Skip to content

v1.4.246

Choose a tag to compare

View all tags
@github-actions github-actions released this 02 Nov 03:19
v1.4.246
55ccff1

Orchestrator V3, improved terminal, Chat UI out of experimental & a refreshed phone app ✨

  • 🤝 Orchestrator V3: A lot more token efficient and reliable. Works with both CLI agents and Chat UI, with visual worker indicators in Chat UI to help you follow progress.
  • 🔕 Quieter notifications: Orca now filters out worker agent notifications during orchestration.
  • 📱 A refreshed Orca Mobile: Choose Light, Dark or System and pick your display language in Settings. Enjoy cleaner screens, smoother sheets and faster workspace lists.
  • 💬 Chat UI is out of experimental: Choose Chat or CLI for each agent, queue follow-ups while it works, and continue with another account or agent harness when you hit a usage limit.
  • ⌨️ Improved terminals: Faster input for terminal agents, more reliable session restores, and fixes for text rendering, links and padding.
  • 🎨 Make Orca yours: Choose an editor theme independently of the app, add a background image, or match the whole window to your terminal theme.
  • 🧩 Explore community plugins: Browse the community catalog, try syntax themes, and build your own panels with TypeScript and TSX.
  • 🖱️ Improved computer use & browser use: More reliable background browsing, sign-in popups, uploads and downloads, plus computer-use fixes on Windows and Linux.

Highlights

  • Mobile theme & language pickers: Pick Light, Dark or System for the phone app and choose your display language in Settings → Appearance and Language.
  • A refreshed phone app: A Home screen focused on what needs you, compact top bars, bottom search, filter chips, clearer lists and smoother sheets. Workspace lists load with less data, images and Mermaid diagrams support pinch-to-zoom, and iOS can show inline HTML cards and previews. Run automations from your phone too.
  • Plugins: The community catalog is visible by default, with public install counts and clearer publisher information. Plugin authors get TypeScript and TSX without a separate build step, component-based panels, worker communication, hot reload and CLI tools for testing and screenshots.
  • Chat UI: Chat leaves Experimental. Choose Chat or CLI in each agent’s Settings row, with default model and effort choices. Follow-up messages queue by default while an agent works; Cmd/Ctrl+Enter sends one straight into the running turn. Switch accounts for open chats, or continue a usage-limited conversation with another account or agent harness.
  • Themes & editors: Set a separate code editor theme, tune editor typography, use background images, and apply Match Terminal across the whole window. Preview SVG source alongside the image, click to zoom images and Alt-drag to pan.
  • Source Control: Resolve conflicts and complete merges on desktop or phone. Open every changed file from the mobile diff screen, return a pull request to draft from a paired phone, and refresh checks and reviews with current provider data.
  • Browser & computer use: Agents can work with sign-in and payment popups, upload through file-picker buttons in nested frames, answer page dialogs and save downloads to the requested path. Background browser pages stay active while agents use them.
  • Orchestrator V3: A lot more token efficient and reliable. Coordinators end their turn and wake when workers report back, with shorter CLI status and inbox output. It works great in Chat UI, where visual worker cards and activity indicators help you follow progress. Give finished workers follow-up tasks and reopen closed workers.
  • Everyday speed & polish: Less whole-app hitching with many chats, quicker shell submissions, faster worktree checkout, and fewer redraws in chats and diffs. Child agents start collapsed, with idle agents grouped together on desktop and phone.

Compatibility & upgrade notes

  • Chat or CLI per agent: Chat UI no longer needs the Experimental switch. Existing users keep their launch preferences and existing conversations keep their surface. New installs start in Terminal. Choose Chat or CLI and the default model and effort in Settings → Agents.
  • Follow-ups queue by default: While an agent works, Enter queues your next message. Cmd/Ctrl+Enter sends it into the running turn instead. Turn off Queue follow-ups in Settings → Chat → Behavior to change the default. On a phone, hold Send to choose Queue or Steer. The phone follows its host’s setting; older clients or hosts without queue support keep sending immediately.
  • Mobile app updates: Native Settings changes, including the theme and language pickers, require an updated mobile app. Update Orca Mobile as well as your desktop or server to get the full experience.
  • Plugin trust & updates: Orca warns before trusting non-official plugins. Updates that request more access wait for individual review, and installed plugin content is verified again when loaded.
  • Isolated desktop plugin views: Plugin panels and custom editors now use separate processes and storage with direct network access blocked. Browser and serve clients retain their existing iframe behavior.
  • WSL hosts: Stopped distros stay stopped when restoring or switching workspaces, and blocked panes offer Start. Turning the WSL hosts setting off stops new hosts and moves while saved hosts keep serving. Idle WSL servers can exit after five minutes without putting that idle timeout in your own shells.
  • Orca skills: Unedited bundled skills update automatically. Skills you have changed still prompt for review.

