Reading methodology
How Our Tarot Readings Work
This page explains how user choices, spread structures, established card meanings, AI prompts and logic, and expert review work together to create each personalized written interpretation.
For definitions of the tarot and technical terms used on this page, see the Tarotoo Glossary.
- Last updated August 16, 2026
- Expert-reviewed process
- Open tarot data
The Tarotoo Reading Process at a Glance
Choose a Spread
Select the tarot spread that best matches your question.
Ask Your Question
Enter your question so the reading has the right context.
Select Your Cards
Choose your cards intuitively and let your selection shape the reading.
Get Your Reading
Receive an AI interpretation based on tarot symbolism, card positions, and your question context.
You choose the cards
Before each reading, Tarotoo digitally randomizes the order of the available cards. You can also shuffle the deck again using the Shuffle button before making your selection. You then choose the cards yourself from the interactive deck. The AI does not control the shuffle, choose cards, or use your question or personal information to influence which cards you select.
View the screen-by-screen guide
The following example shows how to complete a tarot reading on the Tarotoo website.
How AI Works at Tarotoo
Tarotoo uses artificial intelligence to generate personalized written interpretations based on tarot symbolism, structured card meanings, and the information provided during a reading.
At a high level, the process has three stages: retrieving the relevant card information from Tarotoo’s dataset, combining it with the user’s question and reading context in a structured prompt, and using an AI language model to generate the written interpretation.
Retrieve
Relevant card information
Structure
Question and reading context
Generate
Written interpretation
The dataset provides structured source material, but the completed interpretation is generated for the current session. Tarotoo does not select a prewritten reading.
Tarot Symbolic Framework and Dataset
Tarotoo’s tarot symbolic framework is an organized collection of tarot card meanings and symbolic associations used to support the interpretation of selected cards. It is based primarily on the Rider–Waite–Smith tarot system, together with other established works in classical tarot.
The Rider–Waite–Smith deck was first published in 1909. Its imagery and symbolism have influenced many contemporary tarot practices and provide the main traditional foundation for Tarotoo’s interpretations.
This information is stored in a structured, machine-readable tarot dataset that includes upright and reversed meanings, keywords, thematic interpretations, planetary and zodiac associations, career interpretations, and other card-related information.
Tarotoo’s public dataset is broader than the system used for current website readings. It covers all 78 cards, while website readings currently use the 22 upright Major Arcana and retrieve only the information relevant to the selected reading.
Tarotoo’s structured tarot readings use a deterministic form of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). For each reading, the selected cards identify the exact records to retrieve from Tarotoo’s dataset. The relevant meanings are then supplied to the AI model as structured grounding context.
This direct lookup is well suited to a fixed collection of cards. It retrieves the required records precisely without requiring embeddings, semantic search, or a vector database, ensuring that the grounding context corresponds to the cards selected for the reading.
Using a structured dataset helps keep interpretations aligned with Tarotoo’s tarot symbolic framework and reduces the likelihood of unsupported, inconsistent, or invented card meanings.
Tarotoo publishes the complete 78-card dataset as open data. See our Open Data & Developer Resources page for the dataset, documentation, methodology, and available developer tools. You can also explore all cards in our interactive card meanings guide.
AI Prompts and Logic
AI prompts are structured inputs sent to the AI language model. Tarotoo’s AI logic refers to the processes used to select and organize the information and instructions included in each prompt. Each prompt includes:
- the user’s question and any additional information provided;
- the selected spread;
- the meaning of each card position;
- the chosen cards;
- relevant card meanings, keywords, and other information retrieved from Tarotoo’s dataset;
- instructions for interpreting relationships and combinations between the cards; and
- additional instructions governing the reading’s structure, language, tone, and safety.
The completed prompt is sent to the AI language model, which generates the written interpretation.
AI Language Model and API
Tarotoo uses an AI language model provided by OpenAI. The completed prompt is sent through an encrypted API connection, and the model uses the supplied information and instructions to generate and return the written interpretation.
What Influences Each Reading
Each Tarotoo reading is shaped by several elements:
- Your question: gives the reading its context and focus.
- The spread: defines the structure of the interpretation, such as past, present, future, or yes/no.
- The cards selected: provide the symbolic foundation of the reading.
- Card positions: help explain how each card relates to the question.
- Card combinations: show how different symbols interact together.
Your Question
Your question helps set the direction of the reading. In our Daily Tarot reading, you can also submit your name and date of birth to receive a more in-depth interpretation. Your question and any additional information you provide help determine what the symbols relate to and give the reading a more specific context. Even a small change in your wording, information, or intention may affect how the same cards are interpreted.
Spreads
You can choose from popular spreads like One-Card, Yes/No or Past-Present-Future for quick answers. Tarotoo also includes two original five-card spreads for more detailed readings. Our Daily Tarot spread is unique to the platform, combining tarot with astrology and numerology using the current date, your name, and your date of birth. This creates a daily message that feels personal and connected to the moment.
The Cards
On Tarotoo, readings on the website use the Major Arcana, a set of 22 cards that represent core life themes, transitions, and archetypal experiences. Because these cards focus on broader patterns and key moments, they are well suited for clear and meaningful interpretations.
Note: The full 78-card deck, including the Minor Arcana and reversed cards, is available in the optional mobile app.
Card Positions
In structured spreads, each position has a specific role, such as past, present, or future. This helps define how each card should be interpreted in relation to your question. The same card can have a different meaning depending on where it appears. For example, a card in the “past” position may describe a previous influence, while in the “future” position it may point to a possible direction.
