Atlarix 15.14 is out today. Atlarix is an AI coding agent by NorahLabs that plans, edits, runs and reviews code in your own projects, and it asks before it changes a file. In this release, free Atlarix Auto runs your first message with no question and no API key. Sub-agents finish their work again, the chat keeps up with long answers, the CLI prompt takes clicks, and the first run is smoother. Here is what changed and how to get it.
Free Atlarix Auto runs your first message
Atlarix Auto picks a model for each step of a task. On an account with no credit it is free, in the desktop app, the CLI and the editor extensions for VS Code, Cursor, Kiro and Windsurf.
Until now, the first free message stopped to ask "Use Atlarix Auto for free?" and waited for an answer. That question is gone. Sign in with a free account, open a project and type. The message runs. You don't need an API key, and there is nothing to set up first.
Free Auto also keeps a fixed working size now. It compacts a long conversation at the same point every time, in a 200K window, so when it compacts no longer depends on which free model served the last step.
What free Auto shares
Free Auto is free because its requests are shared with the AI providers that serve them, and those providers may use them to improve their models. The full terms are in the privacy policy and the terms. Use free Auto for code you are free to share.
Everything else stays private. Requests on Pro, on credit and on your own API keys are never shared this way, and with a local model your requests go only to the model you run. A Pro account that has used up its allowance is never moved to free Auto. Plans and credit are on the pricing page.
Sub-agents finish their work
Sub-agents are helpers the main agent starts to work on parts of a task in parallel. Explore sub-agents search and read. Build sub-agents draft edits, and their changes come back to you as proposals to accept.
Since 15.12.0, every sub-agent stopped after its first step. It read one file, reported that it was done, and the main agent then did the work again by itself. In 15.14 sub-agents keep going until their part is done and hand their changes back for you to accept. The story of the bug, and the one line that fixed it, is in How Atlarix runs sub-agents in parallel. How to use them is in the sub-agents guide.
The chat follows long answers
In the desktop app, a turn often starts with thinking and tool steps before the first words of the reply. While you're at the bottom of the chat, it now follows the answer as it grows, including those early steps. It stops following only when you scroll up.
Before this release, a long opening could leave you behind a "Jump to latest" button, with sub-agent cards and approvals running out of view. That no longer happens.
CLI: click to edit your prompt
In the Atlarix CLI, click anywhere in your prompt to put the cursor there. A click no longer copies text or types over it, even when the mouse moves a little as you click. Text you copy by dragging over the prompt stays where it is when you start typing.
A first run that doesn't get stuck
We tested a fresh install on Windows and fixed what got in the way of signing in:
- A slow email sign-in, such as creating an account and confirming the email, is no longer thrown away after 10 minutes.
- A sign-in that fails or is cancelled resets the screen. Before, it could leave every button disabled.
- A Cancel link shows while a sign-in waits.
- The email fallback waits its full 3 minutes and then asks "Still signing in?".
- A brand-new install no longer shows a "What's new" card on its first launch.
Explore can switch to Build
Explore is the read-only mode. When an Explore chat reaches a point where it needs to change files, it asks "switch to Build?". Pick yes and it switches the mode and carries on with the task, in the desktop app, the CLI and the editors. The mode chip and its tips say Explore on every surface, and the mode menu fits small windows. The modes are described in Work modes.
Errors from your own provider say what happened
When you use your own API key and the provider refuses a request, rate-limits it or reports that you are out of credit, the error now ends with the provider's own reason. Every surface also names the provider you're on, for example "NVIDIA NIM" or "Anthropic", where it used to say "Your key". So you can see straight away whether to wait, top up with that provider or switch models.
MCP servers that won't register Atlarix as a client now say what to do next. For Slack, use Atlarix in Slack. For other servers, add the server's API key if it offers one.
How to get it
The desktop app and the CLI update themselves to 15.14 (a Linux .deb or .rpm takes the new package from the downloads page). To install fresh:
- Desktop app: download it for macOS, Windows or Linux from atlarix.dev.
-
CLI on macOS or Linux:
curl -fsSL https://atlarix.dev/install | sh -
CLI on Windows (PowerShell):
irm https://atlarix.dev/install.ps1 | iex -
CLI with npm:
npm install -g atlarix - VS Code, Cursor, Kiro or Windsurf: search for "Atlarix" in the VS Code Marketplace or on Open VSX. Details are on the extension page.
The app, the CLI and the editor extension share one account, so a chat started in one is there in the others. New to Atlarix? Start with Getting started.
15.14 takes the question out of the free tier's first message and makes sub-agents useful again. The full list of changes is in the changelog.
FAQ
Can I use Atlarix without an API key?
Yes. On a free account, free Atlarix Auto runs in the desktop app, the CLI and the editor extensions with no API key. Since 15.14 your first message runs straight away, with no question to answer first.
Is free Atlarix Auto private?
No. Free Auto requests are shared with the AI providers that serve them, which may use them to improve their models. The privacy policy and terms describe it. Requests on Pro, credit or your own API key are never shared this way.
What changed for sub-agents in Atlarix 15.14?
From 15.12.0 to 15.13.3 each sub-agent stopped after one step. In 15.14 they keep going until their part is done and hand their changes back as proposals for you to accept.
How do I update to Atlarix 15.14?
The desktop app and the CLI update themselves. For a fresh install, download the app from atlarix.dev, run the one-line installer or npm install -g atlarix for the CLI, or install "Atlarix" from the VS Code Marketplace or Open VSX.
Originally published at atlarix.dev.
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