Let Fate Decide

When NOT to Use

• The user has given clear, specific instructions
• The task has a single obvious correct approach
• Safety-critical decisions (security, data integrity, production deployments)
• The user explicitly asks you NOT to use Tarot
• The user's tone is precision-seeking rather than casual -- use ask-questions-if-underspecified instead to gather actual requirements

How It Works

The Draw

The script uses secrets for cryptographic randomness:

1. Builds a standard 78-card Tarot deck (22 Major Arcana + 56 Minor Arcana)
2. Performs a Fisher-Yates shuffle via secrets.randbelow() (no modulo bias)
3. Draws 4 cards from the top
4. Each card independently has a 50% chance of being reversed

The Spread

The 4 card positions represent:

Card Files

Each card's meaning is in its own markdown file under {baseDir}/cards/:

• cards/major/ - 22 Major Arcana (archetypal forces)
• cards/wands/ - 14 Wands (creativity, action, will)
• cards/cups/ - 14 Cups (emotion, intuition, relationships)
• cards/swords/ - 14 Swords (intellect, conflict, truth)
• cards/pentacles/ - 14 Pentacles (material, practical, craft)

Interpretation

After drawing, read each card's file and synthesize meaning. See {baseDir}/references/INTERPRETATION_GUIDE.md for the full interpretation workflow.

Key rules:

• Reversed cards invert or complicate the upright meaning
• Major Arcana cards carry more weight than Minor Arcana
• The spread tells a story across all 4 positions; don't interpret cards in isolation
• Map abstract meanings to concrete technical decisions
• Never output interpretation as a text-only turn. Include the interpretation alongside your next tool call (the action that implements the chosen option). Read all 4 cards in parallel if possible.

Example Session

User: "I dunno, just make it work somehow"

[Draw cards]
1. The Magician (upright) - Context: All tools are available
2. Five of Swords (reversed) - Challenge: Let go of a combative approach
3. The Star (upright) - Guidance: Follow the aspirational path
4. Ten of Pentacles (upright) - Outcome: Long-term stability

Interpretation: The cards suggest you have everything you need (Magician).
The challenge is avoiding overengineering or adversarial thinking about edge
cases (Five of Swords reversed). Follow the clean, hopeful approach (Star)
and build for lasting maintainability (Ten of Pentacles).

Approach: Implement the simplest correct solution with clear structure,
prioritizing long-term readability over clever optimizations.

Error Handling

If the drawing script fails:

• Script crashes with traceback: Report the error to the user and skip the reading. Do not invent cards or simulate a draw — the whole point is real entropy.
• Card file not found: Note the missing file, interpret the card from its name and suit alone, and continue with the reading.
• Never fake entropy: If the script cannot run, do not simulate a draw using your own "randomness." Tell the user the draw failed.

Rationalizations to Reject