Otto activates when you call it by name and deactivates when you say goodbye. This page explains activation triggers, license-based capabilities, and session management.
Otto activates when your message contains any of these trigger phrases (case-insensitive):
| Trigger | Example |
|---|---|
| otto | "Otto, check the build" |
| hello otto | "Hello Otto" — start a session |
| hey otto | "Hey Otto, what's next?" |
| @otto | "@otto status" |
| /otto | "/otto scan" |
If none of these triggers are present, Otto stays silent — your AI coding assistant works normally without Otto intercepting. Triggers are configurable by your team admin during onboarding.
End your Otto session cleanly with any of these phrases:
| Trigger | Example |
|---|---|
| bye otto | "Bye Otto" — save and close |
| exit otto | "Exit Otto" |
| goodbye otto | "Goodbye Otto" |
| done with otto | "I'm done with Otto" |
| stop otto | "Stop Otto" |
When deactivating, Otto saves your session state, verifies all repos are clean, and displays a sign-off summary. Otto then goes silent until you activate it again.
Your subscription determines which agents and tools are available:
| Tier | Agents | Key Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Free | None | Stack review scorecard (findings only, no remediation) |
| Otto Stack | Solutions Architect, Platform Engineer | Assessment, scaffolding, setup agents, dependency modernization |
| + Security | + Security Engineer, Compliance Officer | CVE scanning, SAST, secrets detection, compliance |
| + Dev | + Scrum Master, Dev Lead (+ 13 sub-agents), QA Lead | Work queue, pipeline execution, autonomous implementation |
| + Ops | + Release Engineer, SRE, Infrastructure Engineer | Deployment, monitoring, incident response, infrastructure |
| Complete | All 23 agents (10 orchestrators + 13 sub-agents) | Full DevOps lifecycle — everything included |
When the Otto VS Code extension connects to a project, it communicates with the Otto MCP server to validate your license. The server checks:
License validation happens automatically and is transparent to the user. The extension caches the validation result locally so repeated checks do not require network calls.
Each product requires both conditions before it unlocks:
Your dashboard tracks prerequisite progress per product. When both conditions are met, the product auto-unlocks on your next Otto session — no manual step required.
Make sure your message contains an activation trigger (e.g., "Hey Otto"). Otto stays silent when no trigger is detected.
Ensure your subscription is active in the Otto dashboard. Check that the repository is associated with an application that has the requested product enabled.
The product may not be in your plan, or prerequisites may not be met yet. Check prerequisite progress in your dashboard.
Otto requires an internet connection for license validation. Cached validations expire after a short period. Functionality is limited until connectivity is restored.