Otto extensions

LabsThis feature is in Labs.

Extensions are opt-in capabilities that ship inside the Otto binary and add tools, slash commands, or background behaviors to a session. Some are on by default because they catch common mistakes or add useful slash commands; others are off by default because they spawn subprocesses, consume credits, or materially change behavior.

Bundled extensions

Name	Default	What it does
`ask-user`	on	Registers the `ask_user` tool so Otto can ask 1-4 focused questions in a single batch rather than many one-at-a-time prompts.
`dag-validation`	on	After any edit or write to `dags/*.py`, runs `af dags errors` and surfaces import errors so Otto self-corrects in the same turn. Only fires when a local Airflow is reachable.
`memory`	on	Registers `/bootstrap` (seed memories from git and GitHub history) and `/remember` (save learnings from the current conversation).
`skills`	on	Provides the hosted-skill surface: the `skill` tool, the `/skills` picker, and `/skill:<name>` commands for hosted skills. Disabling removes hosted skills entirely; local skills still work. See Skills.
`spinner-verbs`	on	Replaces the default loader with space-themed verbs and an elapsed-time counter. Cosmetic only.
`subagent`	off	Registers a `subagent` tool that delegates tasks to isolated `otto` subprocesses. Supports single (`task`) or parallel (`tasks: [...]`) delegation, with `fast` and `deep` model tiers.

Enable or disable an extension

Four layers control whether an extension is on, merged in order (highest priority first):

Layer	Where	Example
CLI flag	`--extension <name>`, `--no-extension <name>` (repeatable)	`astro otto --no-extension dag-validation`
Environment variable	`OTTO_EXTENSIONS`, `OTTO_DISABLED_EXTENSIONS` (comma-separated)	`OTTO_DISABLED_EXTENSIONS=dag-validation astro otto`
Project settings	`.astro/otto/extensions.json`	`{ "dag-validation": false }`
User settings	`~/.astro/otto/extensions.json`	`{ "memory": false }`

Within a layer, an explicit disable beats an explicit enable. For example, --extension foo --no-extension foo disables foo.

Manage extensions interactively

Run /extensions inside an Otto session to open an interactive editor. The main picker shows each bundled extension with its current state and a * marker when a CLI flag or environment variable is overriding the settings files. Select an extension to open a per-extension editor with two rows: a User scope row and a Project scope row. Each row has a three-state checkbox:

[x] on — writes enabled: true to that settings file.
[ ] off — writes enabled: false to that settings file.
[~] unset — removes the enabled field so lower layers win.

Press Enter or Space to cycle the focused row. The title bar updates to show the predicted next-session state and which layer is winning. Press Escape to save and close. To apply the change:

Run /reload to re-run the extension list against the fresh settings while keeping your conversation history.
Run /new to start a fresh session.
Restart Otto for a full reset.

Configure an extension

The settings file accepts either a boolean shorthand or an object with enabled plus any extension-specific config. Both forms can coexist in the same file:

extensions.json

{
  "memory": false,
  "dag-validation": {
    "enabled": true,
    "timeout": 60000
  },
  "subagent": {
    "enabled": true,
    "tiers": { "fast": "gpt-5.4-nano", "deep": "gpt-5.4" }
  }
}

Project settings shadow user settings per extension (whole-entry replace, not a deep merge).

Configurable fields

Extension	Field	Type	Default	Description
`dag-validation`	`timeout`	number	`30000`	Timeout in milliseconds for `af dags errors`.
`subagent`	`tiers.fast`	string	`gpt-5.4-nano`	Model used when a subagent call uses `tier: "fast"`.
`subagent`	`tiers.deep`	string	parent’s model	Model used when a subagent call uses `tier: "deep"`. Omit to inherit the main conversation’s model.

Extensions that don’t appear in the table take no configuration — they’re either on or off.

Overview

Get started

Develop DAGs

AI features

Deploy code

Manage Deployments

Automation & CI/CD

Platform observability

Administration

Release notes

Best practices

Reference

Airflow 3

Bundled extensions

Enable or disable an extension

Manage extensions interactively

Configure an extension

Configurable fields

​Bundled extensions

​Enable or disable an extension

​Manage extensions interactively

​Configure an extension

​Configurable fields

Bundled extensions

Enable or disable an extension

Manage extensions interactively

Configure an extension

Configurable fields