Using Contral
Slash commands reference
Every slash command in the Contral chat, plus MCP, skills and @contral commands.
Type / in the Contral chat to see every available command with a short description. Slash commands never count against your usage limits.
Contral slash commands reference#
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/help | Show the available commands |
/login | Start Contral sign-in (alias /signin) |
/logout | Sign out of Contral (alias /signout) |
/status | Show your sign-in, plan, connection, MCP and skill status |
/usage | Refresh your quota usage |
/new | Start a fresh Build session |
/clear | Clear the current Build chat session |
/compact [focus] | Summarize the current session into a compact context, optionally focused on a topic |
/context | Show what Contral is sending to the model |
/model | Show current model routing and your BYOK providers |
/map | Map the current codebase (alias /codebase) |
/web <query> | Search the web (alias /search) |
/research <query> | Search the web, then hand the results to the Build agent |
/mcp … | Manage MCP servers: marketplace, install, add-github, add, remove, tools, smoke |
/skills … | Manage skills: search, install, list, remove, reload, smoke |
/skill <name> [task] | Run an installed skill |
/<skill-name> [task] | Shortcut to run an installed skill by its name |
/checkpoint | Open the Learn checkpoint for the current lesson |
/learn | Switch to Learn mode |
/roadmap | Open the Learn roadmap |
If you type a command that doesn't exist, Contral replies Unknown command "/x".
Choosing an agent mode without a slash command#
There are no /plan, /fast or /deep commands. Switch between Fast, Plan, Deep and Recursive with the mode chip in the prompt row. See Agent modes.
Slash commands for MCP servers#
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/mcp or /mcp marketplace | Browse the MCP servers available from contral.ai |
/mcp install <id> | Install a server from the marketplace, for example /mcp install context7 |
/mcp add-github <owner/repo> | Add a server from a GitHub repository |
/mcp add <name> --command <cmd> [--args "…"] [--env KEY=VALUE] | Add a local (stdio) server |
/mcp add <name> --url <url> [--header KEY=VALUE] | Add a remote (HTTP) server |
/mcp list | List your servers |
/mcp enable <name> / /mcp disable <name> | Turn a server on or off |
/mcp remove <name> | Remove a server |
/mcp tools [server] | List the tools a server provides |
/mcp smoke | Test that your servers start and respond |
See MCP servers.
Slash commands for skills#
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/skills search <query> | Search the skills marketplace |
/skills install <id or GitHub repo or URL or folder> | Install a skill |
/skills list | List installed skills |
/skills remove <name> | Remove a globally installed skill |
/skills reload | Reload skills after you add or edit one by hand |
/skills smoke | Check installed skills load correctly |
See Skills.
@contral commands in VS Code Chat#
In VS Code (not other editors), you can also use Contral from VS Code's built-in Chat view by mentioning @contral:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
@contral /explain | Explain a piece of code or a concept |
@contral /teach | Teach me the active selection or file |
@contral /codebase | Ask about this codebase (run a codebase analysis first) |
@contral /build | Hand off to the Contral Build agent in Fast mode |
Still stuck? Ask the support assistant in the corner of this page, or open a support ticket.