Slash Commands Reference

Create and use user-triggered prompts with /command-name syntax.

When to Use

• "How do I create a slash command?"

• "What slash commands are available?"

• "Add bash to my command"

• "Use file references in commands"

• "Slash commands vs skills"

Built-in Commands

Command

Purpose

/clear

Clear conversation history

/compact

Compact conversation with focus

/config

Open settings interface

/cost

Show token usage

/agents

Manage sub-agents

/mcp

Manage MCP servers

/memory

Edit CLAUDE.md files

/model

Select AI model

/review

Request code review

/resume

Resume session

/help

Get usage help

Creating Commands

Project Commands

mkdir -p .claude/commands

cat > .claude/commands/optimize.md << 'EOF'

---

description: Analyze code for performance issues

---

Review this code for:

- Performance bottlenecks

- Memory leaks

- Caching opportunities

EOF

Personal Commands

mkdir -p ~/.claude/commands

cat > ~/.claude/commands/review.md << 'EOF'

---

description: Security-focused code review

---

Check for vulnerabilities:

- Input validation

- SQL injection

- XSS risks

EOF

Command File Format

---

description: Brief description for /help

allowed-tools: [Bash, Read, Write]  # Optional

argument-hint: "[file] [type]"       # Optional

---

Your markdown instructions here.

Use $1, $2 for arguments or $ARGUMENTS for all.

Bash Execution

Run bash before loading prompt with ! prefix:

---

allowed-tools: Bash(git:*), Bash(grep:*)

description: Git commit helper

---

Current status: !`git status`

Staged changes: !`git diff --staged`

Recent commits: !`git log --oneline -5`

Based on these changes, suggest a commit message.

Rules:

• Must declare allowed-tools: Bash(...) in frontmatter

• Use backticks: !command

• Output is included in Claude's context

File References

Include files with @ prefix:

Review against @.claude/STYLE_GUIDE.md

Compare:

- @src/old.js

- @src/new.js

Refactor files matching @src/**/*.util.ts

Arguments

---

argument-hint: "[pr-number] [priority]"

---

Review PR #$1 with priority: $2

# Or use all arguments:

Fix issue #$ARGUMENTS

Usage:

/review-pr 456 high

# $1 = "456", $2 = "high"

Namespacing

Organize with subdirectories:

.claude/commands/

├── frontend/

│   └── component.md    → /component (project:frontend)

└── backend/

    └── endpoint.md     → /endpoint (project:backend)

MCP Slash Commands

MCP servers expose prompts as commands:

/mcp__github__list_prs

/mcp__github__pr_review 456

/mcp__jira__create_issue "Bug" high

Slash Commands vs Skills

Aspect

Slash Commands

Skills

Invocation

Explicit: /command

Auto-discovered

Files

Single .md file

Directory with SKILL.md

Use Case

Quick prompts

Complex workflows

Use slash commands for: Frequently typed prompts, simple templates

Use skills for: Complex workflows, multiple files, auto-discovery

Example: Complete Git Commit Command

---

description: Generate semantic commit message

allowed-tools: Bash(git:*), Read

argument-hint: "[type]"

---

# Semantic Commit Generator

Staged files: !`git diff --name-only --cached`

Diff preview:

!`git diff --cached | head -100`

Generate a conventional commit message.

Type: $1 (feat/fix/docs/style/refactor/perf/test/chore)

Format: `<type>(<scope>): <subject>`

Usage: /commit feat