---
title: "Slash commands"
sidebarTitle: "Slash commands"
summary: "All available slash commands, directives, and inline shortcuts — configuration, routing, and per-surface behavior."
read_when:
  - Using or configuring chat commands
  - Debugging command routing or permissions
  - Understanding how skill commands are registered
---

The Gateway handles commands sent as standalone messages starting with `/`.
Host-only bash commands use `! <cmd>` (with `/bash <cmd>` as an alias).

When a conversation is bound to an ACP session, normal text routes to the ACP
harness. Gateway management commands remain local: `/acp ...` always reaches
the OpenClaw command handler, and `/status` plus `/unfocus` stay local whenever
command handling is enabled for the surface.

## Three command types

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Commands" icon="terminal">
    Standalone `/...` messages handled by the Gateway. Must be sent as the
    only content in the message.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Directives" icon="sliders">
    `/think`, `/fast`, `/verbose`, `/trace`, `/reasoning`, `/elevated`,
    `/exec`, `/model`, `/queue` — stripped from the message before the model
    sees it. Persist session settings when sent alone; act as inline hints
    when sent with other text.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Inline shortcuts" icon="bolt">
    `/help`, `/commands`, `/status`, `/whoami` — run immediately and are
    stripped before the model sees the remaining text. Authorized senders only.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Directive behavior details">
    - Directives are stripped from the message before the model sees it.
    - In **directive-only** messages (the message is only directives), they
      persist to the session and reply with an acknowledgement.
    - In **normal chat** messages with other text, they act as inline hints and
      do **not** persist session settings.
    - Directives only apply for **authorized senders**. If `commands.allowFrom`
      is set, it is the only allowlist used; otherwise authorization comes from
      channel allowlists/pairing plus `commands.useAccessGroups`. Unauthorized
      senders see directives treated as plain text.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Configuration

```json5
{
  commands: {
    native: "auto",
    nativeSkills: "auto",
    text: true,
    bash: false,
    bashForegroundMs: 2000,
    config: false,
    mcp: false,
    plugins: false,
    debug: false,
    restart: true,
    ownerAllowFrom: ["discord:123456789012345678"],
    ownerDisplay: "raw",
    ownerDisplaySecret: "${OWNER_ID_HASH_SECRET}",
    allowFrom: {
      "*": ["user1"],
      discord: ["user:123"],
    },
    useAccessGroups: true,
  },
}
```

<ParamField path="commands.text" type="boolean" default="true">
  Enables parsing `/...` in chat messages. On surfaces without native commands
  (WhatsApp, WebChat, Signal, iMessage, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams), text
  commands work even when set to `false`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.native" type='boolean | "auto"' default='"auto"'>
  Registers native commands. Auto: on for Discord/Telegram; off for Slack;
  ignored for providers without native support. Override per-channel with
  `channels.<provider>.commands.native`. On Discord, `false` skips slash-command
  registration; previously registered commands may stay visible until removed.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.nativeSkills" type='boolean | "auto"' default='"auto"'>
  Registers skill commands natively when supported. Auto: on for
  Discord/Telegram; off for Slack. Override with
  `channels.<provider>.commands.nativeSkills`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.bash" type="boolean" default="false">
  Enables `! <cmd>` to run host shell commands (`/bash <cmd>` alias). Requires
  `tools.elevated` allowlists.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.bashForegroundMs" type="number" default="2000">
  How long bash waits before switching to background mode (`0` backgrounds
  immediately).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.config" type="boolean" default="false">
  Enables `/config` (reads/writes `openclaw.json`). Owner-only.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.mcp" type="boolean" default="false">
  Enables `/mcp` (reads/writes OpenClaw-managed MCP config under `mcp.servers`). Owner-only.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.plugins" type="boolean" default="false">
  Enables `/plugins` (plugin discovery/status plus install + enable/disable). Owner-only for writes.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.debug" type="boolean" default="false">
  Enables `/debug` (runtime-only config overrides). Owner-only.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.restart" type="boolean" default="true">
  Enables `/restart` and gateway restart tool actions.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.ownerAllowFrom" type="string[]">
  Explicit owner allowlist for owner-only command surfaces. Separate from
  `commands.allowFrom` and DM pairing access.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="channels.<channel>.commands.enforceOwnerForCommands" type="boolean" default="false">
  Per-channel: requires owner identity for owner-only commands. When `true`,
  sender must match `commands.ownerAllowFrom` or hold internal `operator.admin`
  scope. A wildcard `allowFrom` entry is **not** sufficient.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.ownerDisplay" type='"raw" | "hash"'>
  Controls how owner ids appear in the system prompt.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.ownerDisplaySecret" type="string">
  HMAC secret used when `commands.ownerDisplay: "hash"`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.allowFrom" type="object">
  Per-provider allowlist for command authorization. When configured, it is the
  **only** authorization source for commands and directives. Use `"*"` for a
  global default; provider-specific keys override it.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="commands.useAccessGroups" type="boolean" default="true">
  Enforces allowlists/policies for commands when `commands.allowFrom` is not set.
</ParamField>

