Connect engines and providers

The default path

Open App settings → Engines in the Mac app. Iterel resolves the Mac login-shell PATH and detects supported CLI executables such as claude, codex, and cursor-agent. It shows the detected version and lets you enable or disable each engine. An open desktop app or browser login is not detection; the CLI must be installed.

For a missing engine, use Install in Iterel. Iterel opens a visible machine-setup terminal, Electron main resolves and runs the allowlisted official vendor command, and readiness is checked again automatically. Verified vendor sign-in commands work the same way; engines without one stay honest with a Setup guide, while copy remains a fallback. Iterel never extracts the resulting vendor token. The first real run remains the final authentication probe when a vendor exposes no reliable read-only auth check.

Model providers are configured separately because they are API-key backends, not installable engines. First-run setup offers the optional additional providers; the full list remains under App settings → Engines → Build providers.

What Auto means

For tasks and Research, Strategy, or Creative Direction, Auto · use my engine chooses the project's preferred connected engine, then the first available enabled engine. The engine uses your existing vendor subscription or configured API credentials. A guided capability run is read-only against the bound workspace and saves its answer, document, or Whiteboard result with engine provenance.

If no usable engine is available, Auto stops and points back to setup. It never spends Iterel credits as a fallback.

Explicit alternatives

• Choose a named connected engine to override Auto for that request.
• Add Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI, Mistral, Qwen, MiniMax, z.ai, DeepSeek, Kimi, or OpenRouter under Build providers. Iterel encrypts the key on the Mac and injects it only into the compatible local engine for that round. Grok has no direct row because xAI deprecated Anthropic compatibility.
• Choose Iterel Cloud · Claude or Iterel Cloud · GPT when you intentionally want a host-independent run. The picker labels these options as using Iterel credits.

Every integration case

• Mac, local engine: CLI installed + vendor sign-in; no Iterel approval beyond normal project permission.
• Web/mobile with your Mac online: the same engine runs through your same-user remote session; the vendor credential stays on the Mac.
• Web/mobile without a host: connected engines are unavailable; explicitly choose Iterel Cloud or connect the Mac.
• BYO provider: save a provider API key in App settings; its named compatible engine must also be installed (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, or Mistral Vibe).
• Product integration: GitHub, Figma, Jira, Supabase, and similar accounts are explicit project bindings under Project settings. Merely opening their apps does nothing.
• MCP into Iterel: create a scoped project key under Project settings → Integrations and paste the generated configuration into the external client. This is separate from engine authentication.
• Iterel tools into an engine: Iterel injects a short-lived, project-scoped gateway into supported runs automatically; no persistent user key is copied into the workspace.