stablyai/orca v1.4.251 on GitHub

Richer phone chats, add-to-chat from anywhere & steadier terminals ✨

📱 Much more chat on the phone: Rewind to an earlier message, continue a stopped reply, pin the agent's plan above the composer, paste images and long text, manage a chat's goal and see context usage, with unsent drafts kept across an app restart.
📎 Add anything to chat: Send a selection from a file, a Markdown preview or a terminal to any agent in the workspace, or start a new agent with it.
🔁 Chats pick up after a restart: New installs resume working chats automatically after Orca quits or updates, and resuming is more reliable for everyone who has it on.
🤖 Workers can start their own workers: Nested workers are allowed by default, finished workers can keep messaging their coordinator, and stopping a worker stops its helpers.
⚡ Faster everyday work: Launch skips a second login-shell capture, source control and the tab bar do less repeated work, and long chats stay responsive.
🖥️ Steadier terminals: Terminals re-attach after a daemon reconnect, survive a busy app, and new GPU canvases no longer flash blank.
🗂️ Easier project organization: Collapse or expand all projects, create a child worktree from the context menu and refresh folder project groups.

Highlights

Chat: Add a file, Markdown preview or terminal selection to a chat. Agent messages use one-line cards on desktop and phone, native chats appear in Cmd+J recents and title search, and Cmd/Ctrl+Enter on an empty composer steers the first queued message. Claude chats keep effort changeable after the first reply and clear a stuck "needs permission" status when Claude ends the request itself. Codex chats show /usage and subagent task names.
Phone: Rewind and continue chats, pin the plan, paste images and long text, set and manage goals, see the context usage ring, follow background tasks, copy or share images, copy file paths, choose where links open, and sign in from a signed-out chat.
Orchestration: Workers can start their own workers, keep messaging their coordinator after they finish, and stop their helpers when stopped. Mail waits for a draft you are typing, including in OpenCode and after a restart.
Performance: Startup, source control conflict badges and branch compares, the tab bar, browser login detection, Pi terminal spawns and plugin catalog images all do less repeated work. Long chats no longer rescan their whole history on every status update. Chats with ACP agents also stop holding on to finished tool and message records for the chat's whole life.
Terminals & remote hosts: Terminals re-attach after a daemon reconnect and keep their link through a main-process freeze. SSH explains when a host's server setup stops on a known cause and stops restarting a server that keeps crashing. Server actions reconnect a disconnected server.

Compatibility & upgrade notes

Nested worker depth: The default is now 4. Existing profiles set to 1 move to 4 on upgrade; you can set it back in Settings, and Orca keeps that choice.
Resume working chats after restart: On by default for new installs only. Existing users keep their saved choice, and existing profiles that never chose stay off.
Claude permission status: Clearing a "needs permission" status that Claude ended itself needs Claude 2.1.118 or later. Orca installs one more managed Claude hook for it; older Claude versions keep the previous behavior.
macOS updates: Macs below a release's minimum macOS stay on their last compatible build and get a one-time notice. The minimum is still macOS 12, so nothing changes yet.
Chat UI menu: "Fork Agent Session…" is no longer in Chat UI's menu. Terminals keep it.

Product experience

Native chat & agents

Bring more context into chats, keep long chats responsive and smooth out Claude, Codex and OpenCode details.

Add a file, markdown preview or terminal selection to the chat by @brennanb2025 in #38251
Open a terminal when splitting a Chat UI pane by @brennanb2025 in #37984
Cmd/Ctrl+Enter on an empty chat composer steers the first queued message by @brennanb2025 in #38732
Include native chat tabs in Ctrl+PageUp/PageDown cycling by @brennanb2025 in #37952
Show native chats in Cmd+J recents and title search by @brennanb2025 in #38574
Use one-line cards for all agent messages on desktop and phone by @brennanb2025 in #38615
Show model and effort before a folder chat’s first message by @brennanb2025 in #38498
Keep Claude chat effort aligned with its resolved setting by @brennanb2025 in #38338
Keep a Claude chat's effort changeable after its first reply by @brennanb2025 in #38272
feat(native-chat): show the chat's Codex usage card for /usage by @brennanb2025 in #38352
Codex subagent rows show their task names instead of all saying "worker" by @brennanb2025 in #38491
Keep prices readable in chat by @brennanb2025 in #38651
feat(native-chat): color chat links with the theme's link color by @AmoabaKelvin in #38676
fix(native-chat): make file links in terminal-backed plan approvals actionable by @brennanb2025 in #38495
feat(omp): ask multiple-choice and batched questions in chat view by @AmoabaKelvin in #38684
fix(native-chat): list OpenCode's own and custom slash commands as soon as the chat opens by @AmoabaKelvin in #38698
fix(claude): drop the local-command caveat when rewinding to a slash command by @nwparker in #38743
Remove Fork Agent Session from the Chat UI menu by @brennanb2025 in #38646
fix(native-chat): name a chat resumed from a session after that session by @AmoabaKelvin in #38679
fix(ai-vault): keep a reply that matches the session title in Latest turns by @AmoabaKelvin in #38666
fix(claude): turn on Artifact tools in native chat sessions by @brennanb2025 in #38248
fix(chat): repair account setup and recover startup retries by @brennanb2025 in #38389
fix(agents): paired-host agent tabs use the host's launch settings by @brennanb2025 in #38301
fix(acp): permission prompts from an agent's own work wait for you by @brennanb2025 in #38488
Clear a Claude permission wait when Claude ends the request itself by @brennanb2025 in #38648
Resume working chats after restart by default for new users by @brennanb2025 in #38649
Keep long chats responsive: stop rescanning whole history on each status update and subagent name by @brennanb2025 in #38627
Release obsolete ACP tool and message bookkeeping by @brennanb2025 in #38767

