Solin, Ona,
and Sphere
Practical guide for interacting with Solin (main assistant), Ona (execution platform), and Ona Sphere (shared-server governance layer).
Quick Roles
- Solin is the main assistant you talk to.
- Ona is the mission execution system Solin uses (agents, tools, memory, channels, UI/CLI/API).
- Ona Sphere is the policy and trust boundary layer for shared-server deployments.
Use Solin to request work.
Use Ona to run and monitor missions.
Use Sphere when missions touch shared users/resources or server policy boundaries.
How Interaction Works End-to-End
- You send a message to Solin from web, CLI, Telegram, or API.
- Solin interprets intent and routes execution through Ona.
- Ona runs either a quick reply or a full mission job.
- If shared-server boundaries are involved, Ona performs Sphere policy checks.
- Execution resolves as allow, deny, or approval required.
- Solin returns final result and status.
Where to Interact
1) Web / Desktop UI
- Mission Control / Chat: send missions and watch progress.
- Jobs: inspect execution state and final outputs.
- Approvals: approve or reject sensitive actions.
- Settings: configure models, channels, runtime, and Sphere toggles.
2) Messaging Channels
Message Solin through Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, or Discord for fast operational requests. Use web/CLI for deeper monitoring and configuration.
- Telegram: frequent prompts and quick status checks.
- WhatsApp: daily operational interaction in familiar chat flow.
- Discord: collaborative team requests with policy boundaries.
Channel tips: keep prompts short, ask Solin for a structured plan for complex work, and switch to Jobs or Approvals when full execution visibility is needed.
3) Mobile
- PWA: install Ona web UI from mobile browser.
- Messaging apps: interact with Solin via Telegram/WhatsApp/Signal.
- IDE + `ona-remote`: lightweight terminal control for create/list/status.
- Send mission from mobile chat or PWA.
- Let Solin execute through Ona.
- Review progress and results from replies or mobile UI.
- Handle approval tasks in Approvals UI quickly.
- Sphere policy checks still apply to shared-resource actions.
4) API
Use API endpoints to integrate external systems and automations with Ona mission execution.
5) Terminal (CLI)
Common flow:
ona start
ona status
ona doctor Mission flow:
ona agent -m "Research competitors and produce a concise summary"
ona job list
When Sphere integration commands are available, use ona sphere ... for shared-server
setup/status/lifecycle.
Interaction Patterns
Pattern A: Personal mission (Ona only)
Best for single-user private tasks.
Example: "Draft a launch email and a short social post."
- Solin executes via Ona (including specialist agents when needed).
- No Sphere policy mediation is needed if no shared boundary is involved.
Pattern B: Shared resource mission (Ona + Sphere)
Example: "Update the shared operations note for everyone in the company workspace."
- Solin routes mission through Ona.
- Ona calls Sphere checks for identity, scope, and permissions.
- Action resolves as allow, deny, or approval required.
Pattern C: Sensitive action requiring approval
- Examples: external communications, sensitive config changes, controlled path writes.
- Ona creates approval task.
- User or admin approves/rejects, then Solin continues mission.
Pattern D: Family shared routine mission (Ona + Sphere)
Example: "Update this week's shared school and grocery plan for the household."
- Solin executes through Ona with family-scoped memory and routines.
- Sphere enforces role boundaries (adult, guest, child-safe scopes).
- Shared actions are logged and sensitive changes can require adult approval.
Pattern E: Company multi-team mission (Ona + Sphere)
Example: "Generate a weekly operations summary from support, sales, and product queues."
- Solin coordinates specialist-agent execution across team workflows.
- Sphere validates workspace scope, role permissions, and shared-file access.
- Outputs are routed with audit trail coverage and approval gates where policy requires.
What to Ask Solin vs Configure in Ona
Ask Solin For
- Research, writing, planning, coding, operations help.
- Multi-step mission execution.
- Follow-up actions and status summaries.
Configure Ona For
- Models and providers.
- Channels and integrations.
- Startup/runtime behavior, approvals, and memory ingestion.
Enable Sphere For
- Multi-user identity boundaries.
- Private/shared scope separation.
- Role controls, governance, and auditability.
Shared-Server Safety Expectations (Sphere-Enabled)
- Identity context is present for scoped operations.
- Access is deny-by-default when scope or role context is missing.
- Shared operations are policy-checked before execution.
- Sensitive operations are auditable and can require approval.
This keeps Solin conversational while preserving strict operational boundaries.
Recommended Day-to-Day Workflow
- Start system (
ona start) and validate health (ona status,ona doctor). - Send mission to Solin (UI/channel/CLI/mobile).
- Monitor progress in Jobs and mission chat.
- Handle approvals when prompted.
- Review output and iterate with follow-up prompts.
- In shared mode, verify shared actions pass Sphere policy checks.
Troubleshooting Interaction Issues
- Check service health (
ona status). - Run diagnostics (
ona doctor). - Confirm model and channel configuration in Settings.
- Confirm required approvals are not pending.
- In Sphere mode, verify scope/identity and Sphere health.
For deeper setup and architecture details:
One-Line Mental Model
Talk to Solin. Run and observe through Ona. Protect and scale shared operations with Sphere.