Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Orchestre and their answers.

General Questions

What is Orchestre?

Orchestre is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that transforms Claude Code through dynamic prompt engineering. It provides intelligent prompts that discover, adapt, and think about your specific project context.

How is Orchestre different from other tools?

Dynamic over static: Prompts adapt to your project
Natural language: Describe what you want, not how
Distributed memory: Uses Claude Code's native CLAUDE.md system
Multi-LLM: Leverages multiple AI models for best results

What templates are available?

makerkit-nextjs: Production-ready SaaS starter (22 commands)
cloudflare-hono: Edge-first API platform (10 commands)
react-native-expo: Cross-platform mobile apps (10 commands)

Setup Questions

What are the system requirements?

Node.js 18 or higher
npm or yarn
At least one LLM API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google)

How do I install Orchestre?

bash

npm install @orchestre/mcp
npm run build

Then configure in Claude Code's MCP settings.

Which API keys do I need?

At least one of:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY for Claude models
OPENAI_API_KEY for GPT models
GEMINI_API_KEY for Gemini models

Usage Questions

How do I start a new project?

bash

/create "project-name" using template-name

Example:

bash

/create "my-saas" using makerkit-nextjs

What commands are available?

Orchestre v5.0+ provides 19 essential commands as native MCP prompts:

/create - Initialize new projects
/orchestrate - Analyze and plan
/execute-task - Implement features
/security-audit - Security analysis
/add-enterprise-feature - Production features
And more!

🎉 No Installation Required!

Starting with v5.0, all commands work immediately through MCP - no installation needed!

How does memory work?

Orchestre uses distributed CLAUDE.md files:

Project root: Overall architecture
Feature folders: Specific documentation
Automatic discovery and synthesis

Can I use custom templates?

Yes! Create a template with:

template.json metadata
commands/ directory with prompts
CLAUDE.md for context

Troubleshooting

Tools don't appear in Claude Code

Check MCP configuration path
Verify dist/server.js exists
Ensure API keys are set
Restart Claude Code

"Template not found" error

Use exact template names (lowercase)
Valid: makerkit-nextjs, cloudflare-hono, react-native-expo

API rate limits

Reduce parallel operations
Wait between requests
Check provider quotas

Commands not working

Verify Orchestre MCP server is connected: /mcp
Ensure you're using v5.0+ (commands are native MCP prompts)
For v4.x users: upgrade to v5.0 for automatic command availability

Best Practices

How should I document my project?

Use /document-feature after:

Major architectural decisions
Complex problem solutions
Important configurations

When should I use `/orchestrate`?

Use for:

Planning new features
Understanding requirements
Breaking down complex tasks

How do I optimize performance?

Use appropriate models for tasks
Enable caching when possible
Limit parallel operations if needed

Advanced Usage

Can I modify prompts?

In v5.0+, prompts are dynamically generated by the MCP server. To modify:

Edit the prompt logic in the Orchestre server code
Rebuild the server: npm run build
Restart Claude Code

How do I add new commands?

In v5.0+, new commands are added to the MCP server:

Add prompt registration in the server
Implement the prompt logic
Rebuild and restart

Can I use different models?

Configure in models.config.json:

json

{
  "primary": "gpt-4o",
  "planning": "gemini-pro",
  "review": ["claude-3-sonnet"]
}

Integration

Does Orchestre work with existing projects?

Yes! Use:

bash

/discover-context
/orchestrate "Analyze this existing codebase"

Can I use Orchestre in CI/CD?

Orchestre is designed for development with Claude Code, not automated pipelines.

Commit CLAUDE.md files
Share models.config.json
Document in project README

Support

Where can I get help?

How do I report bugs?

Include:

Orchestre version
Error messages
Steps to reproduce
Your configuration (without API keys)

Can I contribute?

Yes! See our Contributing Guide for details.

Frequently Asked Questions ​

General Questions ​

What is Orchestre? ​

How is Orchestre different from other tools? ​

What templates are available? ​

Setup Questions ​

What are the system requirements? ​

How do I install Orchestre? ​

Which API keys do I need? ​

Usage Questions ​

How do I start a new project? ​

What commands are available? ​

How does memory work? ​

Can I use custom templates? ​

Troubleshooting ​

Tools don't appear in Claude Code ​

"Template not found" error ​

API rate limits ​

Commands not working ​

Best Practices ​

How should I document my project? ​

When should I use /orchestrate? ​

How do I optimize performance? ​

Advanced Usage ​

Can I modify prompts? ​

How do I add new commands? ​

Can I use different models? ​

Integration ​

Does Orchestre work with existing projects? ​

Can I use Orchestre in CI/CD? ​

How do I share configurations? ​

Support ​

Where can I get help? ​

How do I report bugs? ​

Can I contribute? ​

See Also ​

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is Orchestre?

How is Orchestre different from other tools?

What templates are available?

Setup Questions

What are the system requirements?

How do I install Orchestre?

Which API keys do I need?

Usage Questions

How do I start a new project?

What commands are available?

How does memory work?

Can I use custom templates?

Troubleshooting

Tools don't appear in Claude Code

"Template not found" error

API rate limits

Commands not working

Best Practices

How should I document my project?

When should I use `/orchestrate`?

How do I optimize performance?

Advanced Usage

Can I modify prompts?

How do I add new commands?

Can I use different models?

Integration

Does Orchestre work with existing projects?

Can I use Orchestre in CI/CD?

How do I share configurations?

Support

Where can I get help?

How do I report bugs?

Can I contribute?

See Also