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Side Sessions

ORCA Framework uses "side session" as a portable concept for work that should stay adjacent to the main execution thread instead of hijacking it.

This is a framework behavior first, not a promise that every harness exposes the same UI.

Two Side-Session Modes

Quick Side Question

Use this for:

  • "what file was that again?"
  • "why did you choose this?"
  • "what changed?"
  • "sanity check this assumption"

Preferred behavior:

  • if the harness supports an ephemeral side-question primitive such as /btw, use it
  • keep the answer short
  • do not mutate the repo
  • do not turn it into a long back-and-forth workflow

Durable Side Session

Use this for:

  • interactive explanation
  • extended review discussion
  • design critique
  • ideation or product debate
  • research interpretation that should not derail the main build thread

Preferred behavior:

  • open a separate thread, side pane, or popout when the harness clearly supports it
  • otherwise keep it separate by framing and artifact
  • keep execution ownership in the main thread
  • emit a structured handoff when the side session should trigger action

Default ORCA Framework Mapping

Need ORCA Framework path Expected behavior
Quick question without derailing the main thread orca-btw concept or host-native /btw one-shot side answer, usually ephemeral
Interactive "what is happening and why?" conversation orca-explain durable explanation session with follow-up questions
Adjacent critique or synthesis orca-review, orca-design, orca-research, orca-idea in side-session mode when useful separate analysis thread or framed side artifact

Command Candidates

The strongest ORCA Framework candidates for side sessions are:

  • orca-explain
  • orca-review
  • orca-design
  • orca-research
  • orca-idea

These commands produce better outcomes when interpretation stays separate from the main executor thread.

Commands such as orca-build, orca-ship, and orca-update should stay in the main execution path unless a side session is only providing commentary or review.

Safety Rules

  • side sessions are non-mutating by default
  • the main thread still owns execution
  • if the side session reaches a clear action request, produce a handoff instead of silently executing there
  • do not claim a side pane, popout, or /btw primitive unless the active harness actually supports it