Sora

Sora

Table of Contents

• Standards snapshot
• When to use
• When not to use
• Required inputs
• Deliverables
• Philosophy
• Workflow
• Validation
• Constraints
• Anti-patterns
• Examples
• Remember

Standards snapshot (March 2026)

• Prefer the bundled CLI so Sora runs stay reproducible and easy to hand off.
• Treat async job state, downloads, and prompt iteration as part of the workflow, not follow-up chores.
• Keep Sora requests inside the current safety and access envelope: valid API access, under-18-safe content, and no real-person or copyrighted-character requests.

When to use

• Generate a new Sora video from a prompt.
• Remix, poll, list, download, or delete Sora jobs through the bundled CLI.
• Run batch video generation with explicit prompt and output control.

When not to use

• Static image generation or editing with no video workflow.
• Open-ended storyboard ideation with no intention to run the Sora CLI.
• Live API calls when OPENAI_API_KEY or Sora access is unavailable.

Required inputs

• Prompt or prompt file.
• Intent: create, remix, poll, list, download, delete, or batch.
• Optional reference image and any invariants to preserve.
• Output requirements: model, size, duration, variant count, local destination.

Deliverables

• Requested video assets or job-state results.
• Final prompt and CLI flags used.
• A short validation note covering duration, size, and critical invariants.

Philosophy

• One clear job type per run: create, remix, inspect, or download.
• Preserve invariants explicitly during remixes.
• Make prompt iteration deliberate instead of piling on uncontrolled changes.

Workflow

1. Classify the request: create, remix, status/download, or batch.
2. Collect prompt, model, size, duration, and any reference media or invariants.
3. Use the bundled scripts/sora.py CLI rather than ad hoc scripts.
4. For structured prompt files, avoid double augmentation.
5. Poll async jobs until they reach a usable terminal state when the user needs assets now.
6. Download requested outputs to a stable local path and report exactly what was saved.
7. Iterate with one targeted prompt or remix change at a time.

Validation

• Require OPENAI_API_KEY and Sora API access before live calls.
• Verify outputs match requested duration, size, and key creative invariants closely enough to ship.
• Verify generated assets are saved locally before considering the job complete.
• Reuse skill references/, scripts/, and any packaged assets/ helpers instead of inventing parallel wrappers.

Constraints

• Never request or print secrets, tokens, or private URLs.
• Enforce under-18-safe content guidance.
• Do not use copyrighted characters, copyrighted music, or real people.
• Keep reference images and downloaded assets treated as potentially sensitive user material.

Anti-patterns

• Mixing job creation, polling, and prompt debugging into one vague step.
• Asking the user to paste API keys into chat.
• Treating Sora’s async flow like a synchronous image API.
• Returning "done" before assets are actually downloaded when the user asked for files.

Examples

• "Generate a 4-second Sora clip for a product teaser and download the video."
• "Remix this Sora job but keep the shot and only change the lighting."

See Also

Topic map: [[frontend-ui]]

Remember

• Sora work is job-based, async, and stateful.
• The handoff should always say what was created, where it was saved, and what prompt/flags produced it.
• Safety constraints are part of the feature, not a disclaimer at the end.

Gotchas

• None yet. Capture recurring failures here as symptom -> cause -> do instead -> check.

Failure mode

• If prompt inputs, API access, or generation job state cannot be verified, stop, report the exact blocker, and fall back to setup validation or prompt preparation before retrying video generation.

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