otto

name	otto
description	Otto reference for managing agents and worktrees. Load whenever you need to create agents, send them prompts, or manage worktrees.

Otto is a daemon that supervises AI coding agents on your machine. Control it through tools or a CLI.

Worktrees

create_worktree - same target union as create_chat.workspace.source.worktree.target:

• From a PR: { target: { kind: "checkout-pr", githubPrNumber: 503 } }.
• Branch off a base: { target: { kind: "branch-off", worktreeSlug: "foo", branchName: "fix/foo", baseBranch: "main" } }.
• Checkout an existing branch: { target: { kind: "checkout-branch", branch: "feat/bar" } }.

Returns { branchName, worktreePath, workspaceId }. Pass cwd to target a specific repo.

In branch-off, worktreeSlug controls the worktree path slug and branchName controls the git branch. If branchName is omitted, Otto defaults it from worktreeSlug. The returned branchName is authoritative; checkout and PR flows may return a branch name that differs from any requested slug.

list_worktrees - current repo (or pass cwd). archive_worktree - { worktreePath } or { worktreeSlug }. Removes worktree and branch.

Agents

create_chat - required: relationship, workspace, and provider (claude/opus, codex/gpt-5.4, …). title and initialPrompt are optional - omit both to just open a new chat (the agent greets the user and asks what to work on); don't refuse to spawn merely because there's no task yet. Common: notifyOnFinish, settings, labels. Returns { agentId, … }.

Initial runtime settings live under settings: modeId, thinkingOptionId, and provider-specific features. For Codex fast mode, pass settings: { features: { "fast_mode": true } } when creating the agent.

To create a new worktree and launch an agent in it, use create_chat.workspace.source.kind = "worktree". Use create_worktree separately only when you need a worktree without launching an agent, or when you need a split flow; in a split flow, pass the returned workspaceId to create_chat with workspace: { kind: "existing", workspaceId }.

Agent relationships

relationship controls parentage only:

• { kind: "subagent" } - child under your subagents track. Use for advisors, committee members, planners, implementers, auditors, loop workers, and any agent whose lifetime belongs to your task.
• { kind: "detached" } - root/sibling agent. Use for handoffs and fire-and-forget delegations the user may continue after you are archived.

workspace controls placement only:

• { kind: "current" } - same workspace as the caller, with optional cwd.
• { kind: "existing", workspaceId: string, cwd?: string } - attach to an existing workspace, usually from create_worktree.
• { kind: "create", source: { kind: "directory", path?: string } } - new workspace rooted at a directory.
• { kind: "create", source: { kind: "worktree", cwd?: string, target: { kind: "branch-off", worktreeSlug?: string, branchName?: string, baseBranch?: string } } }
• { kind: "create", source: { kind: "worktree", cwd?: string, target: { kind: "checkout-branch", branch: string } } }
• { kind: "create", source: { kind: "worktree", cwd?: string, target: { kind: "checkout-pr", githubPrNumber: number } } }

Agent-scoped create_chat defaults notifyOnFinish to true. Set it to false only for truly fire-and-forget agents.

send_chat_prompt - { agentId, prompt }. Use for follow-ups to an existing agent. Agent-scoped prompt calls default to background: true and notifyOnFinish: true; top-level calls default to blocking with no callback. For a synchronous follow-up, pass background: false and use the returned result.

update_chat - { agentId, name?, labels?, settings? }. Use settings for runtime changes on an existing agent: modeId, model, thinkingOptionId, and provider-specific features. For Codex fast mode, pass settings: { features: { "fast_mode": true } }.

list_chats - filter by cwd, statuses, sinceHours, includeArchived.

archive_chat - { agentId }. Interrupts if running, removes from active list.

Provider discovery

list_providers - compact provider availability and modes.

list_models - full model list for one provider. Use only when you need model IDs or thinking options; the list can be large.

inspect_provider - compact provider capability and feature inspection. Required: provider; pass cwd when you are not in an agent-scoped session. Optional: settings with draft model, modeId, thinkingOptionId, and features.

