# How to connect Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and other agents to Tallos

> To connect an AI agent to Tallos, open Settings → Connections, click Install on the agent's card, then Sign in with your account or Use API key. Tallos runs the vendor's official install command, opens the vendor's own login, and keeps API keys in your computer's secure storage, passing each key only to its own agent. You pick the default agent in Settings → Agents.

- Canonical: https://runtallos.com/learn/connect-your-agents
- Português: https://runtallos.com/pt/aprenda/conectar-seus-agentes.md
- Updated: 2026-09-29
- Section: Learn

## Key facts

- One card per official CLI: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Grok CLI, Qwen Code, MiMo Code
- Install runs the vendor's verified command, shown before it runs
- API keys stay in secure storage, injected only into that agent
- Uses your existing subscriptions and keys

## How do agent connections work in Tallos?

**Connections** is the Settings page where Tallos installs agent CLIs and signs you in to them. Each AI coding agent is a separate program from its maker. Tallos does not bundle or resell model access: it uses the subscription or API key you already have with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and the others, and runs each agent in your [workspaces](https://runtallos.com/features/parallel-workspaces).

Every card shows the agent's version and one of four states: **Not installed**, **Installed, not signed in**, **Installed, sign-in unknown** (the vendor offers no reliable way to check) and **Connected**. The buttons change with the state: **Install**, **Sign in**, **Use API key**, **Models** and **Docs**.

## How do I connect an agent to Tallos, step by step?

1. **Open Settings → Connections** — Open Settings and choose **Connections**. Tallos checks which agent CLIs are on this computer and shows a card for each supported one. Click **Refresh** after installing anything outside Tallos.
2. **Install the agent** — Click **Install**. Tallos shows the vendor's official install command and runs it only after you confirm, streaming the output. If the card says **Needs Node.js first** or **Needs Homebrew first**, install that tool and click **Refresh**. When no verified one-click install exists, **Open install guide** takes you to the vendor's docs.
3. **Sign in with your account** — Click **Sign in**. Tallos opens the agent's own login command in a terminal, for example `claude auth login` or `codex login`, and you finish it in the browser as usual. Sign-in needs an open project; without one, run the command in any terminal.
4. **Or use an API key** — For agents that accept one, click **Use API key**, paste the key and click **Save key**. Tallos confirms with **API key saved in secure storage** and never shows the key again. **Remove saved key** deletes it.
5. **Check the models** — Expand **Models** to see what the agent offers. Tallos lists models reported by the tool itself when it can, otherwise a known catalog, and says so on the list.
6. **Set your default agent** — Open **Settings → Agents** and choose the **Default Agent**. New workspaces preselect it. You can also click **Set as default** in the agent selector when creating a workspace.

> Bring the agents you already pay for. Get Tallos and connect them in one place. → https://runtallos.com/signup

## How does each agent install and sign in?

Every install command, login command and environment variable Tallos uses comes from the vendor's official docs or repository. On Windows, all one-click installs use npm; on macOS, Tallos prefers Homebrew where the vendor documents it.

| Agent | Command | Install (macOS) | Install (Windows) | Sign in | API key in Tallos |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Claude Code](https://runtallos.com/integrations/claude-code) | `claude` | Homebrew cask `claude-code` or npm `@anthropic-ai/claude-code` | npm `@anthropic-ai/claude-code` | `claude auth login` | Yes, as `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` |
| [Codex](https://runtallos.com/integrations/codex) | `codex` | npm `@openai/codex` or Homebrew cask `codex` | npm `@openai/codex` | `codex login` | Yes, passed once to `codex login --with-api-key` |
| [Gemini CLI](https://runtallos.com/integrations/gemini-cli) | `gemini` | Homebrew `gemini-cli` or npm `@google/gemini-cli` | npm `@google/gemini-cli` | Sign in with Google on first run | Yes, as `GEMINI_API_KEY` |
| [OpenCode](https://runtallos.com/integrations/opencode) | `opencode` | Homebrew `anomalyco/tap/opencode` or npm `opencode-ai` | npm `opencode-ai` | `opencode auth login` | No; OpenCode stores provider keys itself |
| [Grok CLI](https://runtallos.com/integrations/grok-cli) | `grok` | npm `@xai-official/grok` or the vendor's install script | npm `@xai-official/grok` | `grok login` | Yes, as `XAI_API_KEY` |
| [Qwen Code](https://runtallos.com/integrations/qwen-code) | `qwen` | Homebrew `qwen-code` or npm `@qwen-code/qwen-code` | npm `@qwen-code/qwen-code` | `/auth` inside a `qwen` session | No |
| [MiMo Code](https://runtallos.com/integrations/mimo-code) | `mimo` | npm `@mimo-ai/cli` or the vendor's install script | npm `@mimo-ai/cli` | `mimo auth login` | No |

