---
title: "Output modes: try them"
description: "See the same answer as a chat render, a question, or a page, for an operator or a novice, with and without the done sign-off. Pick one and copy the flag or the prompt."
canonical: "https://orchestkit.yonyon.ai/docs/guides/output-modes"
---

# Output modes: try them

See the same answer as a chat render, a question, or a page, for an operator or a novice, with and without the done sign-off. Pick one and copy the flag or the prompt.

import {
  AudienceCompare,
  CopyPrompt,
  ModePicker,
  SignoffCompare,
  SurfaceCompare,
} from '@/components/output-modes';

OrchestKit answers in one of three **surfaces** (chat, ask, page) for one of two
**audiences** (operator, novice), and can end with a **done sign-off**. `/ork:glyph`
picks all of this for you and says what it picked in one line, for example
`→ chat · operator`. A flag always wins over its guess. Pick a mode below: every
section on this page follows your pick, and the last one gives you a prompt to paste.

## Pick a mode

<ModePicker />

Defaults: surface **chat**, audience **operator**, no sign-off. `--eli5` on its own
also sets the page surface, so the flag above always names the surface.

## One answer, three surfaces

The question is "is beta.160 ready to ship?". Each panel is the same answer. Your
pick has the heavy outline.

<SurfaceCompare />

- **chat** is the common case: one render in the reply, up to about 50 lines.
- **ask** is for a real fork that must be settled before the next step. It blocks
  until someone answers, so glyph uses it only when the pick changes what happens next.
- **page** is for answers over about 50 lines, or answers that must persist.

## Operator or novice

Same surface, two readers. Novice (`--eli5`, or a request that names a reader who is
not you, such as "explain it to the client") means plain words and an analogy before
the mechanism. It does not mean less accurate.

<AudienceCompare />

On the ask surface the announce line always says `operator`: it names who answers
the question, not who reads the result.

## Done sign-off

`--signoff` on glyph, and the last step of `/ork:verify`, end with one question:
**Accept done**, **Show me the evidence**, or **Not satisfied**. Any failure is listed
first. Runs with no one to answer (`claude -p`, a workflow) print the verdict and
skip the question.

<SignoffCompare />

## Display env vars

Sixteen environment variables change what OrchestKit shows you. Each one is read by
the hook named in the last column. Set them in your shell before you start Claude Code.

| Variable | Default | What it changes | Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| `ORK_ASK_FALLBACK` | unset | `text` turns every picker into a numbered text list ([guide](/docs/guides/ask-fallback)) | `lifecycle/ask-fallback-injector` |
| `ORK_DISPLAY_LINT` | on | `0` stops the nudge to put long multi-stage shell commands in a script file | `pretool/bash/display-lint` |
| `ORK_NO_NOTIFY` | unset | `1` turns off desktop notifications | `notification/desktop` |
| `ORK_NOTIFY_OSASCRIPT` | unset | `1` sends notifications with osascript or notify-send instead of the terminal escape code | `notification/desktop` |
| `ORK_NO_CTX_WARN` | unset | `1` turns off the context-window warnings | `posttool/context-crossing-warn` |
| `ORK_CTX_WARN_THRESHOLD` | unset | a token count used as the one warning point; turns off the wind-down zone | `posttool/context-crossing-warn` |
| `ORK_CTX_WINDDOWN_PCT` | `0.70` | the share of the context window where the wind-down warning starts | `posttool/context-crossing-warn` |
| `ORK_CTX_IMMINENT_PCT` | `0.85` | the share of the context window where the "compaction is near" warning starts | `posttool/context-crossing-warn` |
| `ORCHESTKIT_AUTO_COMMIT_NUDGE` | on | `false` stops the "consider committing" reminder | `posttool/commit-nudge` |
| `ORK_DISABLE_DEBT_SURFACER` | unset | `1` stops the list of deferred work shown when instructions load | `instructions-loaded/debt-surfacer` |
| `ORK_NO_STRAY_PLAYGROUND_CHECK` | unset | `1` stops the session-start warning about uncommitted playground pages | `lifecycle/stray-playground-pages` |
| `ORK_STRAY_PLAYGROUND_MIN_AGE_HOURS` | `1` | how old a playground page must be before that warning names it | `lifecycle/stray-playground-pages` |
| `ORK_EXPECT_AUTO` | on | `0` stops the browser-test suggestion after UI file edits | `posttool/ui-change-detector` |
| `ORK_NO_PRECOMPACT_PROMPT` | unset | `1` stops the "mark finished tasks done" prompt before compaction | `lifecycle/pre-compact-task-done-prompt` |
| `ORK_TASK_NUDGE_MAX_UNANSWERED` | `3` | after this many ignored nudges, the task-list nudge gets quieter (2 to 1000) | `prompt/multi-step-task-nudge` |
| `ORK_NO_MEMORY_LINT` | unset | `1` turns off the checks that come from your memory files | `lib/memory-lint` |

The visual-style nudge that asks for a render on every prompt has no off switch today.

## Copy as prompt

Paste this into Claude Code to get your pick on the next answer.

<CopyPrompt />