# October Lantern — every coding agent, one little light

> Every coding agent you run, on your Mac, your iPhone and your servers, in one place: see what each one is doing, answer the ones waiting on you, and tell them what's next. Lantern glows when one needs you. Answer from the bar or your iPhone, then get back to your own work. It isn't another coding agent: it sits on top of the ones you already use. Free for Mac and Windows (preview), with an iPhone app and a Linux server connector. (For the everyday-assistant side of Lantern, see https://lantern.october.dev/index.md.)

- Install from Terminal: `curl -fsSL https://lantern.october.dev/install.sh | sh` (downloads the latest notarized release, copies it into /Applications, and opens it)
- Download for Mac: https://lantern.october.dev/download/mac
- Download for Windows (preview): https://lantern.october.dev/download/windows (about 17 MB, no administrator rights needed)
- Release notes: https://github.com/harshsaver/october-lantern-releases/releases
- Source code: https://github.com/october-dev/october-lantern (open source, Apache 2.0)
- Requirements: macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, as a preview. No Linux download yet.
- Price: try it free for 3 days with October Pro (card needed), or buy Lantern Lifetime once (see Pricing).

## How it works

1. **Install and sign in.** Lantern spots Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and the rest by itself, in whatever terminal they're running.
2. **Bring in your other machines.** Pair your iPhone with a QR code. On a Linux box, run one command. They all report to the same list.
3. **Answer the first question.** Pick an option, type a reply, or just say it. Lantern delivers it to the agent that asked, and lets you know when it's finished.

## Laptop, server or cloud. Same little light.

- **One waiting list.** Questions and finished work from every agent land in one list. Number keys pick an option, so most answers take a single keystroke.
- **The lantern.** It sits at the edge of your screen and glows when someone needs you. Hover for a dot per agent: on it, waiting on you, or finished.
- **Ask Lantern.** Press Control + Option + Space (Ctrl + Alt + Space on Windows) and say or type what you need. Lantern hands it to the agent already on that project, or starts one in the right folder.
- **On your iPhone.** Your phone buzzes when an agent asks or finishes. Answer from the notification.
- **On your servers.** Run one command on any Linux server or VPS. Its agents show up next to the ones on your laptop.
- **In the cloud.** Start an agent in October's cloud and close the lid. It keeps going and checks in when it needs something.

Also: tasks you hand Lantern wait 3 seconds before they start (Cancel stops them); Claude Code permission prompts get Allow and Deny buttons; Point & Ask (Control + Option + P) lets you drag over an error and say what should happen; dictation runs on your computer.

## Pricing

Your agents keep using the subscriptions and keys you already have. An October plan covers Lantern's own AI, your phone and the cloud. Prices in US dollars, before tax: https://www.october.dev/pricing

- **Pro, $20 a month:** 3 days free, then $9.99 for your first month and $20/month after. Cancel anytime. The iPhone app (beta), cloud runs, $20 a month of AI for the agents Lantern starts, $3 of Ask Lantern answers a month, 60 minutes of online voice a month. During the trial you get Ask Lantern on your own key, 20 questions a day on October's AI and your iPhone (beta); the allowances start with your first payment. Start the trial: https://lantern.october.dev/buy?offer=trial&ref=agents&icp=dev. Or $200 a year, billed yearly, with no trial.
- **Max, $60 a month or $600 a year:** everything in Pro, three times the cloud time, $60 a month of AI for the agents Lantern starts, $8 of Ask Lantern answers a month, 3 hours of online voice a month.
- **Lantern Lifetime, pay once:** Ask Lantern on your own OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter key with no daily limit, up to 20 questions a day on October's AI, your iPhone (beta), Show me how, and every Lantern app update. Not October's cloud. The price goes up as each batch of 100 seats sells; full refund on request within 14 days. Buy: https://lantern.october.dev/buy?offer=lifetime&ref=agents&icp=dev

## Beyond watching

- **Point & Ask.** Hold Control + Option + P (Ctrl + Alt + P on Windows), point at anything on screen, and say what you want. Lantern sends your words, a screenshot around the pointer, the app and window (and a browser's page address or selected text) to the agent it's for. The screenshot is saved in the agent's project under `.lantern/shots/`, excluded from git.
- **A task for any app.** Click + while in DaVinci Resolve, Keynote, Preview, or any other app, and start an agent on it. The agent is told the app, its window, and the open document. Tasks without a document start in `~/Documents/Lantern Tasks/<App>`.
- **Pick the model** when starting any agent: Opus, Sonnet, Haiku, or Fable for Claude Code, the models Codex, Grok, OpenCode, or October offer, or any model ID.
- **Show it your screen.** Optionally add a screenshot when starting a session, with a preview and retake. It's saved on your computer.
- **Agents that work together.** Agents Lantern starts (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Qwen Code, GitHub Copilot, Goose, and October) join Agent Intercom locally, so they can see and message each other and share tasks. On by default; a small signed component (about 6 MB) downloads on first use. Off in Settings.
- **They know your computer.** Lantern keeps a short list of what the computer already has (command-line tools like ffmpeg, local AI models, scriptable apps) and gives it to agents, so they don't reinstall things.

## Supported agents

- **Full support** (working / needs-a-reply status, the last message, and conversation history): Claude Code, Codex, October Harness, OpenCode, Pi, and Gemini CLI.
- **Also detected** (shown as Running): Cursor Agent, Grok, Qwen Code, Goose, Aider, Amp, GitHub Copilot CLI, Kimi, Droid, Crush, and Auggie.
- **Apps:** Claude Desktop, Cowork, and Codex app sessions are listed too, and Open takes you to them.
- Lantern works with 17 agents, and links to where to get the ones you don't have.

