orca-cli

name

orca-cli

description

Use the `orca` CLI to drive a running Orca editor — manage Orca worktrees; create, read, and run shell commands in Orca-managed terminals; and automate Orca's built-in browser (snapshot/click/fill/screenshot/tabs). Use this instead of raw `git worktree`, ad hoc shell PTYs, or Playwright whenever the task touches Orca state. Coding agents inside an Orca worktree should also use it to keep the worktree comment fresh at meaningful checkpoints. Boundary with `orchestration`: if the recipient of a terminal write is another AI agent (Claude Code, Gemini, Codex, a worker), use `orchestration` — it is the only correct way to send messages, nudges, replies, or task hand-offs to agents. orca-cli writes are for non-agent terminals (shells, build/test commands); reading or `wait`ing on any terminal — including agent terminals — stays in orca-cli.

Orca CLI

Use this skill when the task should go through Orca's control plane rather than directly through git, shell PTYs, or ad hoc filesystem access.

When To Use

Use orca for:

• worktree orchestration inside a running Orca app
• updating the current worktree comment with meaningful progress checkpoints
• reading Orca-managed terminals and sending input to non-agent terminals
• stopping or waiting on Orca-managed terminals
• accessing repos known to Orca Do not use orca when plain shell tools are simpler and Orca state does not matter.

Examples:

• creating one Orca worktree per GitHub issue
• updating the current worktree comment after a significant checkpoint, such as reproducing a bug, validating a fix, or handing off for review
• finding the Claude Code terminal for a worktree and reading its status
• checking which Orca worktrees have live terminal activity

Preconditions

• Prefer the public orca command first
• Orca editor/runtime should already be running, or the agent should start it with orca open
• Do not begin by inspecting Orca source files just to decide how to invoke the CLI. The first step is to check whether the installed orca command exists.
• Do not assume a generic shell environment variable proves the agent is "inside Orca". For normal agent flows, the public CLI is the supported surface, but avoid wasting a round trip on probe-only checks when a direct Orca action would answer the question.

First verify the public CLI is installed:

command -v orca

Then use the public command:

orca status --json

If the task is about Orca worktrees or Orca terminals, do this before any codebase exploration:

command -v orca
orca status --json

If the agent truly needs to confirm that the current directory is inside an Orca-managed worktree, use:

orca worktree current --json

If orca is not on PATH, say so explicitly and stop or ask the user to install/register the CLI before continuing.

Core Workflow

1. Confirm Orca runtime availability:

orca status --json

If Orca is not running yet:

orca open --json
orca status --json

2. Discover current Orca state:

orca worktree ps --json
orca terminal list --json

3. Resolve a target worktree or terminal handle.

4. Act through Orca:

• worktree create/set/rm
• terminal read/send/wait/stop

5. When the agent reaches a significant checkpoint in the current worktree, update the Orca worktree comment so the UI reflects the latest work-in-progress:

orca worktree set --worktree active --comment "reproduced auth failure with aws sts; testing credential-chain fix" --json

Why: the worktree comment is Orca's lightweight, agent-writable status field. Keeping it current gives the user an at-a-glance summary of what the agent most recently proved, changed, or is waiting on.

Command Surface

Repo

orca repo list --json
orca repo show --repo id:<repoId> --json
orca repo add --path /abs/repo --json
orca repo set-base-ref --repo id:<repoId> --ref origin/main --json
orca repo search-refs --repo id:<repoId> --query main --limit 10 --json

Worktree

orca worktree list --repo id:<repoId> --json
orca worktree ps --json
orca worktree current --json
orca worktree show --worktree id:<worktreeId> --json
orca worktree create --repo id:<repoId> --name my-task --issue 123 --comment "seed" --json
orca worktree set --worktree id:<worktreeId> --display-name "My Task" --json
orca worktree set --worktree active --comment "reproduced bug; collecting logs from staging" --json
orca worktree set --worktree active --comment "waiting on review" --json
orca worktree rm --worktree id:<worktreeId> --force --json

Worktree selectors supported in focused v1:

• id:<worktree-id>
• path:<absolute-path>
• branch:<branch-name>
• issue:<number>
• active / current to resolve the enclosing Orca-managed worktree from the shell cwd

Terminal

Use selectors to discover terminals, then use the returned handle for repeated live interaction.