## Command list

Commands come from three sources:

- **Core built-ins:** `src/auto-reply/commands-registry.shared.ts`
- **Generated dock commands:** `src/auto-reply/commands-registry.data.ts`
- **Plugin commands:** plugin `registerCommand()` calls

Availability depends on config flags, channel surface, and installed/enabled
plugins.

### Core commands

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Sessions and runs">
    | Command | Description |
    | --- | --- |
    | `/new [model]` | Archive the current session and start a fresh one |
    | `/reset [soft [message]]` | Reset the current session in place. `soft` keeps the transcript, drops reused CLI backend session ids, and reruns startup |
    | `/compact [instructions]` | Compact the session context. See [Compaction](/concepts/compaction) |
    | `/stop` | Abort the current run |
    | `/session idle <duration\|off>` | Manage thread-binding idle expiry |
    | `/session max-age <duration\|off>` | Manage thread-binding max-age expiry |
    | `/export-session [path]` | Export the current session to HTML. Alias: `/export` |
    | `/export-trajectory [path]` | Export a JSONL trajectory bundle for the current session. Alias: `/trajectory` |

    <Note>
      Control UI intercepts typed `/new` to create and switch to a fresh
      dashboard session, except when `session.dmScope: "main"` is configured
      and the current parent is the agent's main session — in that case `/new`
      resets the main session in place. Typed `/reset` still runs the Gateway's
      in-place reset.
    </Note>

  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Model and run controls">
    | Command | Description |
    | --- | --- |
    | `/think <level\|default>` | Set the thinking level or clear the session override. Aliases: `/thinking`, `/t` |
    | `/verbose on\|off\|full` | Toggle verbose output. Alias: `/v` |
    | `/trace on\|off` | Toggle plugin trace output for the current session |
    | `/fast [status\|on\|off\|default]` | Show, set, or clear fast mode |
    | `/reasoning [on\|off\|stream]` | Toggle reasoning visibility. Alias: `/reason` |
    | `/elevated [on\|off\|ask\|full]` | Toggle elevated mode. Alias: `/elev` |
    | `/exec host=<auto\|sandbox\|gateway\|node> security=<deny\|allowlist\|full> ask=<off\|on-miss\|always> node=<id>` | Show or set exec defaults |
    | `/model [name\|#\|status]` | Show or set the model |
    | `/models [provider] [page] [limit=<n>\|all]` | List configured/auth-available providers or models |
    | `/queue <mode>` | Manage active-run queue behavior. See [Queue](/concepts/queue) and [Queue steering](/concepts/queue-steering) |
    | `/steer <message>` | Inject guidance into the active run. Alias: `/tell`. See [Steer](/tools/steer) |

    <AccordionGroup>
      <Accordion title="verbose / trace / fast / reasoning safety">
        - `/verbose` is for debugging — keep it **off** in normal use.
        - `/trace` reveals only plugin-owned trace/debug lines; normal verbose chatter stays off.
        - `/fast on|off` persists a session override; use the Sessions UI `inherit` option to clear it.
        - `/fast` is provider-specific: OpenAI/Codex map it to `service_tier=priority`; direct Anthropic requests map it to `service_tier=auto` or `standard_only`.
        - `/reasoning`, `/verbose`, and `/trace` are risky in group settings — they may reveal internal reasoning or plugin diagnostics. Keep them off in group chats.