Orchestration

Let workers do more on their own and deliver mail at the right moment.

Let workers start their own workers by default (nested worker depth 4) by @Jinwoo-H in #38348
Let a finished worker keep messaging its coordinator by @Jinwoo-H in #38357
Stop a worker's helpers when the worker is stopped by @Jinwoo-H in #38373
Make temporary worker banners more prominent by @AmethystLiang in #38465
Keep orchestration messages tied to their actual agent identity by @brennanb2025 in #37966
fix(orchestration): let worker_done settle when SQLite cannot write a temp file by @Jinwoo-H in #38358
fix(orchestration): drop the worker brief line that read as a ban on pushing by @Jinwoo-H in #38349
fix(orchestration): don't let a dim prompt suggestion hold mail as a draft by @Jinwoo-H in #38370
fix(orchestration): hold mail for a draft typed before an Orca restart by @Jinwoo-H in #38398
fix(orchestration): hold mail behind a draft typed into OpenCode by @Jinwoo-H in #38451
fix(terminal): press Enter once the composer shows the pasted prompt by @Jinwoo-H in #38401

Terminals, performance & updates

Keep terminals attached and painted, start faster, and keep older Macs on a build they can run.

fix(runtime): re-attach every terminal a daemon reconnect detached by @nwparker in #38704
fix(daemon): a main-process freeze no longer tears down the terminal daemon link by @nwparker in #38695
fix(terminal): paint a new WebGL canvas through an open synchronized frame instead of flashing blank by @nwparker in #37604
fix(terminal): ask before closing a tab when Orca can't tell if an agent is running by @AmoabaKelvin in #38697
fix(runtime): date title-only agent status at the PTY status transition by @nwparker in #38706
Terminal tabs show the agent session's name instead of the first-prompt title by @brennanb2025 in #38518
fix(tabs): renamed sessions show their new name within seconds by @brennanb2025 in #38628
fix(tabs): a session's own name replaces a quick-command tab name by @brennanb2025 in #38677
perf(startup): stop a second login-shell capture on every launch by @OrcaWin in #38480
perf(pi): skip rewriting current managed extensions on every terminal spawn by @OrcaWin in #38481
perf(tab-bar): reuse each tab's activity status across unrelated store writes by @OrcaWin in #38467
Keep dropped-macOS updaters on their last compatible build and explain why by @nwparker in #38777

SSH & remote servers

Explain server setup failures and keep remote servers connected.

fix(ssh): say what to do when a host's server setup stops on a known cause by @nwparker in #38508
fix(ssh): stop restarting a managed orcad that keeps crashing, and say why by @nwparker in #38308
fix(runtime): explicit server actions connect a disconnected server; name the launch hold by @nwparker in #38530
fix(runtime): resume a server's status only after its action replaced the transport by @nwparker in #38532
fix(managed-server): drop a stale update deferral once the host's activation moves by @nwparker in #38700
fix(orcad): only evict real version slots from the artifact cache, so the shared Node runtime survives upgrades by @nwparker in #38717
Retire a shared-control socket that opens but never becomes ready by @nwparker in #38690
fix(serve): keep orca serve running while it probes the login shell by @nwparker in #38515
Download a granted host file in pages instead of whole by @nwparker in #38693

Browser

Make logins lighter and browser downloads work with remote hosts.

perf(browser): scan page forms only for a document a login navigated to by @OrcaWin in #38468
fix(browser): pin the workspace host for browser downloads into a server workspace by @nwparker in #38721
fix(browser): attach the desktop browser bridge to environment recipe SSH hosts by @nwparker in #38722
fix(browser): Escape typed in a page exits element grab, find and the password list by @AmoabaKelvin in #38741

Source control & editor

Load diffs sooner, keep PR status accurate and tidy file editing.