orca terminal list --worktree id:<worktreeId> --json
orca terminal show --terminal <handle> --json
orca terminal read --terminal <handle> --json
orca terminal send --terminal <handle> --text "continue" --enter --json
orca terminal wait --terminal <handle> --for exit --timeout-ms 5000 --json
orca terminal wait --terminal <handle> --for tui-idle --timeout-ms 30000 --json
orca terminal stop --worktree id:<worktreeId> --json
orca terminal create --json
orca terminal create --title "My Terminal" --json
orca terminal create --worktree path:/projects/myapp --command "npm test" --json
orca terminal split --terminal <handle> --direction vertical --json
orca terminal split --terminal <handle> --direction horizontal --command "npm run dev" --json
orca terminal rename --terminal <handle> --title "New Name" --json
orca terminal switch --terminal <handle> --json
orca terminal close --terminal <handle> --json
orca terminal send --text "echo hello" --enter --json
orca terminal read --json

Why: --terminal is optional for most commands. When omitted, Orca auto-resolves to the active terminal in the current worktree (same as browser commands target the active tab). Use explicit --terminal <handle> when operating on a specific pane.

Why: terminal handles are runtime-scoped and may go stale after reloads. If Orca returns terminal_handle_stale, reacquire a fresh handle with terminal list.

Why: --direction horizontal splits the pane left and right (new pane appears to the right). --direction vertical splits the pane top and bottom (new pane appears below). This matches VS Code's split convention. Default is horizontal.

Agent Guidance

• If the user says to create/manage an Orca worktree, use orca worktree ..., not raw git worktree ....
• Treat Orca as the source of truth for Orca worktree and terminal tasks. Do not mix Orca-managed state with ad hoc git worktree commands unless Orca explicitly cannot perform the requested action.
• Prefer --json for all machine-driven use.
• Use worktree ps as the first summary view when many worktrees may exist.
• Use worktree current or --worktree active when the agent is already running inside the target worktree.
• Treat orca worktree set --worktree active --comment ... --json as a default coding-agent behavior whenever the agent reaches a meaningful checkpoint in the current Orca-managed worktree; the user does not need to explicitly ask for each update.
• Update the worktree comment at significant checkpoints, not every trivial command. Good checkpoints include reproducing a bug, confirming a hypothesis, starting a risky migration, finishing a meaningful implementation slice, switching from investigation to fix, or blocking on external input.
• Write comments as short status snapshots of the current state, for example debugging AWS CLI profile resolution, confirmed flaky test is caused by temp-dir race, or fix implemented; running integration tests.
• Prefer optimistic execution over probe-first flows for checkpoint updates: if orca is on PATH, call orca worktree set --worktree active --comment ... --json directly at the checkpoint instead of spending an extra cycle on orca worktree current.
• If that direct update fails because Orca is unavailable or the shell is not inside an Orca-managed worktree, continue the main task and treat the comment update as best-effort unless the user explicitly made Orca state part of the task.
• Use orca worktree current --json only when the agent actually needs the worktree identity for later logic, not as a preflight before every comment update.
• Orca only injects ORCA_WORKTREE_PATH-style variables for some setup-hook flows, so they are not a general detection contract for agents.
• Use terminal list to reacquire handles after Orca reloads.
• Use terminal read before terminal send unless the next input is obvious.
• Use terminal wait --terminal <handle> --for exit only when the task actually depends on process completion.
• Use terminal wait --terminal <handle> --for tui-idle to wait for an agent CLI (Claude Code, Gemini, Codex, etc.) to finish its current task. This detects the working→idle OSC title transition. Always pass --timeout-ms as a safety net — unsupported CLIs will hang until timeout.
• Use terminal create to spin up new terminal tabs programmatically, optionally with a --command for startup (e.g. --command "claude" to launch Claude Code) and --title for labeling. In local Orca sessions, --command "codex" is routed through Orca's visible terminal path automatically so Codex does not start as a headless/background PTY. After creating a --command terminal, use terminal wait --for tui-idle to wait for the agent to boot before dispatching.
• Use terminal split to create split panes within an existing terminal tab. Pass --command to run a command in the new pane.
• Prefer Orca worktree selectors over hardcoded paths when Orca identity already exists.
• If the user asks for CLI UX feedback, test the public orca command first. Only inspect src/cli or use node out/cli/index.js if the public command is missing or the task is explicitly about implementation internals.
• If a command fails, prefer retrying with the public orca command before concluding the CLI is broken, unless the failure already came from orca itself.

