Context Visibility

Every file in your project has a context visibility setting that controls how your Game Master uses it. This is one of the most powerful tools you have for shaping your Game Master's behavior.

These settings affect the Game Master only. Orbit uses its own context and is not controlled by file context visibility.

Think of it this way: a human GM can't memorize your entire world. They keep some notes right in front of them, skim the headers of others, and leave the rest in a binder they can flip to when needed. Context visibility lets you set up that same system for your AI.

The Three Visibility Levels

Pinned

Pinned files are loaded in full every time the GM responds. The GM reads the entire file before every message.

Use this for things the GM should always know. A few good examples:

• Core rules the GM must follow every time (like "always ask what the player wants to do next")
• The GM's personality and tone instructions
• Memory and note-taking instructions

Be selective. Every pinned file takes up space in the AI's working memory. Pin too much and the important stuff gets buried. Think of pinning like taping a note to the GM's screen: it only works if there are just a few notes up there.

Partial

Partial files load only the title and description into context. The GM sees a summary of what the file is about, but doesn't read the full content unless it decides to look it up.

This is the sweet spot for most of your important content:

• Frequently used + Situational instructions or rules. Skill checks = frequently used and situational. Death saves = infrequently used and situational. I would set instructions about handling skill checks to pinned, but death saves as searchable.
• Key NPCs you want to keep referenced
• Situational Meta/system instructions, like what the game master should do after you've completed a quest objective

The GM sees something like "Thornwall Compact: a merchant alliance of six city-states dealing in trade disputes and political intrigue" and knows it can pull up the full details when the conversation turns that direction.

Searchable

Searchable files aren't loaded into context at all. The GM doesn't see them up front, but it can search for and find them when it needs to.

This is the default, and it's the right choice for most content:

• Lore
• Most Rules
• Pretty much anything else

The GM won't know these exist until it goes looking, but it can search across all your files whenever it needs to. If a player asks about an obscure historical event, the GM will search your world's content and find the answer.

Setting Visibility

You can set context visibility at two levels:

On a file type. This sets the default for every file of that type. For example, you might set your "Core Rules" file type to Pinned and your "Lore" file type to Searchable. Edit a file type and choose the visibility in the settings.

On an individual file. This overrides the file type default. Maybe your Lore type is set to Searchable, but there's one critical lore entry you want the GM to always have a summary of. Set that specific file to Partial.

The override order is: file setting > file type setting > searchable (the default).

You'll see a small icon next to each file in your project tree showing its current visibility. Hover over it to change it.

The Recommended Split

As a rule of thumb, aim for roughly:

• 1-3 of your files Pinned — just the essentials the GM must follow every time
• 1-15 of your files Partial — key references the GM should know exist
• Everything else Searchable — the vast majority of your content

If you find yourself pinning more than a handful of files, you're probably overloading the GM's working memory. The more you pin, the less attention each pinned file gets. This is the main driver of context rot — that slow drift where the GM starts forgetting rules and giving generic responses. Keeping your pinned and partial counts low is the single best thing you can do to keep your GM sharp.

Tips for Setting Up Visibility

• Pin sparingly. Aim for just a handful of pinned files. These are your "GM's cheat sheet" items that should be followed in every single response.
• Use Partial for your world's key elements. Characters, locations, and factions the GM should know about but doesn't need to recite from memory.
• Leave most content as Searchable. Your deep lore, supplementary material, and reference tables work great here. The GM can find them when relevant.
• Write good titles and descriptions. For Partial files, the title and description are all the GM sees by default. Make them clear and descriptive so the GM knows when to look up the full content.
• Keep pinned files short. Since these load in full every time, keep them focused. A pinned file with 200 words hits harder than one with 2,000.

For a deeper look at why this system works the way it does, check out Progressive Disclosure.