Bernstein

What is Bernstein?

Bernstein is an open-source orchestrator for teams that run several AI coding agents at once. Instead of an LLM deciding who does what, a deterministic Python scheduler splits a goal or a declarative YAML plan into tasks and assigns each to a terminal agent such as Claude Code, Codex, Aider or Gemini CLI, giving every agent its own git worktree. A merge queue lands only work that passes your tests, and a router picks the cheapest model that still passes. Its distinguishing area is auditability: an HMAC-chained audit log of routing decisions, signed agent cards, per-artifact lineage receipts and an air-gap deploy profile aimed at regulated environments. The project lists 53 agent adapters and installs with pipx. It is Apache 2.0 licensed, costs nothing to install, has no signup or premium tier, and you pay your own model API fees. The author states it is beta and maintained by one person, so versions should be pinned.

Use cases

• Run coding agents in parallel worktrees
• Keep an audit log of agent decisions
• Repair CI failures with agents
• Generate tests in parallel
• Replay a plan to get the same task graph
• Operate agents in air-gapped environments

Who it's for

• Platform engineers
• Engineering teams
• Compliance teams
• Regulated-industry developers

Why use Bernstein

• A deterministic scheduler lets you replay a plan and get the same task graph.
• Separate worktrees avoid merge conflicts while agents run side by side.
• Tamper-evident audit records support compliance reviews in regulated settings.
• Routing to the cheapest model that passes tests can reduce LLM spend.
• It installs free with no signup, telemetry or premium tier.

Bernstein features

• Declarative YAML plans with stages and steps
• One git worktree per agent
• 53 CLI agent adapters
• Merge queue gated by tests
• Cheapest-passing-model routing
• HMAC-chained audit log
• Signed agent cards
• Per-artifact lineage with signed receipts
• Air-gap deploy profile
• Cross-model verifier before merge
• Budget caps on plan runs
• Usable as a Python library

Bernstein integrations

• Claude Code
• Codex
• Aider
• Gemini CLI
• OpenRouter
• Cloudflare Workers
• Git

How to get started with Bernstein

1. Install the tool with pipx install bernstein.
2. State a goal on the command line or describe it in a YAML plan.
3. Bernstein turns the plan into tasks and schedules each onto an agent in its own worktree.
4. Agents work in parallel while the router picks models and a verifier checks results.
5. Passing work lands through the merge queue, and the audit log records each decision.

Bernstein limitations

• Beta status, so minor versions may change interfaces
• Maintained by one person
• Audit format replay is Bernstein-only for now
• You pay model API fees for the agents it runs
• Orchestration adds overhead for a single task on a small repo

Bernstein pricing

Bernstein is open source, so you can use and self-host it for free.

Prices can change and may vary by country or exclude tax. Check the official pricing page.

Bernstein alternatives

The main Bernstein alternatives listed on Debuly are Claude Code, Conductor, LangGraph, CrewAI, OpenHands and funes. The table compares pricing and platforms; order is A–Z.

1. 

   Claude Code

   Anthropic's coding agent that fixes bugs, writes tests and runs migrations from your terminal, IDE, desktop app, web or Slack.

   CodingAutomation and agentsDeveloper platforms
   PaidVisit Claude Code (official site)
2. 

   Conductor

   Enterprise platform for AI search (AEO) and SEO: content creation, visibility reporting, site monitoring and agent tooling.

   Marketing and SEOWritingResearch and search
   Contact salesVisit Conductor (official site)
3. 

   CrewAI

   Multi-agent framework and platform for building AI agent crews in Python or a visual editor, then deploying and monitoring them.

   Developer platformsAutomation and agentsCoding
   Open sourceVisit CrewAI (official site)
4. 

   funes

   Hugging Face's open-source command-line memory that indexes Claude Code, Codex, pi and Hermes sessions so agents can recall past work.

   Developer platformsCodingAutomation and agents
   Open sourceVisit funes (official site)
5. 

   LangGraph

   Low-level open-source orchestration framework and runtime for building stateful, long-running AI agents as graphs.

   Developer platformsAutomation and agentsCoding
   Open sourceVisit LangGraph (official site)
6. 

   OpenHands

   Open-source AI coding agent platform with a free Agent Canvas, a Teams plan, and self-hosted Enterprise control

   CodingAutomation and agentsDeveloper platforms
   FreemiumVisit OpenHands (official site)

Bernstein FAQ

Sources & verification

Facts on this page come from the official sources below, each with the date we read it. Written by Debuly; the vendor did not review this page.

Image credits

• Logo: from bernstein.run · fetched 23 Oct 2026 · Vendor trademark, used only to identify the product; removed on request
• Cover: none collected yet, so a generated tile is shown.

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