Slash commands

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Built-in slash commands

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Custom slash commands

Custom slash commands allow you to define frequently-used prompts as Markdown files that Claude Code can execute. Commands are organized by scope (project-specific or personal) and support namespacing through directory structures.

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Syntax

/<command-name> [arguments]

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Parameters

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Command types

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Project commands

Commands stored in your repository and shared with your team. When listed in /help, these commands show “(project)” after their description.

Location: .claude/commands/

In the following example, we create the /optimize command:

# Create a project command
mkdir -p .claude/commands
echo "Analyze this code for performance issues and suggest optimizations:" > .claude/commands/optimize.md

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Personal commands

Commands available across all your projects. When listed in /help, these commands show “(user)” after their description.

Location: ~/.claude/commands/

In the following example, we create the /security-review command:

# Create a personal command
mkdir -p ~/.claude/commands
echo "Review this code for security vulnerabilities:" > ~/.claude/commands/security-review.md

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Features

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Namespacing

Organize commands in subdirectories. The subdirectories are used for organization and appear in the command description, but they do not affect the command name itself. The description will show whether the command comes from the project directory (.claude/commands) or the user-level directory (~/.claude/commands), along with the subdirectory name.

Conflicts between user and project level commands are not supported. Otherwise, multiple commands with the same base file name can coexist.

For example, a file at .claude/commands/frontend/component.md creates the command /component with description showing “(project:frontend)”. Meanwhile, a file at ~/.claude/commands/component.md creates the command /component with description showing “(user)”.

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Arguments

Pass dynamic values to commands using argument placeholders:

All arguments with $ARGUMENTS

The $ARGUMENTS placeholder captures all arguments passed to the command:

# Command definition
echo 'Fix issue #$ARGUMENTS following our coding standards' > .claude/commands/fix-issue.md

# Usage
> /fix-issue 123 high-priority
# $ARGUMENTS becomes: "123 high-priority"

Individual arguments with $1, $2, etc.

Access specific arguments individually using positional parameters (similar to shell scripts):

# Command definition  
echo 'Review PR #$1 with priority $2 and assign to $3' > .claude/commands/review-pr.md

# Usage
> /review-pr 456 high alice
# $1 becomes "456", $2 becomes "high", $3 becomes "alice"

Use positional arguments when you need to:

• Access arguments individually in different parts of your command
• Provide defaults for missing arguments
• Build more structured commands with specific parameter roles

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Bash command execution

Execute bash commands before the slash command runs using the ! prefix. The output is included in the command context. You must include allowed-tools with the Bash tool, but you can choose the specific bash commands to allow.

For example:

---
allowed-tools: Bash(git add:*), Bash(git status:*), Bash(git commit:*)
description: Create a git commit
---

## Context

- Current git status: !`git status`
- Current git diff (staged and unstaged changes): !`git diff HEAD`
- Current branch: !`git branch --show-current`
- Recent commits: !`git log --oneline -10`

## Your task

Based on the above changes, create a single git commit.

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File references

Include file contents in commands using the @ prefix to reference files.

For example:

# Reference a specific file

Review the implementation in @src/utils/helpers.js

# Reference multiple files

Compare @src/old-version.js with @src/new-version.js

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Thinking mode

Slash commands can trigger extended thinking by including extended thinking keywords.

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Frontmatter

Command files support frontmatter, useful for specifying metadata about the command:

For example:

---
allowed-tools: Bash(git add:*), Bash(git status:*), Bash(git commit:*)
argument-hint: [message]
description: Create a git commit
model: claude-3-5-haiku-20241022
---

Create a git commit with message: $ARGUMENTS

Example using positional arguments:

---
argument-hint: [pr-number] [priority] [assignee]
description: Review pull request
---

Review PR #$1 with priority $2 and assign to $3.
Focus on security, performance, and code style.

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MCP slash commands

MCP servers can expose prompts as slash commands that become available in Claude Code. These commands are dynamically discovered from connected MCP servers.

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Command format

MCP commands follow the pattern:

/mcp__<server-name>__<prompt-name> [arguments]

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Features

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Dynamic discovery

MCP commands are automatically available when:

• An MCP server is connected and active
• The server exposes prompts through the MCP protocol
• The prompts are successfully retrieved during connection

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Arguments

MCP prompts can accept arguments defined by the server:

# Without arguments
> /mcp__github__list_prs

# With arguments
> /mcp__github__pr_review 456
> /mcp__jira__create_issue "Bug title" high

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Naming conventions

• Server and prompt names are normalized
• Spaces and special characters become underscores
• Names are lowercased for consistency

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Managing MCP connections

Use the /mcp command to:

• View all configured MCP servers
• Check connection status
• Authenticate with OAuth-enabled servers
• Clear authentication tokens
• View available tools and prompts from each server

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MCP permissions and wildcards

When configuring permissions for MCP tools, note that wildcards are not supported:

• ✅ Correct: mcp__github (approves ALL tools from the github server)
• ✅ Correct: mcp__github__get_issue (approves specific tool)
• ❌ Incorrect: mcp__github__* (wildcards not supported)

To approve all tools from an MCP server, use just the server name: mcp__servername. To approve specific tools only, list each tool individually.

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See also

• Identity and Access Management - Complete guide to permissions, including MCP tool permissions
• Interactive mode - Shortcuts, input modes, and interactive features
• CLI reference - Command-line flags and options
• Settings - Configuration options
• Memory management - Managing Claude’s memory across sessions