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brian austin
brian austin

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Claude Code slash commands: the complete 2026 reference with custom commands

#claudecode #ai #devtools #productivity

Claude Code slash commands: the complete 2026 reference with custom commands

Slash commands are the fastest way to control Claude Code without typing full sentences. Here's every built-in command plus how to create your own.

Built-in slash commands

Command What it does
/help Show all available commands
/clear Clear conversation history (fresh context)
/compact Compress context to save tokens
/exit or /quit Exit Claude Code
/memory View and edit CLAUDE.md memory file
/model Switch between Claude models
/permissions View current file/tool permissions
/review Request code review of current changes
/diff Show pending git changes
/commit Stage and commit with AI-generated message
/status Show current session status

The context commands you'll use daily 

# You're 2 hours into a session and context is getting full
/compact
# Claude summarizes everything and continues with compressed history

# Starting fresh on a different task
/clear
# Wipes conversation but Claude still has CLAUDE.md

# Check what's changed in your codebase
/diff
# Shows git diff of all modified files
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Custom slash commands with $ARGUMENTS

This is where Claude Code gets powerful. Create .claude/commands/ in your project:

mkdir -p .claude/commands
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Then create command files:

.claude/commands/deploy.md

Deploy the application to $ARGUMENTS environment.

1. Run tests: `npm test`
2. If tests pass, build: `npm run build`
3. Deploy to $ARGUMENTS: `npm run deploy:$ARGUMENTS`
4. Verify deployment by checking health endpoint
5. Report success or rollback if health check fails
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Now you can run:

/project:deploy staging
/project:deploy production
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.claude/commands/review.md

Review the changes in $ARGUMENTS for:
1. Security vulnerabilities
2. Performance issues  
3. Missing error handling
4. Test coverage gaps
5. Documentation completeness

Provide a structured report with severity ratings.
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Usage:

/project:review src/auth/
/project:review api/payments.js
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Global custom commands (available in every project)

Global commands live in ~/.claude/commands/:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/commands
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~/.claude/commands/standup.md

Generate my standup update for $ARGUMENTS.

Look at:
- Recent git commits (last 24 hours)
- Modified files
- Any TODO comments added

Format as:
- Yesterday: [what was done]
- Today: [what's planned]
- Blockers: [any issues]

Keep it under 100 words.
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/standup today
/standup "sprint 14 week 2"
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Encoding team workflows as commands

The real power is encoding your team's specific processes:

.claude/commands/hotfix.md

Create a hotfix for $ARGUMENTS.

1. Create branch: `git checkout -b hotfix/$ARGUMENTS`
2. Identify the bug in the codebase related to $ARGUMENTS
3. Write a minimal fix (no refactoring, surgical change only)
4. Add a regression test that would have caught this bug
5. Commit with message: `hotfix: $ARGUMENTS`
6. Show diff for review before pushing
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.claude/commands/onboard.md

Onboard a new developer to $ARGUMENTS module.

1. Read all files in the $ARGUMENTS directory
2. Read related tests
3. Generate a markdown doc explaining:
   - What this module does
   - Key files and their purposes
   - How data flows through it
   - Common gotchas
   - How to run it locally

Save to docs/onboarding/$ARGUMENTS.md
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The rate limit problem

Here's the thing about custom commands: the more you use them, the more Claude Code does. And the more it does, the faster you hit rate limits.

If you're using /project:deploy, /project:review, and /standup multiple times per session, you'll see:

Claude Code: Rate limit reached. Please wait...
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The fix is ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL. Point Claude Code at a proxy that removes rate limits:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://simplylouie.com
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key
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One variable. No config changes. Your custom commands keep working, rate limits disappear.

SimplyLouie runs Claude Sonnet with no rate caps for ✌️$2/month → simplylouie.com

Practical command collection

Here's a starter pack you can copy into your project:

# Create all at once
mkdir -p .claude/commands

cat > .claude/commands/test.md << 'EOF'
Run tests for $ARGUMENTS and fix any failures.
1. Run: `npm test $ARGUMENTS`
2. For each failure, read the test and the code it tests
3. Fix the implementation (not the test unless test is wrong)
4. Re-run until all pass
EOF

cat > .claude/commands/explain.md << 'EOF'
Explain how $ARGUMENTS works to a new developer.
Read all related files and write a clear explanation with:
- High-level overview
- Key functions and what they do
- Data structures used
- External dependencies
EOF

cat > .claude/commands/cleanup.md << 'EOF'
Clean up $ARGUMENTS:
1. Remove dead code
2. Fix inconsistent naming
3. Add missing error handling
4. Improve comments where unclear
5. Show diff before committing
EOF
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Now your team has:

/project:test auth
/project:explain payments/
/project:cleanup src/legacy/
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Summary

Slash commands are Claude Code's most underused feature. Built-ins handle daily operations. Custom commands encode your team's specific workflows. Once you have 5-10 project commands, onboarding new developers takes minutes instead of hours.

The only limit is rate limits — which ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL removes.

Got a useful custom command? Drop it in the comments.

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