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Quickstart

Install OpenOrc, add a project, and finish your first change in a few minutes.

Install OpenOrc

Get the installer from the download page, which highlights the one for your computer when it can tell. OpenOrc is free and open source, and you don't need an OpenOrc account.

ComputerInstallerNotes
Mac with Apple silicon or IntelDMGSigned and notarized. Open it and move OpenOrc to your Applications folder.
Windows, 64-bitEXEAn installer that lets you choose the folder. Beta installers are unsigned, so Windows may warn that it doesn't recognize the app.
Linux, x64RPM, DEB, or AppImageOpenOrc doesn't update itself on Linux. Install each new release over the old one.

Set up an agent

OpenOrc runs the coding agents you install yourself, signed in with your own accounts. Install at least one and sign in from a terminal. You can also do this during setup, which links to each guide.

AgentStart in a terminalAccount or key
Codexcodex loginChatGPT sign-in or an OpenAI API key
Claude Codeclaude auth loginClaude sign-in or a configured API provider
OpenCodeopencode auth loginThe provider accounts or API keys configured in OpenCode
Oh My Piomp loginProvider sign-ins or API keys configured in Oh My Pi
Cursorcursor-agent loginCursor sign-in; an Anthropic key alone does not sign the CLI in
PipiUse /login inside Pi, provider API keys, or a compatible local endpoint
Antigravityagy acp --loginGoogle sign-in or GEMINI_API_KEY
fxfx loginVercel AI Gateway; fx setup accepts a key, and native connections support other providers

On Windows, OpenOrc finds agents on your PATH. To select another installation, set OPENORC_<AGENT>_BIN to its full path, such as OPENORC_CODEX_BIN or OPENORC_PI_BIN. The agent must support your operating system.

Finish setup

The first time it opens, OpenOrc walks you through three steps: Agents, Appearance, and Project.

  1. On Agents, OpenOrc checks each agent and marks it Ready, Sign-in needed, Not installed, or Couldn't check. Fix the ones you want with Install or Sign-in guide, then click Rescan. Ready agents are selected for you. If you keep more than one, choose which one starts new threads under Start new threads with. Click Continue.
  2. On Appearance, choose System, Light, or Dark, and a palette. Click Continue.
  3. On Project, click Choose repository and pick the folder that holds your Git repository. Your files stay where they are. Click Finish setup.
  4. On Ready to work, click Start your first thread.

To add another project later, click the project's name on the New thread page and choose Add project.

Start your first thread

The New thread page opens on your project and asks What should we work on in it.

  1. Under the composer, a line says where the thread works. Click it to keep Local checkout, which works in your repository as it is, or choose Worktree to give the thread a branch and folder of its own.
  2. Check the agent and model in the composer's bottom row, and the mode beside them. Every coding agent starts in Autonomous, called Full access in Codex: it edits files and runs commands without approval prompts. You can change the mode in the composer. Available modes depend on the agent; see the comparison.
  3. Type what you want done and press Enter.
  4. Follow the work in the thread. When the agent asks before acting, choose Allow, Allow for this run, or Deny.

Review and commit

  1. When the turn ends, a card under the reply lists the files it changed. Click Review to read the diff beside the conversation, or Undo to put the files back as they were before the turn.
  2. Over the composer, the Commit chip shows how many lines the uncommitted changes add and remove. Click Commit.
  3. Write a message and click Commit.

Commit includes every change in the thread's folder, even files you edited yourself, and runs your Git hooks. For a thread in the local checkout, that is your whole working tree.

To push the commit or open a pull request, open the Commits tab in the same panel. Changes and review covers both.

Next steps

Core conceptsProjects, threads, turns, tasks, and the other ideas the rest of these pages build on.ThreadsA thread is a conversation with a coding agent about your code. Start one, steer it while it works, and pick it up later.Agents and modelsConnect Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Oh My Pi, Cursor, Pi, Antigravity, or fx, then choose the model and effort for each thread.Changes and reviewRead every change an agent makes beside the conversation, then commit, push, or open a pull request.

Checked against OpenOrc's source on November 9, 2026.