The skill
Reference for Claude Code slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, and input prefixes, plus the format for writing custom command skill files (SKILL.md frontmatter, triggers, args) in .claude/skills/ or plugin commands/ directories. Use when the user asks which slash command or shortcut does something, how to create or invoke a custom command, or how command resolution and plugin namespacing work.
Claude Code Slash Commands
Complete reference for all built-in and custom slash commands.
Built-in Slash Commands
Session Management
| Command |
Description |
/clear |
Clear conversation and start fresh (same session) |
/compact |
Compress conversation to reduce context usage |
/compact [instructions] |
Compact with custom focus instructions |
/resume |
Resume a previous session |
/continue |
Continue current session |
/status |
Current session info |
/context |
View context window usage |
Help & Info
| Command |
Description |
/help |
Show available commands |
/doctor |
Run diagnostics and health checks |
/version |
Show Claude Code version |
/settings |
View active settings |
Model & Configuration
| Command |
Description |
/model |
View or change the current model |
/model <name> |
Switch to specific model (sonnet, opus, haiku) |
/permissions |
Manage permission rules |
Conversation Modes
| Command |
Description |
/plan |
Enter plan mode (read-only analysis) |
/fast |
Toggle fast mode (faster output, same model) |
Memory & Instructions
| Command |
Description |
/memory |
Edit CLAUDE.md and auto-memory |
/init |
Generate project CLAUDE.md |
/init-only |
Generate CLAUDE.md and exit |
Agents & Skills
| Command |
Description |
/agents |
View, create, edit, delete subagents |
/agents list |
List all available agents |
/skills |
Browse available skills |
/plugin |
Manage plugins (install, enable, disable) |
Tools & Servers
| Command |
Description |
/mcp |
Check MCP server status, authenticate |
/hooks |
Configure lifecycle hooks |
/add-dir <path> |
Add additional working directory |
Code & Navigation
| Command |
Description |
/diff |
View git diff interactively |
/review |
Review pull request |
/fork [name] |
Fork current conversation |
Display & Preferences
| Command |
Description |
/theme |
Change color theme |
/vim |
Toggle Vim editing mode |
/terminal-setup |
Configure keybindings |
Built-in Skills
| Command |
Description |
/simplify |
Review code quality and refactor |
/batch <instruction> |
Parallel codebase changes |
/debug [description] |
Debug session issues |
/loop <interval> |
Recurring prompts |
/claude-api |
Load Claude API reference docs |
Security & Sandbox
| Command |
Description |
/sandbox |
View or configure sandbox settings |
/security-review |
Run security analysis on codebase |
Export & Sharing
| Command |
Description |
/export |
Export conversation |
/copy |
Copy last response to clipboard |
Monitoring & Insights
| Command |
Description |
/tasks |
View background tasks |
/insights |
Session insights and analytics |
/stats |
Usage statistics |
/usage |
Token/cost usage for current session |
/extra-usage |
Extended usage details |
Releases & Updates
| Command |
Description |
/release-notes |
View release notes for current version |
/upgrade |
Upgrade Claude Code to latest |
Hooks & Plugins
| Command |
Description |
/save-hooks |
Save current hooks configuration |
/reload-plugins |
Reload installed plugins |
Browser & Display
| Command |
Description |
/chrome |
Open Chrome browser session |
/desktop |
Desktop view mode |
/mobile |
Mobile view mode |
/ide |
IDE integration mode |
Account & Auth
| Command |
Description |
/login |
Login to Anthropic |
/logout |
Logout from Anthropic |
Configuration
| Command |
Description |
/rename |
Rename current conversation |
/keybindings |
View or edit keybindings |
/statusline |
Configure status line display |
/output-style |
Change output formatting style |
/privacy-settings |
View or edit privacy settings |
/add-dir |
Add working directory to context |
Remote & Apps
| Command |
Description |
/remote-env |
Configure remote environment |
/remote-control |
