v0.1.61 — Simpler agent-building · first-class Agent21 · keyless studio

Released 2026-07-14. Signed + notarized on Mac + Linux; gated on full smoke + E2E. Windows ships unsigned this release while our Azure Trusted Signing identity validation finishes — a signed AgentFoundry-Setup.exe will replace it on this same release shortly (SmartScreen’s “unknown publisher” wall goes away then).

Building an agent is finally intuitive

Users told us the build flow was overwhelming. It’s now one primary path — Describe → Build → Run:

The Foundry leads with a single “What should your agent do?” box and one Build button. Type it, click, land on a running agent — no SDK choice, no jargon, no 9-step wall up front.
The old 9-step stepper is still there for power users, but tucked behind “Advanced: build step by step.” The vendor-lock-in essays and harness/orchestrator/MCP jargon now live behind disclosures, with a “Recommended for you” kit auto-picked from your keys.
The studio rail is decluttered: the four overlapping run tabs (Ask/Threads/Test) collapse into a single Run with a “More ways to run” disclosure, and the Run/Observe/Ship groups stay hidden until you actually have an agent. “Build” was renamed Define so it means one thing.

First-class Agent21 publishing — no more client secret

Publishing to Agent21 used to require every user to hand-set an AGENT21_CLIENT_SECRET env var. Gone. The app is now a proper OAuth client: click Connect Agent21, approve in your browser, done. The credential lives on our backend, not in your .env. One click, no setup.

Keyless studio — Run & Test with zero keys

The multi-model studio now defaults to CodeNow-served SMART-Code — Run, Test, and threads work with no API key at all (served inference, metered against your free pool). Bring your own Anthropic/OpenAI/Gemini/Fireworks keys anytime to compare models side-by-side, but you no longer need one just to try your agent.

Also

Editor is free for everyone, forever. Served SMART-Code is free for 6 months, then any paid plan (or your own key) keeps it going; Business mode is the subscription surface. BYOK is always free.
Password reset is scan-proof — corporate email security can no longer consume the one-time link before you click it.
Dead agent21.dev links fixed → agent21.ai.