Only set feature IDs returned by inspect_provider. For Codex fast mode, look for fast_mode and pass settings: { features: { "fast_mode": true } } to create_chat or update_chat.

Agent profiles

list_agent_profiles - the roster of named agent profiles the human configured on this host. Each one binds a provider, model, mode, effort, behavior prompt, and identity. Before choosing how to launch a delegated agent, call this tool and read every entry's roles and guidance. Optionally filter with roles. (Otto's own settings UI calls these "Agent personalities"; same thing.)

Pass the name you read to create_chat's agentProfile field. That one field is the whole pick:

create_chat({ relationship, workspace, agentProfile: "Sage" })

Let the daemon expand it. It resolves the profile against the target workspace and applies the provider, model, mode, effort, feature values, behavior prompt, roles, spinner colors, voice, and team framing. Copying those values into provider and settings by hand gets you the brain without the identity: the prompt, roles, voice, and memory binding are only attached when the daemon resolves the profile itself.

Override a single field when you have a reason, and only that field. provider and settings win over the profile per field:

create_chat({ agentProfile: "Sage", settings: { thinkingOptionId: "high" } })

If no profile fits, or none is configured, pass provider (as provider/model) instead and use the provider discovery tools rather than guessing. Tell the user when you fall back.

An agent profile is a launch pick, not state: do not remember the one you chose or infer drift later.

Schedules and heartbeats

create_schedule - starts a new agent on a cron cadence. Required: prompt, cron, provider. Optional: timezone, name, cwd, maxRuns, expiresIn. Use when the recurring work should live in fresh agents.

create_heartbeat - sends you a prompt on a cron cadence. Required: prompt, cron. Optional: timezone, name, maxRuns, expiresIn. Use for reminders, PR/build babysitting, and status checks that should return to this conversation.

Models

claude/sonnet (default), claude/opus (harder reasoning), codex/gpt-5.4 (frontier coding), claude/haiku (tests only).

Orchestration preferences

User-specific configuration at ~/.otto/orchestration-preferences.json. Before an Otto skill chooses a raw provider because no configured agent profile fits, it must read this file. Reading means an actual file read, not relying on these examples or defaults. Never hardcode a provider string in another skill - resolve through this file.

Two parts:

• providers - map of role categories to provider strings. Pass straight to create_chat's provider field.
• preferences - freeform string array. Read on startup; weave into agent prompts contextually.

Categories: impl, ui, research, planning, audit. Skills pick the category that matches the role they're launching.

{
  "providers": {
    "impl": "codex/gpt-5.4",
    "ui": "claude/opus",
    "research": "codex/gpt-5.4",
    "planning": "codex/gpt-5.4",
    "audit": "codex/gpt-5.4"
  },
  "preferences": [
    "Claude Opus is the right choice for anything artistic or human-skill-oriented: copywriting, naming, UX copy, visual design, styling. Codex is the workhorse for mechanical work."
  ]
}

If the file is missing, use sensible defaults and tell the user once.

Waiting

Agents take time - 10–30+ minutes is routine. Favor asynchronous workflows.

For agent-scoped create_chat and background send_chat_prompt, leave notifyOnFinish omitted or set it to true unless the work is truly fire-and-forget. You will get notified when the target agent finishes, errors, or needs permission. Move on to other work. The notification arrives on its own.

Don't poll list_chats or get_chat_status to "check on" a running agent. The notification will tell you.

CLI parity

The otto CLI is a thin wrapper over the same daemon. Same surface:

otto run --provider codex/gpt-5.4 --mode full-access --worktree feat/x "<prompt>"
otto send <agent-id> "<follow-up>"
otto ls
otto worktree ls
otto schedule create --cron "*/15 * * * *" "ping main build"

Discover with otto --help and otto <cmd> --help.

For product questions, setup, logs, version problems, or troubleshooting, use the otto-help skill.