Start remote control session |
GitHub & Slack Apps
| Command |
Description |
/install-github-app |
Install Claude GitHub App |
/install-slack-app |
Install Claude Slack App |
Bug Reporting
| Command |
Description |
/bug |
Report a bug (can be disabled via env var) |
Input Prefixes
| Prefix |
Action |
/ |
Invoke command or skill |
! |
Bash mode (execute shell command) |
@ |
File mention (add file to context) |
? |
Show shortcuts |
Keyboard Shortcuts
Input Controls
| Shortcut |
Action |
Enter |
Send message |
Shift+Enter |
Multi-line input |
Ctrl+C |
Interrupt current operation |
Ctrl+D |
Exit Claude Code |
Escape |
Rewind to last checkpoint |
Escape (2x) |
Full rewind |
Tab |
Auto-complete |
Up/Down |
Navigate command history |
? |
Show shortcuts |
Mode & Toggle Controls
| Shortcut |
Action |
Shift+Tab |
Cycle permission modes |
Ctrl+O |
Toggle verbose output |
Ctrl+B |
Send task to background |
Ctrl+T |
Toggle task list |
Option+P |
Switch model |
Option+T |
Toggle extended thinking |
Ctrl+G |
Open input in text editor |
Ctrl+V |
Paste image |
Line Editing
| Shortcut |
Action |
Ctrl+K |
Kill text from cursor to end of line |
Ctrl+U |
Kill text from cursor to start of line |
Ctrl+Y |
Yank (paste) killed text |
Alt+Y |
Cycle through kill ring |
Alt+B |
Move back one word |
Alt+F |
Move forward one word |
Alt+M |
Toggle multiline mode |
Display & Navigation
| Shortcut |
Action |
Ctrl+L |
Clear screen |
Ctrl+R |
Reverse search history |
Ctrl+F |
Kill background agents |
Permission Prompts
| Shortcut |
Action |
y / Enter |
Approve (Allow Once) |
a |
Allow Always (for this session) |
n |
Deny |
d |
Deny Always (for this session) |
e |
Edit (modify the tool call) |
Custom Slash Commands
Creating Custom Commands
Custom commands are skill files in .claude/skills/ or plugin directories.
Skill File Format
---
name: my-command
description: What this command does
triggers:
- /my-command
- /mc
args:
- name: target
description: Target to operate on
required: false
---
# My Custom Command
Instructions for Claude when this command is invoked.
## Steps
1. Do this first
2. Then do this
3. Finally do this
## Rules
- Always follow this pattern
- Never do this other thing
Plugin Command Format
Commands in plugin commands/ directories:
# Command Name
Description of what the command does.
## Usage
\`\`\`
/plugin-prefix:command-name [args]
\`\`\`
## Arguments
- `arg1` — Description
- `--flag` — Description
## Implementation
When this command is invoked:
1. Step one
2. Step two
3. Step three
Command Resolution Order
- Built-in commands (highest priority)
- Project skills (
.claude/skills/)
- Installed plugin commands
- User-level skills (
~/.claude/skills/)
Invoking Custom Commands
# Direct invocation
/my-command
# With arguments
/my-command some-argument
# Plugin-namespaced command
/plugin-name:command-name
# Via Skill tool (programmatic)
Skill(skill="my-command", args="some-argument")
Plan Mode Details
When /plan is active:
- Claude analyzes the request
- Writes a step-by-step plan to a plan file
- Calls
ExitPlanMode to present plan to user
- User reviews and approves/modifies/rejects
- On approval, Claude executes the plan
Plan Mode Permissions
- Read-only tools work normally
- Write/Edit/Bash require plan approval first
- Use
AskUserQuestion for clarifications during planning
- Use
ExitPlanMode when plan is ready (not AskUserQuestion)
Context Management Commands
/compact
Compresses the conversation to free up context window space.
/compact # Default compression
/compact focus on the API # Compress with focus on API-related content
When to use:
- Context window is getting large
- Conversation has covered many topics
- You want to focus on a specific area
How it works:
- Summarizes previous conversation
- Preserves key decisions and context
- Reduces token count significantly
- Maintains file state awareness
/clear
Starts a completely fresh conversation.
/clear
When to use:
- Switching to unrelated task
- Want a clean slate
- Context is too polluted
Difference from /compact:
/compact preserves summarized context/clear removes all context entirely