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# Meta slash-commands to manage prompts and context for coding agents
> Published at 2026-02-14T13:44:45+02:00
I work on many small, repeatable tasks. Instead of retyping the same instructions every time, I want to turn successful prompts into reusable slash-commands and keep background knowledge in loadable context files. This post describes a set of *meta* slash-commands: commands that create, update, and delete other commands and context files. They live as markdown in a dotfiles repo and work with any coding agent that supports slash-commands—Claude Code CLI, Cursor Agent, OpenCode, Ampcode, and others.
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Cursor Agent [~][□][X] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ → /load-context api-guidelines │
│ │
│ Context loaded: api-guidelines.md │
│ Ready. Ask me to implement something. │
│ │
│ → /create-command review-pr │
│ │
│ Analyzing "review-pr"... │
│ Generated: description + prompt. Save to commands/ ? [Y] │
│ │
│ ✓ Saved. Use /review-pr anytime. │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ slash-commands
▼
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│ /load- │ │ /create- │ │ /update- │ │ /review- │
│ context │ │ command │ │ command │ │ pr │
└──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘
│ │ │ │
└──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
│
coding agent executes
your prompt library
```
## Table of Contents
* [⇢ Meta slash-commands to manage prompts and context for coding agents](#meta-slash-commands-to-manage-prompts-and-context-for-coding-agents)
* [⇢ ⇢ Motivation: collecting prompts for later re-use](#motivation-collecting-prompts-for-later-re-use)
* [⇢ ⇢ Loading whole context before asking the agent to do something](#loading-whole-context-before-asking-the-agent-to-do-something)
* [⇢ ⇢ Works with any coding agent that supports slash-commands](#works-with-any-coding-agent-that-supports-slash-commands)
* [⇢ ⇢ Commands that manage slash-commands](#commands-that-manage-slash-commands)
* [⇢ ⇢ ⇢ `/create-command`](#create-command)
* [⇢ ⇢ ⇢ `/update-command`](#update-command)
* [⇢ ⇢ ⇢ `/delete-command`](#delete-command)
* [⇢ ⇢ Commands that manage context files](#commands-that-manage-context-files)
* [⇢ ⇢ ⇢ `/create-context`](#create-context)
* [⇢ ⇢ ⇢ `/update-context`](#update-context)
* [⇢ ⇢ ⇢ `/delete-context`](#delete-context)
* [⇢ ⇢ ⇢ `/load-context`](#load-context)
* [⇢ ⇢ Summary](#summary)
## Motivation: collecting prompts for later re-use
When I use a coding agent, I often find myself repeating the same kind of request: "review this function," "explain this error," "add tests for this module," "format this as a blog post" and may other cases. Typing long prompts from scratch is tedious, and ad-hoc prompts are easy to forget. I'd rather capture what works and reuse it.
The solution is to treat prompts as first-class artefacts: store them as markdown files (one file per slash-command or per context), and use a small set of *meta* commands to manage them. The agent then creates, updates, or deletes these files through conversation—no hand-editing of markdowns. I can say `/create-command review-code we just did a code review` and the agent generates the command file based on the current agent's context, shows a preview, and saves it. Later I run `/review-code` and get a consistent workflow every time.
Because everything is just markdown in a directory (e.g. `~/Notes/Prompts/commands/` for commands and `~/Notes/Prompts/context/` for context), I can version it in git, sync it across machines, and gradually build a library of prompts. If the number of commands grows too large, I might later split them into skills or expose them via a searchable MCP server—but for now, a flat directory of `.md` files is enough.
## Loading whole context before asking the agent to do something
A separate but related need is *context*: background information the agent should have before I ask it to do anything. For example, I might have a document describing our Kubernetes setup, API conventions, or the architecture of a specific service. If I ask "add a new endpoint for X" without that context, the agent guesses and without having a reference to an existing project with an `AGENTS.md`. If I first load the relevant context file, the agent knows the naming conventions, the existing patterns, and the infrastructure—and its edits are more accurate.
So I keep two kinds of artefacts:
* Commands — Reusable workflows (e.g. "review code", "explain error"). They live as `.md` files in a `commands/` directory. Meta-commands create, update, and delete them.
* Context — Reusable background (project rules, API notes, infrastructure docs, personas). They live as `.md` files in a `context/` directory. I can create, update, delete, and—importantly—*load* them. Loading a context file injects that content into the conversation so the agent has it in mind for subsequent requests.
The use case is: start a session, run `/load-context api-guidelines` (or whatever context name), then ask the agent to implement a feature or fix a bug. The agent already knows the guidelines. No need to paste a wall of text every time; the context is on demand (not implicit like with skills).
## Works with any coding agent that supports slash-commands
I use different agents depending on the task: Claude Code CLI, Cursor Agent (CLI), OpenCode, Ampcode and others. What they have in common is support for custom slash-commands (or the ability to read prompt files). My meta-commands and context files are just markdown; there is no lock-in. Point your agent at the same directories and you get the same prompts and context. I don't need an MCP server returning prompts right now—the files on disk are enough. If slash-commands ever become too many to manage in a flat list, I may later introduce an MCP server to expose them as skills or searchable prompts.
