Coding agents
A bot can hand a coding task to a dedicated coding agent (Claude Code, Codex or Cursor) and report back with a summary, the files that changed and, for cloud agents, a pull request link. Use it when a task is real software work, like fixing a bug across a repository, and you'd rather a coding agent do it than the bot's general tools.
Where the agent runs
You choose where by asking the bot ("use Claude Code on my computer to..."). There are three places:
| Where | What it uses | Keys and sign-ins | Agents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your computer | Your own machine through the desktop app | Your own sign-ins; no keys are passed | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor |
| The bot's computer | The bot's sandboxed computer | An API key from a named secret | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor |
| Cloud | Cursor's cloud agents, working on a GitHub repository | CURSOR_API_KEY secret | Cursor |
Use a coding agent on your computer
The agent works in your shared folders with your own sign-ins, and the on-screen overlay shows it working.
- Install the agent's command-line tool on your computer:
claude,codexorcursor-agent. - In the desktop app, open Settings → Use this computer for bots, allow the bot under Bots allowed, and share the project folder under Shared folders.
- Under Coding agents, check that your agent is listed. If you see "Coding agents run as commands, so they need Run commands turned on", tap Turn on.
- Ask the bot, for example: "Use Claude Code on my computer to fix the failing tests in
~/code/app."
The app looks for the agents on your PATH and in the usual install folders, such as /opt/homebrew/bin, /usr/local/bin, ~/.local/bin and ~/.npm-global/bin.
Use a coding agent on the bot's computer
The first time, the bot installs the agent's command-line tool on its computer. It passes the API key only to that one command, and the key is redacted from output like every secret.
Open Settings → Secrets and add a secret the bot can use, named for the agent:
Agent Secret name Claude Code ANTHROPIC_API_KEYCodex OPENAI_API_KEYCursor CURSOR_API_KEYAsk the bot, for example: "Clone
https://github.com/example/appand have Codex add input validation to the signup form."
If the secret is missing, the bot is told which one to add.
Use a Cursor cloud agent
Cursor's cloud agents work on a GitHub repository in Cursor's cloud and can open a pull request when they finish.
- Add a secret named
CURSOR_API_KEYin Settings → Secrets. - Ask the bot with the repository URL, for example: "Have a Cursor cloud agent fix issue 42 in
https://github.com/example/appand open a pull request."
What you get back
The agent's output streams into the run's timeline while it works. When it's done, the bot gets:
- the agent's summary (its final result when it reports one, otherwise the end of its output),
- the changed files from
git diff --stat, - the branch it worked on, if one was named,
- for cloud agents, the pull request link.
Cancelling the run stops the agent, including a cloud agent.
Options the bot can set
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Folder | The project folder. On your computer it must be inside a shared folder. |
| Branch | A branch to work on. It's created if it doesn't exist. |
| Repository | Cloud only: the GitHub repository URL. Required for cloud agents. |
| Open a pull request | Cloud only: open a pull request when done. |
| Timeout | 1 to 120 minutes. Defaults to 30 minutes on a computer and 60 minutes in the cloud. |
Approvals and safety
Handing off a coding task is a medium-risk action, and high risk when it may open a pull request, so it follows your bot's autonomy and approval settings.
How much each agent may do on its own depends on where it runs:
- On your computer, Claude Code runs with
--permission-mode acceptEdits, so it can edit files without asking. Codex runs with--full-autoand Cursor with--force. Your shared folders and the desktop app's Run commands permission still apply, and high-risk actions on your computer always ask. - On the bot's computer, Claude Code runs with
--dangerously-skip-permissions, since the computer is a sandbox.
Limits
- Cloud agents are Cursor only. Other agents can be added when they publish an API to start a task.
- Codex on the bot's computer needs an
OPENAI_API_KEY; signing in with a ChatGPT plan there isn't supported yet. - Only cloud agents open pull requests. On a computer, the agent works on a branch, and you or the bot push it.
- Cursor's cloud agent support was built from Cursor's public documentation and tested against a stand-in service, not yet against Cursor itself.