Using omp

Bare omp opens the interactive terminal UI. This is the normal place to do day-to-day work: describe an outcome in ordinary language, let omp inspect and change the project, review what it did, then refine the result in the same conversation.

cd my-project
omp

Find the refresh-token race, fix only the implementation and its focused tests, show me the diff, and run those tests. Do not commit.

A complete task, turn by turnCopy Anchor Link

Read the screenCopy Anchor Link

The exact colors and status-line layout depend on your theme and settings, but the interactive screen has three working regions:

The status line is not decoration: check it before assuming omp is in the wrong directory, using the wrong model, allowed to write, or out of context. Its presets and segments can be changed in /settings; see Settings for the complete reference.

Compose, attach, and submitCopy Anchor Link

Multiline input by platformCopy Anchor Link

You can combine prose, @file mentions, pasted text, and images in one prompt. Say what each attachment is for; a path by itself supplies context but not intent. For example:

Compare @src/auth/refresh.ts with @test/auth/refresh.test.ts. The attached screenshot is the production error. Fix the race without changing the token format, then run the focused test.

Image input is normalized and resized by default. When the active model cannot accept images directly, omp normally asks a configured vision-capable model for a description instead. Image behavior is configurable under Model → Vision and Appearance → Images in /settings.

Follow the work and review cardsCopy Anchor Link

Tool cards are the audit trail between your prompt and the final answer. Read the title first: it identifies the action, command, path, or remote resource. Then check its state and result.

• Press Ctrl + O to expand or collapse tool output. Use it for a truncated command transcript or the complete visible diff.
• Press Ctrl + Shift + O to hide or show tool activity when you want a prose-only view.
• A successful card means that action completed, not that the whole task is correct. Check the final test or verification card separately.
• A failed or cancelled card remains useful evidence. Read the error, then tell omp whether to retry, use another approach, or stop.
• For edits, inspect the path and additions/removals. Ask for a correction immediately if the scope or behavior is wrong.

For a deeper file-change workflow and safety settings, see Working with files.

Answer approvals and questionsCopy Anchor Link

If your approval mode or a per-tool policy requires confirmation, omp pauses before the action and shows what it wants to do. Read the command, target, diff preview, and reason rather than approving from the title alone. Select the offered allow or reject choice with the picker keys shown on screen. Escape cancels the prompt; no approval is inferred from dismissal.

When omp needs product input, it may show a question dialog:

• Use Up / Down to move and Enter to choose a single answer.
• For a multi-select question, press Space to toggle choices, then Enter to advance.
• Use the Other row to type a custom answer. Press n on a row when the dialog offers an explanatory note.
• For several questions, Tab, Shift + Tab, or Left / Right changes tabs; review and submit on the final tab.
• Press Escape to cancel rather than guess. You can then explain the missing constraint in the composer.

Steer, queue, stop, and continueCopy Anchor Link

You can type while omp is working. The submit key decides whether the message should affect the current turn or wait for the next one.

A steering message is for now; a follow-up is for after the agent yields. The pending-message strip shows what is queued. The steeringMode, followUpMode, and interruptMode settings control whether queued messages drain together or one at a time and whether steering interrupts immediately or waits.

Escape is focus-sensitive. If autocomplete or a picker is open, the first press dismisses that surface. In the main composer it interrupts active work. It does not exit omp. In Loop mode it stops the current iteration while leaving Loop enabled; run /loop again to disable Loop. See Run modes for the exact mode behavior.

Choose the model and thinking levelCopy Anchor Link

Use the defaults until a task gives you a reason to change them. The active selection is always visible in the status line.

A higher thinking level can improve difficult reasoning but usually increases latency and token use. A model that does not support configurable thinking will say so instead of changing. When Auto is selected, the status line shows the resolved effort once the turn is classified.

See Model roles for persistent assignments, the quick-cycle order, and per-session overrides.

Interactive work modes change how a turn behaves, not how you talk to omp. The status line tells you when one is active:

• Plan explores and proposes without changing the working tree until you approve it. See Plan mode.
• Goal, Vibe, Prewalk, Loop, Fast, and related controls are specialized workflows. Start with ordinary interactive turns and choose them deliberately from Run modes.
• If omp unexpectedly refuses to edit or keeps going after a turn, check the mode segment first. Leave or disable that mode with its slash command rather than fighting it with repeated prompts.

Run a local command yourselfCopy Anchor Link

A leading escape runs directly from the composer without asking the model to choose or invoke anything:

! git status
!! git diff --stat
$ print(2 + 2)
$$ import os; print(os.getcwd())

Press Escape to cancel a running shell or Python escape. A successful ! cd path also moves omp's interactive working directory.

Move around sessions without losing workCopy Anchor Link

You do not need to exit to change conversation state:

The tree and session pickers display their own navigation hints. Escape clears an active search first, then closes the picker. Full branching, resume, export, and handoff behavior lives on Sessions.

Exit and recoverCopy Anchor Link

Use /exit, /quit, /q, or Ctrl+D for an orderly exit. Ctrl+D saves a non-empty unsent composer draft; resuming that session restores it once. Ctrl+C clears the composer, and a second press within half a second exits, so prefer Ctrl+D when you mean “leave and keep my draft.”

From the same project directory, restart the most recent session:

omp -c

Use omp -r for the project session picker. This is also the recovery path after SSH or terminal disconnects; the persisted transcript is replayed, including an in-flight tail when one is still being written.

Common stuck statesCopy Anchor Link

Keep the reference pages nearbyCopy Anchor Link

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