_Connections cards in Tallos, per the vendors' official docs_

Other agents, such as [GitHub Copilot CLI](https://runtallos.com/integrations/github-copilot), still run in Tallos from the agent picker. They do not have a Connections card, so install and sign in with the vendor's own instructions; Tallos picks the CLI up once it is on your PATH.

## Where does Tallos store my API keys?

Tallos stores API keys in your computer's secure storage (the keychain on macOS, the system's protected storage on Windows) and never displays them again. When Tallos starts an agent, it injects that agent's saved key as the vendor's documented environment variable, and only into that agent's process. Claude Code's key never reaches Gemini CLI, and the other way round.

- **Environment-variable agents** (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Grok CLI): Tallos keeps the key and passes it at launch.
- **Codex**: Tallos passes the key once to `codex login --with-api-key`, Codex saves it in its own settings, and Tallos keeps no copy.
- **OpenCode, Qwen Code, MiMo Code**: keys are managed inside the tool itself, so **Use API key** is not offered.
- **Remote workspaces**: saved keys are host-local and are not sent to SSH hosts.
- **No secure storage available**: Tallos refuses to save the key rather than storing it in plain text.

> **Subscription or API key?** — Signing in with your account uses the plan you have with the vendor. An API key is billed per use by the vendor. Tallos works with either and adds no model charges of its own.

## How do I switch my default agent?

Change the default under **Settings → Agents → Default Agent**, or click **Set as default** next to any agent in the New workspace dialog. The default is only a preselection: you can still pick any installed agent per workspace, run [several Claude Code sessions in parallel](https://runtallos.com/learn/run-multiple-claude-code-sessions), or mix agents inside a [squad](https://runtallos.com/features/squads).

## Troubleshooting: why does an agent show as not connected?

- **Installed but Tallos says Not installed.** The CLI is not on the PATH Tallos sees. Restart Tallos after installing, then click **Refresh**.
- **Sign in does nothing.** Open a project first; the login runs in a terminal inside it. Or run the login command in any terminal and click **Refresh**.
- **Installed, sign-in unknown.** Some CLIs have no status command. Start the agent once; if it works, you are signed in.
- **The tool rejected the key.** Paste it again without spaces, and check it is a key for that vendor.
- **The install timed out or failed.** Read the output in the install dialog. Network, proxy or npm permission problems are the usual causes; the vendor's guide has manual steps.

> Try it on your own repo. → https://runtallos.com/signup

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Tallos include access to Claude, GPT or Gemini models?

No. Tallos uses the subscriptions and API keys you already have with each vendor. It does not resell model access.

### Is my API key safe in Tallos?

Tallos keeps keys in your computer's secure storage, never shows them again, and injects each key only into its own agent's process. It will not save a key if secure storage is unavailable.

### Can I use my Claude subscription instead of an API key?

Yes. Click Sign in on the Claude Code card to run `claude auth login` and use your account.

### Why is there no API key option for OpenCode or Qwen Code?

Those tools manage keys themselves: OpenCode stores provider keys through `opencode auth login`, and Qwen Code configures providers with `/auth` inside a session.

### Can I use GitHub Copilot CLI in Tallos?

Yes. Install and sign in with GitHub's instructions, and Tallos launches it from the agent picker. It does not have a Connections card.

### How do I change the default agent later?

Go to Settings → Agents → Default Agent, or click Set as default in the agent selector when creating a workspace.

### Do I need Node.js to connect agents?

On Windows, yes, because every one-click install uses npm. On macOS, Homebrew covers several agents, but some installs still use npm.

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**Run your agents in parallel with Tallos** — Claude Code, Codex, Gemini and 30+ agents — each in its own workspace, with squads, chat, terminals and review in one app. Uses the subscriptions you already have.

https://runtallos.com/signup (macOS 13+ · Windows 10+)