FAQs
General FAQs
Accounts, privacy, supported AI tools, sessions, installing, and updates.
Short answers to the questions we hear most often. If you are brand new, start with the Getting Started track; this page is here to clear up the specifics — accounts, privacy, supported tools, installing, and updates.
Accounts & privacy
Do I need an account to use Operon?
No. Operon runs fully local with no account. Local mode is the complete app — you get sessions, the terminal, activity and timeline views, tasks, analytics, the Changes workbench, scope boundaries, checkpoints, and everything else, all stored on your own machine. An account is only for optional cloud sync when you want to review sessions in the web dashboard or share outcomes with a team.
Is my code uploaded to the cloud?
Not as a repository — Operon never uploads your codebase as files, and in local mode nothing syncs at all. When you opt into cloud sync (Pro tier and above), the default sync level uploads more than session metadata: alongside events, tasks, and decisions, it includes prompt text, agent response text, tool inputs/outputs, and code diffs from your sessions. You can turn code-content sync off per project in Settings — that toggle defaults ON, so review it if you want a stricter default.
What exactly gets synced if I sign in and join a team?
By default: session records, timeline events, kanban tasks, decisions, plus prompt text, agent responses, tool inputs/outputs, and code diffs captured during your sessions. Your repository itself — the actual working tree of files — is never uploaded. Turn off the per-project code-content toggle to stop diffs and tool I/O from syncing; you can also choose a coarser sync level to reduce what leaves your machine further.
Is Operon local-first?
Yes. Everything is stored in a local database on your machine and the app works with no network connection. Cloud sync is an opt-in layer on top for people who want the web dashboard or team collaboration — it is never required to use the app.
Note
Local mode is fully private — nothing leaves your machine, no account required. Cloud sync (Pro+) is different: by default it uploads session content, including prompt text, tool inputs/outputs, and code diffs, not just metadata. Operon never uploads your repository as files, and you can turn off code-content sync per project.
Tools & sessions
Which AI coding tools does Operon work with?
The five core, verified tools are Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, and Aider. Operon detects which of these you already have installed and layers its observability on top without changing how they behave. A set of experimental agents can also be launched, but they are unverified — treat them as best-effort until they have been confirmed against the real binary.
Do I have to use Operon instead of my current AI tool?
No — Operon wraps your tools, it does not replace them. You run the same agent with the same model doing the same work. Operon is the instrument panel on top: it records the session, tracks cost, watches files, and gives you controls. If a tool works in your terminal today, it works inside Operon.
Do I have to use Operon’s built-in terminal?
The embedded terminal is how Operon captures the richest data, and it is the recommended way to drive your agent. But you are not forced into it: Operon also detects sessions and activity through other paths, so you can keep your existing habits. To get full traces — tool calls, sub-agents, diffs — running the agent in the Operon terminal gives the best results.
Does ending a session delete my work?
No. Ending a session is non-destructive. It closes out the session record but never deletes your files, commits, or diffs. If the session used an isolated worktree and that worktree still has uncommitted changes, Operon preserves it rather than removing it — your work is safe.
Can I resume a past session later?
Yes. Past sessions load back with their full state — events, tasks, plans, context, and shell history — so you can pick up where you left off instead of starting from scratch.
The pending / approval state
I signed up and got a "pending" or "approval required" screen — what is that?
Some cloud deployments run an approval gate: new accounts start in a pending state and an administrator approves them before they can use the cloud dashboard. This is a deployment-level setting, so you will only see it where the gate is enabled. It does not affect local mode at all — the desktop app keeps working locally regardless of your cloud approval status.
I have an invite link or invite code — do I still have to wait for approval?
No. Claiming a valid invite link or invite code bypasses the approval gate. When you join a team through an invite, your account is activated as part of accepting it, so you do not sit in the pending queue.
Installing & updating
How do I install Operon?
Download the installer for your operating system and run it — there is no package-manager step. Operon is a desktop app, so you install it the way you install any other desktop app: grab the macOS, Windows, or Linux installer and open it. See the Install page in Getting Started for the platform-by-platform walkthrough.
Which operating systems are supported?
macOS, Windows, and Linux. Operon detects your platform’s shell and window chrome automatically, so the app behaves natively on each.
How do updates work?
Updates come through Operon’s own release pipeline, not an app store. When a new version is available the app surfaces it — typically as an in-app banner or modal — and you update from there. You do not need to hunt for a new download for routine updates.
Do I need to keep the app store or a package manager involved?
No. Operon is distributed as a direct installer and updates itself through its release pipeline. There is no store dependency and no command-line install to remember.
Still have questions?
If you did not find your answer here, these pages cover the setup path and how to read what the app is showing you.
Getting Started
Install Operon, launch your first project, and run your first session end to end.
Plans & pricing FAQs
How the Solo, Pro, Team, and Enterprise plans differ, and where to see live pricing.
Watching work happen
How the Activity, Timeline, and monitoring views turn a session into something you can read.