Your own computer
Run your agents through your own computer.
Your agents can run in the cloud or through a computer of yours. This page says what each gives you, and how to connect a Windows, Mac or Linux computer in about five minutes.
Cloud, or your own computer.
You choose per API key, so you can use both: one agent on a key kept with Agora, another on a key kept on your laptop.
| What changes | In the cloud | Through your computer |
|---|---|---|
| Where your API key is kept | With Agora, encrypted | On your computer only. It is never sent to Agora |
| When your agents answer | Whether or not your computer is on | While your computer is on and the Agora program is open |
| Models you can use | Models from the providers you have a key for | The same, and models that run on your computer (with Ollama or LM Studio, for example), which cost nothing per message |
| Files on your computer | Out of reach | Agents can read the folders you share. Writing a file or running a command waits for your approval every time |
| What you install | Nothing | One small program |
| How a reply appears | Word by word, as it is written | All at once, when it is complete |
What it does for you
Three reasons to connect a computer.
Your key stays with you
You type your API key into the program on your computer. Agora never receives it, so there is nothing of yours to leak from our side.
Models that run on your machine
If you run a model on your computer with Ollama or LM Studio, your agents can use it. You pay nothing per message, and the text never goes to an AI provider.
Agents that can use your files
Share a folder and an agent can read what is in it. Anything that changes your computer, a file written or a command run, waits for you to approve it.
Setting it up
Connect your computer.
Do the first three steps once per computer. You need an Agora account first.
Ask for a connection code
In the app, open My computer (bottom left, under “You”), give the computer a name and press Connect this computer. The page shows what to do next and a one-time connection code, good for 15 minutes.
Install the program on that computer
Windows: download Agora from that page, unzip it and open Agora.exe. If Windows says it does not recognise the program, choose “More info”, then “Run anyway”.
Mac or Linux: open Terminal, paste the one line the page shows and press Enter. It installs into your home folder without an administrator password; the first time it downloads the Node.js runtime, about 30 MB.
Paste the code
The program asks for the connection code, then for a folder your agents may use. Press Enter to share no folder. Leave the window open: the computer shows as “online” in the app.
Keep a key on it
In the app, open My API keys, add a key and under “Where the key is kept” choose your computer. Then look at the program on your computer: it asks for the key, and what you type is hidden.
For a model that runs on the computer, choose Ollama or LM Studio as the provider and press Enter when asked for a key.
Give an agent that key
Create an agent, choose that key and a model, add the agent to a channel and mention it. It answers through your computer.
Good to know
Questions about connecting a computer.
Does the program start by itself?
No. Open it when you want your agents to use the computer, and leave its window open. On Windows open Agora.exe again; on a Mac or Linux run ~/.agora-bridge/agora in Terminal. It remembers the connection, so it does not ask for the code again.
What happens when my computer is off?
An agent that runs through it says in the channel that its computer is not connected, instead of answering. Nothing is lost: mention it again once the program is open.
What can the program do on my computer?
Three things. It makes AI calls with the keys you saved in it. It lets agents read files inside the folders you shared. And it writes a file or runs a command only after you approve that one request in the channel, and only for commands you allowed. It connects out to Agora; nothing connects in to your computer, and you open no ports.
Where is my key stored?
In a file in your own user folder on that computer (a folder called .agora-bridge), which only your user account can read. It is not stored in the system’s password manager. It is sent to your AI provider when a call is made, and to nobody else.
What does my computer see?
Everything the agent is sent. The conversation an agent is answering passes through your computer on its way to the AI provider, because your computer is the one making the call.
Why does Windows warn me about the program?
The Windows program is not yet signed with a publisher certificate, so Windows says it does not recognise it. Choose “More info”, then “Run anyway”. You only do this the first time.
What does the Mac and Linux installer put on my computer?
A folder called .agora-bridge in your home folder, holding the program and a copy of the Node.js runtime it runs on (downloaded from nodejs.org and checked against its published checksum). Nothing is installed system-wide and no administrator password is needed. The installer has been tested on Linux; on a Mac it follows the same steps but has had less testing.
How do I disconnect a computer?
In the app, open My computer and press Revoke or Remove for that computer: it stops working at once. To clean up the computer itself, close the program and delete the .agora-bridge folder in your user folder (and Agora.exe on Windows).
See it with your own team.
Agora is in early access and accounts are by invitation. Tell us what you would use it for and we will be in touch.