Browser Automation

The orca CLI also drives the built-in Orca browser. The core workflow is a snapshot-interact-re-snapshot loop:

1. Snapshot the page to see interactive elements and their refs.
2. Interact using refs (@e1, @e3, etc.) to click, fill, or select.
3. Re-snapshot after interactions to see the updated page state.

orca goto --url https://example.com --json
orca snapshot --json
# Read the refs from the snapshot output
orca click --element @e3 --json
orca snapshot --json

Element Refs

Refs like @e1, @e5 are short identifiers assigned to interactive page elements during a snapshot. They are:

• Assigned by snapshot: Run orca snapshot to get current refs.
• Scoped to one tab: Refs from one tab are not valid in another.
• Invalidated by navigation: If the page navigates after a snapshot, refs become stale. Re-snapshot to get fresh refs.
• Invalidated by tab switch: Switching tabs with orca tab switch invalidates refs. Re-snapshot after switching.

If a ref is stale, the command returns browser_stale_ref — re-snapshot and retry.

Worktree Scoping

Browser commands default to the current worktree — only tabs belonging to the agent's worktree are visible and targetable. Tab indices are relative to the filtered tab list.

# Default: operates on tabs in the current worktree
orca snapshot --json

# Explicitly target all worktrees (cross-worktree access)
orca snapshot --worktree all --json

# Tab indices are relative to the worktree-filtered list
orca tab list --json         # Shows tabs [0], [1], [2] for this worktree
orca tab switch --index 1 --json   # Switches to tab [1] within this worktree

If no tabs are open in the current worktree, commands return browser_no_tab.

Stable Page Targeting

For single-agent flows, bare browser commands are fine: Orca will target the active browser tab in the current worktree.

For concurrent or multi-process browser automation, prefer a stable page id instead of ambient active-tab state:

1. Run orca tab list --json.
2. Read tabs[].browserPageId from the result.
3. Pass --page <browserPageId> to follow-up commands like snapshot, click, goto, screenshot, tab switch, or tab close.

Why: active-tab state and tab indices can change while another Orca CLI process is working. browserPageId pins the command to one concrete tab.

orca tab list --json
orca snapshot --page page-123 --json
orca click --page page-123 --element @e3 --json
orca screenshot --page page-123 --json
orca tab switch --page page-123 --json
orca tab close --page page-123 --json

If you also pass --worktree, Orca treats it as extra scoping/validation for that page id. Without --page, commands still fall back to the current worktree's active tab.

Navigation

orca goto --url <url> [--json]           # Navigate to URL, waits for page load
orca back [--json]                       # Go back in browser history
orca forward [--json]                    # Go forward in browser history
orca reload [--json]                     # Reload the current page

Observation

orca snapshot [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]                   # Accessibility tree snapshot with element refs
orca screenshot [--page <browserPageId>] [--format <png|jpeg>] [--json]  # Viewport screenshot (base64)
orca full-screenshot [--page <browserPageId>] [--format <png|jpeg>] [--json]  # Full-page screenshot (base64)
orca pdf [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]                        # Export page as PDF (base64)

Interaction

orca click --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]      # Click an element by ref
orca dblclick --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]   # Double-click an element
orca fill --element <ref> --value <text> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]  # Clear and fill an input
orca type --input <text> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]        # Type at current focus (no element targeting)
orca select --element <ref> --value <value> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]  # Select dropdown option
orca check --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]      # Check a checkbox
orca uncheck --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]    # Uncheck a checkbox
orca scroll --direction <up|down> [--amount <pixels>] [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]  # Scroll viewport
orca scrollintoview --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]  # Scroll element into view
orca hover --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]      # Hover over an element
orca focus --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]      # Focus an element
orca drag --from <ref> --to <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]  # Drag from one element to another
orca clear --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]      # Clear an input field
orca select-all --element <ref> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json] # Select all text in an element
orca keypress --key <key> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]       # Press a key (Enter, Tab, Escape, etc.)
orca upload --element <ref> --files <paths> [--page <browserPageId>] [--json]  # Upload files to a file input

Tab Management

orca tab list [--json]                   # List open browser tabs
orca tab switch (--index <n> | --page <browserPageId>) [--json]     # Switch active tab (invalidates refs)
orca tab create [--url <url>] [--json]   # Open a new browser tab
orca tab close [--index <n> | --page <browserPageId>] [--json]    # Close a browser tab

Wait / Synchronization

orca wait [--timeout <ms>] [--json]                        # Wait for timeout (default 1000ms)
orca wait --selector <css> [--state <visible|hidden>] [--timeout <ms>] [--json]  # Wait for element
orca wait --text <string> [--timeout <ms>] [--json]        # Wait for text to appear on page
orca wait --url <substring> [--timeout <ms>] [--json]      # Wait for URL to contain substring
orca wait --load <networkidle|load|domcontentloaded> [--timeout <ms>] [--json]   # Wait for load state
orca wait --fn <js-expression> [--timeout <ms>] [--json]   # Wait for JS condition to be truthy

After any page-changing action, pick one:

• Wait for specific content: orca wait --text "Dashboard" --json
• Wait for URL change: orca wait --url "/dashboard" --json
• Wait for network idle (catch-all for SPA navigation): orca wait --load networkidle --json
• Wait for an element: orca wait --selector ".results" --json

Avoid bare orca wait --timeout 2000 except when debugging — it makes scripts slow and flaky.