## Commands that manage slash-commands
These meta-commands create, update, and delete other slash-commands. The target files live in `~/Notes/Prompts/commands/` (or your chosen path). Each command is one `.md` file. You can see the commands (and the context files) here:
[https://codeberg.org/snonux/dotfiles/src/branch/master/prompts/commands](https://codeberg.org/snonux/dotfiles/src/branch/master/prompts/commands)
[https://codeberg.org/snonux/dotfiles/src/branch/master/prompts/context](https://codeberg.org/snonux/dotfiles/src/branch/master/prompts/context)
### `/create-command`
Creates a new slash-command by inferring its purpose from the name you give.
* Parameter: `command_name` (e.g. `review-code`, `explain-error`, `optimize-function`)
* What it does: The agent analyses the name, infers intent and parameters, writes a description and prompt, shows a preview, and saves `{{command_name}}.md` to the commands directory.
* Good for: Turning the current task or a recurring need into a reusable command without editing files by hand.
Example usage:
```
/create-command review-code
/create-command explain-error
```
### `/update-command`
Updates an existing slash-command step by step.
* Parameter: `command_name` (e.g. `create-command`, `review-code`)
* What it does: Reads the existing `.md` file, shows the current content, asks what to change (description, parameters, prompt text), applies edits, shows a preview, and saves.
* Good for: Refining a command after you've used it a few times or when requirements change.
Example usage:
```
/update-command create-command
/update-command review-code
```
### `/delete-command`
Removes a slash-command by deleting its definition file.
* Parameter: `command_name` (e.g. `testing`, `review-code`)
* What it does: Verifies the file exists, shows what will be deleted, asks for confirmation, then deletes the file.
* Good for: Cleaning up experiments or commands you no longer use.
Example usage:
```
/delete-command testing
/delete-command review-code
```
## Commands that manage context files
These meta-commands create, update, delete, and *load* context files. Context files live in `~/Notes/Prompts/context/`. Loading a context injects its content into the conversation so the agent can use it for subsequent requests.
### `/create-context`
Creates a new context file.
* Parameter: `context_name` (without `.md`), e.g. `epimetheus`, `api-guidelines`
* What it does: Checks if the context already exists, asks what the context should contain (background, structure, sections), then writes `{{context_name}}.md` to the context directory.
* Good for: Capturing project rules, API conventions, or infrastructure notes once and reusing them via `/load-context`.
Example usage:
```
/create-context epimetheus
/create-context api-guidelines
```
### `/update-context`
Updates an existing context file by adding, modifying, or removing content.
* Parameter: `context_name` (e.g. `epimetheus`, `api-guidelines`). If omitted, lists available context files.
* What it does: Reads the existing file, asks what to change (add section, modify section, remove section, rewrite, or full overhaul), applies changes, and saves.
* Good for: Keeping context up to date as the project or infrastructure evolves.
Example usage:
```
/update-context epimetheus
/update-context api-guidelines
/update-context
```
### `/delete-context`
Deletes a context file after confirmation.
* Parameter: `context_name` (e.g. `epimetheus`, `old-api-guidelines`). If omitted, lists available context files.
* What it does: Verifies the file exists, shows a preview or summary, asks for confirmation, then deletes the file.
* Good for: Removing outdated or unused context.
Example usage:
```
/delete-context epimetheus
/delete-context old-api-guidelines
/delete-context
```
### `/load-context`
Loads a context file into the conversation so the agent has that background for subsequent requests.
* Parameter: `context_name` (e.g. `epimetheus`, `api-guidelines`). If omitted, lists available context files.
* What it does: Reads the context file, displays its content, and confirms it is loaded. From then on, the agent can use that information when you ask it to implement features, fix bugs, or answer questions.
* Good for: Starting a session with "load our API guidelines" or "load our Kubernetes runbook" so the agent knows the infrastructure and conventions before you ask it to do something.
Example usage:
```
/load-context epimetheus
/load-context api-guidelines
/load-context
```
## Summary
```
| Meta-command | Purpose | Good for |
|--------------------|----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| /create-command | Create new slash-command from name | Turning current or recurring tasks into commands |
| /update-command | Edit existing slash-command | Refining commands over time |
| /delete-command | Remove slash-command file | Cleaning up unused commands |
| /create-context | Create new context file | Capturing project/infra knowledge once |
| /update-context | Edit existing context file | Keeping context up to date |
| /delete-context | Remove context file | Removing outdated context |
| /load-context | Load context into conversation | Giving the agent background before tasks |
```
Context is what the agent *knows*; commands are what the agent *does*. Both are markdown files you can create, update, and delete on the fly through the same coding agent—Claude Code CLI, Cursor Agent, OpenCode, Ampcode, or any other that supports slash-commands or prompt files. That's why these meta-commands are useful for ad-hoc creation, updating, and deleting of prompts and context without leaving the conversation.
Other related posts:
[2026-02-14 Meta slash-commands to manage prompts and context for coding agents (You are currently reading this)](./2026-02-14-meta-slash-commands-for-prompts-and-context.md)
[2026-02-02 A tmux popup editor for Cursor Agent CLI prompts](./2026-02-02-tmux-popup-editor-for-cursor-agent-prompts.md)
E-Mail your comments to `paul@nospam.buetow.org` :-)
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