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Orca

An open-source agent IDE that runs Claude Code, Codex and other coding agents in parallel on the desktop, each in its own git worktree, on existing subscriptions; MIT-licensedOpen source

About Orca

Orca is an open-source agent development environment: the desktop app runs Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other coding agents in parallel, each in its own git worktree, with terminals, diff comments, an embedded browser and a CLI. Agents run on existing subscriptions, iOS and Android companion apps pair with the desktop, and work can run on SSH hosts or a self-hosted Orca server. It is MIT-licensed, copyright Lovecast Inc. As of 2026-10-26 the latest stable release is v1.4.240, published on GitHub 2026-10-25 12:02 (UTC+8).

EditorialUpdated 6 min read

What problem it solves

The GitHub description presents Orca as the place for working with a fleet of agents, such as Grok Bot and Claude Code, running any coding agent on the user's own subscription, available on desktop, mobile and remote runtime. The homepage headline is Ship 100x with the agent IDE, and the page says Claude Code, Codex and any other coding agent run in parallel, each in its own worktree.

Problem and approach. The Orca website says it splits tasks into isolated environments "so multiple agents can work side by side without interfering with each other"; Orca gives each task an isolated git worktree and puts terminals, diffs, a browser and a CLI in one desktop app. Orca ships no model of its own, and agents sign in with their existing subscriptions.

Execution targets. The Ways to run docs list four: the local desktop, SSH hosts, a self-hosted Orca server, and per-workspace cloud VMs; the last is turned on under Settings → Experimental and uses the user's own cloud provider account. The docs say Orca does not sell managed VPS hosting.

The repository was created 2026-03-17 11:28 (UTC+8). Recent stable releases: v1.4.237 on 2026-10-21 15:25 (UTC+8), v1.4.238 on 2026-10-24 05:47 (UTC+8), v1.4.239 on 2026-10-24 15:10 (UTC+8) and v1.4.240 on 2026-10-25 12:02 (UTC+8).

Publisher: Lovecast Inc. The LICENSE copyright holder and the entity in the terms and privacy policy are Lovecast Inc.

Ship 100x with the agent IDE

Orca homepage headline

Core capabilities

Parallel worktrees. The README says one prompt can fan out to five agents, each in an isolated git worktree, with the results then compared and merged.

Workbench. The README lists GPU-rendered terminal splits, a Chromium-based Design Mode that sends a page element's HTML, CSS and a cropped screenshot into the prompt, comments on diff lines sent back to the agent, dragging files into prompts, quick open and the Orca CLI.

Tasks and accounts. The README says GitHub pull requests and issues and Linear boards can be browsed in the app, with a worktree opened straight from a task; Claude and Codex usage and rate-limit resets are shown, and accounts can be swapped.

Agent coverage. The Supported agents docs say any CLI agent runs and list the preconfigured ones, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor CLI and a few others marked as deep integrations.

Mobile and SSH. The companion app shows agent status, sends completion notifications and accepts follow-up prompts; SSH worktrees auto-reconnect and forward ports. The enterprise page says Orca does not sit between the user and the model: prompts and code go straight to the configured providers.

Who uses it

As of 2026-10-26 the GitHub API shows 105,726 stars, 6,688 forks; the GitHub API's open_issues_count (which includes open issues and PRs) is 8,526.

Releases. The README says the team ships daily and calls GitHub Releases the real feature list; from 2026-10-21 to 2026-10-25 the stable releases on GitHub Releases were v1.4.233, v1.4.235, v1.4.237, v1.4.238, v1.4.239 and v1.4.240, alongside the Android companion prerelease mobile-android-v0.0.58.

How it compares

Against T3 Code: both are MIT, and both drive coding agents already signed in on the machine using existing subscriptions. The T3 Code README lists 6 providers; the Orca Supported agents docs table lists 41 entries, and Orca adds terminal splits, a browser and per-worktree isolation.

Against Conductor: Conductor's terms describe its platform as Conductor's proprietary hosted AI automation software platform; Orca is MIT, with source that can be modified and redistributed.

Against OpenCode: OpenCode is MIT and describes itself as The open source coding agent.; it is an agent in its own right, while Orca ships no agent and lists OpenCode among its preconfigured agents.