Product experience

Terminals

Quicker prompt submission, more reliable restores and fixes for text weight, links, padding and Windows startup errors.

  • Bound the in-process macOS process table's blocking calls and ps fallbacks (#31783) by @nwparker in #36282
  • Fix macOS daemon PTY kqueue descriptor leak by @brennanb2025 in #16870
  • Stop terminal text turning bold after a restart (STA-4042) by @nwparker in #36463
  • Link a URL wrapped inside a table cell on every row by @AmoabaKelvin in #36482
  • Skip the ConPTY input-reader check on WinPTY panes by @nwparker in #36490
  • Explain Git Bash console exhaustion when terminal startup fails by @brennanb2025 in #36422
  • Reserve the Git Bash capacity overlay for untouched Windows startup failures by @brennanb2025 in #16991
  • Add Chat UI upgrade tip and Chat/Terminal default tiles by @brennanb2025 in #36171
  • Open OSC 8 hyperlinks on Mod+click in Agent Dashboard terminal previews by @alpenshtokk in #36483
  • Submit at once to a shell idle at its prompt by @nwparker in #36614
  • End multiple PTYs without blocking the Resource Manager by @AmethystLiang in #36753
  • Respawn restored local panes silently when the daemon reports their session gone by @Pr1p in #36620
  • Close the terminal before continuing its conversation in chat by @brennanb2025 in #36732
  • Apply padding to both edges of each axis by @anmol0b in #36789
  • Open a shell, not an unrequested chat, in empty workspaces when the default agent is Auto by @AmoabaKelvin in #36927

Native chat

Queued follow-ups, account hand-offs and clearer conversation cards, with fewer redraws and more reliable questions and replies.

Phone & web

Light, Dark and System themes, a display-language picker, refreshed screens, faster lists and richer previews on your phone.

Plugins

A community catalog, clearer trust and update reviews, isolated desktop views and a fuller TypeScript plugin development workflow.

  • Leave the Plugins shortcut to focused browser pages by @AmethystLiang in #36176
  • Warn before trusting non-official plugins; review access-growing updates one by one by @nwparker in #36218
  • Stop reporting plugin uninstalls (install counts are cumulative) by @nwparker in #36214
  • Keep trust dialogs, typed pairs and plugin names safe from data plugins by @nwparker in #36220
  • Open only the install-source repository link and render only host-served plugin images by @nwparker in #36270
  • Re-verify installed plugin content on every load by @nwparker in #36277
  • Require an explicit approve fingerprint for RPC plugin grants by @nwparker in #36279
  • Derive the publisher from the repository owner, like a Go module path by @nwparker in #36281
  • Add orca plugin create, validate and inspect by @nwparker in #36280
  • Fix orca plugin validate for manifests without a publisher by @nwparker in #36296
  • Show the community catalog by default by @nwparker in #36294
  • Add orca plugin dev load/unload/reload, list, logs, enable and disable by @nwparker in #36288
  • Clarify selected themes and confirm other-mode picks by @vale-c in #35926
  • Show icon-theme SVGs that omit xmlns (Minimal Icons showed nothing) by @nwparker in #36436
  • Show a catalog entry's own publisher, not the catalog owner by @nwparker in #36466
  • Let an enabled plugin syntax beat Orca's guessed language by @nwparker in #36468
  • Tell once when an automatic update waits for your review by @nwparker in #36462
  • Stop painting a disabled plugin's terminal theme by @nwparker in #36471
  • Toggle Plugins settings closed on a second click by @nwparker in #36479
  • Add Try it samples for the new official syntax plugins by @nwparker in #36486
  • Link plugin pages to the README at the pinned release by @nwparker in #36527
  • Accept plain repo, release and tag page URLs in Git install by @nwparker in #36525
  • Protect every security and destructive string from language packs by @nwparker in #36219
  • Show public install counts in the plugin catalog by @nwparker in #36537
  • Ask "Make sure you trust " before installing any non-official plugin by @nwparker in #36271
  • Refresh dev-folder icon themes when SVGs change in place by @nwparker in #36636
  • Try it on a syntax plugin opens a blank untitled file by @nwparker in #36637
  • I18n(plugins): translate missing plugin strings in all locales by @nwparker in #36642
  • Link community plugins to the author's repository, not the mirror by @nwparker in #36638
  • Per-folder-name icons in plugin icon themes by @nwparker in #36565
  • Avoid Plugins strikethrough shortcut conflict by @AmethystLiang in #36741
  • Wire the plugin service on a headless serve, and turn plugins on from the CLI by @nwparker in #36838
  • Refuse main-window permission requests from plugin frames by @nwparker in #36812
  • Isolated plugin frames, off by default by @nwparker in #36813
  • Build-less TS/TSX plugins, typings and authoring tools by @nwparker in #36918
  • Components (TSX) plugin panels by @nwparker in #36814
  • Turn isolated plugin frames on by default by @nwparker in #36821
  • Plugin test kit: orca/testing, orca plugin test and orca plugin check by @nwparker in #36969
  • Plugin dev loop: TS workers, hot reload with state, orca plugin dev watch, authoring skill by @nwparker in #36982
  • Plugin panels talk to their worker; panel storage, settings and agent events by @nwparker in #37013
  • Plugin dev loop: orca plugin open/shot, dev emit, and dogfood fixes by @nwparker in #37008
  • Components catalog 2 and worker tests: forms, tabs, table, tree, markdown, code, images by @nwparker in #36997
  • Plugin dev emit reaches panels; trim the plugin authoring skill by @nwparker in #37026
  • Plugin check runs the worker; check scenarios; RelativeTime by @nwparker in #37047
  • Plugin dev loop: dev request, shot --act, worker-panel template, output polish by @nwparker in #37049
  • Workspace.changed tells each new listener the current workspace by @nwparker in #37044
  • Plugin check shows what drew; responsive Table columns; quieter Table and Stack by @nwparker in #37062
  • Plugin shots wait for the worker and restore after --act; terminal approval prompt by @nwparker in #37066

