claude-howto/01-slash-commands

Slash Commands

Overview

Slash commands are shortcuts that control Claude's behavior during an interactive session. They come in several types:

• Built-in commands: Provided by Claude Code (/help, /clear, /model)
• Skills: User-defined commands created as SKILL.md files (/optimize, /pr)
• Plugin commands: Commands from installed plugins (/frontend-design:frontend-design)
• MCP prompts: Commands from MCP servers (/mcp__github__list_prs)

Note

: Custom slash commands have been merged into skills. Files in .claude/commands/ still work, but skills (.claude/skills/) are now the recommended approach. Both create /command-name shortcuts. See the Skills Guide for the full reference.

Built-in Commands Reference

Built-in commands are shortcuts for common actions. There are 60+ built-in commands and 5 bundled skills available. Type / in Claude Code to see the full list, or type / followed by any letters to filter.

Command	Purpose
/add-dir <path>	Add working directory
/agents	Manage agent configurations
/branch [name]	Branch conversation into a new session (alias: /fork). Note: /fork renamed to /branch in v2.1.77
/btw <question>	Side question without adding to history
/chrome	Configure Chrome browser integration
/clear	Clear conversation (aliases: /reset, /new)
/color [color|default]	Set prompt bar color
/compact [instructions]	Compact conversation with optional focus instructions
/config	Open Settings (alias: /settings)
/context	Visualize context usage as colored grid
/copy [N]	Copy assistant response to clipboard; w writes to file
/cost	Show token usage statistics
/desktop	Continue in Desktop app (alias: /app)
/diff	Interactive diff viewer for uncommitted changes
/doctor	Diagnose installation health
/effort [low|medium|high|max|auto]	Set effort level. max requires Opus 4.6
/exit	Exit the REPL (alias: /quit)
/export [filename]	Export the current conversation to a file or clipboard
/extra-usage	Configure extra usage for rate limits
/fast [on|off]	Toggle fast mode
/feedback	Submit feedback (alias: /bug)
/help	Show help
/hooks	View hook configurations
/ide	Manage IDE integrations
/init	Initialize CLAUDE.md. Set CLAUDE_CODE_NEW_INIT=1 for interactive flow
/insights	Generate session analysis report
/install-github-app	Set up GitHub Actions app
/install-slack-app	Install Slack app
/keybindings	Open keybindings configuration
/login	Switch Anthropic accounts
/logout	Sign out from your Anthropic account
/mcp	Manage MCP servers and OAuth
/memory	Edit CLAUDE.md, toggle auto-memory
/mobile	QR code for mobile app (aliases: /ios, /android)
/model [model]	Select model with left/right arrows for effort
/passes	Share free week of Claude Code
/permissions	View/update permissions (alias: /allowed-tools)
/plan [description]	Enter plan mode
/plugin	Manage plugins
/powerup	Discover features through interactive lessons with animated demos
/privacy-settings	Privacy settings (Pro/Max only)
/release-notes	View changelog
/reload-plugins	Reload active plugins
/remote-control	Remote control from claude.ai (alias: /rc)
/remote-env	Configure default remote environment
/rename [name]	Rename session
/resume [session]	Resume conversation (alias: /continue)
/review	Deprecated — install the code-review plugin instead
/rewind	Rewind conversation and/or code (alias: /checkpoint)
/sandbox	Toggle sandbox mode
/schedule [description]	Create/manage Cloud scheduled tasks
/security-review	Analyze branch for security vulnerabilities
/skills	List available skills
/stats	Visualize daily usage, sessions, streaks
/stickers	Order Claude Code stickers
/status	Show version, model, account
/statusline	Configure status line
/tasks	List/manage background tasks
/team-onboarding	Generate a teammate ramp-up guide from the project's Claude Code setup (new in v2.1.101)
/terminal-setup	Configure terminal keybindings
/theme	Change color theme
/ultraplan <prompt>	Draft plan in ultraplan session, review in browser
/upgrade	Open upgrade page for higher plan tier
/usage	Show plan usage limits and rate limit status
/voice	Toggle push-to-talk voice dictation

Bundled Skills

These skills ship with Claude Code and are invoked like slash commands:

Skill	Purpose
/batch <instruction>	Orchestrate large-scale parallel changes using worktrees
/claude-api	Load Claude API reference for project language
/debug [description]	Enable debug logging
/loop [interval] <prompt>	Run prompt repeatedly on interval
/simplify [focus]	Review changed files for code quality

Deprecated Commands

Command	Status
/review	Deprecated — replaced by code-review plugin
/output-style	Deprecated since v2.1.73
/fork	Renamed to /branch (alias still works, v2.1.77)
/pr-comments	Removed in v2.1.91 — ask Claude directly to view PR comments
/vim	Removed in v2.1.92 — use /config → Editor mode