Card Combinations
Tarot readings are not based only on individual card meanings. The relationship between cards can change the tone and direction of the interpretation. For example, one card may represent tension, while another may suggest resolution, movement, or emotional clarity.
Tarotoo analyzes how cards work together within the spread, helping create a more complete interpretation than a simple list of separate card meanings.
Example of Context in a Reading
If you ask about a relationship and draw The Lovers, the interpretation may focus on emotional connection, choices, harmony, or alignment. If the same card appears in a different spread, the focus may shift toward values, commitment, and choosing what feels right. This is why context matters. Tarotoo does not interpret cards as fixed answers, but as symbols shaped by the question, spread, and surrounding cards.
How Your Intuition Shapes the Reading
Your intuition can shape a tarot reading in two main ways: through the cards you choose and through the meaning you take from their interpretation.
First, intuition may guide your attention as you select your cards. You may feel drawn to a particular card without immediately knowing why. Tarotoo does not measure or verify intuition, but the cards you personally choose become part of the reading.
Tarotoo then generates an interpretation using your question, selected spread, card positions, traditional tarot meanings, and symbolic relationships between the cards. The AI cannot know your complete situation, thoughts, or emotions, so its interpretation is based only on the information provided during the reading.
Intuition also plays a role as you reflect on the result. Different aspects of the interpretation may connect with different experiences, emotions, or circumstances. The same tarot symbol may feel relevant in different ways to different people, so you decide which ideas are meaningful and how, if at all, they relate to your life.
Animated Cards
Each Tarotoo card is presented as an original animated video created by a professional illustrator and animator. Motion and visual detail bring the traditional symbolism to life, helping create atmosphere, anticipation, and a more immersive reading experience.
The Expert Review Process
The tarot reading process, spreads, reading pages, symbolic framework, and AI prompts and logic used on the Tarotoo website were reviewed by Inbaal, a professional tarot reader and astrologer with over 25 years of experience.
She reviewed the website’s tarot features and assessed how traditional card meanings, card combinations, spread positions, and thematic patterns were reflected in the interpretations generated by Tarotoo’s AI system. Her expert feedback helped refine these symbolic and interpretive foundations.
She tested the spreads directly on the Tarotoo website and assessed whether their structures, card positions, and interpretations were consistent with established tarot practice. She also submitted different types of questions and reviewed the generated responses for relevance, clarity, consistency with traditional tarot symbolism, tone, and safety.
Inbaal reviewed Tarotoo’s AI prompts and logic, including how they guided the AI to interpret card meanings, card combinations, spread positions, and the context of the user’s question.
She periodically reviews the methodology when new spreads, prompts, or features are introduced.
Safety, Privacy and Independence
AI Reading Limitations
AI-generated readings may sometimes be inaccurate, incomplete, overly general, or not fully relevant to your situation. They should not be treated as factual statements, guaranteed predictions, or professional advice.
Individual readings are generated automatically and are not manually reviewed before being shown. Expert review applies to Tarotoo’s overall reading methodology rather than to each individual reading.
Tarotoo does not claim to predict future events, guarantee outcomes, diagnose problems, or replace medical, legal, financial, or mental health advice.
For complete information about the purpose and limitations of Tarotoo readings, please read our Disclaimer.
Commercial Independence
Affiliate partners and affiliate compensation do not influence card selection, Tarotoo’s tarot card meanings, symbolic framework, reading methodology, AI prompts and logic, or individual reading results.
Affiliate promotions appear in visually separate promotional sections and are not included in tarot reading text.
For more information, please read our Affiliate & Revenue Disclosure.
Privacy, Security and Data Processing
Tarotoo prioritizes your privacy and security. We use encryption to help protect your experience. You do not need to create an account to use the website.
To generate a reading, your submitted information and reading selections are transmitted securely to OpenAI for real-time processing.
Tarotoo does not provide a server-based reading history or save completed website readings to a personal account. Therefore, you will need to copy and save a reading yourself if you want to keep it.
OpenAI does not use API inputs and outputs to train its models by default, and Tarotoo keeps optional API data sharing disabled. OpenAI may retain limited data for abuse monitoring or service operation in accordance with its data-retention policies. More information about how submitted data is processed is available in our Privacy Policy.
Note: In the mobile app, reading history is stored locally on your phone and will be deleted if you remove the app.
Updates and Support
When We Review and Update Our Methodology
Tarotoo’s reading methodology may be reviewed and updated when:
- a new tarot spread, reading type, or feature is introduced;
- significant changes are made to the AI prompts or logic;
- the underlying AI model or technical system is changed;
- user feedback reveals a recurring issue, such as irrelevant, repetitive, unclear, or inappropriate responses;
- expert review identifies an inconsistency in card meanings, spread positions, card combinations, tone, or safety.
Minor technical changes may not require a complete methodology review. However, significant changes that affect how readings are created or interpreted may trigger additional testing and expert review.
Feedback and Support
If you notice an error or inconsistency on this page, think part of the methodology needs further clarification, or encounter a reading that appears inaccurate, unclear, inappropriate, or concerning, please contact us at [email protected].
Feedback may help us identify recurring issues and improve Tarotoo’s prompts, AI logic, symbolic framework, safety instructions, and reading features.
For answers to common questions, visit our FAQ & Help page.
