Influxx Native Chat and Dual Intelligence: Local CLI vs Managed Credits
Influxx gives you two presentation choices for agent sessions and two intelligence paths for how those sessions are powered. Native chat is optional chat chrome over the same agent terminal session—so you can prefer conversation layout without abandoning your real coding CLI. Dual intelligence splits day-to-day work into a local CLI path (bring your own keys and subscriptions) and an optional managed credits path for onboarding-friendly chat. This guide explains how native chat relates to the underlying PTY, when to open agent tabs in chat by default, how Local CLI and Managed differ, and why production teams should treat the local path as the primary lane today.
Native Chat Is Chrome, Not a Second Agent
Optional native chat sits over the same agent PTY that powers a raw terminal tab. You are not switching to a proprietary chat bot when you enable chat view. The session is still your Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Cursor Agent, or other catalog CLI running inside a worktree-scoped terminal. Influxx only changes how that session is presented: chat-shaped history and message chrome instead of (or alongside) full TUI fidelity. Status, usage, notifications, and worktree isolation stay the same either way.
That distinction matters when you compare Influxx to products that replace your CLI with a closed chat API. Here the cockpit hosts the agent you already use. Native chat aims at TUI parity for supported agents—for example Codex resume and history patterns—so chat is a presentation layer over the same process, not a fork of identity. Resume, history, and provider auth remain tied to the CLI and accounts you configured, not to a separate Influxx-only model thread.
Native chat is optional chrome over the same agent PTY—choose presentation, not a different agent identity.
Open Agent Tabs in Chat by Default
Prefer conversation layout for new launches? Use Settings so agent tabs open in chat by default instead of raw terminal chrome. New agent tabs from the tab strip, note Run, New Workspace, and other launch paths then land in chat view when that preference is on. You can still use terminal view when you need full TUI keybindings, scrollback, and the exact interaction model the CLI authors shipped. Flip the preference when your day’s work favors one presentation over the other.
- Same PTY: Chat and terminal views share the underlying agent session in the worktree
- Settings default: Open agent tabs in chat by default when you want chat chrome on every new launch
- TUI parity goal: Supported agents (for example Codex resume/history) keep familiar CLI patterns under chat chrome
- Terminal when you need fidelity: Raw TUI for full keybindings, scrollback, and CLI-native interaction
- Chat when shape matters: Conversation layout, message history, and resume UX for supported agents
Launch paths do not change because you chose chat chrome. New Workspace still creates a worktree and can start the agent; the tab strip still offers New terminal, New agent, and Quick Commands; Sidebar note Run still builds a context pack and opens a CLI agent tab; Tasks, the Influxx CLI, and Automations still start work the same way. Chat-by-default only affects presentation of agent tabs—not which CLI runs, which worktree scopes the files, or which provider account meters the session.
When to Prefer Terminal View vs Chat View
Use terminal view when you want the agent exactly as its authors intended: full TUI, OSC status signals, permission prompts in place, and keybindings that match docs outside Influxx. Use chat view when the work is conversational—long back-and-forth, resume of prior history patterns, or a cleaner read of turns—while still driving the same binary. Mixed fleets are normal: one worktree in chat for Codex-shaped resume, another in terminal for a Claude TUI that you operate like a shell tool.
Pair Native Chat With a Clear Default Agent
Set your default agent in onboarding or Settings → Agents so quick launches and note Run land on a CLI you trust. Override launch commands when the binary path or flags are non-standard. Then decide whether that default should open in chat or terminal. Multi-CLI fleets still pick Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Cursor Agent, OpenCode, Gemini, or any configured shell binary per run—chat chrome does not lock you to one provider.
Dual Intelligence: Local CLI and Managed Credits
Influxx exposes two intelligence paths. Local CLI is “use your CLI and go”: a worktree PTY plus your own keys and subscriptions. Managed is the onboarding-friendly credits path with chat-style runtime for users who want credits-metered work instead of bringing every provider login on day one. Product intent is deliberate: a Pro seat unlocks cockpit access—bring-your-own CLI, notes, and orchestration—while credits meter only the managed path. You are not charged credits for every keystroke on a BYO Claude or Codex session.
- Local CLI: Worktree PTY + your keys/subscriptions—preferred for day-to-day production work
- Managed: Credits + chat via a managed credit runtime toward a cloud gateway—optional onboarding lane
- Pro seat: Cockpit access for BYO CLI, notes, and orchestration
- Credits scope: Credits meter the managed path only, not every local CLI session
- Honest maturity: Managed backend is still landing; client surfaces exist with mock streaming until the gateway is live
Prefer the local CLI path for production work today; treat managed credits as the optional onboarding lane—not a replacement for every local agent.