Use the shared agent picker for Source Control authoring by @brennanb2025 in #38019
fix(combined-diff): load up to three diff sections at once (STA-12716) by @Jinwoo-H in #38265
fix(diff): colour visible diff lines as soon as a pane is laid out (STA-12770) by @Jinwoo-H in #38266
perf(source-control): stop unrelated worktree writes from re-probing stale conflict badges by @OrcaWin in #38471
perf(source-control): read a repo's remote URL once per forge detection by @OrcaWin in #38492
perf(source-control): skip redundant branch compares when a branch first loads by @OrcaWin in #38476
Keep partial check details from replacing complete PR status by @brennanb2025 in #38514
Route Checks-panel PR comment edit/delete through the repo's GitHub credential owner by @nwparker in #38691
fix(git): keep the agent-terminal credential guard scalar-only so env scrubs can't break git by @brennanb2025 in #38716
fix(file-explorer): fast clicks on a folder name toggle it instead of starting rename by @AmoabaKelvin in #38321
fix(editor): stop rich editor links at CJK punctuation after a URL by @AmoabaKelvin in #38672
fix(pickers): open only one native file picker at a time by @nwparker in #38688
fix(quick-open): list a folder twin's files on the host the user selected by @nwparker in #38736

Phone & paired devices

Bring much more of desktop chat to the phone.

feat(mobile): rewind a chat to an earlier message by @AmoabaKelvin in #38344
feat(mobile): pin the agent's plan above the chat composer by @AmoabaKelvin in #38359
feat(mobile): paste images and long text into the chat composer by @AmoabaKelvin in #38591
feat(mobile): show the context usage ring and its breakdown in the chat composer by @AmoabaKelvin in #38371
feat(mobile): set, pause, resume and clear a chat's goal from the phone by @AmoabaKelvin in #38447
feat(mobile): continue a chat that Orca's stop cut off by @AmoabaKelvin in #38287
feat(mobile): keep unsent chat drafts and skill picks across an app restart by @AmoabaKelvin in #38268
feat(mobile): show background task rows in the chat transcript by @AmoabaKelvin in #38264
feat(mobile): name and link the sending agent on queued chat messages by @AmoabaKelvin in #38309
feat(mobile): copy, save and share an image from the full-screen image viewer by @AmoabaKelvin in #38303
feat(mobile): copy a file's name or relative path from the file explorer by @AmoabaKelvin in #38622
feat(mobile): ask where to open a link tapped in chat by @radut in #33525
feat(mobile): desktop chat links and code wrap on the phone by @AmoabaKelvin in #38294
feat(mobile): render PR descriptions and comments with the shared Markdown renderer by @AmoabaKelvin in #38611
feat(mobile): Sign in from a signed-out chat, and name the offline host above the composer by @AmoabaKelvin in #38295
fix(mobile): make file links in phone plan approvals actionable by @brennanb2025 in #38510
mobile: open file paths in agent questions like the rest of chat by @brennanb2025 in #38620
fix(mobile): show history scan notices separately from skipped transcripts by @AmoabaKelvin in #38626
fix(mobile): keep iPad page headers clear of the window controls by @AmoabaKelvin in #38635
fix(mobile): send committed IME text to the terminal at commit time by @AmoabaKelvin in #38699
fix(mobile): say why an agent set to Chat opened as a terminal by @AmoabaKelvin in #38696
fix(mobile): stop asking to update a current desktop when it can't be reached by @AmoabaKelvin in #38242
fix(native-chat): keep chats closed on desktop off the phone's agent rows by @AmoabaKelvin in #38683
fix(ai-vault-search): let a paired desktop resume session search hits by @nwparker in #38707

Workspaces, sidebar & onboarding

Organize projects and worktrees with fewer clicks.