      </Accordion>
      <Accordion title="Model switching details">
        - `/model` persists the new model immediately to the session.
        - If the agent is idle, the next run uses it right away.
        - If a run is active, the switch is marked pending and applied at the next clean retry point.

      </Accordion>
    </AccordionGroup>

  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Discovery and status">
    | Command | Description |
    | --- | --- |
    | `/help` | Show the short help summary |
    | `/commands` | Show the generated command catalog |
    | `/tools [compact\|verbose]` | Show what the current agent can use right now |
    | `/status` | Show execution/runtime status, Gateway and system uptime, plus provider usage/quota |
    | `/goal [status\|start\|pause\|resume\|complete\|block\|clear] ...` | Manage the current session's durable [goal](/tools/goal) |
    | `/diagnostics [note]` | Owner-only support-report flow. Asks for exec approval every time |
    | `/crestodian <request>` | Run the Crestodian setup and repair helper from an owner DM |
    | `/tasks` | List active/recent background tasks for the current session |
    | `/context [list\|detail\|map\|json]` | Explain how context is assembled |
    | `/whoami` | Show your sender id. Alias: `/id` |
    | `/usage off\|tokens\|full\|cost` | Control the per-response usage footer or print a local cost summary |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Skills, allowlists, approvals">
    | Command | Description |
    | --- | --- |
    | `/skill <name> [input]` | Run a skill by name |
    | `/allowlist [list\|add\|remove] ...` | Manage allowlist entries. Text-only |
    | `/approve <id> <decision>` | Resolve exec or plugin approval prompts |
    | `/btw <question>` | Ask a side question without changing session context. Alias: `/side`. See [BTW](/tools/btw) |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Subagents and ACP">
    | Command | Description |
    | --- | --- |
    | `/subagents list\|log\|info` | Inspect sub-agent runs for the current session |
    | `/acp spawn\|cancel\|steer\|close\|sessions\|status\|set-mode\|set\|cwd\|permissions\|timeout\|model\|reset-options\|doctor\|install\|help` | Manage ACP sessions and runtime options |
    | `/focus <target>` | Bind the current Discord thread or Telegram topic to a session target |
    | `/unfocus` | Remove the current thread binding |
    | `/agents` | List thread-bound agents for the current session |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Owner-only writes and admin">
    | Command | Requires | Description |
    | --- | --- | --- |
    | `/config show\|get\|set\|unset` | `commands.config: true` | Read or write `openclaw.json`. Owner-only |
    | `/mcp show\|get\|set\|unset` | `commands.mcp: true` | Read or write OpenClaw-managed MCP server config. Owner-only |
    | `/plugins list\|inspect\|show\|get\|install\|enable\|disable` | `commands.plugins: true` | Inspect or mutate plugin state. Owner-only for writes. Alias: `/plugin` |
    | `/debug show\|set\|unset\|reset` | `commands.debug: true` | Runtime-only config overrides. Owner-only |
    | `/restart` | `commands.restart: true` (default) | Restart OpenClaw |
    | `/send on\|off\|inherit` | owner | Set send policy |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Voice, TTS, channel control">
    | Command | Description |
    | --- | --- |
    | `/tts on\|off\|status\|chat\|latest\|provider\|limit\|summary\|audio\|help` | Control TTS. See [TTS](/tools/tts) |
    | `/activation mention\|always` | Set group activation mode |
    | `/bash <command>` | Run a host shell command. Alias: `! <command>`. Requires `commands.bash: true` |
    | `!poll [sessionId]` | Check a background bash job |
    | `!stop [sessionId]` | Stop a background bash job |
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Dock commands

Dock commands switch the active session's reply route to another linked channel.
See [Channel docking](/concepts/channel-docking) for setup and troubleshooting.

