TIL: Meta slash-commands for reusable AI prompts and context

Published at 2026-02-14T14:00:00+02:00

Short post in "This week I learned" style: what I tried, why it worked, and how you can replicate it. Format: Problem → Approach → Copy/paste → Result → Gotchas. Full reference for the meta-commands lives in a separate post.

Full reference: Meta slash-commands to manage prompts and context for coding agents

TIL

Problem

When I use a coding agent (Cursor Agent, Claude Code CLI, Ampcode, etc.), I repeat the same requests: "review this function," "explain this error," "add tests for this module," "format this as a blog post." Typing long prompts from scratch is tedious; ad-hoc prompts are easy to forget. I also keep pasting the same background (API conventions, project rules, infra notes) into every session so the agent doesn't guess blindly.

Approach

Treat prompts and context as first-class artefacts: store them as markdown files (one per slash-command or per context) in a dotfiles repo. Use a small set of *meta* slash-commands so the agent itself creates, updates, and deletes these files from the conversation—no hand-editing. Two kinds of artefacts:

Commands — Reusable workflows (e.g. review-code, explain-error). Live in commands/ as .md files.
Context — Reusable background (API guidelines, runbooks, personas). Live in context/ as .md files; you *load* one at session start so the agent has it in mind.

Copy/paste

Minimal workflow:

/load-context api-guidelines

Then ask the agent to implement a feature or fix a bug; it already has the guidelines.

To turn something you just did into a reusable command:

/create-command review-code

Full command reference (all meta-commands, parameters, examples):

Meta slash-commands — full reference

Result

No more retyping long prompts; same prompt library across Cursor Agent, Claude Code CLI, OpenCode, Ampcode. Context is load-on-demand per session instead of pasting walls of text. Everything is versioned in git and synced across machines.

Gotchas

Requires an agent that supports custom slash-commands (or reading prompt files from disk).
Context is explicit: you must run /load-context <name> at session start; it's not implicit like some "skills" systems.
A flat directory of commands can grow; if it gets unwieldy, consider grouping by skill or exposing via an MCP server later.

Before/After

Before: Retyping or pasting long prompts each time; pasting API/project context into every session; prompts scattered and inconsistent across tools.
After: /load-context <name> once per session; /<command> for repeatable tasks; commands and context in git, same library across agents.

Workflow recipe

Steps: (1) Create or update context/commands via meta-commands when you have something worth reusing. (2) Start a session → run /load-context <name>. (3) Use slash-commands or ask ad-hoc; agent has background and consistent prompts.
Tools: Cursor Agent (CLI), Claude Code CLI, OpenCode, Ampcode; markdown in e.g. ~/Notes/Prompts/commands/ and ~/Notes/Prompts/context/.
Impact: Saves retyping and keeps prompts consistent; one-time cost is creating the first context/command with the agent.

Micro-template (quick reference)

| Meta-command | Purpose | Good for |
|--------------------|--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| /create-command | Create new slash-command | Turn current or recurring tasks into one |
| /update-command | Edit existing slash-command | Refine after use |
| /delete-command | Remove slash-command file | Clean up unused commands |
| /create-context | Create new context file | Capture project/infra knowledge once |
| /update-context | Edit existing context file | Keep context up to date |
| /delete-context | Remove context file | Remove outdated context |
| /load-context | Load context into conversation | Give agent background before tasks |

Example usage: /load-context api-guidelines, /create-command review-code, /update-command review-code. Full details and examples in the main post linked above.

Other related posts:

2026-02-14 Meta slash-commands to manage prompts and context for coding agents
2026-02-02 A tmux popup editor for Cursor Agent CLI prompts

E-Mail your comments to paul@nospam.buetow.org :-)

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