Local CLI is the path that matches how Influxx defines an agent: a terminal CLI running in a worktree-scoped PTY, tracked for status, usage, notifications, and history without replacing the CLI’s own tools. Your catalog entries—Claude Code, Claude Agent Teams, Codex, Grok, Cursor Agent, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Gemini, Pi, Amp, Goose, Droid, Cline, Kimi, Hermes, Devin, and more—plus any shell binary you configure, all fit that model. Managed sits beside that model for teams that want a credits chat lane while the gateway matures; it is not required to ship features from notes, tasks, or parallel worktrees.
Choose a Path for Today’s Work
For serious implementation, review, and parallel bake-offs: stay on Local CLI. Confirm the agent binary is available, set AI Provider Accounts for Claude, Codex, Grok, or others as needed, and launch from New Workspace, note Run, tab strip, Tasks, CLI, or Automations. Use native chat chrome if you prefer conversation layout over raw TUI. For onboarding or credits-only experiments: use the Managed lane when you intentionally want credits-metered chat, knowing client surfaces may stream mock responses until the managed gateway is fully live. Do not block production on Managed maturity—Local CLI is ready now.
How Native Chat and Dual Intelligence Fit Together
Native chat is orthogonal to which intelligence path you use. Local CLI sessions can open in chat or terminal. Managed is chat-oriented by design for onboarding. In both cases, the cockpit remains one left sidebar and one middle tab strip: agents appear as tabs, worktrees isolate checkouts, and Settings → Agents plus AI Provider Accounts shape defaults and quotas. Switching chat chrome does not move a Local CLI session onto the managed gateway; switching to Managed is an explicit intelligence-path choice, not a theme toggle.
- Local + terminal: Full TUI fidelity with your CLI and subscriptions
- Local + chat: Same CLI PTY with optional chat chrome and TUI-parity goals for supported agents
- Managed + chat: Credits lane for simpler onboarding while the gateway lands
- Seat vs credits: Cockpit features (notes, orchestration, multi-CLI) are seat-shaped; credits apply to Managed
Practical Playbook: Chat-First Local Agent Day
Set default agent under Settings → Agents (for example Claude or Codex). Enable open-agent-tabs-in-chat-by-default if you want chat chrome. Create or select a worktree, write a plan note or open New Workspace with a prompt, and launch. Watch status for working, idle, or needs input; keep desktop notifications on so finishes are not silent. Review diffs in Source Control, send line notes if needed, and ship. Stay on Local CLI the entire day—native chat never required Managed credits for that workflow.
Practical Playbook: Mixed Presentation Fleet
Run a parallel bake-off with multiple worktrees and the same prompt across Claude, Codex, and Grok (or Cursor Agent). Open one agent in terminal for deep TUI control and another in chat for resume/history-friendly review. Compare diffs, keep the winner, delete the rest. Dual intelligence stays Local CLI for all runs unless you explicitly opt a session into Managed. Presentation and billing path remain independent decisions.
Troubleshooting Chat and Path Confusion
If chat view feels empty or stalled, open the same tab’s terminal perspective and check for trust, permission, or needs-input prompts the CLI is waiting on—chat chrome does not remove those gates. If the wrong CLI opens, fix Settings → Agents default or pick the agent explicitly at launch; chat-by-default does not remap which binary starts. If you expected Managed credits but usage only shows provider meters, you are likely on Local CLI (correct for production). If Managed streaming looks incomplete, remember the managed backend is still landing and client surfaces may mock stream until the gateway is live—prefer Local CLI for real shipping work.
- Stuck in chat: Check the underlying PTY for CLI prompts and trust dialogs
- Wrong agent: Override default or choose CLI at New Workspace / new agent / CLI launch
- Unexpected credits worry: Local CLI uses your keys/subscriptions; credits meter Managed only
- Managed not production-ready: Prefer Local CLI until the managed gateway is live
Master two switches—chat vs terminal chrome, Local CLI vs Managed credits—and keep production on the local path with the presentation you prefer.
Native chat and dual intelligence are about control, not lock-in. Chat chrome lets you read and resume supported agents in a conversation layout without leaving the worktree PTY model. Dual intelligence lets newcomers try a credits chat lane while Pro seats keep BYO CLI, notes, and orchestration as the durable cockpit. Launch from composer, tabs, notes, tasks, CLI, or automations the same way either way. For day-to-day production, choose Local CLI, pick the CLIs in your catalog, optionally open them in chat by default, and treat Managed as the optional credits lane as it matures.
