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Connect Claude Code or Codex
Swiftbird works through the AI coding agent you install yourself. Here's how it finds it, what the statuses mean, and what stays between you and your provider.
How the connection works
Swiftbird doesn't have an AI model of its own and doesn't call a model API. Its Chat is a front end to the Claude Code or Codex command-line tool installed on your computer. Every request runs in that tool, under your own account, with its own skills, configured tools, permission settings and sign-in.
That means:
- you need your own Claude or OpenAI plan, billed by the provider, not by Swiftbird;
- Swiftbird never copies or stores your provider credentials;
- whatever your provider account allows, such as which models you can use and how much, still applies.
Install and sign in
- Install Claude Code, Codex, or both, following the provider's own instructions.
- Sign in using the tool's own login in a terminal (for example
codex login, orclaudefollowed by/login). - Open Swiftbird. It looks for installed copies, checks their version and whether they're signed in, and uses the newest working version it finds.
If a tool shows Sign-in needed, the Sign in button starts that tool's own login command. Swiftbird doesn't sign in on your behalf and never sends a login request through a conversation.
What the statuses mean
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Connected | Installed and signed in | Nothing |
| Sign-in needed | Installed, but signed out | Use Sign in, or log in from a terminal |
| Not found | No installed copy was found | Install the tool, then check again |
| Not checked | Installed, sign-in state unknown | Use Check connection |
You need at least one connected agent to work in Chat. Browsing your films works without one.
Choosing a provider and model
The provider switch sits beside the composer: Claude or Codex. The model menu next to it holds both the model and the reasoning level. Each conversation remembers its own settings for each provider, and the settings are sent with every request, including when a conversation is resumed.
Models come from the catalogue your installed tool reports. A model that needs a newer version of the tool is shown but can't be picked. Being listed doesn't guarantee your account can use it.
Permissions, questions and stopping
Your agent's normal permission settings still decide what it may do. Where the installed version supports it, Swiftbird shows the agent's permission requests and questions as cards you can answer. Stop cancels the request that Swiftbird started.
Some controls depend on the provider and version. Codex supports Plan mode and steering a running request; supported Claude Code versions support permission and question replies. Anything without a dedicated control is still available in Swiftbird's built-in terminal, which runs the real CLI.
New conversations warm up first
When you start a conversation, Swiftbird shows Warming up agent while your agent reads Swiftbird's guide: how artifacts, corrections and page buttons work. This happens once per conversation, before any task. If it fails, you can retry it.
Where your conversations go
Your messages, the attachments you add and the project context you select go to your provider through its tool, under its privacy terms. Swiftbird keeps its own copy of each conversation on your computer. See Your data stays on your machine.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 against the Swiftbird prototype of 27 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact support.