Run modes

omp has two kinds of mode:

1. A launch mode decides whether you work in the terminal UI, receive one answer, stream machine-readable events, or connect omp to another application.
2. An interactive turn control changes how work runs inside a terminal session: /loop, /force, or /fast.

For normal coding work, start with the terminal UI:

omp

Describe the outcome you want, for example: “Rename issueToken to mintToken across the project and update every caller.” Use another launch mode only when a script, editor, or application—not a person at the terminal—needs to consume the output.

Choose a launch modeCopy Anchor Link

Interactive terminal UICopy Anchor Link

Use this unless you have a specific automation or integration need.

• Esc interrupts the current turn. It does not exit omp.
• Ctrl+C clears the editor; pressing it again within half a second exits.
• Ctrl+D exits and saves an unsent draft so it can be restored when the session resumes.
• /exit, /quit, and /q perform the same orderly shutdown.

The status line is available only in this mode. Its model and mode segments show controls such as Fast, Plan, Goal, Vibe, and Loop when they are active.

One-shot textCopy Anchor Link

These forms are equivalent ways to request plain text and exit:

omp -p "Summarize the last commit"
omp --mode text "Summarize the last commit"
printf '%s\n' "Summarize the last commit" | omp

Piped stdin automatically selects one-shot text only when neither --print nor --mode chose something else. omp waits for EOF before starting; if the producer keeps stdin open, omp reports that it is still reading the prompt on stderr. Close the producer or press Ctrl+C.

By default, stdout contains only the final assistant text. Add --print-thoughts when a script deliberately needs the model's thinking blocks too:

omp -p --print-thoughts "Explain this stack trace"

A fresh one-shot run ignores plan.defaultOnStartup because there is no review surface. Use --plan-yolo for the supported headless plan-then-execute flow; see Plan mode.

JSON event streamCopy Anchor Link

Use JSON when a script needs progress and lifecycle events rather than a rendered answer:

omp --mode json "Find every TODO under src" > run.jsonl

When the session has a header, it is the first JSON line; session events follow. Stream updates omit repeated full-message snapshots and provider-private replay data, so consume the event stream rather than expecting each line to be a complete transcript.

RPC, RPC UI, and ACPCopy Anchor Link

These are integration transports, not alternate terminal interfaces:

• RPC is omp's native newline-delimited protocol. It owns stdin and stdout and emits ready before accepting commands. @file launch arguments are rejected because the client must provide prompts and context through the protocol. See RPC mode.
• RPC UI is RPC for a host that also renders omp's interactive extension and tool UI requests. It is not a decorated version of rpc; do not choose it unless the host implements that UI exchange. It also disables PTY-backed shell execution.
• ACP is the standard editor integration. Prefer omp acp; omp --mode acp is equivalent. The editor launches the process and creates sessions over stdio. Running it by hand prints an explanation on stderr and waits for protocol frames. See ACP.

Closing RPC stdin tells omp that the client is gone: it rejects pending UI requests, drains accepted commands, disposes the session, and exits. ACP exits when its peer disconnects. Keep protocol stdout reserved for the protocol; send your application's logs elsewhere.

Control turns in the terminal UICopy Anchor Link

These slash controls do not replace the launch mode. They operate inside an interactive session.

Repeat work with /loopCopy Anchor Link

Loop mode captures a prompt and submits it again after each turn. Use it for genuinely repeatable work with an observable stopping condition, such as processing the next file in a queue or fixing the next failing test.

/loop
Fix the next failing test. If the suite is clean, explain that and stop.

/loop 5 Review the next unreviewed migration
/loop 30m Process the next item in the queue
/loop 1h30m Check the next repository and record the result
/loop 10 minutes Re-run the acceptance check

The forms mean:

• /loop enables an unlimited loop; the next normal prompt becomes the repeated prompt.
• /loop <prompt> starts an unlimited loop immediately with that prompt.
• /loop <positive-integer> [prompt] allows that many automatic re-submissions after the first turn.
• /loop <duration> [prompt] stops re-submitting when the wall-clock deadline expires. Accepted units are seconds, minutes, and hours, including s, sec, m, min, h, hr, plurals, compact compounds such as 1h30m, and spaced forms such as 10 minutes.

The status line shows Loop waiting, Loop running, or Loop paused, plus the remaining count or time. The slash-command autocomplete also describes the current Loop state.

Loop controls are intentionally distinct:

• Press Esc during an iteration to abort that turn. Loop remains enabled.
• Press Esc between iterations to pause, discard the captured prompt, and prevent the pending replay. The next normal prompt becomes the new loop prompt and resumes it.
• Run /loop again to disable Loop completely.
• A count limit or duration deadline disables Loop automatically and shows why.

By default, loop.mode is prompt, so each replay continues in the same conversation. The compact setting compacts before each replay; reset starts a fresh session before each replay. Configure these only when repeated context is the problem—see Settings.

Force one tool call with /forceCopy Anchor Link

Use Force as a narrow correction when omp repeatedly chooses the wrong active tool. First inspect the available names with /tools, then force exactly one call:

/force read Inspect package.json and summarize its scripts
/force:read Inspect package.json and summarize its scripts

Both spellings are accepted. With no inline prompt, the force applies to the next prompt you submit:

/force read

Force is not a persistent mode. The next model call must invoke that active tool once, then the agent turn ends without another tool call. The following turn is normal again. There is no Force badge because there is no lasting state; omp shows a confirmation when the next turn is pinned.

Force fails rather than guessing when the named tool is inactive or the current model cannot force a named tool. This matters in Plan mode, where write-capable tools are intentionally unavailable.

Request priority serving with /fastCopy Anchor Link

Fast mode asks the current model family to use its priority serving path:

/fast on
/fast off
/fast status
/fast

Bare /fast toggles. Prefer /fast on when you need deterministic state because it is idempotent and reports when the current model has no compatible service-tier control.

The setting is session-persisted and scoped independently to the OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google model families. If you enable Fast on an OpenAI-family model, switch to an Anthropic model, and later switch back, the OpenAI-family choice is still on; the Anthropic family keeps its own choice.

When priority is actually active, the model segment shows the Fast icon when the theme provides one. /fast status is the direct check for the current model family's configured state; /fast on reports when that model has no compatible priority control. If a provider rejects priority serving, omp retries without it, turns Fast off for that family, and shows a warning.

How the controls combineCopy Anchor Link

Fast has its own model-segment icon, so it remains visible independently of the single work-mode segment. To verify a Loop hidden by another work-state badge, open slash autocomplete for /loop; to stop it, run /loop.

Choose a work mode, not a transport modeCopy Anchor Link

Several deeper features change how omp approaches work. They are available within the appropriate launch modes and have their own controls:

• Plan mode — review an approach before implementation.
• Goal mode — pursue a durable objective across turns.
• Vibe mode — coordinate parallel workers.
• Prewalk — hand planned implementation to a faster model.
• Advisor — passively review work and surface concerns.

Use those pages for their lifecycle and safety controls. Use this page to choose how omp is launched and whether the current terminal turn should repeat, force one tool, or request priority serving.

TroubleshootingCopy Anchor Link

RelatedCopy Anchor Link

Source: omp.sh — MIT, Stencil Labs. Initially imported on 2026-10-03; updates via automatic sync.