Recent Changes

• /fork renamed to /branch with /fork kept as alias (v2.1.77)
• /output-style deprecated (v2.1.73)
• /review deprecated in favor of the code-review plugin
• /effort command added with max level requiring Opus 4.6
• /voice command added for push-to-talk voice dictation
• /schedule command added for creating/managing scheduled tasks
• /color command added for prompt bar customization
• /pr-comments removed in v2.1.91 — ask Claude directly to view PR comments
• /vim removed in v2.1.92 — use /config → Editor mode instead
• /ultraplan added for browser-based plan review and execution
• /powerup added for interactive feature lessons
• /sandbox added for toggling sandbox mode
• /model picker now shows human-readable labels (e.g., "Sonnet 4.6") instead of raw model IDs
• /resume supports /continue alias
• MCP prompts are available as /mcp__<server>__<prompt> commands (see MCP Prompts as Commands)
• /team-onboarding added for auto-generating teammate ramp-up guides (v2.1.101)

/team-onboarding — Teammate Ramp-Up Guide

New in v2.1.101

Use /team-onboarding to generate a teammate ramp-up guide from your project's local Claude Code usage. The command inspects your CLAUDE.md, installed skills, subagents, hooks, and recent workflows, then produces an onboarding document that helps new developers become productive quickly.

It's a built-in command — nothing to install.

Usage:

claude /team-onboarding

The generated guide summarizes:

• Project purpose and key conventions from CLAUDE.md
• Available skills and when they are auto-invoked
• Configured subagents and their responsibilities
• Hooks that run on common events
• Common workflows newcomers should know about

Availability: Shipped in Claude Code v2.1.101 (April 11, 2026).

Custom Commands (Now Skills)

Custom slash commands have been merged into skills. Both approaches create commands you can invoke with /command-name:

Approach	Location	Status
Skills (Recommended)	.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md	Current standard
Legacy Commands	.claude/commands/<name>.md	Still works

If a skill and a command share the same name, the skill takes precedence. For example, when both .claude/commands/review.md and .claude/skills/review/SKILL.md exist, the skill version is used.

Migration Path

Your existing .claude/commands/ files continue to work without changes. To migrate to skills:

Before (Command):

.claude/commands/optimize.md

After (Skill):

.claude/skills/optimize/SKILL.md

Why Skills?

Skills offer additional features over legacy commands:

• Directory structure: Bundle scripts, templates, and reference files
• Auto-invocation: Claude can trigger skills automatically when relevant
• Invocation control: Choose whether users, Claude, or both can invoke
• Subagent execution: Run skills in isolated contexts with context: fork
• Progressive disclosure: Load additional files only when needed

Creating a Custom Command as a Skill

Create a directory with a SKILL.md file:

mkdir -p .claude/skills/my-command

File: .claude/skills/my-command/SKILL.md

---
name: my-command
description: What this command does and when to use it
---

# My Command

Instructions for Claude to follow when this command is invoked.

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Frontmatter Reference

Field	Purpose	Default
name	Command name (becomes /name)	Directory name
description	Brief description (helps Claude know when to use it)	First paragraph
argument-hint	Expected arguments for auto-completion	None
allowed-tools	Tools the command can use without permission	Inherits
model	Specific model to use	Inherits
disable-model-invocation	If true, only user can invoke (not Claude)	false
user-invocable	If false, hide from / menu	true
context	Set to fork to run in isolated subagent	None
agent	Agent type when using context: fork	general-purpose
hooks	Skill-scoped hooks (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, Stop)	None

Arguments

Commands can receive arguments:

All arguments with $ARGUMENTS:

---
name: fix-issue
description: Fix a GitHub issue by number
---

Fix issue #$ARGUMENTS following our coding standards

Usage: /fix-issue 123 → $ARGUMENTS becomes "123"

Individual arguments with $0, $1, etc.:

---
name: review-pr
description: Review a PR with priority
---

Review PR #$0 with priority $1

Usage: /review-pr 456 high → $0="456", $1="high"

Dynamic Context with Shell Commands

Execute bash commands before the prompt using !command``:

---
name: commit
description: Create a git commit with context
allowed-tools: Bash(git *)
---

## Context

- Current git status: !`git status`
- Current git diff: !`git diff HEAD`
- Current branch: !`git branch --show-current`
- Recent commits: !`git log --oneline -5`

## Your task

Based on the above changes, create a single git commit.

File References

Include file contents using @:

Review the implementation in @src/utils/helpers.js
Compare @src/old-version.js with @src/new-version.js

Plugin Commands

Plugins can provide custom commands:

/plugin-name:command-name

Or simply /command-name when there are no naming conflicts.

Examples:

/frontend-design:frontend-design
/commit-commands:commit

MCP Prompts as Commands

MCP servers can expose prompts as slash commands:

/mcp__<server-name>__<prompt-name> [arguments]

Examples:

/mcp__github__list_prs
/mcp__github__pr_review 456
/mcp__jira__create_issue "Bug title" high

MCP Permission Syntax

Control MCP server access in permissions:

• mcp__github - Access entire GitHub MCP server
• mcp__github__* - Wildcard access to all tools
• mcp__github__get_issue - Specific tool access

Command Architecture

graph TD
    A["User Input: /command-name"] --> B{"Command Type?"}
    B -->|Built-in| C["Execute Built-in"]
    B -->|Skill| D["Load SKILL.md"]
    B -->|Plugin| E["Load Plugin Command"]
    B -->|MCP| F["Execute MCP Prompt"]

