PlatformSetup

Connect agents

Coldtea hosts agent CLIs; it does not replace them. Before you can run an agent, its credentials have to be in place. Where they go depends on where the agent runs.

The distinction to learn first:

  • Local CLIs run in a visible pane on your machine and authenticate in their own terminal, the same way they do outside Coldtea. Claude is the exception: Coldtea manages Claude's local login for you.
  • Cloud and background agents run without your terminal, so Coldtea stores their credentials for you, as an API key or a subscription connection.

The per-agent pages below cover both sides for each agent.

The agent picker

You choose an agent when you pour a new pane. The picker (labeled "Select agent") lists only the agents Coldtea can find on your machine. An agent whose CLI is not installed does not appear in the list; it is left out rather than shown as an error.

To see which agents Coldtea found, open Settings, then Agents. Each agent row shows an install status of "Installed" or "Not installed". If the agent you want is missing, install its CLI first, then reopen Coldtea.

If you somehow start an agent that is not installed, Coldtea stops with "Choose an installed agent first."

A missing CLI means install the binary

Coldtea does not install agent CLIs. If an agent is missing, it is because the binary is not on your machine or not on the shell path Coldtea launches from. Install the CLI the normal way, confirm it runs in your own terminal, then reopen Coldtea.

The cloud connect screens say this directly: an agent whose CLI is not installed shows "CLI not found" with the note to install the CLI locally, then reopen the screen to connect.

Per-agent setup

  • Claude Code: local accounts Coldtea manages, plus API key or subscription for cloud runs.
  • Codex: local sign-in in the pane, plus API key or ChatGPT subscription for cloud runs.
  • Gemini: local only, set up in the pane. There is no Coldtea connect screen.
  • OpenCode: local sign-in through OpenCode's own flow, plus a cloud sign-in on macOS and Linux.

Where to go next

Setup

Connect your agents and configure the app. Local CLIs sign in inside their pane; cloud agents store a key or subscription. Claude is the exception.

Claude Code

The one agent Coldtea authenticates for you. Add and manage local Claude accounts, and set the credential cloud runs use.

On this page

The agent pickerA missing CLI means install the binaryPer-agent setupWhere to go next