Before you install CodeNow

CodeNow works keyless out of the box — you sign in once and the built-in SMART-Code studio runs on CodeNow-served inference with no API key at all (metered against a free pool). You can also bring your own keys to run any provider you already pay for, side-by-side. This page lists the upstream services CodeNow can integrate with, what each one requires, and which ones cost money — but none of them are required just to start building.

Operating system

• macOS Apple Silicon (M1 / M2 / M3 / M4) — first-class. Signed + notarized DMG. Auto-update wired.
• macOS Intel (x64) — restored as of v0.1.21. Signed + notarized DMG, cross-compiled from the Apple Silicon CI runner. Auto-update wired.
• Windows 10/11 (x64) — signed installer from CI. Auto-update wired.
• Linux (x86_64) — AppImage from CI.

AI providers

CodeNow runs side-by-side multi-model: Claude · Codex · Gemini · Aider · Copilot. You configure which ones you want. None of them are required — the built-in SMART-Code studio defaults to CodeNow-served inference with no key (Run, Test, and agent threads work out of the box), and even with zero AI integrations you still get the Monaco editor, file tree, terminal, Git GUI, and team collaboration. Bring your own keys when you want to compare providers side-by-side or run one of the SDK kits below directly on your machine.

Claude Code

Requires a Claude Pro or Claude Max subscription. The free claude.ai tier does not work with the Claude Code CLI.

1. Install the CLI: curl -fsSL claude.ai/install.sh | sh (or brew install anthropic/tap/claude).
2. Run claude once in a terminal — it’ll open a browser to sign in.
3. In CodeNow, the Claude Code tab in the bottom panel will pick up the CLI automatically.

If you only have a free Claude account, the CLI will sign in but every command will be blocked by claude_pro_required. Upgrade at claude.ai/upgrade  before relying on this kit.

Claude Agent SDK (TypeScript / Python)

Often the “Recommended for you” kit the Foundry auto-picks (from the keys it detects). Running this kit’s scaffolded code locally requires an Anthropic API key, which is separate from your Claude Pro subscription. Get one at console.anthropic.com  — pricing is pay-as-you-go (no monthly fee). Add to ~/.codenow/.env.local:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

If you don’t have an Anthropic API key yet, pick a different kit when scaffolding (see below).

Google ADK (Python)

Free tier available, but quotas are tight. Limits at the time of writing (subject to change):

• Gemini Flash free tier: ~10 requests/minute, ~1500 requests/day
• Gemini Pro free tier: ~2 requests/minute, ~50 requests/day

For real workloads, enable billing at aistudio.google.com  — pay-as-you-go pricing. Set:

GOOGLE_API_KEY=...

Or use Vertex AI instead: GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI=TRUE + GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=your-project.

Microsoft Agent Framework (Python)

Requires Azure OpenAI access (AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY + AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT) or an OpenAI API key (OPENAI_API_KEY). Pay-as-you-go.

Cursor SDK (TypeScript)

Cursor’s agent harness with Composer 2 + multi-model + sandboxed cloud VMs. Requires a Cursor account and API key from cursor.com/integrations .

Empty manifest only

No SDK, no runtime — just an Agent21 manifest file. Use this if you’re wiring up your own agent server and only need CodeNow for publishing to the marketplace.

Which kit should I pick?

Agent21 marketplace publishing

Publishing your built agent to Agent21  (one-click monetize) is now a one-click OAuth connect — no client secret, no env var, no setup on your machine. The client credential lives on CodeNow’s backend, not your laptop.

Agent21 is in private beta (invite-only). You still need an Agent21 account to authorize the connection — request an invite from the CodeNow team. Once you have one:

1. Open the Publish tab in the Agents panel and click Connect Agent21.
2. Approve the consent screen in your browser. Done — the Publish tab shows a green “Connected” badge.

If you’re not publishing to a marketplace yet, skip this entirely — agent building, running, testing, Live Replay, and every other pipeline step work without an Agent21 account. Publish is the only step that needs it.

CLI tools (optional but recommended)

CodeNow’s embedded terminal prepends ~/.local/bin, /opt/homebrew/bin, and /usr/local/bin to your PATH so these work out of the box if installed:

The first-launch Migration Assistant scans for these and offers one-click import of the configs already on your machine — so if you’ve used Cursor or VS Code before, your gitconfig, SSH keys, GitHub auth, and AI provider keys carry over.

Known free-tier gotchas

• Claude free claude.ai account ≠ Claude Pro for the CLI. The CLI will sign in but every command returns “Claude Pro or Max required”. Confusing for first-time users — upgrade or use a different kit.
• Google AI Studio free quota burns through fast on agent loops — turn on billing for anything past a demo.
• OpenAI free tier doesn’t cover GPT-4 class models. You need a paid OpenAI account for Codex CLI to be useful.
• Anthropic Console new accounts get a small free credit (~$5) — enough to try the Claude Agent SDK before deciding to pay.