orc
Run a fleet of coding agents from plain files, one worktree each.
Parallel agent work without losing the thread.
Install
macOS
curl -fsSL https://orc.sieversii.ca/install.sh | shManual download with checksums
A browser download of an unsigned binary is quarantined by macOS Gatekeeper; the command above avoids that. These links are for checking by hand: see how to verify.
Linux
curl -fsSL https://orc.sieversii.ca/install.sh | shManual download with checksums
No Linux build in orc 0.8.2 yet; the command above says so too, and installs nothing.
A browser download of an unsigned binary is quarantined by macOS Gatekeeper; the command above avoids that. These links are for checking by hand: see how to verify.
It downloads the release for your platform, checks its signature and checksum, and installs orc to ~/.local/bin. No sudo. Read the script first.
What it is
orc is a plan and worktree manager for coding agents, running on your machine over plain files and git.
Each idea is a plan, and one view shows where every plan stands, what it waits on, and which ones need you now.
Agents work on them in parallel, without stepping on each other or on you, and you keep the thread.
- Draft a plan
- Refine it
- Start a worker
- Read the wrap-up
- Finish
Highlights
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Plans are files
Each unit of work is a Markdown plan in your project. Read it, edit it, diff it, commit it.
Example: Plans are files:orc plan new 'Add a dark theme' -
A worktree and a tmux session per plan
Every plan gets its own branch and git worktree, and its agent runs in a tmux session that outlives your terminal and orc itself.
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One screen for who is waiting
The TUI lists every plan and agent and shows which ones need you, so you answer the agent that is stuck, not the one that is busy.
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Gates, then finish
Your checks, a conflict probe and your review say whether a plan is ready. Finish lands it as a local merge or a pull request; the agent never merges or pushes.
Example: Gates, then finish:orc plan finish add-dark-theme -
Offline-first
Everything is files and git. No daemon, no server, no account; orc uses the network only when you ask or turn it on.
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Signed releases
Each release is signed. orc update checks a new release against the keys your installed orc already trusts before it installs.
Example: Signed releases:orc update
Requirements
-
git -
tmux3.2 or newer -
claude
- macOS on Apple silicon: Best tested
- Linux: Works, less tested
- macOS on Intel, from a clone: Works, less tested
- Windows: Not supported
Latest release: 0.8.2
This release adds four features and fixes two problems. Peer reviews start on the change; Keys easier to find; See a plan's diagrams. The other changes touch plans, the TUI, agents and hooks.
A peer review's plan session opens on the review, not on open questions. It says how far the author's branch moved, orients you on the change and asks where to start; findings and draft comments are recorded as you settle them.
The help draws a key glyph beside Space, Tab, Shift-Tab and Enter:
␣ Space,⇥ Tab,↵ Enter. The which-key card does the same, the Glyphs and words page lists them, and the bottom border keeps its compact hints.The rendered plan view shows each Mermaid diagram as a labelled block that the quote key's labels reach. Its card draws the diagram locally and opens the picture, opens it in the online Mermaid editor, or copies its source.
Trust, but verify
Every release is signed. The install script carries orc's release keys
and refuses a download whose signature or checksum does not match;
after that, orc update checks each new release against the
keys your installed orc already trusts.
Check a download by hand, or read
the security contact.