for your password.

### Can I import my Conductor workspaces on Linux?

No. Conductor’s desktop app only ever ran on Macs, so that is where its data is. Import from Conductor is available in the Mac version; on Linux, clone your repositories and add them.
