Claude Code Ecosystem

Complete reference for every built-in command, bundled skill, bundled workflow, and pre-built Agent Skill shipping with Claude Code.

60+ commands 10 bundled skills 3 workflows 4 agent skills

What are Skills?

A Claude Code skill is a directory containing a SKILL.md file — a markdown document with YAML frontmatter (metadata) followed by a markdown body (instructions). Claude Code discovers skills at startup, loads their metadata into the system prompt, then reads the full body only when that skill becomes relevant to the current task.

Skills are the evolution of custom slash commands. A file at .claude/commands/deploy.md and a skill at .claude/skills/deploy/SKILL.md both create /deploy and work the same way — but skills add a supporting file directory, invocation control, subagent execution, and dynamic context injection.

---
name: your-skill-name          # kebab-case, max 64 chars
description: >                 # what it does AND when to trigger it
  Analyzes Excel spreadsheets. Use when analyzing spreadsheets or .xlsx files.
allowed-tools: Read, Bash, Glob
---

## Instructions
…
Custom commands have merged into skills. Your existing .claude/commands/ files keep working. New ones should go in .claude/skills/ for the additional features.

How Skills Work

Skills use progressive disclosure — Claude loads information in stages as needed, rather than consuming context upfront. Three levels:

Level 1
Metadata
Always loaded at startup
name and description from YAML frontmatter. ~100 tokens per skill. How Claude knows the skill exists and when to use it.
Level 2
Instructions
When skill is triggered
Full SKILL.md body: workflows, rules, patterns. Under 5 000 tokens. Claude reads this via bash when the task matches.
Level 3
Resources & Scripts
Only when referenced
Bundled reference files, templates, and scripts. Scripts are executed, not loaded — only their output costs tokens. Effectively unlimited.

Where skills live

~/.claude/skills/        ← personal (all your projects)
.claude/skills/          ← project-scoped (checked in)
~/.claude/plugins/       ← installed plugins (bundled sets)

Skill Types

Two fundamental categories:

Type 1
Capability Uplift
Grants Claude new abilities it doesn't have on its own: PDF extraction, browser automation, chaos experiments, web scraping. Usually includes executable scripts.
Type 2
Encoded Preference
Captures how your team does something Claude already knows: ADR format, commit message style, TDD gate commands, code review checklist. Usually just a SKILL.md.

All Built-in Commands

Commands marked skill are bundled skills (prompt-driven, also auto-triggered by Claude). Commands marked workflow are multi-agent fan-out workflows. All others are built into the CLI binary.

Availability varies by platform, plan, and Claude Code version. Use /help as the authoritative source for your installation.

Session & Navigation

CommandPurpose
/clear [name]Start a new conversation; previous stays in /resume. Aliases: /reset, /new
/resume [session]Reopen a past conversation by ID, name, or picker. Alias: /continue
/branch [name]Fork the current conversation to try a different direction without losing it
/fork <directive>Spawn a background subagent that inherits full context and works on the directive while you continue
/background [prompt]Detach current session to run as a background agent and free the terminal. Alias: /bg
/rewindRoll code and conversation back to a checkpoint. Aliases: /checkpoint, /undo
/btw <question>Quick side question that doesn't add to conversation history
/teleportPull a Claude Code on the web session into this terminal. Alias: /tp
/add-dir <path>Add a working directory for file access during the current session
/stopStop an attached background session (keeps transcript and worktree)
/exitExit the CLI or detach from a background session. Alias: /quit

Context Management

CommandPurpose
/compact [instructions]Summarize the conversation to free context; pass focus instructions to guide the summary
/context [all]Visualize context window usage as a colored grid; shows optimization suggestions
/diffInteractive diff viewer — uncommitted changes and per-turn diffs; use arrows to navigate
/copy [N]Copy last (or Nth-to-last) response to clipboard; interactive block picker when code blocks are present
/export [filename]Export the current conversation as plain text
/recapGenerate a one-line summary of the current session on demand

Model & Planning

CommandPurpose
/model [model]Switch AI model and save as default; interactive picker shows effort slider where supported
/effort [level|auto]Set reasoning effort: low, medium, high, xhigh, max, ultracode. Interactive slider without argument
/fast [on|off]Toggle fast mode (Opus with faster output)
/plan [description]Enter plan mode directly; pass optional description to start immediately

