01What Is Orca AI Coding Agent?

Orca AI coding agent is a free, open source desktop app that lets you run multiple AI coding agents in parallel. You can have several terminals working together on the same project, preview your work, and even control everything from your mobile phone.

Orca works with any coding agent, so you can use tools like Cloud Code, Hermes, Codex, OpenCode, and more. It simplifies coding by giving you a visual interface to manage agents, projects, and tasks, making it accessible even if you're not a technical person.

In this episode, Julian Goldie demonstrates Orca's main features and shows how it can boost productivity for developers and non-developers alike.

02Main Features of Orca

Orca comes packed with features that make multi-agent coding easier and more efficient. Here are the highlights:

  • Multi-agent orchestration: Run multiple agents like Hermes and Cloud Code side-by-side on the same project.
  • Split terminals: Split your terminal window to the right or down, so agents can work simultaneously.
  • Mobile companion: Pair your phone via QR code and control coding sessions from anywhere.
  • Design mode: Preview your project, draw on the screenshot, and annotate to give visual feedback.
  • Parallel work trees: Work on multiple projects at the same time, each with its own agents.
  • Automations: Schedule recurring coding tasks using templates or custom schedules.
  • Integrations: Add Git and other tools to streamline your workflow.

These features make Orca a versatile platform for both simple and complex coding projects.

03How to Set Up Orca

Getting started with Orca is straightforward. Here's how you set it up:

  1. Download the Orca desktop app from the official website.
  2. Optionally, install the Orca mobile app on your phone.
  3. Open Orca and start a new project. You can run it locally or on a remote Orca server (like a VPS).
  4. In settings, choose your default agent from the list (e.g., Codex, Hermes, Gemini).
  5. Enable skills like orchestration and computer use if you want agents to coordinate and control your computer.
  6. Pair your mobile device by generating a QR code and scanning it with the Orca mobile app.
  7. Optionally, import GitHub projects to load and preview them directly.

Once setup is complete, you're ready to start coding with multiple agents.

04How to Use Orca for Coding

Using Orca is intuitive. Julian demonstrates how to manage multiple agents and projects:

  • Right-click in the terminal to split it right or down, then start another agent like Hermes in the new pane.
  • Delegate subtasks to free agents (e.g., Hermes with Lean 3.0 Flash) while your main agent works on the core project.
  • Open a new browser tab to preview your project's local URL, then use design mode to annotate elements.
  • Select a page element, copy it, and ask your agent to make it more interesting or beautiful.
  • Add annotations for changes like 'improve the headline to direct response copywriting' and send them to the agent.
  • Create a mobile emulator tab (e.g., Xcode or Android virtual device) to preview mobile apps.

You can also fork agent sessions to create new conversation branches, keeping different experiments separate.

05Results and Comparisons Shown

Julian tested Orca by creating a new project and running multiple agents. He used Cloud Code and Hermes simultaneously, with the free APIs and models. The agents worked without issues, and the preview updated in real time as agents made changes.

He compared Orca to Quoad remote, stating that Quoad remote is 'not that great' compared to Orca's mobile pairing. Orca offers a better mobile experience, allowing you to control coding locally from your phone.

In the demo, the page improved after adding a new logo and better styling, showing how agent collaboration can speed up development.

06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid

To get the most out of Orca, keep these tips in mind:

  • Enable orchestration: This lets agents hand off context and coordinate work through Walker, making multi-agent collaboration smoother.
  • Use free agents for subtasks: Save costs by using free agents like Hermes for small jobs.
  • Be cautious with computer use: It's a powerful skill but may require supervision.
  • Watch for beta features: Some features like codecs, agent view, and agent dashboard are still in beta, so expect bugs.
  • Install emulators: For mobile emulation, you need Xcode or Android virtual device installed; otherwise, the emulator won't work.
  • Check for approvals: The agent dashboard shows who needs help or approval, so agents don't stay idle waiting.

Orca is powerful, but it's important to monitor agent actions and review changes regularly.

07Who Should Use Orca

Orca AI coding agent is ideal for developers who juggle multiple projects or want to speed up coding with parallel agents. It's also great for non-technical users like Julian, who can use design mode to give visual feedback without writing code.

If you work with multiple AI agents, Orca centralizes them in one place. You can manage projects, previews, and automations from desktop or mobile, making it flexible for remote work.

Orca matters because it simplifies complex workflows and makes AI-assisted coding more accessible to everyone.

08Final Thoughts on Orca

Orca is a promising free tool for AI-powered development. Its multi-agent orchestration, mobile pairing, and design mode set it apart from other coding platforms.

Whether you're a pro developer or a beginner, Orca can help you build projects faster and collaborate with AI agents more effectively. Try it for your next coding project.