/ Commands and Skills

Nimbalyst supports Claude Code and Codex out-of-the-box slash commands, custom commands, and skills.

Commands vs Skills

Commands are simple markdown files that provide a prompt template. They live in .claude/commands/ as markdown files. When you type /command-name, the contents of that file are sent as a prompt to the agent.

Skills are richer integrations that can include instructions, workflows, and tool usage patterns. Nimbalyst ships with built-in skills (like /commit), plugins can provide skills, and you can create your own. Skills can define how the agent should behave for specific workflows — for example, a skill that tells the agent how to manage your tracker state when working on blog posts.

Using Slash Commands and Skills

Type / in the AI chat to see all available commands and skills. The typeahead shows all skills — user-created, plugin, and extension skills — so you can quickly find what you need.

@ Mentions

Type @ in the AI chat to reference files and folders. File suggestions appear immediately on typing "@". You can mention individual files or entire directories (shown with a folder icon). This gives the agent context about which files you want it to work with.

@@ Session Mentions

Type @@ in the AI chat to reference another session. This lets you pull context from a previous session into your current conversation — useful when you want the agent to build on prior work or understand decisions made in an earlier session.

Built-in Example

/commit - Creates a git commit:

1. Runs git status and git diff

2. Reviews recent commits for style

3. Drafts a commit message with type prefix (feat:, fix:, etc.)

4. Stages and commits

Create Your Own Commands

Custom commands live in .claude/commands/ as markdown files. Go to the .claude directory in your project, then the commands folder. Edit or add your own commands there.

You can also go to Settings (click the Gear on the bottom left), then Project Settings to add commands.

Create Your Own Skills

Skills are a powerful way to teach the agent how to handle recurring workflows. For example, you can create a skill that integrates with the tracker system — telling the agent to update tracker state whenever you're working on certain types of tasks. See project-wide-plan-task-management.md for an example.