Typing / in the chat 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. This works the same in Claude Desktop and the terminal: just type the slash in the chat box. 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. You reach all of them the same way — type / in the chat —
whether you’re in Claude Desktop or the terminal.
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- 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.
Questions people ask
- How do I see what slash commands are available?
- Type `/` in the chat and pause — a menu shows every command available, including the built-in ones and any you've saved yourself. It's the same in Claude Desktop and the terminal.
- Can I make my own slash command?
- Yes. 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 re-typing and it becomes a one-word command your whole team can reuse.
- What's the difference between a slash command and a skill?
- A slash command runs when *you* call it — it's an action you trigger. A skill applies on its own when Claude decides it's relevant. Use a command for the moments you choose; use a skill for a way of working you want followed automatically.
- Do I need to code to write a custom command?
- No. A custom command is plain text — the prompt you'd otherwise type — saved in a file. No code required.
- Do slash commands work in Claude Desktop?
- Yes. Type `/` in the Desktop chat box and the same menu of built-in and custom commands appears, exactly as in the terminal. The shortcut is part of the chat, not the command line.