Devices and Runners
Pair your computers and your phone. Desktop devices run bots; every device reads and writes chats.
Every computer or phone you pair is a Device. A Device with a desktop OS (macOS, Linux, or Windows) is also a Runner: bots can be assigned to it. Phones and tablets hold your keys and your chats, and never run bots.
| Runner (macOS, Linux, Windows) | Phone or tablet | |
|---|---|---|
| Read and write chats | Yes | Yes |
| Create bots and pair devices | Yes | Yes |
| Run bots, plugins, and routines | Yes | No |
Pair a device
Pairing goes through Lorca's relay, so both devices need to be online.
Show a pairing code
On a device that is already set up, choose File › Pair a Device… (⇧⌘P, or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux), Pair a Device… from the titlebar's Create button, or Pair a Device at the foot of the device pop-up in Settings. Lorca shows a QR code and a pairing string, good for ten minutes.
Enter it on the new device
In the desktop app, choose Pair during onboarding and paste the string. On a phone, scan the QR code. On a computer with only the CLI:
lorca pair 'lorca://pair?…'Wait for the sync
The new device receives your account key, then your bots, provider credentials, and chats. A Runner is ready for bots as soon as the credentials arrive.
Cancel on the pairing sheet retires the code at once.
Manage devices
Settings › Devices shows each device's role, when it was last seen, and its machine key. For a computer running the command line without the app, it also shows the version, and Update when a newer release is out. For a Runner, Background service says whether lorca service keeps its bots running while Lorca is closed; see A headless Runner. Settings › Bots, Settings › Plugins, and Settings › Secrets show what the device picked in the toolbar has.
To rename a device, click Rename… beside its name at the top of Settings › Devices (on a phone, tap Rename… on the device's screen), type a new name, and choose Rename. Any device can rename any other, and every paired device shows the new name. Leave the name blank to go back to the one the computer or phone goes by.
A device that is paired to your account but has never sent its name or system shows as Unknown Device. If you don't recognize it, unpair it.
Unpair a device
Any Device can unpair any other, so you can remove a lost computer from your phone. The unpaired Device is refused by the relay for good, and the next time it runs it deletes its keys, credentials, and chats. Pairing it again gives it a new key.
To sign a device out yourself, unpair it from its own Devices pane.
Restore on another computer
Choose Restore during desktop-app onboarding, or run lorca identity restore <phrase> on a computer with only the command line. Lorca rebuilds your keys and pulls your account from the relay. Bots that ran on the old computer need a new Runner; their memory, working files, secrets, and browser sign-ins stayed on the old disk.