- name
- let-fate-decide
- description
- Draw Tarot cards using cryptographic randomness to inject entropy into planning when prompts are vague or underspecified. Interprets a 4-card spread to guide next steps. Use when the user is nonchalant, feeling lucky, says 'let fate decide', makes Yu-Gi-Oh references ('heart of the cards'), demonstrates indifference about approach ('whatever you think', 'surprise me', 'dealer's choice'), or says 'try again' / 'draw again' on a system with no changes. Also triggers on sufficiently ambiguous prompts where multiple approaches are equally valid.
Let Fate Decide
When the path forward is unclear, let the cards speak.
Based on the let-fate-decide plugin by theexpensiveexperience, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick Start
- Run the drawing script:
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/draw_cards.py- The script outputs JSON with 4 drawn cards, each with a
filepath relative to{baseDir}/
- Read each card's meaning file to understand the draw
- Interpret the spread using the guide at {baseDir}/references/INTERPRETATION_GUIDE.md
- Apply the interpretation to the task at hand
When to Use
- Vague prompts: The user's request is ambiguous and multiple valid approaches exist
- Explicit invocations: "I'm feeling lucky", "let fate decide", "dealer's choice", "surprise me", "whatever you think"
- Yu-Gi-Oh energy: "Heart of the cards", "I believe in the heart of the cards", "you've activated my trap card", "it's time to duel"
- Nonchalant delegation: The user expresses indifference about the approach
- Redraw requests: "Try again" or "draw again" when no actual system changes occurred (draw new cards)
- Tie-breaking: When you genuinely cannot decide between equally valid approaches
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 NOT to use Tarot
How It Works
The Draw
The script uses os.urandom() for cryptographic randomness:
- Builds a standard 78-card Tarot deck (22 Major Arcana + 56 Minor Arcana)
- Performs a Fisher-Yates shuffle using rejection sampling (no modulo bias)
- Draws 4 cards from the top
- Each card independently has a 50% chance of being reversed
The Spread
The 4 card positions represent:
- Position 1 — The Context: What is the situation really about?
- Position 2 — The Challenge: What obstacle or tension exists?
- Position 3 — The Guidance: What approach should be taken?
- Position 4 — The Outcome: Where does this path lead?
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
Error Handling
- Script fails: Report the error to the user and skip the reading. Do not invent cards.
- Card file not found: Interpret the card from its name and suit alone; continue the reading.
- Never fake entropy: If the script cannot run, do not simulate a draw. Tell the user the draw failed.
Rationalizations to Reject
- "The cards said to, so I must" → Cards inform direction, they don't override safety or correctness
- "This reading justifies my pre-existing preference" → Be honest if the reading challenges your instinct
- "I'll keep drawing until I get what I want" → One draw per decision point; accept the reading