Run Five AI Coding Agents Side‑by‑Side on a Desktop with Orca

Why Multiple AI Agents Need Better Coordination

Developers often run several AI coding agents—Claude Code, Codex, etc.—in separate terminal panes, each with its own git worktree, tracking status only in their heads. The output is scattered across tmux panes, making it hard to see which agent succeeded, which failed, and how to merge diffs.

Orca: An Agent Scheduling Console, Not an IDE

Orca positions itself as a desktop/or mobile orchestrator that does not replace VS Code or Cursor but solves a single problem: running multiple AI coding agents concurrently and managing their outputs in one place.

Parallel Worktrees

The core feature, Parallel Worktrees , lets a user write one prompt, select “parallel mode,” and automatically forks multiple git worktrees, each running a distinct agent (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Pi, etc.). The results are displayed horizontally, allowing a quick visual comparison of each agent’s diff and selection of the best merge.

This “multi‑model parallel voting” approach is far more efficient than repeatedly running a single agent, especially when exploring new features or evaluating architectural options.

Desktop Experience with Ghostty‑Level Terminal Rendering

Orca’s base is a Ghostty‑style WebGL‑accelerated terminal that supports unlimited splits and preserves scrollback after restart. It also bundles a VS Code‑like editor (autosave always on) that can preview files, markdown, images, and PDFs directly in the workspace.

Design Mode lets users click any UI element in the embedded Chromium browser; the element’s HTML, CSS, and screenshot are injected straight into the agent’s prompt, turning a manual “copy‑paste DOM” workflow into a single click.

Mobile Companion App

The iOS/Android companion app lets agents push notifications when they finish. Users can tap the notification to follow up, change direction, or merge branches, enabling seamless work while traveling or away from the desk.

Broad Agent Compatibility

Orca works with any CLI‑based AI agent. Its README lists over 30 supported agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Pi, Qwen Code, Kimi, Mistral Vibe, and more. Subscriptions, rate‑limit status, and token consumption are displayed on a single screen.

GitHub & Linear Integration

Users can browse PRs, issues, and Linear project boards inside Orca. The workflow—open an issue, spawn a worktree, let an agent handle it, create a PR, review the diff, and annotate AI diffs for further edits—occurs without leaving the application.

Remote Execution via SSH Worktrees

Orca supports SSH worktrees that automatically reconnect and forward ports, allowing agents to run heavy tasks on a 64‑core remote development machine. Running orca serve on a headless Linux server turns the machine into an agent compute node.

Who Should Use Orca

Developers who use two or more AI coding tools simultaneously (e.g., Claude Code + Codex).

Practitioners who favor multi‑model voting to compare different agent solutions.

Developers frequently on the road who need mobile push notifications.

Front‑end developers who benefit from Design Mode’s rapid UI feedback loop.

Getting Started

Orca is a UI‑based desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Install via GitHub releases (dmg, exe, AppImage) or with Homebrew: brew install --cask stablyai/orca/orca. After logging in with your agent accounts, you can start orchestrating immediately.

Considerations

Android version is still early (v0.0.31); iOS is available on the App Store.

Orca collects anonymous usage data, which can be disabled in the docs.

The project evolves quickly; the README notes that the changelog is the true feature list. For fast support, use Discord rather than GitHub issues.

One‑Sentence Summary

Orca is not an IDE replacement; it is a scheduling console that lets you run N AI agents in parallel and compare their outputs, encapsulating the manual tmux + multiple terminals + git worktree workflow into a polished product.

GitHub repository:

github.com/stablyai/orca