Generated from channel plugins with native-command support:

- `/dock-discord` (alias: `/dock_discord`)
- `/dock-mattermost` (alias: `/dock_mattermost`)
- `/dock-slack` (alias: `/dock_slack`)
- `/dock-telegram` (alias: `/dock_telegram`)

Dock commands require `session.identityLinks`. The source sender and target peer
must be in the same identity group.

### Bundled plugin commands

| Command                                                                                      | Description                                                                       |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `/dreaming [on\|off\|status\|help]`                                                          | Toggle memory dreaming. See [Dreaming](/concepts/dreaming)                        |
| `/pair [qr\|status\|pending\|approve\|cleanup\|notify]`                                      | Manage device pairing. See [Pairing](/channels/pairing)                           |
| `/phone status\|arm ...\|disarm`                                                             | Temporarily arm high-risk phone node commands                                     |
| `/voice status\|list\|set <voiceId>`                                                         | Manage Talk voice config. Discord native name: `/talkvoice`                       |
| `/card ...`                                                                                  | Send LINE rich card presets. See [LINE](/channels/line)                           |
| `/codex status\|models\|threads\|resume\|compact\|review\|diagnostics\|account\|mcp\|skills` | Control the Codex app-server harness. See [Codex harness](/plugins/codex-harness) |

QQBot-only: `/bot-ping`, `/bot-version`, `/bot-help`, `/bot-upgrade`, `/bot-logs`

### Skill commands

User-invocable skills are exposed as slash commands:

- `/skill <name> [input]` always works as the generic entrypoint.
- Skills may register as direct commands (e.g. `/prose` for OpenProse).
- Native skill-command registration is controlled by `commands.nativeSkills` and
  `channels.<provider>.commands.nativeSkills`.
- Names are sanitized to `a-z0-9_` (max 32 chars); collisions get numeric suffixes.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Skill command dispatch">
    By default, skill commands route to the model as a normal request.

    Skills can declare `command-dispatch: tool` to route directly to a tool
    (deterministic, no model involvement). Example: `/prose` (OpenProse plugin)
    — see [OpenProse](/prose).

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="Native command arguments">
    Discord uses autocomplete for dynamic options and button menus when required
    args are omitted. Telegram and Slack show a button menu for commands with
    choices. Dynamic choices resolve against the target session model, so model-
    specific options like `/think` levels follow the session's `/model` override.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## `/tools` — what the agent can use now

`/tools` answers a runtime question: **what this agent can use right now in this
conversation** — not a static config catalog.

```text
/tools         # compact view
/tools verbose # with short descriptions
```

Results are session-scoped. Changing agent, channel, thread, sender
authorization, or model can change the output. For profile and override editing,
use the Control UI Tools panel or config surfaces.

## `/model` — model selection

```text
/model             # show model picker
/model list        # same
/model 3           # select by number from picker
/model openai/gpt-5.4
/model opus@anthropic:default
/model status      # detailed view with endpoint and API mode
```

On Discord, `/model` and `/models` open an interactive picker with provider and
model dropdowns. The picker respects `agents.defaults.models`, including
`provider/*` entries.

## `/config` — on-disk config writes

<Note>
  Owner-only. Disabled by default — enable with `commands.config: true`.
</Note>

```text
/config show
/config show messages.responsePrefix
/config get messages.responsePrefix
/config set messages.responsePrefix="[openclaw]"
/config unset messages.responsePrefix
```

Config is validated before write. Invalid changes are rejected. `/config`
updates persist across restarts.

## `/mcp` — MCP server config

<Note>
  Owner-only. Disabled by default — enable with `commands.mcp: true`.
</Note>

```text
/mcp show
/mcp show context7
/mcp set context7={"command":"uvx","args":["context7-mcp"]}
/mcp unset context7
```

`/mcp` stores config in OpenClaw config, not embedded-agent project settings.