    D --> G["Parse Frontmatter"]
    G --> H["Substitute Variables"]
    H --> I["Execute Shell Commands"]
    I --> J["Send to Claude"]
    J --> K["Return Results"]

Command Lifecycle

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant Claude as Claude Code
    participant FS as File System
    participant CLI as Shell/Bash

    User->>Claude: Types /optimize
    Claude->>FS: Searches .claude/skills/ and .claude/commands/
    FS-->>Claude: Returns optimize/SKILL.md
    Claude->>Claude: Parses frontmatter
    Claude->>CLI: Executes !`command` substitutions
    CLI-->>Claude: Command outputs
    Claude->>Claude: Substitutes $ARGUMENTS
    Claude->>User: Processes prompt
    Claude->>User: Returns results

Available Commands in This Folder

These example commands can be installed as skills or legacy commands.

1. /optimize - Code Optimization

Analyzes code for performance issues, memory leaks, and optimization opportunities.

Usage:

/optimize
[Paste your code]

2. /pr - Pull Request Preparation

Guides through PR preparation checklist including linting, testing, and commit formatting.

Usage:

/pr

Screenshot:

3. /generate-api-docs - API Documentation Generator

Generates comprehensive API documentation from source code.

Usage:

/generate-api-docs

4. /commit - Git Commit with Context

Creates a git commit with dynamic context from your repository.

Usage:

/commit [optional message]

5. /push-all - Stage, Commit, and Push

Stages all changes, creates a commit, and pushes to remote with safety checks.

Usage:

/push-all

Safety Checks:

• Secrets: .env*, *.key, *.pem, credentials.json
• API Keys: Detects real keys vs. placeholders
• Large files: >10MB without Git LFS
• Build artifacts: node_modules/, dist/, __pycache__/

6. /doc-refactor - Documentation Restructuring

Restructures project documentation for clarity and accessibility.

Usage:

/doc-refactor

7. /setup-ci-cd - CI/CD Pipeline Setup

Implements pre-commit hooks and GitHub Actions for quality assurance.

Usage:

/setup-ci-cd

8. /unit-test-expand - Test Coverage Expansion

Increases test coverage by targeting untested branches and edge cases.

Usage:

/unit-test-expand

Installation

As Skills (Recommended)

Copy to your skills directory:

# Create skills directory
mkdir -p .claude/skills

# For each command file, create a skill directory
for cmd in optimize pr commit; do
  mkdir -p .claude/skills/$cmd
  cp 01-slash-commands/$cmd.md .claude/skills/$cmd/SKILL.md
done

As Legacy Commands

Copy to your commands directory:

# Project-wide (team)
mkdir -p .claude/commands
cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .claude/commands/

# Personal use
mkdir -p ~/.claude/commands
cp 01-slash-commands/*.md ~/.claude/commands/

Creating Your Own Commands

Skill Template (Recommended)

Create .claude/skills/my-command/SKILL.md:

---
name: my-command
description: What this command does. Use when [trigger conditions].
argument-hint: [optional-args]
allowed-tools: Bash(npm *), Read, Grep
---

# Command Title

## Context

- Current branch: !`git branch --show-current`
- Related files: @package.json

## Instructions

1. First step
2. Second step with argument: $ARGUMENTS
3. Third step

## Output Format

- How to format the response
- What to include

User-Only Command (No Auto-Invocation)

For commands with side effects that Claude shouldn't trigger automatically:

---
name: deploy
description: Deploy to production
disable-model-invocation: true
allowed-tools: Bash(npm *), Bash(git *)
---

Deploy the application to production:

1. Run tests
2. Build application
3. Push to deployment target
4. Verify deployment

Best Practices

Do	Don't
Use clear, action-oriented names	Create commands for one-time tasks
Include description with trigger conditions	Build complex logic in commands
Keep commands focused on single task	Hardcode sensitive information
Use disable-model-invocation for side effects	Skip the description field
Use ! prefix for dynamic context	Assume Claude knows current state
Organize related files in skill directories	Put everything in one file

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

Solutions:

• Check file is in .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md or .claude/commands/<name>.md
• Verify the name field in frontmatter matches expected command name
• Restart Claude Code session
• Run /help to see available commands

Command Not Executing as Expected

Solutions:

• Add more specific instructions
• Include examples in the skill file
• Check allowed-tools if using bash commands
• Test with simple inputs first

Skill vs Command Conflict

If both exist with the same name, the skill takes precedence. Remove one or rename it.

Related Guides

• Skills - Full reference for skills (auto-invoked capabilities)
• Memory - Persistent context with CLAUDE.md
• Subagents - Delegated AI agents
• Plugins - Bundled command collections
• Hooks - Event-driven automation

Additional Resources

• Official Interactive Mode Documentation - Built-in commands reference
• Official Skills Documentation - Complete skills reference
• CLI Reference - Command-line options

---

Last Updated: April 11, 2026 Claude Code Version: 2.1.101 Sources:

• https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
• https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands Compatible Models: Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Haiku 4.5

Part of the Claude How To guide series