ACP Agents
ADHDev ships a broad built-in inventory of adapters for the Agent Client Protocol (ACP).
WARNING
ACP inventory is broad, but every ACP provider should be treated as unverified until it is explicitly tested and promoted in the compatibility docs.
What is ACP?
ACP is a structured agent protocol. In ADHDev terms, it is the path used when an agent behaves more like a protocol-driven chat process than a terminal session.
That usually means ADHDev can:
- launch the agent process
- send prompts as structured requests
- stream structured responses back into the dashboard
- expose model, mode, or other config controls when the provider offers them
ACP vs CLI
ACP sessions are usually best understood in contrast with CLI sessions:
| Surface | ACP | CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Primary rendering | Chat-style structured session | Terminal-first PTY session |
| Best fit | Protocol-native agents and schema-driven controls | Shell workflows, TUIs, and raw terminal output |
| Typical controls | Model/mode/config when provider exposes them | Terminal input, scrollback, and session-host recovery |
| Recovery model | Process/session lifecycle | Hosted runtime and session-host lifecycle |
If you want raw terminal behavior, use the CLI path. If you want structured chat behavior, ACP is often the better fit.
How ACP Looks In The Dashboard
ACP sessions appear in the dashboard as chat-style conversations rather than terminal panes.
Depending on the provider, you may be able to:
- send prompts from the normal chat input
- read structured streaming responses
- handle approvals from the dashboard
- switch model or mode
- use provider-specific configuration options exposed through the controls bar
Launching ACP Sessions
ACP providers are launched from the same machine/workspace start flow used for other session types:
- Open a machine.
- Choose the workspace you want.
- Choose the ACP category.
- Pick the provider.
- Launch the session into the dashboard.
If no ACP providers appear, that usually means the selected machine does not have a usable ACP provider installed or configured.
Built-in ACP Inventory
ADHDev currently ships 35 built-in ACP adapters. Better-known names in the inventory include:
- Gemini CLI
- Codex
- Claude Agent
- Cursor
- Cline
- GitHub Copilot
- Goose
- Kimi CLI
- OpenCode
- Qwen Code
Again, built-in inventory does not mean blanket support.
Authentication And Caveats
ACP tools still handle their own authentication and upstream setup.
Common patterns:
- API keys still belong to the upstream tool
- missing auth often looks like a launch failure
- some ACP tools depend on upstream experimental flags or unstable protocol features
- control depth varies a lot by provider
This is why ACP is powerful but uneven across the inventory.
When To Prefer ACP
ACP is a good fit when you want:
- a structured chat-style session instead of a terminal
- provider-exposed model and mode controls in the dashboard
- a cleaner protocol surface for agents that already speak ACP well
If the provider is more terminal-native, the CLI path may still be more reliable in practice.