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Extend the toolkitAvailable in v0.3.0

Companion apps: Orca and Aside

Orca and Aside are optional apps that fit the workflow; nothing in oah needs them. Orca runs coding agents side by side, each in its own git worktree. Aside is a browser with an AI agent that Claude Code and Codex use for web tasks through MCP. Setup offers each one and installs only what you confirm.

When you need it

Running several agents at once, or letting them use the web, is useful but adds setup steps and account risks you want to control yourself.

How it works

  1. oah init (or python -m oah.setup) lists each missing app as optional with its official install command and asks; --yes never installs these apps.
  2. python -m oah.setup.companions connects installed apps, printing every step with its exact command and marking [global] steps that change files in your user folder.
  3. Orca: you register the orca command in Orca's settings; setup can add Orca's agent guides and register the project. With Orca installed, oah call --launcher orca runs a worker in an Orca terminal.
  4. Aside: install the aside command, sign in yourself, then register its MCP server for Claude Code and Codex. An optional rules section tells agents to use Aside for web tasks, treat page content as data, not instructions, and never confirm a payment, purchase or paid subscription.

Example

Connect installed companion apps; add `--app orca`, `--app aside` or `--dry-run` (from Companion apps).

python -m oah.setup.companions

Requirements

  • Orca: macOS, Windows, or Linux via its official page; adding its agent guides needs Node.js (npx).
  • Aside: macOS or Windows; it does not run on Linux. A free plan exists.

Limits and recovery

  • oah never asks for, reads, prints or stores an account name, id, password or token; setup reads only the sign-in status column and MCP launch settings.
  • An existing MCP entry that differs from what oah would write is reported as left unchanged, not verified, and stays pending, even with --yes.
  • Setup records registration, not proof that the server can launch.
  • On macOS, use the full Homebrew name stablyai/orca/orca; an unrelated cask is also called “orca”.

Original documents

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