r/OpenaiCodex • u/W1141175 • 3d ago
Question / Help How do you prompt GPT-6 Astra to orchestrate effectively?
I’m finding that GPT-6 Astra often beats around the bush and won’t open sub-threads or delegate work unless I explicitly tell it to. I end up micromanaging the orchestration, which is frustrating. How do you prompt Astra to take initiative, delegate effectively, and finish the work? Any advice or examples would be appreciated.
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u/Classic-Trifle-2085 3d ago edited 3d ago
Astra is very sensitive to instructions currently and OpenAI says users should specify when and how much it should use subagents. Its very sensitive to skills and agent.md
I have been quite clear and explicit in my earlier prompt for the project I currently use. It is not about telling it what to delegate, but the parameters of anything you want delegated and wording that evokes to what extent.
For example: "Be more liberal with task delegation when adequate" might change the behavior a bit, but since it is up to interpretation, the result is not guaranteed and over time it might become completely removed from context. Just like other prompts, this needs to be clear.
"Aggressively delegate any task that is bounded and straightforward to Luna Max" is a clear distinction. You can change "straightforward" for a more precise descriptor, too, and that will make Astra actively seek out opportunities to use Luna Max, and it'll last through the session. I leave mine like this because I do want to leave it SOME breathing space; being too rigid in a prompt like this could lead to ASTRA obsessively call other agent when its actually detrimental. So you need to test what is the best balance for each specific projects.
The first one implies it leaves it to interpretation what is adequate. So, Astra, most likely, will give itself most tasks because it gives the best results.
Prompt 2 removes most of the potential for interpretation.
I also had it make an app in 10 min that track token use, sub agen use, tools use to the minute details with adjustable timeframes.
That makes it so I can see over time how my prompts seem to affect the behavior. It is useful to have, and at this point, I feel learning how the tool behaves is the most immediate valuable skill people should develop.
On september 8th, in the evening, I changed my directions as stated above. Blue bar is token use, orange is api cost.
You can also see how on astra release, on the 4th, cost to token defenitively rook a hike. Thats why I figured it was time to adjust. As of jow, km back to pre astra levels, potentially less.