Set and manage goals with /goal

/goal sets the goal of a long-running task and manages it afterwards: it shows, edits, pauses, resumes or clears the goal. This page covers the command and its answers; Goals covers the surfaces a goal adds to the chat, How goals work the rules behind the goal's states, and Working in goal rounds how Oda continues the goal on its own.

Run the command

1. Type /goal in the message box, followed by the objective or one of the forms below, and send it.
2. The command answers in the chat. Goals shows the pill, the card and the notices a goal adds.

• Commands start at the very beginning of the message; Slash commands and references covers how they are typed.
• In the / menu the command is described as Set or view the goal for a long-running task. It is part of Oda's standard set; a Minimal mode chat does not offer it (Choose a mode for a new task).

The forms of /goal

The answer to /goal on its own is titled Goal; an accepted change answers with a title of its own: Goal created, Goal updated, Goal paused, Goal resumed or Goal cleared. A clear with nothing to clear answers No goal to clear.

Read the status block

The answer to /goal on its own carries the goal's status block:

• Status: the goal's state, one of active, paused, blocked or complete.
• Objective: the objective you set.
• Rounds: how many rounds the goal has run, and its limit, shown as <n>/<max>.
• Activation: armed when Oda will take the goal's next round on its own; disarmed when it will not.
• Commands: the forms that fit the goal's current state.
• Blocker: for a blocked goal, the reason as a code and a message.

The Commands: line follows the state: edit, pause and clear while the goal is active and armed; edit, resume and clear while it is disarmed, paused or blocked; a new objective and clear when it is complete. With no goal set, the answer to /goal on its own is No goal is currently set. and the usage line Usage: /goal [<objective>|clear|edit <objective>|pause|resume].

How the command reads your message

• The message after the command name is trimmed, then taken as one piece.
• clear, pause and resume are controls only when they are the whole input, whatever their capitalisation: /goal pause pauses the goal, while /goal pause after verification sets pause after verification as a new objective.
• edit is a control when a new objective follows it: /goal edit <objective> replaces the current objective. A bare /goal edit is refused; it needs the replacement text.
• Anything else sets the goal, taken as you typed it: /goal Prepare the monthly report sets that sentence as the objective.

Files and images with the command

You can attach files or images only together with an objective: /goal <objective> and /goal edit <objective> accept them. Every other form refuses them with Attachments only accompany a goal objective: /goal <objective> or /goal edit <objective>.

When the command refuses

• With no goal set, /goal edit, /goal pause and /goal resume answer No goal is currently set; /goal <action> requires one. and the usage line. The message names the form you sent in place of <action>.
• A new objective while one is in progress is refused with A goal is already <phase>. Use /goal edit <objective> to change it or /goal clear before replacing it. The placeholder names the goal's current phase.
• A form that does not fit the state, such as /goal resume for a goal that is already armed, answers The goal command is not valid for the current state. Run /goal to view available commands.
• /goal clear with no goal answers No goal to clear.

Questions, answered

How do I see the current goal and its status?

Run /goal on its own. The answer, titled Goal, shows the goal and its status block, including the forms that fit its current state. With no goal set, it says so and prints the usage line.

What happens if I type /goal pause after verification?

pause counts as a control word only when it is the whole input, so this message sets pause after verification as the goal's objective. To pause a goal, send /goal pause on its own.

Does capitalisation matter in pause, resume and clear?

No. The words are recognised whatever their case, as long as the word is the whole input: /goal Pause pauses the goal. With any other words after the word, the message sets a new objective instead.

Why can't I set a new goal while one is already there?

A chat keeps one goal at a time, and an unfinished one stays until you deal with it. The refusal reads A goal is already <phase>. Use /goal edit <objective> to change it or /goal clear before replacing it. Send /goal edit <objective> to change the objective, or /goal clear to remove the goal first. A completed goal can be replaced directly with a new objective.

Why does /goal edit ask for a replacement objective?

Because the message carried no new text after edit. The refusal is Goal editing requires a replacement objective. Send the new objective with the word, as in /goal edit <objective>.

What do the Rounds and Activation lines mean?

The Rounds: line counts the rounds the goal has run against its limit, shown as <n>/<max>. The Activation: line reads armed when Oda will take the goal's next round on its own, and disarmed when it will not.

Which form should I use next?

The Commands: line of the status block lists the forms that fit the goal's state right now. While it is active and armed these are edit, pause and clear; while it is disarmed, paused or blocked, edit, resume and clear; when it is complete, a new objective and clear.

Why does /goal say the command is not valid for the current state?

The form you sent does not fit the goal's state, for example /goal resume for a goal that is already armed. The answer is The goal command is not valid for the current state. Run /goal to view available commands. Run /goal to see the forms that fit.

What happens if I run /goal clear with no goal set?

The answer is No goal to clear. Nothing changes; there was no goal to remove.

Can I attach files or images to /goal?

Only together with an objective: /goal <objective> and /goal edit <objective> accept attachments; every other form refuses them with Attachments only accompany a goal objective: /goal <objective> or /goal edit <objective>.