Open With

Open your project workspace in your local editor or terminal while keeping it fully connected to Origin’s managed environment.

The Open With feature lets you launch the active project workspace in a supported local tool. This allows you to use your own IDE, extensions, and local workflows while continuing to work against the same provisioned project clone inside Origin.

Supported targets include:

• VS Code Desktop
• Cursor
• Terminal
• Zed

What Open With Does

When you use Open With:

• The active project workspace opens in your selected local tool.
• You connect to the same deployed workspace (not a new clone).
• You work against the same branch used by sessions and agents.
• All changes remain part of the project’s normal review workflow.

This does not download or fork a separate copy of your repository. It connects your local environment to the already-provisioned workspace.

What Changes After Opening Locally

Once opened in your local IDE, you gain the flexibility of your own development environment, including:

• Your preferred extensions and plugins
• Custom keybindings and themes
• Advanced linters and formatters
• Local debugging configurations
• Full keyboard-driven workflows
• Native search and refactor tools
• Multi-window editing

For example, you can:

• Use your existing ESLint or Prettier setup
• Run language-specific debuggers
• Navigate large codebases with your preferred shortcuts
• Use proprietary or internal extensions
• Execute advanced Git workflows from your IDE

All of this happens while remaining connected to the Origin-managed workspace.

Difference Between Browser Sessions and Open With

In-Browser Sessions

• Optimized for AI collaboration and structured workflows
• Integrated with tasks, trials, and reasoning tools
• Changes visible in the Changes panel
• Built-in terminal and MCP integration
• Best for guided execution and review

Open With (Local IDE)

• Full control of your personal development environment
• Custom extensions and debugging setups
• Deep refactors and multi-file operations
• Complex navigation workflows
• CLI-heavy development

Both operate on the same workspace and branch. The difference is the interface and toolchain, not the repository state.

You can switch between them at any time without losing work.

When to Use Open With

Use Open With when:

• You prefer coding in your own IDE
• You need advanced debugging capabilities
• You rely on custom extensions
• You are performing large structural changes
• You want full CLI access outside the browser
• You are preparing production-ready commits

For structured AI collaboration, use browser sessions. For heavy editing and debugging, use your local environment.

Available Options

VS Code Desktop

Opens the project in your local VS Code installation.

Use when you want:

• Full IntelliSense support
• Advanced debugging
• Multi-root workspace management
• Rich extension ecosystem

The project opens connected to the active workspace branch.

Cursor

Opens the project in Cursor.

Use when you want:

• AI-assisted desktop editing
• Inline refactoring
• VS Code-compatible workflows
• Local extension support

The repository remains synchronized with Origin’s active workspace.

Terminal

Opens a local terminal connected to the project workspace.

Use when you need:

• Direct CLI interaction
• Running scripts manually
• Advanced Git operations
• Custom build commands
• Manual test execution

All commands operate on the same workspace clone.

Zed

Opens the project in Zed.

Use when you prefer:

• Lightweight, high-performance editing
• Minimal UI overhead
• Fast navigation in large repositories

Zed connects directly to the active project branch.

How It Works

1. Click Open With in the project header.
2. Select your preferred tool.
3. The workspace launches in your local environment.
4. You begin working on the active branch tied to your session.

No manual cloning is required.

Repository and Branch Behavior

Open With respects:

• The current project branch
• Session-derived branches
• Project-level permissions
• GitHub review workflows

If you open from within a specific session, you are working on that session’s branch.

Changes made locally:

• Appear in the same working branch
• Are visible in Origin’s Changes panel
• Can be reviewed in sessions
• Follow the same pull request process

There is no repository divergence unless you explicitly create new branches.

Switching Between Browser and Local Work

You can move freely between:

• Browser-based sessions
• Origin’s built-in terminal
• Local editors via Open With

All environments operate on the same deployed workspace.

For example:

• Start reasoning with an agent in the browser.
• Open locally to refactor multiple files.
• Return to the browser to run Scan & Review.
• Create a pull request.

Everything remains synchronized.

Best Practices

Use browser sessions for:

• Structured AI collaboration
• Security or QA workflows
• Reviewing diffs
• Guided execution

Use Open With for:

• Large refactors
• Debugging with breakpoints
• Extension-heavy workflows
• Deep navigation across large codebases
• Final polish before merging

Open With gives you the power of your own local IDE while preserving Origin’s managed, secure workspace and review flow.