Who it's for / Not for

Good fit:

  • Developers with several coding-agent subscriptions who run parallel tasks on one repository and weigh the results side by side.
  • Developers with a spare machine or dev box who keep agents running after the laptop sleeps and check progress from a phone.
  • Teams that need an MIT licence and a self-hosted setup.

Not a fit:

  • Environments that require a human to approve every agent command: the docs say Orca pre-fills each agent's permission-bypass flag for new launches, and switching to Manual takes a settings change.
  • Environments that accept no outbound usage data at all: packaged builds carry anonymous telemetry, switchable off under Settings → Privacy or with DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or ORCA_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1.
  • Teams that need vendor-hosted cloud compute: the cloud VM mode uses the user's own provider account and is still experimental.

Getting started

Install. The README offers macOS builds for Apple Silicon and Intel, a Windows exe installer and a Linux AppImage, plus Homebrew and AUR packages; the companion app is on the App Store, and Android ships as an APK.

First run. A project is opened, a worktree created, and a signed-in CLI agent chosen from the agent selector.

Permission mode. The docs say Settings → Agents → Agent Permissions switches terminal agents between Yolo and Manual.

Running off the laptop. SSH hosts are added under Settings → SSH; a headless Linux server starts with orca serve and pairs with the desktop, a browser or a phone through a pairing link.

Turning telemetry off. Any one of three works: the Share anonymous usage data switch under Settings → Privacy, or the environment variable DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or ORCA_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1.

Pricing & license

Software: MIT, free. The README says Orca is free and open source under the MIT License.

Costs: agent and model charges come from each provider, and Orca uses the subscriptions a user already has. In the cloud VM mode, compute is billed by the user's own provider, and the docs say Orca does not sell managed VPS hosting. The enterprise page describes SOC 2 readiness (as reported by the vendor) and routes deployment and security questions to the team.

Licence relationship: the terms say the Orca application is made available under the MIT License. The LICENSE is MIT, with the line Copyright (c) 2026 Lovecast Inc.

Risks & limits

Permission flags pre-filled. The docs say Orca pre-fills each agent's permission-bypass flag for new launches, such as --dangerously-skip-permissions for Claude, --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox for Codex and --yolo for Gemini, Cursor and others, on the grounds that worktrees are disposable. Agents run commands without per-command confirmation.

Telemetry. The docs say packaged builds collect anonymous usage events keyed by a random local ID, without prompts, code, file paths or IP, sent to PostHog Cloud with PostHog's plan-level retention. Code comments say users who set up Orca before telemetry shipped first see a notice banner and nothing is sent until they resolve it, with dismissal counting as opt-in; new users receive install-time disclosure. The privacy policy adds that the website uses Plausible and PostHog for visit analytics.

Release frequency. The README says the team ships daily and that its feature list is perpetually behind.

Cloud VMs are experimental. The docs say the mode is turned on under Settings → Experimental and billed to the user's provider account.

Differing statements in vendor materials:

  • Number of supported agents: the homepage feature table says 27 supported agents; the Supported agents docs table lists 41 entries.

Our verdict

Orca lets several CLI coding agents run in parallel on the desktop, one isolated git worktree per task, with terminals, diff comments, a browser and a CLI in one app; agents use existing subscriptions, the license is MIT, and work can run on SSH hosts or a self-hosted Orca server.

Its limits: the docs say new agent launches pre-fill permission-bypass flags, and switching to Manual takes a settings change; packaged builds collect anonymous telemetry, switchable off in settings or with environment variables; the cloud VM mode is still experimental and needs the user's own provider account; and the README says its feature list is perpetually behind.

Sources

Official

  1. Orca READMEGitHub · Accessed Oct 26, 2026
  2. Orca LICENSE (MIT)GitHub · Accessed Oct 26, 2026
  3. Orca telemetry consent logic (consent.ts)GitHub · Accessed Oct 26, 2026
  4. Orca telemetry client (client.ts)GitHub · Accessed Oct 26, 2026
  5. Orca repository on GitHubGitHub · Accessed Oct 26, 2026
  6. Orca releases on GitHubGitHub · Accessed Oct 26, 2026

Related products

  1. Orca homepageonorca.dev · Accessed Oct 26, 2026
  2. Orca Enterpriseonorca.dev · Accessed Oct 26, 2026

Updates & reading