Oracle - Strategic Technical Advisor
The oracle is a GPT-5.2 reasoning model configured for deep technical analysis. Use it when you need expert-level guidance on complex decisions.
Capabilities & Restrictions
Can do:
- •Read files and explore the codebase
- •Run shell commands for investigation
- •Search the web for current information
- •Provide strategic technical advice
Cannot do (by design):
- •Edit or write files (read-only sandbox)
- •Make changes to the codebase
- •Execute destructive commands
This makes oracle safe to consult without risk of unintended modifications.
When to Use Oracle
- •Architecture decisions: System design, technology choices, scaling strategies
- •Complex debugging: Multi-system issues, race conditions, performance bottlenecks
- •Security analysis: Threat modeling, vulnerability assessment, auth patterns
- •Trade-off analysis: When multiple valid approaches exist and you need to weigh them
- •Code review: Getting a second opinion on significant implementations
- •Post-implementation review: Validating decisions after the fact
How to Invoke
Script location: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/oracle/scripts/oracle.ts
Foreground (quick questions, <30 seconds expected)
Use Bash tool directly:
bun ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/oracle/scripts/oracle.ts "What's the best way to implement rate limiting for this API?"
Background (complex questions, longer reasoning)
For questions that require deep reasoning, run in background and poll:
- •
Start the query with
run_in_background=true:bashbun ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/oracle/scripts/oracle.ts "Analyze the security implications of this authentication flow and suggest improvements" - •
Continue working on other tasks while oracle thinks
- •
Poll for status using TaskOutput with
block=false:- •Check periodically if the oracle has finished
- •When status shows completed, retrieve the result
- •
Get result - for long responses, use tail to avoid context flooding:
bash# Get last 100 lines of output tail -100 /path/to/output
Response Format
Oracle responses follow a tiered structure:
Essential (Always Present)
- •Bottom Line: 1-2 sentence direct answer
- •Action Plan: Numbered concrete next steps
- •Effort Estimate: Quick (<1h) | Short (1-4h) | Medium (1-2d) | Large (3d+)
Expanded (When Relevant)
- •Reasoning: Why this approach over alternatives
- •Trade-offs: What you gain vs sacrifice
- •Dependencies: Prerequisites and external factors
Edge Cases (When Applicable)
- •Escalation Triggers: When to reconsider
- •Alternatives: Backup options
- •Gotchas: Common mistakes to avoid
Example Questions
Good oracle questions are:
- •Specific and contextualized
- •About decisions rather than implementations
- •Complex enough to benefit from deep reasoning
Examples:
- •"Given our PostgreSQL + Redis stack, should we add Elasticsearch for full-text search or use pg_trgm? We have 10M records, 100 QPS expected."
- •"This codebase uses a custom event system. Should we migrate to a standard library or continue extending it?"
- •"Review this authentication flow for security issues: [paste code]"