Configuration

OrchestKit works out of the box with zero configuration. This page covers optional settings for power users.

Environment Variables

Core (Auto-Detected)

Variable	Description	Default
`CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR`	Your project root	Auto-detected
`CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT`	Plugin installation path	Auto-detected
`CLAUDE_SESSION_ID`	Current session UUID	Auto-generated

Web Research (Optional)

Variable	Description	Effect
`TAVILY_API_KEY`	Tavily search API	Enables search/extract/map in web research workflow

Setting Variables

Add to your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.config/fish/config.fish):

# Web Research
export TAVILY_API_KEY="tvly-your-key-here"

Then restart Claude Code or open a new terminal.

Memory Tiers

OrchestKit has 3 memory tiers. All work automatically with zero configuration:

Tier	Storage	Config Needed	What It Does
1. Graph	MCP `mcp__memory__*`	None (zero-config)	Knowledge graph: entities + relations
2. Local	`.claude/memory/*.jsonl`	None (auto-created)	Session persistence, queue sync
3. CC Native	`~/.claude/projects/*/memory/MEMORY.md`	None (auto-sync)	Injected into system prompt

High-confidence decisions (confidence >= 0.7) automatically promote from Graph to CC Native, ensuring they persist even without OrchestKit installed.

MCP Servers

OrchestKit supports 10 MCP servers for web search, component registries, design extraction, and more. All are optional — skills and agents work without them.

See the full MCP Servers guide for:

All 10 MCPs organized by tier (bundled, API key required, user-installable)
Recommended MCPs by project type (React, backend, design system, AI/LLM)
Complete agent-to-MCP mapping (all 36 agents)
Setup instructions, token overhead, and graceful degradation

Quick start: context7, memory, and sequential-thinking work with zero config. Tavily needs a free API key from app.tavily.com.

Hook Behavior

Hooks fire automatically. If a hook blocks an action unexpectedly:

Check which hook blocked: the error message includes the hook name
Hooks you can customize:
- file-guard: Protected file paths and file size limits (override with ORCHESTKIT_MAX_FILE_LINES / ORCHESTKIT_MAX_TEST_FILE_LINES env vars)
- dangerous-command-blocker: Blocked commands list
- permission auto-approve: Safe command patterns

Most users never need to customize hooks. They're designed to be transparent.

Keybindings

OrchestKit ships with 8 chord keybindings for the most-used skills. Press the first key combo, release, then press the second:

Shortcut	Skill	What It Does
`ctrl+k ctrl+f`	`/ork:fix-issue`	Fix a GitHub issue
`ctrl+k ctrl+i`	`/ork:implement`	Implement a feature
`ctrl+k ctrl+e`	`/ork:explore`	Deep codebase exploration
`ctrl+k ctrl+r`	`/ork:review-pr`	Review a pull request
`ctrl+k ctrl+m`	`/ork:memory`	Search/load memory
`ctrl+k ctrl+a`	`/ork:assess`	Quality assessment
`ctrl+k ctrl+c`	`/ork:commit`	Conventional commit
`ctrl+k ctrl+h`	`/ork:help`	Skill directory

These are defined in settings.json and can be customized via /ork:configure or by editing src/settings/ork.settings.json.

Status Line

OrchestKit configures a persistent status line at the bottom of your terminal showing:

ork v7.1.4 │ feat/my-branch │ 3 uncommitted

This updates automatically and shows the plugin version, current git branch, and uncommitted file count.

/ork:memory search to find past decisions
ctrl+k ctrl+f to quick-fix an issue
/ork:analytics shows usage patterns
/ork:explore for deep codebase understanding
/ork:assess rates code quality 0-10

Tips are additive — Claude Code's default tips still appear alongside OrchestKit's.

Plugin Settings

Run /ork:configure to adjust:

Notification preferences (desktop alerts, sounds)
Memory sync frequency
Hook toggle system (enable/disable specific hooks)
Agent model preferences
Keybindings and spinner customization

Next Steps

The 3 Building Blocks — Understand the architecture
Memory System — Deep dive into 3-tier memory