Projects
Group related chats, give them shared instructions, and point development tools at a plugin or theme folder.
A project is a named folder for related chats. It can carry instructions that Octo follows in every chat inside it, and an optional working root: a folder under wp-content that file and code tools use as their boundary.
Projects are private to your user account.
Create a project#
- In the chat list click Create project (the folder icon).
- Fill in the window:
- Name: required, for example
Plugin redesign. - Project instructions: goals, constraints, conventions and context. Up to 8,000 characters.
- Appearance: pick an icon and a color.
- Working root (optional): see below.
- Name: required, for example
- Click Save project. A new chat opens inside it.
Working root#
The working root tells project-aware tools where they may work. Without one, those tools start at wp-content.
| Choice | Use it for |
|---|---|
| No root | Organization only: you just want to group chats. |
| Existing root | An installed plugin, theme or MU plugin. Search the list, or filter by Plugins, Themes or MU plugins. |
| Custom path | A folder inside wp-content, for example plugins/my-plugin. It must already exist. |
| Create new (Pro) | A fresh plugin or block theme starter. Choose WordPress plugin or Block theme and a directory slug (lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens). Existing folders are never overwritten. |
The file, search, lint, build and shell tools in OctoPress Pro respect the working root. The free tools do not need one.
Use a project#
- Click the + next to a project (New project chat) to start a chat inside it.
- The chat's top bar shows the project icon, and the empty state says Working in and the project name.
- Open Project actions (three dots) to Edit project or Delete project.
- Move an existing chat in or out with Chat actions → Move to project….
Deleting a project does not delete its chats. They move back to Chats. It also never touches the folder on disk.
Instructions are sent to the model with every message in the project. Keep them short and specific, and never put passwords or API keys in them.