Skip to main content
Modaal is the orchestrator; the agent is the model that actually writes your code. Every new project starts on Modaal’s built-in free preview agent so you can try things immediately. When you’re ready, connect your own agent — it’s almost always cheaper than paying per-API-call, and you can switch any time.

​
Why connect your own agent?

Use a plan you already have

Already subscribed to Claude, ChatGPT/Codex, Gemini, or Copilot? Sign in and Modaal runs on that plan — no separate API bill.

More capable models

The free preview is for trying Modaal out. Your own agent gives you the full, latest model and higher limits.

Switch any time

Connect several agents and flip the default whenever you like. Your project doesn’t change — only who writes the code.

​
Open Agent settings

Click your profile avatar in the top-right corner to open the User Menu, then choose Agent settings.
Modaal User Menu with Agent settings highlighted

User Menu → Agent settings.

This opens Choose your build agent — the list of every agent Modaal can drive. Each row shows the agent, its current status, and one action button. Show more reveals the full catalog.
Choose your build agent panel listing available agents

The agent list. Each row has a status (“Not installed”, “Installed · Not signed in”, “Signed in…”) and one action.

​
The two kinds of action button

Before you start, it helps to know that agents differ along two simple axes — and those two axes are all that change the buttons you see.

​
1. Getting the agent onto your Mac — Get vs Check

​
2. Signing in — in-app login vs Login via Terminal

After the agent is installed, you sign in with your own account:
  • In-app login — Modaal signs you in directly. For some agents (like Claude) you’ll pick how to sign in from a small menu; for others it starts straight away. These agents can also be re-authenticated later from the ⋯ menu.
  • Login via Terminal — Modaal opens a Terminal window where the agent’s own CLI handles sign-in. Once you’ve signed in there, come back and click Re-check so Modaal picks it up.
You don’t need to memorize which agent is which — the panel always shows the right button for the right step. The rest of this guide walks the happy path with Claude Agent.

​
Connect an agent, step by step

1

Install it — click Get (or Check)

Find the agent you want and click Get. Modaal downloads and installs its CLI for you (this can take a minute). If the agent shows Check instead, install its CLI yourself first, then click Check.When it’s installed, the status changes to Installed · Not signed in and the button becomes Login.
Claude Agent installed but not signed in

After installing, the agent shows “Installed · Not signed in” and a Login button.

2

Sign in with your subscription — click Login

Click Login. If the agent offers more than one way to sign in, pick the one that matches your plan. For Claude Agent you choose between:
  • Claude Subscription — use your Claude (Pro/Max) subscription.
  • Anthropic Console — use Anthropic Console (API usage billing).
Pick Claude Subscription to use the plan you already pay for. A browser window opens for you to sign in and approve access.
Login method menu showing Claude Subscription and Anthropic Console

Choose how to sign in. Pick “Claude Subscription” to use a plan you already have.

Agents that use Login via Terminal instead open a Terminal window — sign in there, then return to Modaal and click Re-check.
3

Make it your default — click Use as default

Once you’re signed in, the status shows Signed in as <your account> and the button becomes Use as default. Click it to tell Modaal to write your code with this agent.
Claude Agent signed in with Use as default button

Signed in. Click “Use as default” to start building with this agent.

The button turns into a ✓ Default marker. That’s it — your next message in Modaal is handled by your own agent.

​
Switching agents later

You can connect as many agents as you like and switch the default whenever you want — open Agent settings again and click Use as default on a different one. Useful tools live in each row’s ⋯ menu:
  • Re-check — re-detect status (use this after signing in via Terminal, or installing a Check agent).
  • Re-authenticate — sign in again (in-app login agents).
  • Log out — sign out (only some agents support this in-app; otherwise sign out from the agent’s own CLI).
  • Show details — expand the row for version and account info.

​
Troubleshooting

This almost always means your sign-in token has gone stale — a transient issue, not a broken account. The fix is to refresh your credentials:
  1. Open Agent settings (User Menu → Agent settings).
  2. On your agent’s row, open the ⋯ menu and click Re-authenticate if it’s there, then sign in again.
  3. If there’s no Re-authenticate option, click Log out and then Login again. For agents that sign in through Terminal, sign out and back in via the agent’s own CLI, then click Re-check.
Once you’ve signed back in, retry your request. Other transient auth errors (403, “token expired”, “unauthorized”) clear the same way.
Click Re-check on the agent’s row — sign-ins done in a Terminal window are only picked up on re-check. If it still won’t catch, Log out / Login again from Agent settings.
Click Show more to reveal the full catalog. If it’s a Check-type agent (e.g. Cursor), install its CLI yourself first, then click Check so Modaal can detect it.
Connecting your own agent is the single biggest upgrade over the free preview — you get the full model on a plan you already own. If you’re not subscribed to any, Claude, ChatGPT/Codex, Gemini, and GitHub Copilot all have plans that work well with Modaal.
Need help? Join our community on Discord.