Code & Review

CommandPurpose
/code-review [level] [--fix] [--comment] [target]Review diff for correctness bugs + cleanups. Levels: low, medium, high, xhigh, max, ultra (cloud). --fix applies; --comment posts as PR comments skill
/simplify [target]Cleanup-only review (v2.1.154+): 4 parallel agents covering reuse, simplification, efficiency, abstraction. Does not hunt bugs skill
/review [PR]Review a pull request locally in the current session
/security-reviewAnalyze pending branch changes for security vulnerabilities; identifies injection, auth, and exposure risks
/diffInteractive diff viewer showing uncommitted changes and per-turn diffs
/autofix-pr [prompt]Spawn cloud session to watch PR and push fixes when CI fails or reviewers comment
/ultrareview [PR]Alias for /code-review ultra — deep multi-agent cloud review (3 free runs on Pro/Max) workflow

Parallel Work

CommandPurpose
/batch <instruction>Orchestrate large-scale parallel codebase changes: 5–30 units, one background subagent per unit in isolated worktrees skill
/agentsManage agent configurations and subagent definitions
/tasksView and manage everything running in the background. Alias: /bashes
/goal [condition|clear]Set a goal; Claude keeps working until the condition is met

Run & Verify

CommandPurpose
/runLaunch and drive your project's app to observe changes working in the running app, not just in tests skill
/verifyConfirm a code change does what it should by building and running the app, then observing results skill
/run-skill-generatorTeach /run and /verify how to launch your specific project by writing a per-project skill skill

Workflows & Schedules

CommandPurpose
/deep-research <question>Fan out web searches, fetch and cross-check sources, synthesize a cited report workflow
/ultraplan <prompt>Draft a plan in your browser, review it, then execute remotely or return to terminal workflow
/workflowsView, pause, resume, or save running and completed workflows
/loop [interval] [prompt]Run a prompt repeatedly; Claude self-paces if no interval given. Alias: /proactive skill
/schedule [description]Create/manage routines on Anthropic cloud infrastructure. Alias: /routines

Config & Settings

CommandPurpose
/configOpen Settings UI: theme, model, output style, editor mode. Alias: /settings
/permissionsManage allow/ask/deny rules for tool permissions. Alias: /allowed-tools
/memoryEdit CLAUDE.md memory files, enable/disable auto-memory, view auto-memory entries
/mcpManage MCP server connections and OAuth authentication
/hooksView hook configurations for tool events
/keybindingsOpen your keyboard shortcuts file (~/.claude/keybindings.json)
/initInitialize project with a CLAUDE.md guide; set CLAUDE_CODE_NEW_INIT=1 for interactive flow
/skillsList available skills; press t to sort by tokens; space to toggle visibility
/plugin [subcommand]Manage Claude Code plugins: list, install, enable, disable
/reload-plugins [--force]Reload all active plugins to apply changes without restarting
/reload-skillsRe-scan skill directories so skills added/changed on disk become available (v2.1.152+)
/sandboxToggle sandbox mode (supported platforms only)
/themeChange color theme; includes auto (matches terminal), colorblind-accessible, ANSI, and custom themes
/color [color]Set the prompt bar color for the current session: red, blue, green, yellow, purple, orange, pink, cyan
/tui [default|fullscreen]Set terminal UI renderer and relaunch with conversation intact
/statuslineConfigure the Claude Code status line
/terminal-setupConfigure terminal keybindings for Shift+Enter and other shortcuts
/fewer-permission-promptsScan transcripts for common tool calls and add prioritized allowlist to settings.json skill

Info & Diagnostics

CommandPurpose
/helpShow help and all available commands for your current version
/statusVersion, model, account, and connectivity (works while Claude is responding)
/usageSession cost, plan limits, activity stats, breakdown by skill/agent/plugin. Aliases: /cost, /stats
/insightsGenerate a report analyzing your sessions: project areas, interaction patterns, friction points
/doctorDiagnose installation and settings; press f to have Claude fix reported issues
/debug [description]Enable debug logging and read session debug log to troubleshoot issues skill
/heapdumpWrite a JS heap snapshot for diagnosing high memory usage
/feedback [report]Submit feedback or report a bug with session context attached. Aliases: /bug, /share
/release-notesView the changelog in an interactive version picker
/team-onboardingGenerate a team onboarding guide from your last 30 days of Claude Code usage
/powerupDiscover Claude Code features through quick interactive animated lessons

