SDK Feature Comparison

Agor integrates with multiple AI coding agents. Each SDK has different capabilities based on their native features and API design.

Feature Matrix

Legend:

• ✅ Full support - Feature works natively via SDK
• ⚠️ Limited - Partial support or workarounds needed
• 🟡 Emulated - Agor implements the feature
• ❌ Not supported - Not available

Detailed Feature Breakdown

1. Streaming Responses

All SDKs support streaming, but with different patterns:

Claude Code:

• Token-level streaming via async generators
• True real-time with minimal latency
• Supports stopping mid-stream

Codex:

• Streaming via OpenAI’s SSE (Server-Sent Events)
• Chunks may be larger than tokens
• Good real-time performance

Gemini:

• Streaming via sendMessageStream()
• Token-level chunks
• Reliable streaming performance

Agor Implementation: StreamingCallbacks interface provides unified streaming for all agents.

2. Stop Mid-Execution

Claude Code: ✅ Full support

• Native interrupt() method in Agent SDK
• Gracefully stops execution
• Returns partial results
• Safe cleanup of resources

Codex: ⚠️ Limited

• Can abort HTTP request
• May lose partial work
• Less graceful than Claude

Gemini: ⚠️ Limited

• Can abort stream
• May lose partial tool execution results
• Similar to Codex limitations

3. Session Import/Export

Claude Code: ✅ Full support

• Sessions stored as JSONL transcript files in ~/.claude/projects/
• Rich metadata (git state, tool uses, timestamps)
• Agor can parse and replay transcripts
• Enables session portability

Codex: ❌ Not supported

• No native session persistence format
• Agor stores sessions in own database
• Cannot import external Codex sessions

Gemini: ❌ Not supported

• Has checkpoint system but format undocumented
• Agor stores sessions in own database
• Cannot import external Gemini sessions

4. Session Forking

All agents support forking via Agor’s replay mechanism:

1. User requests fork at specific message
2. Agor creates new session
3. Replays messages up to fork point
4. New prompts diverge from original
5. Full genealogy tracking in database

Note: This is an Agor feature, not SDK-native. Works identically across all agents.

5. MCP Integration

Claude Code: ✅ Native support

• MCP servers configured in Agent SDK options
• Tools automatically exposed to Claude
• Supports MCP prompts, resources, and tools
• Agor UI for managing MCP server configs per session

Codex: ❌ Not supported

• No MCP protocol support
• Would require custom tool definitions

Gemini: ❌ Not supported

• No MCP protocol support
• Uses Google’s function calling instead

See MCP Integration Guide for details on using MCP with Claude Code.

6. Permission Requests

Claude Code: ✅ Rich permission system

• Granular tool-level permissions (Read, Write, Edit, Bash, etc.)
• Permission modes: 'ask', 'auto', 'allow-all'
• Tool-specific context (file paths, command previews)
• Diff previews for file edits
• Agor shows rich permission modals with previews

Codex: ⚠️ Basic permission modes

• Simpler permission system
• Modes: 'ask', 'auto', 'allow-all'
• Less granular than Claude

Gemini: ⚠️ Basic permission modes

• Similar to Codex
• Function calling requires explicit approval
• Less detailed context than Claude

Agor Implementation: Permission modals adapt based on available SDK metadata. Claude shows richest UX.

7. Project Instructions

Claude Code: ✅ CLAUDE.md auto-loading

• Agent SDK automatically loads CLAUDE.md from working directory
• Supports both project-level (.claude/) and personal (~/.claude/) instructions
• No manual injection needed
• Agor sessions inherit project instructions automatically

Codex: ⚠️ Manual injection

• No standard instruction file format
• Agor can inject instructions via system prompt
• Requires explicit configuration

Gemini: ⚠️ Manual injection

• No standard instruction file format
• Agor can inject instructions via system prompt
• Requires explicit configuration

Recommendation: Use Claude Code for projects with rich context requirements. For Codex/Gemini, manage instructions in Agor session config.

8. Git Awareness

Claude Code: ✅ Built-in git tracking

• SDK tracks git state natively
• Knows current branch, commit SHA, dirty state
• Can reference git history in responses

Codex: ❌ No native git awareness

• Agor manages git state for worktrees
• Git context injected via prompts if needed

Gemini: ❌ No native git awareness

• Agor manages git state for worktrees
• Git context injected via prompts if needed

Agor Implementation: All sessions track git state in database. Claude gets it “for free”, others rely on Agor’s worktree management.

9. Tool Execution & Visualization

Claude Code: ✅ Rich tool metadata

• Detailed tool use objects with id, name, input
• Tool result blocks with rich content types
• Supports rendering custom tool widgets (Todo lists, diffs, etc.)
• Agor can build sophisticated tool visualizations

Codex: ⚠️ Basic function calling

• OpenAI function calling format
• Less structured than Claude’s tools
• Agor normalizes to common format

Gemini: ⚠️ Basic function calling

• Google function calling format
• Similar to Codex in structure
• Agor normalizes to common format

Agor’s Tool Widgets:

• Todo lists - Rendered from Claude’s TodoWrite tool
• File diffs - Syntax-highlighted edits (Claude Write/Edit tools)
• Bash output - Terminal-style output rendering
• Permission requests - Interactive approval modals

Works best with Claude Code due to richer tool metadata.

10. Session Continuity

Claude Code: ✅ SDK-managed conversation

• Agent SDK assigns session_id for multi-turn conversations
• Agor captures and stores sdk_session_id
• Seamless continuity across multiple prompts
• No message replay needed

Codex: 🟡 History-based continuity

• No native session concept
• Agor passes message history array to each API call
• Seamless from user perspective, more work behind the scenes

Gemini: 🟡 History-based continuity

• Uses setHistory() to restore conversation state
• Similar to Codex pattern
• Works reliably but requires explicit history management

Performance Consideration: Claude’s session_id approach scales better for very long conversations (no need to resend full history). Codex/Gemini history-based approach works fine for typical sessions.

Choosing an Agent

Use Claude Code when:

• You need rich project instructions (CLAUDE.md)
• MCP server integration is required
• You want detailed tool execution visualization
• Session import/export is important
• You need the best permission request UX

Use Codex when:

• You prefer OpenAI’s models
• You don’t need MCP integration
• Basic permissions are sufficient
• You’re okay with Agor managing context

Use Gemini when:

• You prefer Google’s models
• Cost is a primary concern (Gemini pricing)
• Streaming is important (Gemini has good streaming)
• You don’t need MCP integration

Future Improvements

As agent SDKs evolve, Agor will gain new capabilities:

• Codex MCP support - If OpenAI adds MCP protocol
• Gemini project files - If Google adds instruction file support
• Better stop controls - More graceful cancellation for all agents
• Richer tool metadata - If Codex/Gemini expose more tool details

Check the Native CLI Feature Gaps doc for SDK feature requests and advocacy.

Related Documentation

• Agent Integration Architecture
• MCP Integration
• Permission System
• Tool Visualization