DEDUPEDWho it is forDeveloper whose laptop is too slow or too small to run several agents and their builds at once
The problemParallel agents plus test runs overwhelm a laptop, but plain SSH sessions are fiddly to keep alive.
The outcomeAgents work in worktrees on the remote machine while you edit, review and use terminals locally, with reconnects handled for you.
What you need first
- macOS, Windows or Linux desktop (README badge lists all three)
- At least one coding agent CLI installed and signed in with your own subscription, such as Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode
- A git repository to work in, since each agent runs in its own git worktree
- Optional: iPhone or Android phone for the mobile companion app
- Optional: a remote machine reachable over SSH for SSH worktrees
Steps
- Make sure you can SSH into the remote machine and that your agent CLI is installed there.
- Add the remote host as an SSH worktree in Orca by following the SSH docs.
- Start an agent in a remote worktree and watch it from the Orca window.
- Use port forwarding to preview any dev server the agent starts.
Prompt for your agent
Using stablyai/orca, help me set up an SSH worktree for <user@host> and repo <path on remote>. Tell me how to confirm auto-reconnect works after I drop the connection.
Caveat. One HN user reported trouble installing on a headless server and fell back to a machine with a desktop, so a pure headless box may need extra effort.
About orca
A desktop and mobile app to run Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other coding agents side by side, each in its own workspace, on your own subscriptions. Part of this week's top 10 repos: ranked #5 on Repo Radar. View stablyai/orca on GitHub.
More with orca
- Turn a GitHub PR or Linear issue into its own agent workspace Browse PRs, issues and boards inside the app and open a fresh worktree for any task so an agent can start on it.
- Get a phone alert when an agent finishes and send follow-ups Leave agents running on your desktop and use the mobile companion app to check progress and reply from anywhere.
- Fan one prompt across five agents and merge the best result Send the same task to several coding agents in isolated worktrees, compare the diffs, and keep the winner.
- Comment on an agent's diff lines and send fixes back Leave notes on specific diff lines and ship them to the agent so it fixes exactly what you flagged.
- Point at a UI element and send its HTML and CSS to an agent Use Design Mode in the built-in browser to click any element and drop its code and a screenshot into your prompt.
- Let an agent operate a desktop app when a task needs real clicks Use Computer Use so an agent can interact with visible desktop UI during a workflow.
- Let an agent create worktrees and drive the app via Orca CLI Use the Orca CLI so an agent can spin up worktrees and click through a UI on its own.
- Watch Claude and Codex usage and swap accounts at limits Track rate-limit resets across your agent accounts and switch accounts without logging in again.
Disclaimer
Deduped lists open-source repositories that belong to other people. We do not own, maintain, audit, or vouch for any of them, and a repo appearing here is not an endorsement or a safety check. The use cases, steps, and prompts are written by AI and may be incomplete, outdated, or just wrong. Where a use case is marked "Seen in the wild", we link to public posts where someone described something similar, but we have not verified those posts and the use case itself is still our AI's own write-up. Use all of this at your own risk. Only run code, commands, or agents on systems and accounts you are authorized to use, and read the code and every command before you run it, especially anything that touches credentials, files, or the network. Nothing here is professional, security, legal, or financial advice. All trademarks and project names belong to their respective owners, and their use here does not imply affiliation. Content is provided as is, without warranties of any kind. Found a mistake, a safety problem, or something you want removed? Email [email protected] and we will look at it promptly. Full disclaimer page