Install an agent

Wrangl knows about dozens of AI coding agents. Some are ready the moment you install Wrangl. Others need a download or a tool on your computer first. This page shows you how to tell which is which and how to get each one running.

Where the agent list comes from

Wrangl ships with a built-in list of agents. The list comes from the public agent registry at cdn.agentclientprotocol.com, the same registry the Zed editor uses. Wrangl reads its built-in copy, so the list works offline.

Wrangl also checks the online registry for newer versions when it starts, and again every 24 hours. That check only compares versions. Nothing changes until you choose to update an agent. When you do, Wrangl switches to the online registry, so the list also shows agents that were added after your version of Wrangl was released.

See which agents are ready

1. Open Settings with Ctrl+, (Cmd+, on macOS).
2. Click Agent chats.
3. Scroll to the agent list. Type in Filter agents… to find one by name.

Each agent has a status badge. The badge tells you what to do next.

The row also shows the agent's version. A Latest badge means no newer version exists in the online registry.

Install an agent from a chat

You install agents from the chat box of a new chat, not from Settings.

1. Click New chat.
2. In the bottom row of the chat box, click the button that shows the current agent or model.
3. Click More to see every agent, or type the agent's name in the search box.
4. Click the agent. Agents that need a download show an Install tag.
5. Click Install. You can click it in the menu, or in the Install required bar above the chat box.

Wrangl downloads the agent and keeps it in its own folder. When the download finishes, you can type your first message.

If you already have the agent on your computer, click Custom path instead of Install. Type the path to the agent's program, or click the folder button to find it. Then click Save.

Some agents ask you to sign in the first time you use them. The chat shows the sign-in choices the agent offers. For Claude, see Claude accounts.

Sign in to an agent

The sign-in choices depend on the agent:

• A sign-in that runs in a terminal. Wrangl opens a login terminal. Follow the steps there. When the terminal ends without an error, Wrangl finishes the sign-in and loads the agent's models, even if you already closed the model menu.
• An API key. Some agents, such as Codex and Gemini CLI, take a key. Type it in the key field and submit it. Wrangl passes the key to the agent once and does not save it. If the key is already set on the computer that runs the agent, submit the field empty.
• A device code. Codex can sign in to ChatGPT with a code, which works on a server without a browser, for example from a phone. Wrangl shows the code large, with Copy code, Copy link and Open sign-in page. Open the page, enter the code there, and finish the sign-in. Click Cancel sign-in to stop.

You can also sign in to another agent from a chat. Open the model menu and pick the agent's tab. If the agent is signed out, the tab lists its sign-in choices under the error. After you sign in, the tab shows the agent's models, so you can pick one without leaving the chat. On a phone, see Pick a model.

Point Wrangl at an agent you installed

Agents marked Manual install must come from the vendor. The agent's row in Settings shows the command Wrangl expects, after Expected:.

1. Install the agent with the vendor's instructions.
2. Click New chat and pick the agent in the agent menu.
3. In the Manual install bar, type the path to the agent's program, or click the folder button to find it.
4. Click Save.

After you save a path, the agent's row in Settings > Agent chats has a path box. To change the path, edit it and click Save path. To go back to the default, click Clear saved path.

Set up Claude Agent

Claude Agent needs three things on the computer that runs Wrangl:

• Node.js 22 or newer, with npm.
• The Claude Code command-line tool from Anthropic, installed as claude.
• A Claude Code login. Run claude auth login in a terminal once.

When those are in place, pick Claude Agent in a new chat and click Install. Wrangl installs a fixed version of Anthropic's Claude Agent package in its own folder. To use more than one Claude account, see Claude accounts.

Update an agent

Wrangl compares your agents with the online registry when it starts and every 24 hours. To check right now, click Check for updates in Settings > Agent chats. The line under the button says how many updates exist and when Wrangl last checked.

1. Find the agent in the list. An agent with an update shows its current and new version, for example 0.9.0 → 0.10.0.
2. Click Update to followed by the version number.

Your next chat with that agent uses the new version.

In the agent menu of a new chat, an agent with a newer version shows an Update tag.

The first update you apply also switches Wrangl to the online registry. From then on, the agent list includes new agents from the registry.

Run Claude Code in a terminal

The command palette has a Launch Agent command. It opens a new terminal in the active pane and runs the claude command there, so you get Claude Code's own terminal screen instead of a Wrangl chat. Claude Code must be installed for this to work.

1. Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on macOS) to open the command palette.
2. Type launch agent.
3. Pick Launch Agent.

The Agent Launcher command below it shows the new-chat screen in the active pane instead.