Integrations & Account

CommandPurpose
/install-github-appSet up the Claude GitHub Actions integration for a repository
/install-slack-appInstall the Claude Slack app via OAuth flow
/web-setupConnect GitHub account to Claude Code on the web using local gh CLI credentials
/remote-controlMake this session available for remote control from claude.ai. Alias: /rc
/remote-envChoose the default environment for cloud agents
/desktopContinue the current session in the Claude Code Desktop app. Alias: /app
/setup-bedrockConfigure Amazon Bedrock authentication, region, and model pins interactively
/setup-vertexConfigure Google Vertex AI authentication, project, region, and model pins interactively
/chromeConfigure Claude in Chrome settings
/ideManage IDE integrations (VS Code, JetBrains) and show status
/mobileShow QR code to download the Claude mobile app. Aliases: /ios, /android
/loginSign in to your Anthropic account
/logoutSign out from your Anthropic account
/upgradeOpen the upgrade page to switch to a higher plan tier
/usage-creditsConfigure usage credits to keep working when you hit a plan limit
/rename [name]Rename the current session and show the name on the prompt bar
/radioOpen Claude FM lo-fi radio in your browser

Bundled Skills

These 10 skills ship with Claude Code and follow the same SKILL.md format as custom skills — they are prompts handed to Claude, which Claude can also invoke automatically when relevant. They appear as slash commands but their logic is a skill file, not CLI binary code.

batch Parallel large-scale codebase changes in isolated worktrees

Orchestrates large-scale changes across a codebase in parallel. Researches the codebase, decomposes the work into 5 to 30 independent units, and presents a plan. Once approved, spawns one background subagent per unit in an isolated git worktree. Each subagent implements its unit, runs tests, and opens a pull request.

Usage

/batch migrate src/ from Solid to React
/batch add JSDoc to every exported function in lib/

Requirements

  • Git repository required (worktrees are how isolation is achieved)
  • Review the decomposition plan before approving — each unit should be independently mergeable
  • Each subagent runs /verify on its unit before opening a PR
claude-api Claude API reference for 8 languages + model migration

Loads up-to-date Claude API reference material for your project's language (Python, TypeScript, Java, Go, Ruby, C#, PHP, or cURL) and Managed Agents reference. Also activates automatically when your code imports anthropic or @anthropic-ai/sdk.

Sub-commands

  • /claude-api migrate — scan files for old model IDs and update to new ones; handles thinking config and parameter changes between versions
  • /claude-api managed-agents-onboard — interactive walkthrough to create a new Managed Agent from scratch

Covers

  • Tool use, streaming, batches, structured outputs
  • Common pitfalls per language SDK
  • Model IDs and their parameters
code-review Diff review for correctness bugs and cleanups — local or cloud

Reviews the current diff for correctness bugs and reuse/simplification/efficiency cleanups. Four parallel review agents run locally; ultra fans out to a cloud sandbox for a deeper read.

Effort levels

LevelCoverage
low / mediumFewer, high-confidence findings only
high → maxBroader coverage including uncertain findings
ultraDeep multi-agent cloud review (3 free runs on Pro/Max)

Flags

  • --fix — apply all findings to working tree automatically
  • --comment — post findings as inline GitHub PR comments
  • [target] — specific path or PR reference to review
debug Enable debug logging and read session logs to troubleshoot

Enables debug logging for the current session and troubleshoots issues by reading the session debug log. Debug logging is off by default unless you started with claude --debug, so running /debug mid-session starts capturing logs from that point forward.

Usage

/debug                          # enable logging, run auto-diagnosis
/debug high memory usage        # focus analysis on a specific issue
fewer-permission-prompts Auto-build tool allowlist from transcript history

Scans your transcripts for common read-only Bash and MCP tool calls, then adds a prioritized allowlist to the project .claude/settings.json to reduce permission prompts on subsequent runs. Only approves patterns Claude already performs in your sessions — nothing new is added.

