How to Set Claude Code as Your Default Agent in Omarchy 4

How do you set the default agent in Omarchy?

One command:

omarchy default agent claude

That makes Claude Code the agent that every system-level integration reaches for — the keyboard shortcut, the menu entry, the crash-diagnosis handler, and the usage panel in the top bar. If you prefer a graphical route, the same setting lives under Setup › Defaults › Agent in the Omarchy Menu, which opens with Super + Space.

Omarchy deliberately does not choose an agent for you. Ten are pre-wired, and the project treats picking one as a user decision rather than a vendor decision. If you are new to the distribution, start with Omarchy for what it is and what else ships with it.

TL;DR

• Set the default with omarchy default agent claude, or through Setup › Defaults › Agent in the Omarchy Menu (Super + Space).
• Super + Shift + Ctrl + A opens your default agent in a dedicated terminal window.
• Inline shortcuts run agents inside your current terminal: a for the default, cy for Claude Code, cx for Codex, c for OpenCode.
• omarchy agent prompt "..." runs an agent unattended, which is what you want for scripted or non-interactive work.
• Agent CLIs are lazy-loaded stubs in ~/.local/bin/ — nothing is downloaded until the first run, so setting a default does not commit you to anything.
• Switching the Omarchy theme re-themes the agents too. Claude Code, Pi, and OpenCode follow the system theme.
• Ten agents are available: claude, codex, opencode, agy, copilot, crush, grok, pi, omp, ori.

Plans first. Then code.

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How do you launch the agent once it is set?

Three ways, and they suit different habits.

A dedicated window. Super + Shift + Ctrl + A opens your default agent in its own terminal window. This is the one to use when the agent is the task — a long refactor, an investigation, anything where you want it visible alongside your editor rather than buried in a shell you are also using for other things.

Inline, in the terminal you are already in. Omarchy defines short aliases so you do not have to leave your current directory or shell:

a     # your default agent
cy    # Claude Code
cx    # OpenAI Codex
c     # OpenCode

The distinction matters more than it looks. a respects your default, so a script or a habit built on a keeps working after you switch agents. cy is explicit, so it keeps working when you want Claude Code specifically regardless of what the default happens to be.

Unattended, from a command. For anything scripted:

omarchy agent prompt "Review this project for unused dependencies"

This launches the default agent non-interactively with the prompt you supply. It is the form to reach for inside shell scripts, git hooks, or any automation where nobody is sitting at the keyboard to answer a follow-up question.

What are the lazy-loaded stubs, and why do they matter?

Omarchy installs a small launcher stub for each supported agent in ~/.local/bin/, managed by Mise. The stub is not the agent. It is a few lines that fetch and run the real tool the first time you invoke it.

The practical effect is that a fresh Omarchy install does not carry ten agent runtimes you will never use. You can run claude on a machine where Claude Code has never been installed, and it resolves itself. It also means setting a default costs nothing — if you set Claude Code as the default and never launch it, no download happens.

This is also why the full agent list is worth knowing even if you only use one. Trying a different agent is a single command rather than an install project:

Does the Omarchy theme affect Claude Code?

Yes, and this is a small detail that turns out to matter in daily use. When you change the Omarchy theme, the change propagates into the agent configurations — Claude Code, Pi, and OpenCode follow along rather than staying on whatever colours they shipped with.

On a tiling desktop where the agent usually occupies a pane next to your editor, an agent that ignores the system theme is visually jarring in a way that a full-screen application is not. Theme sync is not a headline feature, but it is the kind of assembly work that distinguishes a configured system from a pile of installed tools.

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What else does the default setting control?

Setting a default agent is not only about which tool launches on a keypress. Several Omarchy integrations route to whatever the default is:

• Crash diagnosis. Omarchy watches systemd-coredump, and clicking a crash notification hands the dump to your default agent.
• The usage panel. The top-bar indicator reports plan type and consumption for the default agent’s account.
• The scriptable CLI. omarchy agent prompt uses the default unless told otherwise.

So the choice has more reach than a shell alias would. If you are evaluating agents, it is worth switching the default rather than only switching which command you type, because that is the only way to see how each one behaves in the system-level integrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change my default agent in Omarchy?

Run omarchy default agent <name>, substituting the agent’s command name — for example omarchy default agent claude or omarchy default agent codex. The same setting is available under Setup › Defaults › Agent in the Omarchy Menu, opened with Super + Space.

What is the keyboard shortcut for the agent in Omarchy?

Super + Shift + Ctrl + A opens your default agent in a dedicated terminal window. Inside a terminal you already have open, a runs the default agent inline.

Can I use more than one coding agent on Omarchy?

Yes. All ten pre-wired agents remain available regardless of which one is the default. The inline aliases cy, cx, and c launch Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode explicitly, so you can use a non-default agent without changing any settings.

Do I need to install Claude Code before setting it as the default?

No. Omarchy ships lazy-loaded stubs in ~/.local/bin/, so the tool downloads itself the first time you run it. Setting the default before ever launching it is fine.

How do I run an agent without an interactive session?

Use omarchy agent prompt "your instruction here". This runs the default agent unattended, which is the right form for scripts and automation where no one is present to respond to prompts.

Which agents follow the Omarchy theme?

Claude Code, Pi, and OpenCode pick up theme changes when you switch the system theme. The other pre-wired agents keep their own appearance.