@qwen-code/qwen-code 0.14.4 → 0.14.5

package/README.md

@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@
 
 ## 🎉 News
 
-- **2026-04-13**: Qwen OAuth free tier policy update: daily quota adjusted to 100 requests/day (from 1,000). The free tier will be discontinued on 2026-04-15. Consider using [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai), [Fireworks AI](https://app.fireworks.ai), or [Alibaba Cloud ModelStudio](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/ap-southeast-1?tab=doc#/doc/?type=model&url=2840914_2&modelId=qwen3.6-plus) as alternatives.
+- **2026-04-15**: Qwen OAuth free tier has been discontinued. To continue using Qwen Code, switch to [Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/?tab=coding-plan#/efm/coding-plan-index), [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai), [Fireworks AI](https://app.fireworks.ai), or bring your own API key. Run `qwen auth` to configure.
+
+- **2026-04-13**: Qwen OAuth free tier policy update: daily quota adjusted to 100 requests/day (from 1,000).
 
 - **2026-04-02**: Qwen3.6-Plus is now live! Sign in via Qwen OAuth to use it directly, or get an API key from [Alibaba Cloud ModelStudio](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/ap-southeast-1?tab=doc#/doc/?type=model&url=2840914_2&modelId=qwen3.6-plus) to access it through the OpenAI-compatible API.
 
@@ -30,7 +32,7 @@
 
 Qwen Code is an open-source AI agent for the terminal, optimized for Qwen series models. It helps you understand large codebases, automate tedious work, and ship faster.
 
-- **Multi-protocol, OAuth free tier**: use OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini-compatible APIs, or sign in with Qwen OAuth for 100 free requests/day (free tier ending 2026-04-15). After that, switch to [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai), [Fireworks AI](https://app.fireworks.ai), or [Alibaba Cloud ModelStudio](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/ap-southeast-1?tab=doc#/doc/?type=model&url=2840914_2&modelId=qwen3.6-plus).
+- **Multi-protocol, flexible providers**: use OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini-compatible APIs, [Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/?tab=coding-plan#/efm/coding-plan-index), [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai), [Fireworks AI](https://app.fireworks.ai), or bring your own API key.
 - **Open-source, co-evolving**: both the framework and the Qwen3-Coder model are open-source—and they ship and evolve together.
 - **Agentic workflow, feature-rich**: rich built-in tools (Skills, SubAgents) for a full agentic workflow and a Claude Code-like experience.
 - **Terminal-first, IDE-friendly**: built for developers who live in the command line, with optional integration for VS Code, Zed, and JetBrains IDEs.

package/bundled/qc-helper/docs/configuration/auth.md

@@ -2,18 +2,20 @@
 
 Qwen Code supports three authentication methods. Pick the one that matches how you want to run the CLI:
 
-- **Qwen OAuth**: sign in with your `qwen.ai` account in a browser. Free with a daily quota.
+- **Qwen OAuth**: sign in with your `qwen.ai` account in a browser. **Free tier discontinued on 2026-04-15** — switch to another method.
 - **Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan**: use an API key from Alibaba Cloud. Paid subscription with diverse model options and higher quotas.
 - **API Key**: bring your own API key. Flexible to your own needs — supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and other compatible endpoints.
 
-## Option 1: Qwen OAuth (Free)
+## Option 1: Qwen OAuth (Discontinued)
 
-Use this if you want the simplest setup and you're using Qwen models.
+> [!warning]
+>
+> The Qwen OAuth free tier was discontinued on 2026-04-15. Existing cached tokens may continue working briefly, but new requests will be rejected. Please switch to Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan, [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai), [Fireworks AI](https://app.fireworks.ai), or another provider. Run `qwen auth` to configure.
 
 - **How it works**: on first start, Qwen Code opens a browser login page. After you finish, credentials are cached locally so you usually won't need to log in again.
 - **Requirements**: a `qwen.ai` account + internet access (at least for the first login).
 - **Benefits**: no API key management, automatic credential refresh.
-- **Cost & quota**: free, with a quota of **60 requests/minute** and **100 requests/day**. Note: the free tier will be discontinued on 2026-04-15. After that, consider switching to [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai), [Fireworks AI](https://app.fireworks.ai), or [Alibaba Cloud ModelStudio](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/ap-southeast-1?tab=doc#/doc/?type=model&url=2840914_2&modelId=qwen3.6-plus) — run `qwen auth` to configure your new provider.
+- **Cost & quota**: the free tier has been discontinued as of 2026-04-15.
 
