Orca v1.4.224: automations set the agent’s model and effort, and SSH hosts run a managed Orca server

2 days ago

Orca v1.4.224: automations set the agent's model and effort for each run, SSH hosts run a managed Orca server, remote terminals keep your typing through a network outage, structured chat becomes the Chat UI default, and agents can draw charts and diagrams inside a reply. Release notes: https://github.com/stablyai/orca/releases/tag/v1.4.224 Compare: https://github.com/stablyai/orca/compare/v1.4.223...v1.4.224 Download: https://onorca.dev/download

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Chapters

  1. 0:00Automations set the model and effort per run
  2. 0:13SSH hosts run a managed Orca server
  3. 0:26Remote terminals keep your typing
  4. 0:37Structured chat becomes the Chat UI default
  5. 0:50Agents draw charts inside a reply
  6. 1:02Several pull requests per workspace
  7. 1:17Read the known issues before you update
Show transcript

Automations set the model and effort per run

Orca

Automations now set the agent’s model and effort for each run

Model and effort
Claude, Codex, Grok, CodeBuddy
Model
Cursor (it carries the effort) and OMP
Each run
a fresh session; other automations keep the host’s defaults
GitHub release v1.4.224 · stablyai/orca · The short version, #26659

Each Orca automation can now set the agent's model and effort for its own runs. Claude, Codex, Grok and CodeBuddy take both, Cursor and OMP take a model, and support for more agents is coming soon.

SSH hosts run a managed Orca server

Orca

SSH hosts now run a managed Orca server

Runtime
Orca ships its own and sets it up when you connect
Fixed
failures from a wrong Node version or missing build tools
Open terminals
keep working; moving the host restarts them
GitHub release v1.4.224 · stablyai/orca · The short version, #24863

Orca now sets up its own server runtime on each SSH host, so the wrong Node version or missing build tools no longer break the connection. Moving a host that has open terminals restarts them.

Remote terminals keep your typing

Orca

Remote terminals keep your typing through a network outage

Typed keys
arrive once, in order
Reconnect
scrollback and pane size survive
Shared paths
files, links and browser tabs stay on their own machine
GitHub release v1.4.224 · stablyai/orca · The short version, #26483, #26847

Keys you type into a remote terminal while the network is down now arrive exactly once, in order, when it comes back. Scrollback and pane size survive the reconnect too.

Structured chat becomes the Chat UI default

Orca

Chat UI users now open agents in the structured chat

Right-click a tab to move its conversation between chat and the terminal.

Orca’s “Native chat got an upgrade” tip with a chat mode switch and Agent Session History
GitHub release v1.4.224 · stablyai/orca · The short version, #22933, #26915, #26705

With the experimental Chat UI set to chat by default, supported agents now open in the structured chat. If Terminal is your default, new agent tabs stay there, and a one-time tip offers chat mode.

Agents draw charts inside a reply

Orca

Agents can draw charts, diagrams and mockups inside a reply

Turn it off in Settings → Chat → Inline visuals.

A structured chat reply in Orca with a bar chart of daily usage drawn inside it
GitHub release v1.4.224 · stablyai/orca · The short version, #26103, #26071, #25845, #25851, #26401

In structured chat, an agent can now draw a chart, a diagram or a mockup right in its reply, on the desktop and on the phone. OpenCode, Pi and OMP also open as structured chats now.

Several pull requests per workspace

Orca

A workspace can hold several pull requests and tasks

Workspaces
attach several pull requests, merge requests and tasks
Hand off
“Continue in New Session” is now “Hand Off to Another Agent”
Scheduled runs
Aider, Goose and Amp get the task after they start
GitHub release v1.4.224 · stablyai/orca · The short version, #26375, #26703

One workspace can now hold several pull requests, merge requests and tasks. Continue in New Session is now called Hand Off to Another Agent, and scheduled runs on an Orca server now give Aider, Goose and Amp their task once they start.

Read the known issues before you update

Orca
Open terminals
stay on the previous service; changes reach new ones
orca on SSH hosts
reaches only that host until you allow more
Downgrading
the previous version can’t reach terminals started here

Release notes on GitHub

GitHub release v1.4.224 · stablyai/orca · Known issues, #26483

Terminals already open stay on the old background service, so these changes reach only new ones. On SSH hosts, the orca command reaches only that host until you allow more, and a downgrade loses access to terminals started in this version.