oracle — best use

Oracle bundles your prompt + selected files into one “one-shot” request so another model can answer with real repo context (API or browser automation). Treat output as advisory: verify against code + tests.

Main use case (browser, GPT‑5.2 Pro)

Default workflow here:

--engine browser

with GPT‑5.2 Pro in ChatGPT. This is the common “long think” path: ~10 minutes to ~1 hour is normal; expect a stored session you can reattach to.

Recommended defaults:

• Engine: browser (

  --engine browser

  )
• Model: GPT‑5.2 Pro (

  --model gpt-5.2-pro

  or

  --model "5.2 Pro"

  )

Golden path

1. Pick a tight file set (fewest files that still contain the truth).
2. Preview payload + token spend (

   --dry-run

   +

   --files-report

   ).
3. Use browser mode for the usual GPT‑5.2 Pro workflow; use API only when you explicitly want it.
4. If the run detaches/timeouts: reattach to the stored session (don’t re-run).

Commands (preferred)

• Help:

  • oracle --help

  • If the binary isn’t installed:

    npx -y @steipete/oracle --help

    (avoid

    pnpx

    here; sqlite bindings).

• Preview (no tokens):

  • oracle --dry-run summary -p "<task>" --file "src/**" --file "!**/*.test.*"

  • oracle --dry-run full -p "<task>" --file "src/**"

• Token sanity:

  • oracle --dry-run summary --files-report -p "<task>" --file "src/**"

• Browser run (main path; long-running is normal):

  • oracle --engine browser --model gpt-5.2-pro -p "<task>" --file "src/**"

• Manual paste fallback:

  • oracle --render --copy -p "<task>" --file "src/**"

  • Note:

    --copy

    is a hidden alias for

    --copy-markdown

    .

Attaching files (

--file

)

--file

accepts files, directories, and globs. You can pass it multiple times; entries can be comma-separated.

• Include:

  • --file "src/**"

  • --file src/index.ts

  • --file docs --file README.md

• Exclude:

  • --file "src/**" --file "!src/**/*.test.ts" --file "!**/*.snap"

• Defaults (implementation behavior):

  • Default-ignored dirs:

    node_modules

    ,

    dist

    ,

    coverage

    ,

    .git

    ,

    .turbo

    ,

    .next

    ,

    build

    ,

    tmp

    (skipped unless explicitly passed as literal dirs/files).
  • Honors

    .gitignore

    when expanding globs.
  • Does not follow symlinks.
  • Dotfiles filtered unless opted in via pattern (e.g.

    --file ".github/**"

    ).
  • Files > 1 MB rejected.

Engines (API vs browser)

• Auto-pick:

  api

  when

  OPENAI_API_KEY

  is set; otherwise

  browser

  .
• Browser supports GPT + Gemini only; use

  --engine api

  for Claude/Grok/Codex or multi-model runs.
• Browser attachments:

  • --browser-attachments auto|never|always

    (auto pastes inline up to ~60k chars then uploads).
• Remote browser host:
  • Host:

    oracle serve --host 0.0.0.0 --port 9473 --token <secret>

  • Client:

    oracle --engine browser --remote-host <host:port> --remote-token <secret> -p "<task>" --file "src/**"

Sessions + slugs

• Stored under

  ~/.oracle/sessions

  (override with

  ORACLE_HOME_DIR

  ).
• Runs may detach or take a long time (browser + GPT‑5.2 Pro often does). If the CLI times out: don’t re-run; reattach.
  • List:

    oracle status --hours 72

  • Attach:

    oracle session <id> --render

• Use

  --slug "<3-5 words>"

  to keep session IDs readable.
• Duplicate prompt guard exists; use

  --force

  only when you truly want a fresh run.

Prompt template (high signal)

Oracle starts with zero project knowledge. Assume the model cannot infer your stack, build tooling, conventions, or “obvious” paths. Include:

• Project briefing (stack + build/test commands + platform constraints).
• “Where things live” (key directories, entrypoints, config files, boundaries).
• Exact question + what you tried + the error text (verbatim).
• Constraints (“don’t change X”, “must keep public API”, etc).
• Desired output (“return patch plan + tests”, “give 3 options with tradeoffs”).

Safety

• Don’t attach secrets by default (

  .env

  , key files, auth tokens). Redact aggressively; share only what’s required.

“Exhaustive prompt” restoration pattern

For long investigations, write a standalone prompt + file set so you can rerun days later:

• 6–30 sentence project briefing + the goal.
• Repro steps + exact errors + what you tried.
• Attach all context files needed (entrypoints, configs, key modules, docs).

Oracle runs are one-shot; the model doesn’t remember prior runs. “Restoring context” means re-running with the same prompt +

--file …

set (or reattaching a still-running stored session).