Data Extraction

orca exec --command "get text @e1" [--json]   # Get visible text of an element
orca exec --command "get html @e1" [--json]   # Get innerHTML
orca exec --command "get value @e1" [--json]  # Get input value
orca exec --command "get attr @e1 href" [--json]  # Get element attribute
orca exec --command "get title" [--json]      # Get page title
orca exec --command "get url" [--json]        # Get current URL
orca exec --command "get count .item" [--json]      # Count matching elements

State Checks

orca exec --command "is visible @e1" [--json]  # Check if element is visible
orca exec --command "is enabled @e1" [--json]  # Check if element is enabled
orca exec --command "is checked @e1" [--json]  # Check if checkbox is checked

Page Inspection

orca eval --expression <js> [--json]     # Evaluate JS in page context

Cookie Management

orca cookie get [--url <url>] [--json]   # List cookies
orca cookie set --name <n> --value <v> [--domain <d>] [--json]  # Set a cookie
orca cookie delete --name <n> [--domain <d>] [--json]  # Delete a cookie

Emulation

orca viewport --width <w> --height <h> [--scale <n>] [--mobile] [--json]
orca geolocation --latitude <lat> --longitude <lng> [--accuracy <m>] [--json]

Request Interception

orca intercept enable [--patterns <list>] [--json]  # Start intercepting requests
orca intercept disable [--json]          # Stop intercepting
orca intercept list [--json]             # List paused requests

Note: Per-request intercept continue and intercept block are not yet supported. They will be added once agent-browser supports per-request interception decisions.

Console / Network Capture

orca capture start [--json]              # Start capturing console + network
orca capture stop [--json]               # Stop capturing
orca console [--limit <n>] [--json]      # Read captured console entries
orca network [--limit <n>] [--json]      # Read captured network entries

Mouse Control

orca exec --command "mouse move 100 200" [--json]   # Move mouse to coordinates
orca exec --command "mouse down left" [--json]      # Press mouse button
orca exec --command "mouse up left" [--json]        # Release mouse button
orca exec --command "mouse wheel 100" [--json]      # Scroll wheel

Keyboard

orca exec --command "keyboard inserttext \"text\"" [--json]  # Insert text bypassing key events
orca exec --command "keyboard type \"text\"" [--json]        # Raw keystrokes
orca exec --command "keydown Shift" [--json]                 # Hold key down
orca exec --command "keyup Shift" [--json]                   # Release key

Frames (Iframes)

Iframes are auto-inlined in snapshots — refs inside iframes work transparently. For scoped interaction:

orca exec --command "frame @e3" [--json]        # Switch to iframe by ref
orca exec --command "frame \"#iframe\"" [--json] # Switch to iframe by CSS selector
orca exec --command "frame main" [--json]       # Return to main frame

Semantic Locators (alternative to refs)

When refs aren't available or you want to skip a snapshot:

orca exec --command "find role button click --name \"Submit\"" [--json]
orca exec --command "find text \"Sign In\" click" [--json]
orca exec --command "find label \"Email\" fill \"[e-mail]\"" [--json]
orca exec --command "find placeholder \"Search\" type \"query\"" [--json]
orca exec --command "find testid \"submit-btn\" click" [--json]

Dialogs

alert and beforeunload are auto-accepted. For confirm and prompt:

orca exec --command "dialog status" [--json]        # Check for pending dialog
orca exec --command "dialog accept" [--json]        # Accept
orca exec --command "dialog accept \"text\"" [--json]  # Accept with prompt input
orca exec --command "dialog dismiss" [--json]       # Dismiss/cancel

Extended Commands (Passthrough)

orca exec --command "<agent-browser command>" [--json]

The exec command provides access to agent-browser's full command surface. Useful for commands without typed Orca handlers:

orca exec --command "set device \"iPhone 14\"" --json   # Emulate device
orca exec --command "set offline on" --json             # Toggle offline mode
orca exec --command "set media dark" --json             # Emulate color scheme
orca exec --command "network requests" --json           # View tracked network requests
orca exec --command "help" --json                       # See all available commands

Important: Do not use orca exec --command "tab ..." for tab management. Use orca tab list/create/close/switch instead — those operate at the Orca level and keep the UI synchronized.

fill vs type

• fill targets a specific element by ref, clears its value first, then enters text. Use for form fields.
• type types at whatever currently has focus. Use for search boxes or after clicking into an input.

