Lab vs Direct Build

Every build in Jorv Builder runs in one of two places:

Direct Build — Orbit edits your main working tree, in conversation with you, in real time. You watch each change.
Lab — A Ralph Loop runs autonomously in an isolated worktree. You keep working; check back when it lands.

Before any build starts, Jorv Builder asks you which one — a one-click inline confirmation called Run Where. Orbit recommends a sensible default based on the scope of the change.

When to pick Direct Build

You want to see each change as it happens
The work is exploratory or you don't fully know the outcome
You're learning a part of the codebase and want to follow along
The change is small enough that babysitting is cheap

Direct Build runs Orbit in your main thread. The Mission Board card sits in In Progress with the active sprint indicator. You can interrupt at any point.

When to pick Lab

The work is well-bounded (clear acceptance criteria)
You want to keep working on something else in parallel
You want quality gates (tests, lints) to enforce automatically
The work might take a long time and you don't want to wait

Lab runs in an isolated worktree on a loop branch. The Mission Board card sits in In Progress with an execution chip. When done, it moves to Review for your sign-off.

Trivial fixes skip both

For very small fixes that pass Jorv Builder's "trivial-fix" criteria (≤ 20 lines added, single file, no design-system files, etc.), Jorv Builder skips the Run Where prompt and the Mission Board card entirely. The change goes Direct Build with no card. This is the "type a typo fix and hit enter" path.

Both run via the same engine

Despite the UX difference, Direct Build and Lab run the same Orbit brain on the same tools. The difference is where the files land (main checkout vs worktree) and whether you watch or come back to review.