Themes, editors & previews

Independent editor themes, app backgrounds, typography controls and better SVG, image, Mermaid and PDF previews.

Browser & computer use

More reliable background browsing, popups, dialogs, uploads and downloads, plus Windows and Linux computer-use fixes.

Agent launch, status & accounts

Choose Chat or CLI, default models and effort per agent, with more reliable account switching, discovery and status.

Orchestration & CLI

Orchestrator V3 is a lot more token efficient and reliable, with visual worker indicators in Chat UI. Wake coordinators when workers report, follow up with finished workers and keep agent-facing CLI output concise.

  • Show a card in the coordinator's chat when it starts a worker by @brennanb2025 in #35263
  • Give the Windows user-PATH write 15 s and one retry by @nwparker in #36224
  • Preserve runtime access across Linux PID namespaces by @brennanb2025 in #35769
  • Orchestration v3: coordinators end their turn and Orca wakes them by @Jinwoo-H in #36137
  • Let a coordinator give follow-up work to a finished chat worker by @Jinwoo-H in #36445
  • Print concise orchestration CLI output for agents, with --full for the full record by @Jinwoo-H in #36498
  • Always submit an orchestration wake once it has been typed by @Jinwoo-H in #36511
  • Add --spec-file and one keep-open name to orchestration worker commands by @Jinwoo-H in #36545
  • Name worker-keep-open in the orchestration recovery reference by @Jinwoo-H in #36599
  • Let send talk to a worker in any state, reopening closed workers for follow-ups by @Jinwoo-H in #36533
  • Keep orchestration list output short by @Jinwoo-H in #36622
  • Guard concise orchestration list output against long text by @Jinwoo-H in #36625
  • Let workers follow up with their own finished helpers by @brennanb2025 in #36663
  • Orchestration guide: keep open workers the user will keep using by @Jinwoo-H in #36764
  • Orchestration: keep open workers started in a new workspace by @Jinwoo-H in #36782
  • Keep orchestration inbox output short by @Jinwoo-H in #36626
  • Check only orchestration mailboxes with mail on input edges by @Jinwoo-H in #36644
  • Start worker follow-ups with a short task and deliver mail normally by @Jinwoo-H in #36774
  • Stop blaming a chat worker's follow-up for the turn that reported by @Jinwoo-H in #36811
  • Orchestration guide: hand off when nothing needs to come back by @Jinwoo-H in #36833
  • Orchestration: fix agent instructions that misdirect workers and coordinators by @Jinwoo-H in #36803
  • Keep a kept-open worker open across follow-ups by @Jinwoo-H in #36954
  • Leave orchestration workers' finished turns to their coordinator by @AmoabaKelvin in #36968
  • Hold "finished" until background subagents and worker waits are done by @AmoabaKelvin in #36992

SSH, WSL & remote servers

Keep stopped WSL distros asleep, recover blocked workspaces with Start and reduce idle server and connection work.

