Slash commands are the fastest way to control Claude Code’s behavior during an interactive session. Type / at any prompt to see the full list, or type a few letters to filter. This module covers the built-in commands you’ll use every day.
Discovering Commands
Type / at the prompt and a menu appears with all available commands. Start typing to filter — /co narrows to /compact, /color, /config, /context, /cost, /copy. Arrow keys navigate, Enter selects. Commands that aren’t available for your current setup are hidden automatically, so you only see what works.
New to Claude Code? Try /powerup — it runs interactive lessons with animated demos that walk you through key features right inside the CLI.
Some commands accept arguments directly: /compact focus on the API layer, /model opus, /effort high, /rename auth-refactor. Others like /context, /cost, and /status run immediately with no arguments.
/compact focus on the payment serviceCommand Categories
Built-in commands group into a few categories. Knowing the categories helps you find the right command without memorizing all of them.
Context management controls how much of the conversation Claude can see.
/context— shows a visual grid of your context usage/compact— compresses the conversation. Pass instructions to control what’s preserved:/compact keep the migration plan, drop the debugging/clear— starts completely fresh
Session tools let you manage and revisit work.
/rename my-feature— gives the session a readable name/resume— picks up a previous session/branch— creates a parallel conversation to explore an alternative without losing your current state/rewind— rolls back to an earlier point/export— saves the session to a file or clipboard
Configuration commands adjust Claude’s behavior mid-session.
/model— switches between available models such as Sonnet, Opus, Haiku, and other aliases likebestoropusplan/effort— sets reasoning depth:low,medium,high,xhigh,max(session-only), orauto/permissions— manages what Claude can do without asking/config— opens the settings menu/theme(new in v2.1.118) — creates and switches between named custom themes. Themes are stored as JSON files in~/.claude/themes/and can also be hand-edited directly.
Diagnostics help when something isn’t working.
/cost— shows session cost, duration, code changes, and token usage/status— shows version, model, and account info/doctor— checks installation health/diff— opens an interactive viewer for uncommitted changes, useful for reviewing what Claude has done before committing
/context
/compact keep the auth refactor plan
/model opus
/effort high
/cost