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Qwen Code in Mirasim: Alibaba's open-source coding agent, next to your other agents

Qwen Code is the Qwen team's open-source coding agent. How to install it, the five ways to sign in, and how to run it in Mirasim next to Claude Code and Codex.

Mirasim's agent picker open in a session, with Qwen Code among the agentsMirasim's agent picker open in a session, with Qwen Code among the agents

The short answer

Qwen Code is an open-source coding agent from the Qwen team at Alibaba, released under the Apache 2.0 license. You run it as qwen in a terminal, and it also comes with a desktop app, a browser interface and editor plugins. It works with Qwen models and with other providers. Mirasim is a desktop app that runs that same Qwen Code as one of its ten agents; it is not an official Qwen Code app.

Next to Claude Code and Codex
Qwen Code in one pane, other agents in the next
Your sign-in, or Mirasim credit
What you set up with /auth, keys you add in Mirasim, or Mirasim's Qwen models
On your phone
Read and reply away from your desk
With your team
Several people in one Qwen Code session

Install Qwen Code

macOS and Linux
curl -fsSL https://qwen-code-assets.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/installation/install-qwen-standalone.sh | bash
Windows
irm https://qwen-code-assets.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/installation/install-qwen-standalone.ps1 | iex
npm or Homebrew
npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latest (Node.js 22 or later), or brew install qwen-code

Then run qwen in your project. Restart the terminal after the install script so the new path takes effect.

The five ways to sign in

Run /auth inside Qwen Code, or answer the menu on first launch. It offers five options:

OptionWhat it is
Qwen Account with SubscriptionSign in through the browser with a Plus or Pro subscription from chat.qwen.ai
QwenCloudA Token Plan or a pay-as-you-go API key, on the China or the international platform
Alibaba ModelStudioCoding Plan, Token Plan, or an existing ModelStudio API key
Third-party providersAn API key for DeepSeek, Grok, MiniMax, Z.AI, Kimi, OpenRouter and others
Custom providerA local server, proxy or any OpenAI-, Anthropic- or Gemini-compatible endpoint

For CI or unattended machines where you can't finish a browser sign-in, Qwen's guide recommends an API-key option.

Where Qwen Code runs

  • Terminal: qwen in your project, or qwen -p "…" for scripts and CI.
  • Desktop: Qwen Code's own desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux.
  • Browser: qwen serve --open opens a web interface (experimental).
  • Editors: VS Code, Zed and JetBrains.
  • Code: TypeScript, Python and Java SDKs.

Use Mirasim when you want Qwen Code in the same window as your other agents, on your phone, or in a session your team shares.

Questions

Is Qwen Code free?
The agent is open source and free to install. Models cost money through a Qwen subscription, a plan, or a provider's API key.
Is Mirasim an official Qwen Code app?
No. Qwen Code is the Qwen team's. Mirasim is a separate desktop app that runs it alongside other coding agents.
Do I need my own API key in Mirasim?
No: Qwen Code can run Mirasim's Qwen models on Mirasim credit. If you use what you set up with /auth or a key you add in Mirasim, your provider bills you directly.
Can Qwen Code use models other than Qwen?
Yes. It supports OpenAI-, Anthropic- and Gemini-compatible APIs, third-party providers and local models such as Ollama or vLLM.

Sources

The details about Qwen Code were checked on November 8, 2026 against its README at github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code and the Authentication page of the Qwen Code docs. Qwen Code changes quickly, so check those pages for the latest.

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