  • Start the WSL holder outside Orca's jobs so a crash doesn't take it down by @nwparker in #36178
  • Pause drained settled-credential reaps for 5 minutes by @nwparker in #36144
  • Delegated devices follow the device file, and quarantine keeps external adds by @nwparker in #36222
  • Let an idle WSL host's orcad exit after 5 minutes by @nwparker in #36243
  • Removing the WSL command from a deleted distro forgets its registration by @nwparker in #36227
  • Name the stopped distro, in the user's language, when main holds a terminal start by @nwparker in #36228
  • User clicks on cwd-less gh may start the stopped default distro by @nwparker in #36230
  • Re-read a distro's automount root after Orca wakes it, at most every 5 min by @nwparker in #36225
  • Fence WSL login-shell stdout for all buffered git reads by @OrcaWin in #35053
  • Keep the server's idle window out of user shells; require the agent for discovered effort menus by @nwparker in #36492
  • Prefetch the pinned Node archive when WSL hosts turn on by @nwparker in #36500
  • Re-check WSL hosts before the delayed Node prefetch runs by @nwparker in #36514
  • Patch relay, push and connector images to Node 24.22.2 and current Alpine fixes by @nwparker in #36560
  • Cap HTTP request bodies before they are buffered, including chunked ones by @nwparker in #36562
  • Offer a \wsl.localhost project's distro as a host; explain WSL 1 and empty distro lists by @nwparker in #36615
  • Find distros when wsl.exe drops its redirected list output by @nwparker in #36616
  • Stop each WSL host's server on uninstall so its distro can stop by @nwparker in #36612
  • Startup CLI reconciliation never inspects distros Orca has no record of by @nwparker in #36683
  • Explorer and Source Control load again once a runtime host answers by @nwparker in #36684
  • Restoring or switching to a WSL host workspace never boots its stopped distro by @nwparker in #36688
  • Stop WSL host servers before releasing holders, in a fixed budget by @nwparker in #36769
  • Keep a host's launch markers out of its shells; a corrupt WSL store hides only WSL hosts by @nwparker in #36772
  • Stage 1 is opt-in: the offer moves only its project, and D1c Git follows the setting by @nwparker in #36773
  • Keep WSL exec checks off the main thread and share running-list reads by @nwparker in #36777
  • Offer Start wherever a stopped WSL host leaves the workspace stuck by @nwparker in #36786
  • A WSL hosts block learned mid-run stops new work at once by @nwparker in #36776
  • A restored chat or a web hooks check never starts a stopped distro (E9) by @nwparker in #36779
  • Hide the D1c Settings rows whenever WSL hosts take no new work by @nwparker in #36808
  • Retry the setup-runner .git link read and fall back to the distro's Git by @nwparker in #36792
  • An automatic release path that never boots a distro or sleeps a terminal (bring-back 2/4) by @nwparker in #36809
  • Fail closed on an unknown default distro, stop no-start connects on a stop, and say unknown when WSL can't answer (E9) by @nwparker in #36797
  • Prune superseded staged server builds when an update defers by @nwparker in #35881
  • A service installed from the AppImage keeps its launch out of PATH by @nwparker in #36819
  • A stopped distro's messages say Start or a new terminal starts it, not switching projects by @nwparker in #36771
  • A pane parked by a stopped host reopens once Start brings the host back by @nwparker in #36784
  • Turning the WSL hosts setting off keeps saved hosts serving; it stops only new hosts and moves by @nwparker in #36783
  • Host-row Start follows the same precedence as the other surfaces; Start's reload doesn't wake by @nwparker in #36934
  • An automation wake no longer boots a host for a run it already ran by @nwparker in #36981
  • Shared background passes don't inherit a WSL user act by @nwparker in #36993

Source control & integrations

Resolve conflicts on desktop and phone, keep reviews current and handle branches, renames and submodules more reliably.

Workspaces, sidebar & everyday polish

Open chats while workspaces are created, group child agents and improve tabs, menus and everyday navigation.

Languages & translations

Updated desktop, mobile and plugin translations.

  • Translate the new plugin list, filter and access strings in every language by @nwparker in #36215

Tests, builds & maintenance

Test cleanup, focused validation, build fixes and internal organization.

New Contributors

Full Changelog: v1.4.245...v1.4.246

Contributors

kevinlangleyjr, nwparker, and 21 other contributors
Assets 23
Loading