## `/debug` — runtime-only overrides

<Note>
  Owner-only. Disabled by default — enable with `commands.debug: true`.
  Overrides apply immediately to new config reads but do **not** write to disk.
</Note>

```text
/debug show
/debug set messages.responsePrefix="[openclaw]"
/debug set channels.whatsapp.allowFrom=["+1555","+4477"]
/debug unset messages.responsePrefix
/debug reset
```

## `/plugins` — plugin management

<Note>
  Owner-only for writes. Disabled by default — enable with `commands.plugins: true`.
</Note>

```text
/plugins
/plugins list
/plugin show context7
/plugins enable context7
/plugins disable context7
/plugins install ./path/to/plugin
```

`/plugins enable|disable` updates plugin config and hot-reloads the Gateway
plugin runtime for new agent turns. `/plugins install` restarts managed
Gateways automatically because plugin source modules changed.

## `/trace` — plugin trace output

```text
/trace          # show current trace state
/trace on
/trace off
```

`/trace` reveals session-scoped plugin trace/debug lines without full verbose
mode. It does not replace `/debug` (runtime overrides) or `/verbose` (normal
tool output).

## `/btw` — side questions

`/btw` is a quick side question about the current session context. Alias: `/side`.

```text
/btw what are we doing right now?
/side what changed while the main run continued?
```

Unlike a normal message:

- Uses the current session as background context.
- In Codex harness sessions, runs as an ephemeral Codex side thread.
- Does **not** change future session context.
- Is not written to transcript history.

See [BTW side questions](/tools/btw) for the full behavior.

## Surface notes

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Session scoping per surface">
    - **Text commands:** run in the normal chat session (DMs share `main`, groups have their own session).
    - **Native Discord commands:** `agent:<agentId>:discord:slash:<userId>`
    - **Native Slack commands:** `agent:<agentId>:slack:slash:<userId>` (prefix configurable via `channels.slack.slashCommand.sessionPrefix`)
    - **Native Telegram commands:** `telegram:slash:<userId>` (targets the chat session via `CommandTargetSessionKey`)
    - **`/stop`** targets the active chat session to abort the current run.

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="Slack specifics">
    `channels.slack.slashCommand` supports a single `/openclaw`-style command.
    With `commands.native: true`, create one Slack slash command per built-in
    command. Register `/agentstatus` (not `/status`) because Slack reserves
    `/status`. Text `/status` still works in Slack messages.
  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="Fast path and inline shortcuts">
    - Command-only messages from allowlisted senders are handled immediately (bypass queue + model).
    - Inline shortcuts (`/help`, `/commands`, `/status`, `/whoami`) also work embedded in normal messages and are stripped before the model sees the remaining text.
    - Unauthorized command-only messages are silently ignored; inline `/...` tokens are treated as plain text.

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="Argument notes">
    - Commands accept an optional `:` between the command and args (`/think: high`, `/send: on`).
    - `/new <model>` accepts a model alias, `provider/model`, or a provider name (fuzzy match); if no match, the text is treated as the message body.
    - `/allowlist add|remove` requires `commands.config: true` and honors channel `configWrites`.

  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Provider usage and status

- **Provider usage/quota** (e.g., "Claude 80% left") shows in `/status` for the current model provider when usage tracking is enabled.
- **Token/cache lines** in `/status` can fall back to the latest transcript usage entry when the live session snapshot is sparse.
- **Execution vs runtime:** `/status` reports `Execution` for the effective sandbox path and `Runtime` for who is running the session: `OpenClaw Default`, `OpenAI Codex`, a CLI backend, or an ACP backend.
- **Per-response tokens/cost:** controlled by `/usage off|tokens|full`.
- `/model status` is about models/auth/endpoints, not usage.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Skills" href="/tools/skills" icon="puzzle-piece">
    How skill slash commands are registered and gated.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Creating skills" href="/tools/creating-skills" icon="hammer">
    Build a skill that registers its own slash command.
  </Card>
  <Card title="BTW" href="/tools/btw" icon="comments">
    Side questions without changing session context.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Steer" href="/tools/steer" icon="compass">
    Guide the agent mid-run with `/steer`.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