 Start the CLI and follow the browser flow:
 
@@ -327,8 +329,8 @@ You'll see a selector with arrow-key navigation:
 ```
 Select authentication method:
 
-> Qwen OAuth - Free · 100 requests/day · Ending 2026-04-15
   Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan - Paid · Up to 6,000 requests/5 hrs · All Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan Models
+  Qwen OAuth - Discontinued — switch to Coding Plan or API Key
 
 (Use ↑ ↓ arrows to navigate, Enter to select, Ctrl+C to exit)
 ```

package/bundled/qc-helper/docs/configuration/settings.md

@@ -527,6 +527,7 @@ For authentication-related variables (like `OPENAI_*`) and the recommended `.qwe
 | `CODE_ASSIST_ENDPOINT`         | Specifies the endpoint for the code assist server.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | This is useful for development and testing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
 | `QWEN_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS`  | Overrides the default maximum output tokens per response. When not set, Qwen Code uses an adaptive strategy: starts with 8K tokens and automatically retries with 64K if the response is truncated. Set this to a specific value (e.g., `16000`) to use a fixed limit instead. | Takes precedence over the capped default (8K) but is overridden by `samplingParams.max_tokens` in settings. Disables automatic escalation when set. Example: `export QWEN_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS=16000`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
 | `TAVILY_API_KEY`               | Your API key for the Tavily web search service.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                | Used to enable the `web_search` tool functionality. Example: `export TAVILY_API_KEY="tvly-your-api-key-here"`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
+| `QWEN_CODE_PROFILE_STARTUP`   | Set to `1` to enable startup performance profiling. Writes a JSON timing report to `~/.qwen/startup-perf/` with per-phase durations.                                                                                                                                           | Only active inside the sandbox child process. Zero overhead when not set. Example: `export QWEN_CODE_PROFILE_STARTUP=1`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
 
 ## Command-Line Arguments
 

package/bundled/qc-helper/docs/features/sub-agents.md

@@ -12,10 +12,46 @@ Subagents are independent AI assistants that:
 - **Work autonomously** - Once given a task, they work independently until completion or failure
 - **Provide detailed feedback** - You can see their progress, tool usage, and execution statistics in real-time
 
+## Fork Subagent (Implicit Fork)
+
+In addition to named subagents, Qwen Code supports **implicit forking** — when the AI omits the `subagent_type` parameter, it triggers a fork that inherits the parent's full conversation context.
+
+### How Fork Differs from Named Subagents
+
+|               | Named Subagent                    | Fork Subagent                                         |
+| ------------- | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
+| Context       | Starts fresh, no parent history   | Inherits parent's full conversation history           |
+| System prompt | Uses its own configured prompt    | Uses parent's exact system prompt (for cache sharing) |
+| Execution     | Blocks the parent until done      | Runs in background, parent continues immediately      |
+| Use case      | Specialized tasks (testing, docs) | Parallel tasks that need the current context          |
+
+### When Fork is Used
+
+The AI automatically uses fork when it needs to:
+
+- Run multiple research tasks in parallel (e.g., "investigate module A, B, and C")
+- Perform background work while continuing the main conversation
+- Delegate tasks that require understanding of the current conversation context
+
+### Prompt Cache Sharing
+
+All forks share the parent's exact API request prefix (system prompt, tools, conversation history), enabling DashScope prompt cache hits. When 3 forks run in parallel, the shared prefix is cached once and reused — saving 80%+ token costs compared to independent subagents.
+
+### Recursive Fork Prevention
+
+Fork children cannot create further forks. This is enforced at runtime — if a fork attempts to spawn another fork, it receives an error instructing it to execute tasks directly.
+
+### Current Limitations
+
+- **No result feedback**: Fork results are reflected in the UI progress display but are not automatically fed back into the main conversation. The parent AI sees a placeholder message and cannot act on the fork's output.
+- **No worktree isolation**: Forks share the parent's working directory. Concurrent file modifications from multiple forks may conflict.
+
 ## Key Benefits
 
 - **Task Specialization**: Create agents optimized for specific workflows (testing, documentation, refactoring, etc.)
 - **Context Isolation**: Keep specialized work separate from your main conversation
+- **Context Inheritance**: Fork subagents inherit the full conversation for context-heavy parallel tasks
+- **Prompt Cache Sharing**: Fork subagents share the parent's cache prefix, reducing token costs
 - **Reusability**: Save and reuse agent configurations across projects and sessions
 - **Controlled Access**: Limit which tools each agent can use for security and focus
 - **Progress Visibility**: Monitor agent execution with real-time progress updates
@@ -23,7 +59,7 @@ Subagents are independent AI assistants that:
 ## How Subagents Work
 
 1. **Configuration**: You create Subagents configurations that define their behavior, tools, and system prompts
-2. **Delegation**: The main AI can automatically delegate tasks to appropriate Subagents
+2. **Delegation**: The main AI can automatically delegate tasks to appropriate Subagents — or implicitly fork when no specific subagent type is needed
 3. **Execution**: Subagents work independently, using their configured tools to complete tasks
 4. **Results**: They return results and execution summaries back to the main conversation
 

package/bundled/qc-helper/docs/support/tos-privacy.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Qwen Code is an open-source AI coding assistant tool maintained by the Qwen Code
 
 Qwen Code supports three authentication methods to access AI models. Your authentication method determines which terms of service and privacy policies apply to your usage:
 
-1. **Qwen OAuth** — Log in with your qwen.ai account (free daily quota, ending 2026-04-15)
+1. **Qwen OAuth** — Log in with your qwen.ai account (free tier discontinued 2026-04-15)
 2. **Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan** — Use an API key from Alibaba Cloud
 3. **API Key** — Bring your own API key