Start an AI session in a folder

Added in v0.222.0 You do not need to set anything up by hand. Open a folder, type one command, answer at most one question, and Claude Code starts with orboto connected to your project.

What you need once

• The orboto command line tool. Install it once with npm i -g orboto (see CLI for the other ways). If someone set up your computer for you, it is already there.
• Claude Code, the AI assistant that runs in the terminal.
• An orboto account. You sign in through the browser; there is no password to type into the terminal.

Start a session

1. Open a terminal in the folder you want to work in. On a Mac: right-click the folder in Finder and choose New Terminal at Folder.
2. Type orboto claude and press Enter.
3. If you are not signed in yet, orboto says so and opens your browser. Sign in there; the start continues by itself.
4. The first time in a folder, orboto says "This folder is not set up for orboto yet - setting it up now." and asks one question: which project this folder belongs to. You see a numbered list of your projects, with New project as the last number.
   • An existing project: type its number and press Enter. You can also type part of its name to shorten the list.
   • A new project: type the number of New project. orboto asks for the name and already fills in the folder name - press Enter to keep it, or type another name. orboto picks the short project code (for example KS for "Kids Songs") and checks that it is free. Only when two codes in a row are taken does it ask you for one.
   • Whom the project is for: a new project also needs its customer. Added in v0.223.0 If your workspace has exactly one customer, orboto uses it and says so in one line. If there are several, orboto lists them with Internal project (no customer) as the last number; the customer whose name matches the start of the folder name is preselected (a folder called acme.shop offers Acme), so Enter accepts it. With no customers yet, the project is created as an internal project.
5. orboto sets the folder up and shows one line per step, ending with "This folder is ready." Then Claude Code starts.
6. Claude Code may ask whether to load the orboto channel for local development. Confirm it - without it, orboto cannot reach the session.

The next time you open the same folder and type orboto claude, nothing is asked.

If something goes wrong

• You want to stop: press Ctrl-D at any question. orboto says "Cancelled - nothing was created." and changes nothing.
• You may not create projects: orboto says so and that an admin can create the project for you or allow it. Ask your admin; running the command again does not help until then.
• orboto does not answer: check the internet connection and run orboto claude again. Nothing was set up in the meantime.
• Anything else: every message ends with what to do next. If it names orboto connect, run that in the same folder - it lists what is missing and how to fix it.