The chat transcript

Everything Oda does in a chat is recorded in order, and the chat draws that record as the transcript: your messages, the work in between, and the answers. This page covers how the transcript is laid out and what you may see in it. What you do in a chat is covered in Chat with Oda.

The layout of a chat

• The conversation is one centred column of messages, between the header and the message box.
• Your messages appear in bubbles, aligned to the right. An answer from Oda runs the full width of the column as formatted text, so a reply with headings, lists or code reads as one document.
• A message can be marked with what came with it: a reference to another chat shows as Referenced session · {labels}, and lines taken from the editor as From the editor · {labels}.

How answers are drawn

• A table with four or more columns uses the full width of the transcript instead of the message column; on a narrow window it scrolls sideways rather than squeezing its columns.
• Images that sit together in one reply tile into a single gallery, and a run of text between them starts a new gallery. Each gallery stays where the reply placed it.
• When reasoning is hidden, the gap it leaves is closed, so the answer keeps its normal spacing.
• What a reply can carry in full, from code and formulas to charts and diagrams, is in Reading Oda's answers.

The timeline of a turn

• A turn reads from top to bottom: your message, the work Oda did, and the answer. Every step of the work appears as its own row, and you can open a row again after the turn settles (Oda's steps and tool results).
• Once a turn settles, its work folds behind a single control you can open to re-read it (Work details and process folding).
• A turn that was stopped before it finished keeps a Stopped marker, and the material it had produced stays in the chat.
• A finished turn closes with its actions under the answer, such as Copy or Branch into a new conversation (Conversation branches).

Times on messages

• Every message shows its time. A message from today shows the clock (HH:mm).
• A message from earlier this year shows the short date beside its clock (m/d); a message from an earlier year shows the full date (y-m-d).
• A running turn's clock updates each second.

Changes the agent made

• When Oda changes something you saved, such as a memory, a skill or a scheduled task, the row for that change is kept out of the folded work.
• Such rows collect in a strip labelled Changes the agent made at the end of the turn, after the answer, so their controls stay within reach.

When a chat is loading

• While a part of the chat's history is being loaded, the transcript shows Loading history….
• If that load fails, the line reads Failed to load history: {message} ({code}), naming the reason.
• Loading earlier parts of a chat, and jumping between turns, is covered in Reading and navigating a chat.

When content is not recognised

• A chat can hold rows and blocks this version of the app does not know, for example when the chat was written by a newer version of Oda. They are drawn as labelled placeholders, such as Unknown surface event: {type}, Unknown content block or Extra content block, and the rest of the chat keeps working.
• A long unknown payload is shown cut, with … truncated, {total} characters total under it.
• Messages written for developers are not drawn in the chat at all.
• Not everything the session records is drawn as a chat row. The record itself stays complete, and the Trajectory view can show it in full (Trajectory and session logs).

When there is too much to show

• A long context body is shown up to 20,000 characters, then cut with a note.
• A long list inside a context row shows at most its first 200 entries, and a note counts the rest.
• The one-line detail under a running step is kept to 160 characters.
• A running group lists at most its three latest steps, and chains of nested tool calls are drawn up to 256 levels deep.
• A turn rail preview holds up to 50 characters of your message and up to three lines (120 characters) of the answer (Chat navigation and stats).

Questions, answered

Will my message appear twice while it is sending?

No. The chat draws your message as you send it, and when the chat's record confirms it, the saved copy replaces it in place. You never see two copies.

What does Stopped mean in a chat?

The turn was stopped before it finished, for example when you pressed Stop. What it had produced up to that point stays in the chat as its record, and Oda does not carry the turn on. Send a new message if you want to continue the work.

Why do some messages show a date?

A message that is not from today carries its date beside the clock: the short date (m/d) for a message from earlier this year, and the full date (y-m-d) for earlier years. The clock stays next to it in both cases.

How are several images in one reply shown?

Images that sit together in a reply tile into one gallery; a piece of text between them starts a new gallery. Each gallery stays where the reply placed it.

What does Changes the agent made show?

The rows for changes Oda made to your saved setup during the turn, such as saving a memory, creating a skill or changing a scheduled task. These rows are kept out of the folded work and gather in one strip, so their controls stay reachable after the turn.

What does Failed to load history mean?

A part of the chat could not be loaded, and the reason is named beside the message. Try the load again; if it fails the same way every time, the stored part of the chat may have a problem, which Session log problems explains.

What does an Unknown surface event row mean?

The chat met something this version of the app does not know how to draw, for example from a chat written by a newer version of Oda. It shows a labelled placeholder in that spot, and the rest of the chat keeps working.

Why is part of a long row missing?

Long content is capped for display: a context body is shown up to 20,000 characters and a list up to 200 entries, each with a note that more was left out. The record itself keeps the full content.

Why does a chat open where I stopped reading?

The chat saves the place you were reading and reopens there. A chat with no saved place, such as a new one, opens at its newest message.