Add collapse and expand all projects controls by @AmethystLiang in #38634
Add child worktree creation to the context menu by @AmethystLiang in #38410
Add refresh action for folder project groups by @nwparker in #38423
fix(sidebar): keep project header buttons stationary when opening menus by @AmethystLiang in #38655
fix(sidebar): keep resize controls above workspace panes by @brennanb2025 in #38705
fix(new-workspace): restore right-click "Set as default" on the agent picker by @nwparker in #38680
Keep a nested server workspace nested after the desktop restarts by @Jinwoo-H in #38378
update chat ui announcement by @AmethystLiang in #38478

Plugins & CLI

Extend plugins and keep CLI output current.

feat(plugins): add permissioned desktop appearance publication by @nwparker in #38524
perf(plugins): read catalog images in batched Git calls by @OrcaWin in #38463
fix(cli): account list --json refreshes stale usage instead of none by @nwparker in #38314

Tests, CI & maintenance

Trim low-value tests, reorganize code by owner and maintain CI.

test: remove low-value settings UI and persistence pipelines by @OrcaWin in #38346
test: remove low-value renderer inventories and mock pipelines by @OrcaWin in #38356
test: remove low-value terminal, VM and voice settings tests by @OrcaWin in #38351
test: remove low-value browser and dashboard test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38360
test: remove low-value dashboard and preview tests by @OrcaWin in #38362
test: remove low-value dashboard state and profile tests by @OrcaWin in #38364
test: remove low-value editor prop and helper tests by @OrcaWin in #38366
test: remove low-value editor inventories and mock tests by @OrcaWin in #38368
test: trim redundant Markdown and editor tests by @OrcaWin in #38372
refactor(tooling): organize build, CI, and test owners by @nwparker in #38130
test: remove redundant editor helper and mock suites by @OrcaWin in #38375
test: trim redundant notebook and editor tests by @OrcaWin in #38377
test: remove fake menu and lowlight parity suites by @OrcaWin in #38383
test: trim synthetic viewport and save callback tests by @OrcaWin in #38387
test: remove mocked image import and link routing suites by @OrcaWin in #38384
test: trim renderer mock and private-work assertions by @OrcaWin in #38393
test: remove mock-only editor drop and retry suites by @OrcaWin in #38391
refactor(relay): group route, forwarding and connection owners by @nwparker in #38374
refactor(native-chat): drop the unreachable answer-input paste origin branch by @nwparker in #38395
test: remove renderer flag inventories and fake React suites by @OrcaWin in #38396
test: trim project view inventories and duplicate dialog cases by @OrcaWin in #38399
test: remove native chat inventories and redundant composer cases by @OrcaWin in #38402
test: trim chat rendering inventories and synthetic layout suites by @OrcaWin in #38405
test: remove low-value transcript and permission-picker tests by @OrcaWin in #38408
refactor(ci): colocate the shard timing catalog with sharding by @nwparker in #38409
test: trim chat queue, prompt and receipt test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38414
test: remove low-value chat session and picker tests by @OrcaWin in #38417
test: remove low-value attachment and tool presentation tests by @OrcaWin in #38420
test: trim low-value session bridge and sender tests by @OrcaWin in #38422
test: trim low-value native chat attachment and header tests by @OrcaWin in #38428
test: trim low-value composer and draft test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38426
test: trim low-value chat ownership and transcript tests by @OrcaWin in #38430
test: trim low-value structured session and status tests by @OrcaWin in #38441
test: trim low-value chat transport and subagent tests by @OrcaWin in #38438
test: remove low-value chat hook tests by @OrcaWin in #38448
test: remove low-value composer and queue tests by @OrcaWin in #38444
test: remove low-value chat hook tests by @OrcaWin in #38453
refactor(tooling): organize remaining scripts by domain owners by @nwparker in #38407
test: remove low-value chat hook tests by @OrcaWin in #38454
test: remove low-value source connection tests by @OrcaWin in #38474
test: remove low-value renderer hook and picker tests by @OrcaWin in #38466
test: remove low-value orchestration and plugin tests by @OrcaWin in #38477
test: remove low-value renderer inventory tests by @OrcaWin in #38483
test: remove low-value ports and AI Vault tests by @OrcaWin in #38490
test: remove low-value session launch and presentation tests by @OrcaWin in #38493
refactor(daemon): group endpoint, provider, session and transport owners by @nwparker in #38462
test: remove low-value AI Vault and review-comment tests by @OrcaWin in #38499
test: remove low-value checks-panel tests by @OrcaWin in #38500
test: remove low-value review-action and file-explorer tests by @OrcaWin in #38503
test: remove low-value file-explorer tests by @OrcaWin in #38506
refactor(runtime): group integration commands by defining owner by @nwparker in #38504
test: remove low-value sidebar tests by @OrcaWin in #38507
test: remove low-value source-control tests by @OrcaWin in #38511
