The basics
You've probably seen slash commands in Slack, Notion, or Discord. AI tools work the same way. You type "/" inside the chat box and a menu of commands pops up. Pick one. The AI runs the workflow attached to it.
Commands exist for one reason: you know exactly what you want to do, and you don't want to write a prompt to explain it. Just trigger it.
Instead of typing "Please review this contract and flag any clauses that deviate from our standard playbook, sort by severity, and give me a one-page summary," you type "/review-contract" and paste the contract. Done. The command knows the workflow.
Built-in commands vs custom commands
Most platforms come with built-in commands and let you build your own.
- Built-in. Things like /help, /clear, /reset, /search, /image. Same for everyone.
- Custom. You define them. "/intake," "/follow-up," "/weekly-summary." Each one runs your specific workflow.
How commands differ from skills
This trips a lot of people up because they sound similar.
- A skill turns on automatically when the AI sees a matching task. You don't have to invoke it. The AI decides.
- A command is a manual trigger. You're saying "run this exact workflow right now." No guessing on the AI's part.
Skills are for things that should always happen the same way. Commands are for moments when you want explicit control.
When commands win
- You want a one-shot action. "/clear-chat" "/summarize" "/translate-to-spanish."
- The trigger is ambiguous. The AI might not know whether to do A or B. A command picks for it.
- You want a keyboard shortcut feel. Power users like commands because they're fast and predictable.
- You're walking a junior team member through a workflow. "Just type /intake when a new client form comes in" is easier than teaching prompting.
When skills win
- The task happens often and should always be handled the same way. Let the AI auto-trigger the skill.
- You don't want to remember command names. Skills don't need to be invoked.
- Multiple people use the system. Skills work without anyone needing to know the right command.
Where commands live in each platform
| Platform | How commands work |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | Type "/" in the terminal. Custom commands live in .claude/commands/ (now merged into skills as of April 2026, but old commands still work). |
| Claude Cowork | Type "/" to see built-in and skill-based commands. |
| Claude.ai chat | Limited slash commands like /help, /clear. Custom commands not yet supported in chat. |
| ChatGPT | No native slash commands. Custom GPTs play a similar role. |
| Cursor / VS Code with AI | Type "/" in the AI panel. Pick from built-in or custom commands. |
The intermediate move: turn your repeat prompts into commands
If you find yourself copying and pasting the same prompt over and over, that's a command waiting to be made. Pick a short name, write the prompt once, save it as a command. Now you trigger it in two seconds instead of pasting.
For a 2-person firm, the highest-value commands are usually:
- /intake, parse a new client form into a structured summary
- /draft-followup, write a follow-up email in your voice
- /redline, review a contract against your standard playbook
- /weekly-summary, turn the week's notes into a client update
- /brief, prep notes for an upcoming meeting
The advanced take: commands are getting absorbed into skills
As of Claude Code v2.1.101 in April 2026, custom slash commands were merged into the skills system. Old commands still work, but new ones are recommended to be built as skills.
Why? Because skills can do everything commands can plus auto-trigger when relevant. A skill is a superset of a command. If you build new workflows today, build them as skills. You get the auto-trigger benefit and you can still invoke them manually if you want. Think of it like this: commands are the manual transmission. Skills are the automatic. Both still work, but the industry is moving to automatic.