Slash Commands
Slash commands are operator-level shortcuts you type directly in the TUI input bar. They are not model-tool calls and are not gated by the permission rule grammar — they run as your direct action.
How the slash system works
Type / in the input bar to open the suggestion menu. A fuzzy typeahead list shows the visible (non-hidden) registered commands, ranked by match quality.
The slash-menu typeahead does case-insensitive fuzzy subsequence matching (marked ✅ in the parity matrix since 0.4.0): typing cfg matches /config. Matches at the start or on a word boundary, and contiguous runs, rank ahead of scattered ones, with alphabetical name as the tiebreak.
Continue typing to narrow the list. Use Tab / ↓ and Shift+Tab / ↑ to move through it. Enter completes the highlighted command into the input bar, and a second Enter runs it. A command opens an overlay, writes output to the transcript, or shows a status message.
Commands marked immediate can run while a model turn is in flight, because they don't need the model: /usage, /context, /status, and so on. Other commands wait until the turn finishes.
Plugin-supplied commands
The registry is designed to accept plugin-supplied commands. Registering a name twice replaces the earlier command and logs a warning. The plugin loader does not register commands yet, so today only the built-ins appear. See Plugins.
Common commands
The table below lists the most frequently used built-in commands. The full list — including commands added by plugins — is enumerated at runtime by /help inside the TUI.
| Command | Args | What it does |
|---|---|---|
/help | — | Open the help overlay listing all visible commands |
/clear | — | Clear transcript and conversation history; keep todos and system prompt |
/quit | — | Exit caliban (/exit is an alias) |
/resume | [query] | List persisted sessions (optional name substring filter) |
/init | [--force] | Write CLAUDE.draft.md from AGENTS.md / .cursorrules / git status (never overwrites CLAUDE.md) |
/model | [id] | Show or switch the active model (same-provider swap in v1) |
/effort | <level> | Set reasoning effort: low, medium, high, max, or auto |
/usage | — | Show token usage and cumulative cost for this session |
/cost | — | Show cumulative USD spend with per-model breakdown |
/context | — | Show context-window utilization + top-N largest blocks |
/compact | — | Trigger the configured compactor to summarize history |
/config | — | Open the configuration overlay (merged settings + scope chain) |
/mcp | — | Open the MCP server status overlay |
/hooks | — | List configured hooks per event |
/plugins | — | List installed plugins with enable/disable status |
/permissions | — | Open the permissions overlay; cycle mode with Tab, delete rule with d |
/rewind | — | Open the checkpoint overlay to restore code/conversation or fork a new session (also: Esc Esc on empty input); see Checkpoints & Rewind |
/recap | — | Summarize the conversation without mutating history |
/btw | <question> | One-shot ephemeral side query to a fast model; result inlined |
/export | [path] [--format json] | Export session transcript to markdown (or JSON) |
/doctor | [--deep] | Run health checks: settings, MCP, skills, hooks, provider auth |
/status | — | Show the active provider (auth/subscription status is pending) |
/statusline | — | Inspect the active custom status-line configuration |
/loop | [--n=N] [--interval=S] | Report the repeat plan (bounded by --max-turns); execution is not implemented yet |
The complete slash command index, including hidden aliases, is in Slash Command Index. /help inside the TUI always lists what your build actually registers.
Adding your own slash commands
Custom slash commands are defined as skills or plugins. See Custom Slash Commands for the authoring guide.