test: remove low-value source-control sync tests by @OrcaWin in #38512
test: remove low-value app-shell and sidebar tests by @OrcaWin in #38516
test: remove low-value sidebar workflow tests by @OrcaWin in #38520
test: remove low-value sidebar activity and review tests by @OrcaWin in #38521
refactor(runtime): group terminal execution owners by @nwparker in #38517
test: remove low-value sidebar card and drag tests by @OrcaWin in #38523
test: remove low-value sidebar grouping and list tests by @OrcaWin in #38525
test: remove low-value status-bar and tab-bar tests by @OrcaWin in #38527
test: remove low-value sidebar and skill tests by @OrcaWin in #38526
test: remove low-value tab-bar and GitHub task tests by @OrcaWin in #38531
test: remove low-value terminal runtime tests by @OrcaWin in #38536
test: remove low-value terminal runtime tests by @OrcaWin in #38544
test: remove low-value terminal readiness tests by @OrcaWin in #38548
test: remove low-value native helper tests by @OrcaWin in #38552
test: remove low-value native validation tests by @OrcaWin in #38553
test: remove low-value native ownership and predicate tests by @OrcaWin in #38557
refactor(runtime): group workspace creation and lifecycle owners by @nwparker in #38534
test: remove paced relay load benchmarks and trivial guard examples by @OrcaWin in #38562
test: remove low-value relay admission simulations and guard examples by @OrcaWin in #38568
test: remove low-value relay test inventories and mocked worker suite by @OrcaWin in #38572
refactor(runtime): group structured agent runtime owners by @nwparker in #38565
test: remove redundant cell admission and reservation test suites by @OrcaWin in #38577
test: remove low-value host control and connection test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38578
test: remove low-value relay SQL and lifecycle test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38580
refactor(main): group browser runtime code by defining owner by @nwparker in #38576
test: remove low-value build and CI test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38582
test: remove low-value workflow and compiler test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38587
test: remove low-value build and packaging test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38593
test: remove low-value mobile and script test inventories by @OrcaWin in #38596
refactor(main): group client RPC pairing and host runtime owners by @nwparker in #38584
test: remove low-value mobile browser tests by @OrcaWin in #38598
test: remove low-value mobile browser tests by @OrcaWin in #38600
refactor: organize runtime semantic operations by concrete owner by @nwparker in #38602
test: remove 209 low-value tests and 20 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38605
test: remove 141 low-value tests and 13 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38613
test: remove 143 low-value tests and 13 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38614
test: remove 75 low-value tests and 11 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38616
test: remove 181 low-value tests and 15 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38619
test: remove 91 low-value tests and 15 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38623
test: remove 31 low-value tests and 13 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38629
test: remove 60 low-value tests and 13 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38631
test: remove 98 low-value mobile tests and 15 entire suites by @OrcaWin in #38637
test: remove 79 low-value cloud, hook and search tests by @OrcaWin in #38642
test: remove 180 low-value scanner, password and browser tests by @OrcaWin in #38647
test: remove 156 low-value browser tests by @OrcaWin in #38650
Update README downloads badge by @buf0-bot[bot] in #31749
test: remove 229 low-value browser host tests by @OrcaWin in #38656
test: remove 109 low-value browser cookie tests by @OrcaWin in #38659
test: remove 171 low-value browser preview tests by @OrcaWin in #38664
test: remove 129 low-value browser extension tests by @OrcaWin in #38668
test: remove 237 low-value browser tests by @OrcaWin in #38678
test: remove 216 low-value browser network and session tests by @OrcaWin in #38681
test: remove 92 low-value relay tests by @OrcaWin in #38685
test: remove 125 low-value relay and build-script tests by @OrcaWin in #38692
test: remove 269 low-value workflow, build and native tests by @OrcaWin in #38694
test: remove 166 low-value prebuild and release tests by @OrcaWin in #38712
test: remove 112 low-value static-gate and runtime tests by @OrcaWin in #38723
test: remove 133 low-value workflow, mobile and CLI tests by @OrcaWin in #38725
test: remove 184 low-value mobile, CLI and ACP tests by @OrcaWin in #38733
README: refresh hero and feature animations by @Jinwoo-H in #38726
test: remove 161 low-value ACP tests by @OrcaWin in #38738
test: remove 220 low-value hook, timeline and Ruby tests by @OrcaWin in #38739
ci: auto-merge the README downloads badge PR by @Jinwoo-H in #38658
test: remove 419 low-value hook and search tests by @OrcaWin in #38748

New Contributors

@radut made their first contribution in #33525

Full Changelog: v1.4.250...v1.4.251