AI providers

Connect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Factory Droid, and OpenCode — with your own key or an existing subscription.

ADE runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Factory Droid, and OpenCode — every chat, CTO task, and worker routes through one of these five agents. Connect at least one before starting agent work. Each can use your own API key or, where supported, an existing subscription sign-in.

The five agents

Agent	Connect with	Typical use
Claude Code	Claude subscription or Anthropic API key	General coding, planning, review, worker tasks.
Codex	OpenAI sign-in or API key	OpenAI coding workflows and CLI-backed sessions.
Cursor	Cursor API key (CURSOR_API_KEY)	Cursor agent sessions through the Cursor SDK.
Factory Droid	Factory sign-in or API key	Droid agent sessions, including AGI mode.
OpenCode	API key, OpenRouter, or local endpoint	Broadest model reach; local or provider-backed.

The models you can reach through ADE’s agents

These agents — plus OpenCode and OpenRouter routing — give you access to models from every major lab. Pick whichever fits the task.

Connect a provider

1. Open Settings → AI Connections

   Choose the agent you want to connect.

2. Add credentials or sign in

   Paste an API key, sign in with a subscription, configure a local endpoint, or authenticate the provider CLI.

3. Verify

   ADE probes the provider CLI and lists its available models. A green status means it’s ready to start a session.

4. Choose defaults

   Set your default chat model and any role-specific overrides for CTO, workers, or specific lanes.

Per-agent key steps are below.

Claude Code

Sign in with a Claude subscription or paste an Anthropic API key. ADE runs Claude through the bundled Claude Agent SDK, so the claude CLI does not need to be installed separately. See Claude Code for lane context and permission modes.

Codex

Sign in with your OpenAI account or provide an API key. Codex runs as a CLI-backed session and reaches OpenAI models.

Cursor

Provide a Cursor API key (or set CURSOR_API_KEY in the environment ADE launches from). ADE recognizes the key as valid auth and discovers Cursor’s available models at startup. See Cursor.

Factory Droid

Sign in with Factory or provide an API key. Droid runs as an agent provider and supports AGI mode for larger autonomous tasks.

OpenCode

Toggle OpenCode on; ADE downloads and manages the binary and local server. OpenCode is what powers API-backed and local-model chats — back it with an Anthropic or OpenAI key, an OpenRouter key for any model, or a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint such as LM Studio or Ollama. See OpenCode & Windsurf.

Permission presets

Providers expose different native permission models. ADE maps them into a small set of practical choices.

Preset style	Use it when
Plan / read-only	You want the agent to inspect and propose first.
Default / edit	You trust the lane and want normal coding flow.
Full access	You are in a trusted environment and want minimal prompts.
Custom	You want the provider’s own config to decide.

Set stricter modes for unfamiliar repositories. The full mapping lives in Permissions.

Cost and usage

Running several agents in parallel can spend quickly. Use cheaper models for routine follow-up and stronger models for planning, architecture, and hard debugging. The top-bar Usage popup shows live provider quota windows and lets you set a budget cap; Settings → Stats is the retrospective view of token, cost, and GitHub activity.

Live provider usage and quota windows in the top-bar Usage popup.

Provider calls go directly from your machine to the provider or local endpoint you configure. Keep keys out of committed files — ADE stores them in local encrypted settings.

Permissions

Lane scope, provider modes, and how secrets are handled.

Settings

Every Settings section and a first-pass order.