Oracle CLI

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. Run a preflight confirmation gate: show exact files, destination provider/host, and require explicit approval before upload.
4. Keep uploads provider-scoped: only send to a trusted, user-approved endpoint.
5. Use browser mode for the usual GPT-5.2 Pro workflow; use API only when you explicitly want it.
6. 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 (safe default): oracle serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 9473 --token <secret>
  • Only bind 0.0.0.0 when remote access is explicitly required and network controls are in place.
  • 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

File attachment checklist (REQUIRED before using --file):

1. Review the file list — never attach files containing secrets, credentials, or private keys.
2. Hard denylist — NEVER attach: .env, .env.*, *.pem, *.key, id_rsa*, credentials.*, secrets.*, *.p12, *.pfx, keystore.*, *.jks.
3. Redact aggressively — strip API keys, tokens, passwords, and connection strings from attached files before sending.
4. Require explicit user approval before attaching files to any external AI service.
5. Display preflight summary before upload: exact file paths, estimated token/size impact, and destination provider/endpoint.
6. If any file appears sensitive, stop and require manual review instead of proceeding.

Provider and endpoint guardrails:

• Treat destination endpoints as allowlist-only: upload only to trusted, user-approved providers/hosts.
• Do not follow redirects to a different host during upload workflows.
• If provider retention or data handling is unknown, pause and require explicit user confirmation.

Remote host safety:

• When using --remote-host, verify the host is trusted and the connection uses encryption.
• Do not upload files to third-party services without explicit user confirmation.
• Do not pass --remote-token values in plain text in shared environments.

Resource and session limits:

• Keep at most one long-running browser session per task unless the user explicitly requests concurrency.
• Reattach to existing sessions instead of starting duplicates.
• Stop/cancel stale sessions before launching new long runs to avoid resource exhaustion.
• Prefer bounded runs and explicit timeouts when executing from automation or shared environments.

“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).