Slash Commands

Type / in the chat input to see all available commands. An autocomplete dropdown appears as you type, with descriptions and keyboard navigation (arrow keys, Tab/Enter to select, Escape to dismiss).

Command reference

Command Description
/reset Clear conversation history
/undo Revert all AI file changes
/export Export chat as Markdown file
/model <name> Switch model mid-conversation
/help Show available commands
/batch Run multiple tasks
/doc Generate documentation
/spec Generate structured requirements
/insight Activity analytics
/save <name> Save current session
/sessions Browse saved conversations
/scan Scan staged files for secrets
/usage Token usage dashboard
/context Visualize context window
/test Generate tests
/lint Run linter
/deps Analyze dependencies
/scaffold <type> Generate boilerplate
/commit Generate commit and push
/verbose Toggle verbose mode
/prompt Show system prompt

Conversation

/reset

Clears the conversation history and starts a new chat. Equivalent to clicking the “New Chat” button.

/export

Exports the full conversation as a Markdown file. A save dialog lets you choose the location.

/save <name>

Saves the current conversation with a name. Named sessions persist across VS Code restarts.

/sessions

Opens the session browser panel. Browse, load, or delete saved conversations. Sessions auto-save after each assistant response.


Code generation

/doc

Generates JSDoc or docstring documentation for the active file or selected code. Detects the language and uses the appropriate documentation format.

/test

Generates tests for the active file or selection. Auto-detects your test framework:

  • JavaScript/TypeScript: Vitest, Jest
  • Python: pytest
  • Go: Go test
  • Rust: Cargo test
  • Java: JUnit

Creates a properly named test file (e.g., foo.test.ts for foo.ts).

/scaffold <type>

Generates boilerplate code from built-in templates. Available types:

Type What it generates
component React/Vue/Svelte component
api REST API endpoint
test Test file with framework setup
model Data model / schema
cli CLI tool scaffold
hook React hook
middleware Express/Koa middleware
service Service class with dependency injection

Run /scaffold with no arguments to see all available templates.

/spec

Generates structured requirements using EARS notation (Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax). Includes design decisions and dependency-sequenced implementation tasks. Specs are saved to .sidecar/specs/.


Code quality

/lint

Runs your project’s linter with auto-detection:

  • ESLint (JavaScript/TypeScript)
  • Ruff (Python)
  • golangci-lint (Go)

Pass a custom command: /lint npx eslint --fix .

/scan

Scans staged git files for secrets and vulnerabilities before committing. See Security Scanning for details.

/deps

Analyzes project dependencies:

  • Package counts and lists
  • Unused package detection (Node.js)
  • Outdated version checks
  • Supports Node.js, Python, and Go

Observability

/usage

Shows a token usage dashboard:

  • Cumulative token consumption
  • Estimated Anthropic API cost
  • Per-run history
  • Tool usage breakdown

/context

Visualizes what’s in the current context window:

  • System prompt
  • SIDECAR.md content
  • Workspace files with token counts
  • Conversation history
  • Visual usage bar showing total utilization

/insight

Generates an activity analytics report:

  • Tool call frequency and duration
  • Error rates
  • Token statistics per run

Task management

/batch

Run multiple tasks sequentially or in parallel:

/batch Fix all TypeScript errors; Add missing tests; Run the linter

Use --parallel to run tasks concurrently:

/batch --parallel Generate docs for auth.ts; Generate docs for api.ts

Git

/commit

Generates a commit message from the current diff, stages all changes, and commits. The commit includes a Co-Authored-By: SideCar trailer.

/undo

Reverts all file changes made by SideCar in the current session. SideCar snapshots every file before modifying it, so undo restores the exact original content.


Model

/model <name>

Switches to a different model mid-conversation. The conversation history is preserved. Updates the status bar and saves the preference.

/model claude-sonnet-4-6
/model qwen3-coder:8b

Debugging

/verbose

Toggles verbose mode on or off. When enabled, SideCar shows:

  • The full assembled system prompt at the start of each run
  • Per-iteration summaries with elapsed time and token counts
  • Tool selection explanations before each tool call

Verbose output appears in yellow-bordered collapsible blocks, visually distinct from normal responses.

You can also enable verbose mode permanently via sidecar.verboseMode in settings.

/prompt

Shows the current system prompt in a collapsible block — the base prompt, SIDECAR.md content, and any custom system prompt you’ve configured. Useful for debugging unexpected agent behavior.


SideCar is an independent project by Nicholas Donatelli. MIT License.