> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://astronomer.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Otto quickstart

<Info>
  **Labs**

  This feature is in [Labs](/docs/astro/feature-previews).
</Info>

This quickstart walks you through your first Otto session. By the end, Otto is running in your project and ready to help you author, debug, and manage Dags. You can also optionally start local Airflow so Otto can query Dag runs, task logs, connections, and variables.

<Note>
  Otto requires an Astro account. [Start a free trial](/docs/astro/trial) if you don't have one.
</Note>

## Prerequisites

* [Astro CLI v1.42+](/docs/cli/v1.43/install-cli) installed.
* An [Astro account](/docs/astro/trial). Run `astro login`.
* (Optional) An Astro project folder. Otto works without an Astro project, but project context makes it more useful.

## Step 1: Launch Otto

From your Astro project folder, run:

```sh wrap theme={null}
astro otto
```

Otto opens an interactive terminal interface. The CLI handles authentication automatically.

<Tip>
  **Have Otto start local Airflow**

  You can also prompt Otto to start a local Airflow environment:

  > "Configure this project for standalone mode and start local Airflow."

  With Airflow running, Otto can use the [`af` CLI](/docs/astro/otto-tools#af-cli) to query Dag runs, task logs, connections, and variables on the live instance, and [automatic Dag validation](/docs/astro/otto-tools#automatic-dag-validation) runs after each edit. See [Local Airflow overview](/docs/cli/v1.43/local-airflow-overview) for the standalone vs Docker comparison.
</Tip>

## Step 2: Run your first prompt

Enter a prompt in the input area. To explore your project, try:

> "Look at my Dags and summarize each one."

Otto reads your Dag files, checks the running Airflow instance for metadata, and provides a summary of each Dag with its schedule, tasks, and dependencies.

### Other prompts to try

> "Check my Dags for deprecated patterns."

Otto validates your code against your Airflow version.

> "Why did my last Dag run fail?"

Otto checks task logs and run history to diagnose failures.

> "Create a new Dag that pulls data from Snowflake and loads it into Postgres."

Otto authors a Dag using your project's conventions and connection IDs.

## Step 3: Resume a session

Otto persists session history automatically. To continue your most recent session:

```sh wrap theme={null}
astro otto --continue
```

To pick from a list of previous sessions in an interactive picker:

```sh wrap theme={null}
astro otto --resume
```

To open a specific session file:

```sh wrap theme={null}
astro otto --session <path-to-session-file>
```

Session files are stored as JSONL at `~/.astro/otto/sessions/`.

## What Otto knows about your project

When you launch Otto in an Astro project folder, it automatically detects:

* **Project root**: The folder containing `.astro/` configuration. If Otto doesn't find one, it falls back to the current working directory.
* **Airflow URL**: The local Airflow instance started by `astro dev start`.
* **Memory**: Existing memory files in `.astro/memory/` (shared project memory), `~/.astro/memory/<project-slug>/` (local project memory), or `~/.astro/memory/` (local user memory). See [Memory](/docs/astro/otto-memory).

## Next steps

* [Skills](/docs/astro/otto-skills) — Browse Otto's bundled skills and author your own for team-specific workflows.
* [Tools](/docs/astro/otto-tools) — Explore the full set of tools Otto uses, including the af CLI for Airflow.
* [Memory](/docs/astro/otto-memory) — Learn how Otto accumulates and uses team-specific knowledge.