## Replying from Lantern

| Where the agent runs | Reply from Lantern |
| --- | --- |
| cmux, Terminal, iTerm2, tmux | Typed straight into the agent's tab or pane. Open jumps to that exact tab. |
| Sessions started by Lantern | Sent directly (they run in tmux). |
| Ghostty, VS Code, Cursor, Warp, and other terminals | Lantern copies your reply and brings the app forward so you can paste it. |

With optional hooks, Claude Code permission prompts get Allow and Deny buttons in cmux, iTerm2, and tmux.

## Runs on your computer

- **Your work stays on your computer.** Lantern doesn't upload your code or chats. No account needed. Screenshots only when you ask for one.
- **Type it. Or say it.** Press Control + Option + Space (Ctrl + Alt + Space on Windows) to write a reply. Use the mic to turn your voice into text on your computer.
- **There when you need it.** Lantern sits at the edge of your screen, even across desktops and full-screen apps. Optional notifications tell you when an agent needs you.

## FAQ

**Is Lantern another coding agent?** No. It sits on top of the agents you already use, like Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Gemini CLI, and their plans. It shows what they're doing and passes your answers along. When you ask it to start work, it starts one of them.

**Does it work when my laptop is closed?** Agents on your servers and in October's cloud keep going, and your iPhone still gets their questions. Agents on the laptop pause with it.

**What is October Lantern?** A small app from October, for Mac and Windows (preview), for people using AI coding tools. It finds your running agents, shows which ones need a reply, and helps you answer from one place.

**Who makes Lantern?** October (https://www.october.dev/). October also makes October Desktop, a workspace for teams of agents; Harness (https://harness.october.dev), an open-source coding agent; Agent Intercom (https://agentintercom.org), which lets agents work together; Octo (https://octo.october.dev), a friendly helper for your family’s computers; and Moirai (https://moirai.october.dev), which moves a saved agent session to another tool.

**How do I install it?** Download the DMG, open it, and drag Lantern into Applications. Then open Lantern. The download is about 15 MB. On Windows (preview), run October-Lantern-windows-x86_64-setup.exe, then find October Lantern in the Start menu. Windows may show "Windows protected your PC": click More info, then Run anyway (the installer isn't code-signed yet; signing is coming soon). Uninstall from Settings › Apps, or from Lantern's own Settings › About.

**Does it work on Windows or Linux?** Yes on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), as a preview: the same lantern and panel as on the Mac. Linux builds from source for now. On Windows, Open brings an agent's window forward, not its exact tab, and replies go to agents in Windows Terminal, VS Code, console windows, and sessions Lantern starts.

**Do I need to change how I run my agents?** No. Keep using Terminal, iTerm2, Ghostty, cmux, VS Code, or tmux. Lantern finds supported agents automatically. You can also start a new agent from Lantern.

**Does Lantern upload my code or chats?** No. Your code and chats stay on your computer unless you connect to October. Lantern checks for updates daily and sends anonymous usage counts (which features are used, plus an approximate country and city from your IP address; never messages, prompts, commands, or file names). Turn them off in Settings. Screenshots are taken only when you turn them on or use Point & Ask, and are saved on your computer; an agent you give one to sends it to its model like any image. Voice typing runs on your computer.

**Which permissions does it ask for?** Only what a feature needs, when you first use it. On a Mac: Automation to type replies in Terminal and iTerm2, Notifications, the Microphone for voice typing, Screen Recording only for screenshots, and Accessibility only if a task should see your open document. No Full Disk Access.

**Is Lantern open source?** Yes, Apache 2.0: https://github.com/october-dev/october-lantern. Builds from source send no usage counts.

**Do I need October Desktop?** No. Lantern works on its own. If you use October Desktop, you can connect Lantern to see October's agents and their questions, reply to them, and open them on the canvas. The connection stays on your computer.

**Can I answer my agents from my phone?** Yes. Install the iPhone app and scan the code Lantern shows. Your agents' questions arrive as notifications, and you answer from the same Inbox.

**How do the trial and cancelling work?** Start the trial with a card at https://lantern.october.dev/buy?offer=trial&ref=agents&icp=dev. For 3 days you get Lantern's paid features: Ask Lantern on your own OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter key, up to 20 questions a day on October's AI, and your iPhone (beta). Then October Pro is $9.99 for your first month and $20/month after, and the full Pro allowances start with that first payment. Cancel anytime in the billing portal, from your October account (https://www.october.dev/account). The yearly plan ($200 a year) has no trial.

**What does Lifetime include? Can I get a refund?** Lantern Lifetime is paid once: Ask Lantern on your own OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter key with no daily limit, up to 20 questions a day on October's AI, your iPhone (beta), Show me how, and every Lantern app update. It doesn't include October's cloud. It's $149 for the first 100 seats, $199 for the next 100 and $249 for the last 100; the current price and seats left are on the page. Buy at https://lantern.october.dev/buy?offer=lifetime&ref=agents&icp=dev. Changed your mind? Email hey@october.dev within 14 days for a full refund.

**Do I need an account?** Yes, an October account. Checkout makes one for the email you pay with, so start the 3-day trial or buy Lifetime, then sign in to Lantern with that email. If you already have a paid October plan, sign in and your plan's extras, like cloud agents, are there automatically. If you cancel the trial, Lantern keeps watching your agents.

## For agents

- Agent skill: https://lantern.october.dev/.well-known/agent-skills/october-lantern/SKILL.md
- Help: hey@october.dev

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