When to run

  • After several sessions in a new project where permission prompts interrupt flow
  • When setting up a project for team members who don't want to approve common read operations
loop Run a prompt on a recurring interval

Runs a prompt repeatedly while the session stays open. Omit the interval and Claude self-paces between iterations. Omit the prompt and Claude runs an autonomous maintenance check (or the prompt in .claude/loop.md if present).

Usage

/loop 5m check if the deploy finished
/loop 10m run tests and report failures
/loop                              # autonomous maintenance mode
run Launch and drive the project app to observe changes live

Launches and drives your project's app to see a change working in the running application, not just in tests or type checks. Claude builds the project, starts the server or binary, exercises the feature, and reports what it observed.

How it knows your project

Run /run-skill-generator once to teach Claude how to build and launch your specific project. The generator writes a per-project skill file that /run and /verify use on every subsequent call.

Requires

Claude Code v2.1.145 or later.

run-skill-generator Write the per-project launch skill for /run and /verify

Teaches /run and /verify how to build, launch, and drive your project's app from a clean environment. Writes a per-project skill file in .claude/skills/. Run this once when you first use /run on a new project.

What it creates

  • Detect build system (Go, Node, Python, etc.)
  • Build command + start command
  • How to verify the app is running and ready
  • Project-specific interaction patterns
simplify Cleanup-only code review — no bug hunting, just cleanups applied

Reviews changed code for cleanup opportunities and applies the fixes. Four review agents run in parallel, each covering a different dimension: reuse of existing helpers, simplification of logic, efficiency improvements, and whether the change sits at the right level of abstraction.

Key distinction from /code-review

/simplify does not hunt for correctness bugs — it only improves code structure and clarity. Use /code-review for bug finding.

Requires

Claude Code v2.1.154 or later. On earlier versions, /simplify is equivalent to /code-review --fix.

verify Confirm a change works in the running app, not just tests

Confirms a code change does what it should by building the project's app, running it, and observing the result — rather than relying on tests or type checks alone. Pairs with /run: use /run to explore, /verify to confirm a specific change works.

Difference from running tests

Tests verify code correctness. /verify verifies feature correctness — it actually drives the running application and observes behavior, catching issues tests can't see (CSS regressions, interaction bugs, environment differences).

Bundled Workflows

Workflows are dynamic multi-agent fan-outs that run in the background. Unlike skills (which run in the current session), workflows spawn multiple sub-sessions and return synthesized results.

/deep-research <question>
Deep Research
Fans out parallel web searches across multiple angles, fetches and cross-checks top sources, performs adversarial claim verification, then synthesizes a cited report. Best for questions that require current information from multiple sources.
/code-review ultra  ·  /ultrareview [PR]
Ultra Review
Deep multi-agent code review in a cloud sandbox. Multiple specialized review agents examine the diff simultaneously for bugs, security issues, performance concerns, and style violations. Includes 3 free runs on Pro and Max plans.
/ultraplan <prompt>
Ultraplan
Draft a plan in an interactive browser UI, review and edit it visually, then execute it remotely on Anthropic cloud infrastructure or send it back to your terminal. Best for large, complex changes that benefit from a planning phase.

Pre-built Agent Skills

Anthropic provides pre-built skills for common document workflows. These are available on claude.ai, the Claude API, AWS Bedrock (via Claude Platform), and Microsoft Foundry. On the API, specify skill_id in the container parameter.

API usage requires three beta headers: code-execution-2025-08-25, skills-2025-10-02, files-api-2025-04-14
pptx
Create presentations, edit slides, analyze PowerPoint content. Reads and writes .pptx files.
xlsx
Create spreadsheets, analyze data, generate charts and reports. Reads and writes .xlsx files.
docx
Create Word documents, edit content, apply formatting. Reads and writes .docx files.
pdf
Generate formatted PDF documents and reports. Produces .pdf output files.

Open-Source Anthropic Skills

Anthropic also publishes open-source skills in github.com/anthropics/skills:

claude-api
Up-to-date Claude API reference for 8 programming languages. Bundled with Claude Code and available separately from the skills repository.

Sharing scope

SurfacePre-built skillsCustom skills sharing
claude.ai✅ AvailableIndividual user only (not org-wide)
Claude API✅ AvailableWorkspace-wide (all members)
Claude Code❌ Not availablePersonal or project-scoped; shareable via plugins