feature
Slash commands
Type a forward slash to run a saved, named action instead of writing the whole request.
Inside a Claude session, typing / shows a menu of built-in commands — and any you've saved yourself. They're shortcuts for things you do often, so you stop re-typing the same long prompt. You can write your own by dropping a prompt in a file and giving it a name.
There are two kinds. Built-in commands ship with Claude Code — /review,
/plan, /commit, /clear and more — and cover the moves you make constantly.
Custom ones are yours: any prompt you keep re-typing can become a named command
your whole team shares.
Making one is deliberately small. A custom command is just a prompt saved in a
file under .claude/commands/ — the filename becomes the command name. Drop in the
instruction you keep giving (“summarize what changed since yesterday and draft a
standup update”), and from then on /standup runs it. Commands can take arguments
too, so one saved prompt handles many specific cases.
Use a command when you decide the moment — it’s an action you trigger. That’s the difference from a skill, which Claude applies on its own when it’s relevant. A good rule of thumb: the third time you paste the same long instruction, stop and save it as a command.
In Claude Code, typing / opens this exact menu. Try it — type, arrow through, and hit enter to learn what each one does.
why it helps Turn a paragraph you keep typing into a one-word command your whole team can reuse.
examples
/review · /plan · /commit · /clear/standuptips & best practices
- Type
/and pause — the menu shows everything available, including your own. - If you keep pasting the same long instruction, that's a sign it should become a command.
- Custom commands are just a saved prompt in a file — start one the moment a workflow repeats.