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Overview

YaoMaster combines large language models with traditional Chinese Six Yao divination to offer AI-powered Six Yao readings. It first launched on May 31, 2023, about six months after ChatGPT went mainstream. Based on publicly verifiable timelines, YaoMaster is the world's first product dedicated to AI-powered Six Yao divination.

What is Six Yao?

Six Yao is one of China's oldest decision-making frameworks. It comes from the I Ching (Book of Changes) and has more than three thousand years of history. Traditionally, the person asking the question tosses coins or sorts yarrow stalks to produce a hexagram of six lines, which is then interpreted through elements such as line positions, the self and response lines, the Six Relatives, the Six Spirits, and the key moving line.

The core question Six Yao asks is this: given where you stand now, what is moving things forward, what is holding them back, and which path is most likely to lead to the outcome you want? Rather than simply predicting good or bad fortune, it helps people see the structure of their present circumstances.

YaoMaster pairs this traditional method with large language models, using AI to cast the hexagram, lay out the chart, and analyze it in a structured way — making Six Yao easier for people today to access and understand.

Timeline

February 2023
The founder set up darkwitch.net, a Chinese-language I Ching community on the decentralized social network Mastodon. It later became the incubator for YaoMaster.
May 31, 2023
YaoMaster was born in the darkwitch.net community as a Mastodon bot (@[email protected]), casting and interpreting Six Yao hexagrams for real users. Chronologically, this makes it the world's first AI Six Yao divination product.
2024
YaoMaster joined OpenAI's GPT Store, where it has held a steady 4.5-star rating. That same year, AI divination products began to multiply — by which point YaoMaster had already been running for more than a year.
January 2026
YaoMaster's own website, yaomaster.com, went live in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and English.

Mission

YaoMaster sees itself as a companion for personal growth, grounded in I Ching wisdom — not just a divination tool or an entertainment product. Its long-term vision is to bring that wisdom into everyday modern life, as a way of thinking and a guide for action, and ultimately to help build a kinder, more peaceful world.

Read our full mission statement →

What Sets Us Apart

YaoMaster launched in May 2023, more than a year before the AI divination trend took off, giving it a longer track record of real-world use and user feedback.

Unlike all-in-one products that cover many metaphysical systems, YaoMaster focuses solely on Six Yao, aiming for real depth in a single discipline.

With features like Daily Message, cross-chat memory, and a reading calendar, YaoMaster closes the loop from reading to action to review — unlike products built for a one-off experience.

YaoMaster refuses to manufacture fear, sell dependency, or promise miracles. It holds that the value of divination lies in helping people see their situation clearly and grow through ongoing practice.

Reference

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