Conductor CEO Charlie Holtz Walks Us Through His AI Coding Setup
In a Nutshell
Charlie Holtz built Conductor, an Electron app that orchestrates multiple Claude/Codex agents through workspaces, PR reviews, and a three-panel GUI. He enforces strict human-led architecture, "slot-free zones," and skills files while using voice commands, fast mode, and Telegram for remote control. The workflow treats code as disposable "sawdust," prioritizes minimal output, and keeps humans conducting rather than letting AI architect.
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Charlie is the co-founder of Conductor, an app that lets users orchestrate multiple coding agents on Mac. Conductor was part of YC Summer 24. A recent essential tool is a gooseneck microphone purchased for $20 on Amazon, used to facilitate speaking to computers more frequently.
In open floor plan offices, the microphone allows leaning over to whisper instructions to Claude, such as "Please merge PR 3475," reducing disruption compared to speaking aloud. Charlie spends most of his day in Conductor, using it to build Conductor itself. He frequently initiates new tasks using Command N, which provides a sneak peek of upcoming cloud workspaces functionality.
After pressing Command N, Charlie speaks commands such as "Can you take a look at the latest Linear issue and give me a rough pass at how you'd solve it?" and presses enter. The task appears running in the sidebar. While one agent works, he switches to another chat. Keyboard shortcuts are heavily utilized, including Command Shift Y to access a workspace ready to merge. He reviews the PR, and if it looks good, proceeds; if not, he adds GitHub-style comments for clarification.
A core aspect of Conductor usage is experimentation. Multiple workspaces are launched to test different ideas, with most not making it into production. Four PRs may be in review while numerous experimental ideas remain in progress. Successful experiments can be promoted to internal settings and then experimental settings.
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