Coding agents
Run Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, or a plain shell.
The home screen has four tiles under OPEN A SESSION. Three are coding agents, and one is a plain shell:
| Tile | What it is |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | Anthropic's coding agent. Needs a Claude account. |
| Codex | OpenAI's coding agent. Needs a ChatGPT or OpenAI account. |
| OpenCode | An open-source coding agent that works with many AI providers. |
| Bare terminal | Just zsh, no agent. For running commands yourself. |
Start your first session
Tap an agent
Tap Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode. Horus asks which project to open it in.
Pick or create a project
Choose a folder under On this device, or create one. You can also clone one from Git or GitHub. The agent will work inside that folder. More about projects.
Wait for the first install
The first time you open an agent, Horus downloads and installs it. You'll see the installer's output in the terminal. It takes a minute or two and needs internet. After that, the agent starts straight away.
Sign in inside the agent
Each agent shows its own sign-in steps the first time, usually a link to open in your browser. You can tap links to the agent makers' sites (like claude.ai, openai.com, chatgpt.com, opencode.ai) and to GitHub in the terminal, and they open in your browser.
Your account details go straight to the agent. Horus never sees or stores them.
Start talking to it
Type what you want, like "explain this project" or "add a dark mode", and press RETURN on the key bar or your keyboard.
Leaving and coming back
Tap the eye button at the top right of a session to go back to the home screen. The session keeps running. It shows up under ACTIVE SESSIONS on the home screen. Tap it to jump back in, or tap TERMINATE to stop it.
When an agent finishes and needs your input, Horus sends a notification like "Claude Code is waiting for you". You can leave it working and do something else.
How many sessions can run at once
Phones have limited memory, and Android closes apps that use too much. So Horus limits how many sessions run at the same time, including ones left running in the background. The limit starts at 1.
If you try to start one more, Horus shows Too many apps running with a list of what's running. Stop one to start the new one. To change the limit, go to SETTINGS → Concurrent apps and choose 1 to 4. Phones with more memory handle more.
Where each agent keeps its stuff
Each agent runs as its own Linux user with its own home folder. Its settings, login and history stay separate from the others. All of them can open the same projects in /workspace/projects, so you can switch agents on one project.
Using the Bare terminal
Bare terminal opens zsh straight in /workspace/projects, without asking for a project. Use it to look around, manage files, or run Git commands yourself. For an agent, use its tile. Terminal basics.