You type a command into an AI, nothing happens.
Beat. It's not broken. It's just waiting for
you to teach it how to think. We really do treat
it like static software. We assume we're just
passive consumers. But you can actually rewrite.
It's cognitive pathways. Welcome to the deep
dive. Today we're exploring five custom slash
commands. Yeah, these are built specifically
for the Claude Code app. But the catch is you
have to build them yourself. Right. We are your
hosts, and we're looking at Plan, Clear, Goal,
Rewind, and BW. These commands bridge a really
vital gap. They bridge the gap between AI just
doing things and AI doing things your way. But
before we build them, we need to understand a
common frustration. You watched a developer demo
on YouTube? Oh, yeah. They attack a slash command.
It runs perfectly. Right. You try it on your
machine, and nothing happens. People assume their
software is just outdated, or they missed a secret
plugin. But let's look at what a slash command
actually is. It starts with a forward slash.
It triggers an action instantly. Exactly. But
the secret here is it's not native software.
It's literally just a plain markdown file. We
call it a skill. And it lives locally on your
machine. Yeah. Claude reads that exact file when
you type the command. That is why lists vary
between users. I mean, does this mean we are
basically programming the AI's internal habits
from scratch? Yes, absolutely. You are dictating
its operational boundaries. You write them in
plain English. So they were just text files directing
the AI's behavior behind the scenes. Exactly,
like stacking Lego blocks of data. So let's look
at the first command, the plan command. Because
Claude has a tendency to rush, right? Yeah, the
problem is Claude starts coding instantly. On
big tasks, it picks the wrong approach. It wastes
so much time. It's like a driver accelerating
before checking the map. That's a great way to
put it. The planned skill fixes this. It forces
Claude to stop entirely. It forces it to read
the task first. Right. It breaks the task into
steps, it lists the affected files, it flags
risks, and then it waits for your approval. So
like building an event signup page. Exactly.
Using HTML and CSS, Claude stops and asks question.
It asks if you need email validation. And it
does this before writing a single line of code.
Yeah. But exception here. You skip this for one
line, one file fixes. Right. Why shouldn't we
just type out these instructions manually every
time? Well, because human discipline fades, you'll
forget, and then the AI messes up. Typing it
repeatedly wastes your time. This automation
saves your sanity. Perfectly said. Once you finish
that task, you have a new problem. The AI memory
becomes a liability. We should quickly define
context window here. The memory space where the
AI reads your current... Chat history. Spot on.
The problem is old context slows down responses.
Claude tries to connect totally unrelated tasks.
Like debugging a login form today, then switching
to writing a course product description. Exactly.
You do not want code in your marketing copy.
The clear skill fixes this. It wipes the slate
clean. It tells Claude to treat the prompt as
brand new. Yeah. It ignores past files completely.
But there's a crucial detail here. New commands
only load when a session starts. So you have
to start fresh. Right. You must open a new chat.
Then the clear command will appear. Does the
AI naturally realize when a topic has completely
changed? Uh, no, not at all. It lacks that awareness.
It just tries to blend everything. No, it assumes
everything connects together unless you explicitly
tell it otherwise. Sponsor. Beep. We're back.
So we've started a clean task. But how do we
stop the AI from getting lazy? Yeah, this is
the huge issue. Instructions usually say what
to do. They don't specify when it counts as done.
So Claude just stops halfway through. Exactly.
And it requires you to constantly reprompt it.
The goal skill changes this. It establishes a
clear finish line. It gives it a strict condition
to meet. Right. Claude works through the steps.
It checks the result against your condition.
It does this after every single step. And it
only stops when fully met. Yeah. Beat. Whoa.
I mean, imagine it iterating through 50 steps
overnight, perfectly checking its own work. Like
building a landing page. Exactly. Where it done
strictly means a hero section, one CTA, and mobile
responsive. But wait, how does it actually know
it hit the goal without our human eyes on it?
It runs internal verification loops against your
text. It reads its own output like a human reviewer.
It constantly checks its own output against your
strict definition of done. Exactly. But even
with clear goals, things go wrong. Sometimes
the AI takes a completely wrong turn. We need
an undo button that works. Because Claude can
make a really bad mid -task edit, and rolling
back code by hand takes forever. I still wrestle
with prompt drift myself. Sometimes I let it
go too far before fixing it. We all do, man.
That's why the rewind skill is amazing. It lists
recent session checkpoints. With short little
descriptive labels, right? Yeah. You pick one,
and it rolls back both the conversation and the
code. It takes everything back to that exact
state. So if Claude restructures files in a way
you didn't ask for? You just rewind to the checkpoint
right before it happened. Does rewinding mean
we also lose any genuinely good code it wrote
after that checkpoint? Uh, yes, unfortunately.
Rolling back wipes the slate clean moving forward.
You have to act fast. Yes. Rolling back wipes
everything after that point, so you must act
quickly. Right. So say the task is flowing nicely
now, but suddenly a random thought pops into
your head. How do you ask? without derailing
the AI. That's the problem. Asking a side question
breaks the flow entirely. Claude mixes the answer
into the main task's code. It pollutes the context
window. Exactly. The B2 skill is the fix. It
answers the question directly. It doesn't affect
ongoing files at all. And then it returns focus
to the main task. Yeah. Like, say you are coding
a landing page. You ask for SEO image naming
patterns. It isolates that query. Right. It answers
it and acts like the interruption never even
happened. What happens if you actually want the
side question to influence the code? Oh, well,
then just ask it as a normal prompt. Only use
this for isolated thoughts. Then just ask it
normally. Only use this command to keep tangents
completely isolated. Exactly. So to recap our
big idea today, these five tools, Plan, Clear,
Goal, Rewind, and B2. They don't exist until
you build them. Right. And you definitely don't
need all five today. Just pick the one your workflow
misses most. Save the markdown file and try it.
Yeah, exactly. See how it changes your workflow.
Thank you for listening today. We spend so much
time marveling at what AI can do. We really do.
But perhaps the real leap forward is realizing
we have the power to shape exactly how it thinks.
You are no longer just a user. You are the architect
of your own AI. Outtio Music.