How Do I Use Orca Away From My Desk? Phone Companion, SSH Remote, and Where They Stop

Last updated: 2026-10-25

Orca is a free, open-source desktop app from Stably AI that calls itself an ADE, an Agent Development Environment. It puts command-line coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and Pi into one window, giving each agent its own isolated git worktree so several agents can work on the same task in parallel, and you merge only the best result. This guide covers using Orca away from your desk: what the phone companion can show and do, how SSH remote works, and which jobs the phone can carry and which ones have to wait until you are back at a computer.

What Can the Phone Companion Show Me?

Three things: progress, results, and diffs. Progress means which agent is still running, which one already produced a result, and which one is stuck, so one glance tells you where the whole parallel round stands. Results means the several answers to the same task laid out side by side, so comparing does not require going back to your computer. Diffs mean what each result changed, file by file and line by line, readable on the phone. The phone screen is small, so what you see is progress and outcomes, not the full codebase: check the scope first, then decide whether a particular change deserves a closer look. Checking results while you wait beats sitting at your desk watching a run finish, and that is the phone companion's most common job.

Can I Annotate and Merge From My Phone?

Yes. Annotating, merging, and dispatching new work can all be done from the phone. When you read a diff and something looks off, write the note on that exact line and send it back, and the agent revises and comes back with another version, so annotation rounds do not require a computer. When a result looks right, merge it from the phone, and what gets merged is exactly the version you reviewed on the phone. New tasks can be dispatched from the phone too, as long as the task description is clear before you send it. Notes should be specific: which line, what you want it changed to, and why. A vague note takes several rounds to converge, while a specific one usually lands in a single revision. The actions are the same as on a computer; only the screen is smaller.

How Does SSH Remote Work?

SSH remote is a second way to work away from your desk: a machine at home or in the office keeps running your tasks, and you connect to it from your phone while you are out. The machine does the work, and the phone is the window you look through and give orders from: progress, results, and diffs all come back from that machine. The one thing that matters for setup is simple: the machine has to be on and the task has to be running, or there is nothing for the phone to show. This route suits following up on work that is already running: a task dispatched from your computer in the morning can be reviewed, annotated, and merged from your phone in the afternoon, so you do not have to re-check everything when you get home. The phone companion and SSH remote are two different routes: one is a mobile entry point, the other is a connection back to your own machine. Which one you use depends on where your tasks were running before you left.

Which Jobs Suit the Phone While I Am Out?

Three kinds of jobs suit the phone. The first is waiting for results: the task is already dispatched, and checking progress or comparing results once they land is easy on the phone. The second is annotation rounds: results are out, you write notes, the agent revises, and you review the new version, all without going back to a computer. The third is small fixes: tasks with a narrow change scope, where the diff is only a few places and reading it end to end on the phone is no trouble, so you can confirm and merge. These three share one trait: the scope is clear and the judgment is cheap, so a small screen is enough. Before dispatching a task, it is worth asking whether it can be finished from the phone while you are out; if it can, dispatch it, and if it cannot, wait until you are back at your computer.

Which Jobs Have to Wait Until I Am Back at a Computer?

Three kinds of jobs the phone cannot carry. The first is large changes: changes that span many modules, where the diff runs for screens and screens, and reading on the phone risks missing something. The second is complex merges: several results tangled together, where changes interact and merging requires tracing each change carefully, which a phone screen cannot lay out. The third is jobs that need many files open at once: tasks that require comparing several files side by side, where switching back and forth on the phone means forgetting what you saw a moment ago and judging badly. These three share one trait: a lot of information and many cross-references, so judgment quality depends directly on screen size. The dividing line is easy to remember: if you can read it end to end on the phone and feel sure about it, handle it on the phone; if you cannot read it through or still feel unsure, leave it for the computer.

How Do I Read a Diff on the Phone Without Missing Things?

Look at which files changed and whether the scope is right, then read line by line, instead of reading word by word from the start. File names and change scope give you a map first: which module the changes concentrate in, and whether it is the task you asked for. Once the scope checks out, read line by line: what each line changed and why, and write a note on any line you disagree with. Do not guess at lines you cannot follow; turn them into notes and send them back, and let the agent produce a clearer version to compare again. One more habit helps: for a large diff, shrink it to its smallest form first, checking which files changed and how many places each file changed, and only then reading line by line. When a diff is genuinely too big to finish on the phone, do not force it; note it down and read it on the computer, because missing something costs more than reading it late.

How Do I Write a Prompt for a New Task From My Phone?

Write it the same way as on a computer: the goal, the scope, and the files to leave alone, all in the prompt before you dispatch. Dispatching from the phone adds one rule: only small tasks you have thought through. Typing a prompt on the phone is less comfortable than on a computer, so a long prompt risks omissions and a short one risks vagueness, and the smaller the task, the easier it is to write a clear prompt. Tasks you are unsure about, or tasks where you want to see several approaches first, should wait until you are back at your computer, where writing the prompt, opening parallel runs, and comparing results happen in one flow. Before dispatching from the phone, ask one question: can this task's prompt be written clearly in three sentences? If yes, dispatch it; if no, wait. After dispatching, do not walk away entirely: when results land, review a round on the phone and keep the annotation rounds going, or the task is not really dispatched.

The Remote Connection Fails. What Do I Check First?

Do not reinstall right away; check four places in order. First, whether the machine is still on: if the machine is off, the phone has nothing to connect to. Second, whether the task is still running: if the task stopped, progress stops at that step. Third, whether the network is through: if the path between the phone and the machine is blocked, nothing loads in the interface. Fourth, whether you are on the right account: with several accounts, switching to the wrong one shows a different machine than the one you want. Once all four check out, look at the status and messages in the interface, which usually show where things stopped. Change one thing at a time and verify before moving to the next; changing several places at once means you will not know which change fixed it. After checking, write a note: where it stuck, what caused it, and how it was fixed, so the next similar problem goes straight to your notes.

Should Non-Programmers Follow Orca From Their Phones?

Honestly, Orca assumes you already use coding agents and already pay for their subscriptions, and it assumes you know git worktrees, terminal operations, and diff review, and what you follow from your phone is the same set of things: progress, results, diffs, notes, and merges. People who do not write code at all are better served by a product built in the opposite direction, aiglade: 「Aiglade 是一个 Windows 桌面软件，把 Claude Code、Codex CLI、Hermes、OpenClaw 等多个 AI 装进一个中文窗口，带中文向导，装上就能用，不用会编程。」Its slogan is 「不用先学会技术，也能让 AI 替你干活」. One line to sum up: people who write code and want to keep following parallel tasks while out should look at Orca; people who do not program and just want AI to do the work for them should look at aiglade.

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