Orca CLI
This file is a discovery stub, not the usage guide. The full, version-matched Orca CLI
reference is served by the
binary itself — kept out of this file on purpose so it
can never drift from the binary that will actually run your commands.
Engage Orca whenever its running editor/runtime is the source of truth: Orca-managed
worktrees, folder contexts, terminals, repos, automations, worktree comments, and the
browser embedded inside the Orca app. Triggers include "$orca-cli", "Orca worktree",
"child worktree", "spawn codex/claude in a worktree", "read/wait/send Orca terminal",
"full handoff" / "handover" / "give this to another agent", and "control the browser
inside Orca". Use plain shell tools when Orca state does not matter.
Resolve the CLI for this session
Choose the executable once and reuse it for every later command:
- If the environment variable is set, use its value. Orca exports this
for managed WSL sessions.
- Otherwise, in a dev checkout whose session exposes , use .
- Otherwise, on Linux outside an Orca-managed terminal, use . Never run bare
there — outside Orca's terminals it normally resolves to the
GNOME Orca screen reader () and starts speech on the user's machine.
- Otherwise, use .
Below,
is a placeholder for the executable you resolved. Substitute it before
running anything; do not create a shell variable or run
literally. This works the
same way in POSIX shells, PowerShell, and cmd.exe.
If the selected executable cannot run, report its exact error and stop. Do not fall through
to another executable, which could silently target a different Orca build.
Load the full guide before running Orca commands
That prints the complete, version-matched guide for the exact binary that will handle your
next commands — worktrees, handoffs, terminals, automations, and the built-in browser.
Read it first, then run the specific command you need.
Don't guess subcommands or flags from memory or from a cached copy of this stub. They
change between Orca releases, and this file deliberately no longer lists them. Confirm the
app is up with
(start it with
if needed), and
prefer
for agent-driven calls.
If an older Orca does not recognize
Use this fallback only when the selected binary explicitly reports that
is an
unknown command. Another failure is not proof of an older binary; report it rather than
guessing or changing executables. For a confirmed pre-guide binary, use only this bounded,
read-only bootstrap to orient. Do not dead-end and do not invent commands:
text
ORCA status --json
ORCA worktree ps --json
ORCA terminal list --json
Then tell the user that updating Orca restores the full, version-matched guide via
. Beyond these commands, ask the user rather than guessing a
command surface this older binary may not support.