Agent workspace · Routa (Phodal Huang)
Routa
Workspace and Kanban tool that routes a goal through specialist agents (planner, implementer, verifier) across lanes, with sessions, traces and review gates. Runs as a desktop app, CLI or self-hosted web app.
Routa review
Routa is a free workspace and Kanban tool that passes a goal through several specialist agents. It runs as a desktop app, a CLI or a self-hosted web app. We read the vendor's site and GitHub pages in October 2026. We did not run an independent test.
Who it is for
Developers or small teams who want a board that splits work between a planner, an implementer and a reviewer, and who accept a more structured process than a plain agent session.
What stands out
Work moves through lanes: Backlog, Todo, Dev, Review and Done, plus Blocked. The README says each lane uses a different specialist prompt, and each card collects evidence as it moves. A review step is meant to check acceptance criteria before a card can reach Done.
The docs list ACP, MCP, A2A, AG-UI and REST as integration surfaces, and custom MCP servers can be added. Built-in providers include Claude Code, OpenCode and Codex, plus saved model aliases that use your own API key. Schedules, webhooks and a CLI are listed too.
Desktop installers on the v0.19.0 release (22 June 2026) cover macOS, Windows and Linux. The code is MIT-licensed, and we read the licence file.
Where it falls short
- It is version 0.x. The docs say the web version is run from source, with no packaged release.
- The last desktop release was in June, and the npm CLI is one version behind, although the repository still gets commits.
- The role-based process adds setup and ceremony if you only want to launch parallel agents.
- SSH or remote machines, mobile access and team sharing are not described. Whether each agent task gets its own worktree is not verified.
- No company is named behind the project. The licence names "Routa Community".
Price
No pricing was seen. The software is free under the MIT licence (seen 28 October 2026). You bring your own provider access.
Verdict
Choose it if you want a free, open-source board with explicit review gates between planner, coder and checker agents. Look elsewhere if you just want a terminal or parallel sessions, or if you need remote or phone access.
Facts: platforms, price and licence
- platforms
- macOSWindowsLinuxWebDesktop app (Tauri shell) with installers on GitHub release v0.19.0: .dmg (Apple Silicon and Intel), .exe/.msi, .AppImage/.deb. Also an npm/cargo CLI (routa-cli) and a web runtime that is run from source for self-hosting; the CLI is not counted as a separate platform.
- price
- FreeFree; no paid tier or pricing page seen. MIT licence. You enable your own providers (Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex or API model aliases with your key). Seen 2026-10-28.
- source
- Open sourceLicence: MIT (LICENSE read 2026-10-28)
- github
- phodal/routa 1.8k stars, seen 2026-10-28
Routa features
- ✓ yes AI agents
- ✓ yes Multi-agent
- ? not verified Git worktrees
- ✓ yes MCP
- ? not verified Phone control
- ? not verified Mobile app
- ? not verified SSH
- ? not verified SFTP
- ? not verified Tabs
- ? not verified Split panes
- ? not verified Cloud sync
- ? not verified Team sharing
✓ documented · – absent or not in its feature list · ? not verified
Routa strengths
- MIT licensed; desktop installers for macOS, Windows and Linux plus a CLI and a self-hosted web mode
- Kanban lanes assign a different specialist prompt per stage, and cards carry evidence and review findings forward
- Docs list ACP, MCP, A2A, AG-UI and REST integration surfaces, and custom MCP servers can be added
- Built-in providers include Claude Code, OpenCode and Codex, with saved model aliases and per-role defaults
Routa weak points
- Version 0.x; the docs say the web runtime is run from source, with no packaged web release
- Last desktop release was 2026-06-22 and npm CLI is a version behind, though the repo still gets commits
- Heavy process model (Backlog, Todo, Dev, Review, Done roles) means more setup than a plain session launcher
- Remote/SSH access, mobile and team sharing are not described in the README or quick-start docs
Who Routa is for
- best for
- Developers or small teams who want a free, open-source board that splits a task across planner, implementer and reviewer agents with explicit review gates.
- look elsewhere if
- Anyone who only wants a terminal or several parallel agent sessions without a Kanban workflow, or who needs remote SSH or phone access.
Lists that include Routa
Sources and what we could not verify
Checked 2026-10-28. Prices and features change; the vendor's page is the authority.
- github.com/phodal/routa — README: description, desktop/CLI/web surfaces, Kanban lanes, ACP/MCP/A2A, install commands
- phodal.github.io/routa — docs home: Desktop, CLI, self-hosted web
- github.com/phodal/routa/blob/main/docs/configuration/providers-and-models.md — built-in providers Claude Code, OpenCode, OpenCode SDK, Codex
- github.com/phodal/routa/blob/main/docs/platforms/index.md — web runs from source; desktop from GitHub Releases; CLI via npm or Cargo
- api.github.com/repos/phodal/routa/releases — v0.19.0 on 2026-06-22; installer asset names
- api.github.com/repos/phodal/routa — MIT licence id, 1830 stars, last push 2026-10-14, not archived
- github.com/phodal/routa/blob/main/LICENSE — MIT text, copyright Routa Community
- registry.npmjs.org/routa-cli — npm dist-tags latest 0.18.1, next 0.19.0-alpha.1
Not verified
- git_worktrees: README lists worktrees as durable objects and local worktree management, but one-worktree-per-agent-task is not stated
- ssh, sftp, tabs, split_panes, port_forwarding, jump_host, x11, serial, telnet, mosh, cloud_sync, team_sharing, phone_remote, mobile_app: not stated
- mcp true: README says MCP tools and custom MCP servers can be added; whether Routa also exposes its own MCP server not checked
- scripting_or_api true: CLI and REST/ACP surfaces listed in README, depth not checked
- no pricing page; free rests on MIT licence and README
- license holder is 'Routa Community' while GitHub owner is an individual; any company behind it not found