Install

Download Orca for macOS, Windows, or Linux, and opt into RC builds.

Download

Orca is a desktop app. Email yourself a link to open on macOS, Windows, or Linux:

macOS: Apple Silicon · Intel
Windows: installer
Linux: AppImage · .deb · .rpm
Older versions: GitHub Releases.

Homebrew (macOS)

Orca is also published as a Homebrew cask, auto-bumped on every stable release:

brew install --cask stablyai/orca/orca

brew upgrade --cask orca picks up new stable builds. The cask tracks the stable channel — for RC builds, use the GitHub Releases links above or the in-app Check for Updates flow described under Updates.

First launch

On first launch Orca will:

Ask for access to your home directory so it can add repos.
Offer to import ~/.claude, ~/.codex, and Ghostty terminal settings if present.
Drop you on an empty landing screen where you add your first repo.

Updates

Orca auto-updates by default, tracking the stable channel. Stable releases are vetted; RC (release candidate) builds ship new features first, often daily.

There is no permanent in-app opt-in for the RC channel. Modifier clicks on Check for Updates (Settings → General → Updates, or the app / Help menu):

Modifier	Effect
Shift+click	Include the latest RC prerelease
Cmd+click (macOS) / Ctrl+click (Windows/Linux)	Latest perf-tagged prerelease
Option+click (macOS only)	Pick a validated local macOS build that passes Orca’s compatibility checks

You can still download any build directly from the GitHub Releases page.

Platform notes

macOS

Orca requires macOS 13.4 or later. Older Macs remain on their last compatible version through the in-app updater; macOS 13.0–13.3 users can update macOS before upgrading Orca. Orca is signed and notarized. On first launch, macOS may still ask you to confirm — that's normal for Electron-based apps.

Windows

The default shell can be set to PowerShell or CMD under Settings → Terminal. Most users want PowerShell. The bundled orca command is a native program, so it runs without the Visual C++ Redistributable.

Linux

Choose the AppImage if you want Orca to update itself. The .deb and .rpm packages report available updates and give you the package-manager command to install them; quit Orca before running that command. The Linux CLI is named orca-ide so it does not conflict with the GNOME Orca screen reader.