If neither works on a custom input component, try:

orca focus --element @e1 --json
orca exec --command "keyboard inserttext \"text\"" --json   # bypasses key events

Browser Error Codes

Error Code	Meaning	Recovery
browser_no_tab	No browser tab is open in this worktree	Open a tab, or use --worktree all to check other worktrees
browser_stale_ref	Ref is invalid (page changed since snapshot)	Run orca snapshot to get fresh refs
browser_tab_not_found	Tab index does not exist	Run orca tab list to see available tabs
browser_error	Error from the browser automation engine	Read the message for details; common causes: element not found, navigation timeout, JS error

Browser Worked Example

Agent fills a login form and verifies the dashboard loads:

# Navigate to the login page
orca goto --url https://app.example.com/login --json

# See what's on the page
orca snapshot --json
# Output includes:
#   [@e1] text input "Email"
#   [@e2] text input "Password"
#   [@e3] button "Sign In"

# Fill the form
orca fill --element @e1 --value "[e-mail]" --json
orca fill --element @e2 --value "s3cret" --json

# Submit
orca click --element @e3 --json

# Verify the dashboard loaded
orca snapshot --json
# Output should show dashboard content, not the login form

Browser Troubleshooting

"Ref not found" / browser_stale_ref Page changed since the snapshot. Run orca snapshot --json again, then use the new refs.

Element exists but not in snapshot It may be off-screen or not yet rendered. Try:

orca scroll --direction down --amount 1000 --json
orca snapshot --json
# or wait for it:
orca wait --text "..." --json
orca snapshot --json

Click does nothing / overlay swallows the click Modals or cookie banners may be blocking. Snapshot, find the dismiss button, click it, then re-snapshot.

Fill/type doesn't work on a custom input Some components intercept key events. Use keyboard inserttext:

orca focus --element @e1 --json
orca exec --command "keyboard inserttext \"text\"" --json

browser_no_tab error No browser tab is open in the current worktree. Open one with orca tab create --url <url> --json.

Auto-Switch Worktree

Browser commands automatically activate the target worktree in the Orca UI when needed. If the agent issues a browser command targeting a worktree that isn't currently active, Orca will switch to that worktree before executing the command.

Tab Create Auto-Activation

When orca tab create opens a new tab, it is automatically set as the active tab for the worktree. Subsequent commands (snapshot, click, etc.) will target the newly created tab without needing an explicit tab switch.

Browser Agent Guidance

• Always snapshot before interacting with elements.
• After navigation (goto, back, reload, clicking a link), re-snapshot to get fresh refs.
• After switching tabs, re-snapshot.
• If you get browser_stale_ref, re-snapshot and retry with the new refs.
• Use orca tab list before orca tab switch to know which tabs exist.
• For concurrent browser workflows, prefer orca tab list --json and reuse tabs[].browserPageId with --page on later commands.
• Use orca wait to synchronize after actions that trigger async updates (form submits, SPA navigation, modals) instead of arbitrary sleeps.
• Use orca eval as an escape hatch for interactions not covered by other commands.
• Use orca exec --command "help" to discover extended commands.
• Worktree scoping is automatic — you'll only see tabs from your worktree by default.
• Bare browser commands without --page still target the current worktree's active tab, which is convenient but less robust for multi-process automation.
• Tab creation auto-activates the new tab — no need for tab switch after tab create.
• Browser commands auto-switch the active worktree if needed — no manual worktree activation required.

Important Constraints

• Orca CLI only talks to a running Orca editor.
• Terminal handles are ephemeral and tied to the current Orca runtime. If Orca restarts, handles change.
• terminal wait supports --for exit (wait for process exit) and --for tui-idle (wait for a recognized agent CLI like Claude Code, Gemini, or Codex to finish its current task, detected via OSC title transitions). tui-idle defaults to a 5-minute timeout if --timeout-ms is not specified. Real coding tasks routinely take 15-60 minutes — always pass --timeout-ms explicitly.
• Orca is the source of truth for worktree/terminal state; do not duplicate that state with manual assumptions.
• The public orca command is the interface users experience. Agents should validate and use that surface, not repo-local implementation entrypoints.
• The 120-line terminal output buffer (terminal read) is for status monitoring, not result extraction.

References

See these docs in this repo when behavior is unclear:

• docs/orca-cli-focused-v1-status.md
• docs/orca-cli-v1-spec.md
• docs/orca-runtime-layer-design.md