Grok Build’s Slash OS: 12 Commands That Feel a Little Like Magic
September 2026 / by Alexander Hinojosa
If the terminal has ever made your stomach drop, this post is for you.
Let’s start honest.
A lot of AI writing assumes you already live in a black window full of green text, that you type without looking, that “TUI” is a normal word you say at dinner. Most people are not that person. Most people are curious, a little nervous, and quietly hoping someone will say: you’re allowed to start clumsy.
This is that post.
I’m going to talk about Grok Build, xAI’s coding-and-building agent that runs in a terminal. And specifically about what happens when you type a single character:
/In Build, those / commands are how you steer: plan first, ask a side question, kick off research, even sketch an image, without writing the perfect paragraph every time.
You do not need to memorize all of this tonight. Skim for the one command that makes you smile. Try that one. Come back later for the rest.
The official list lives here when you want i
Grok Build’s slash menu is kind because you don’t have to invent the “right” English sentence for every lever. Start with /, browse, pick, and add a plain-language wish.
Shift+Tab cycles modes) if you like staying on the keys. Plans are permission to be thoughtful.
2. /btw: the polite tap on the shoulder
Sometimes Build is deep in a task and you have a tiny question that shouldn’t become the whole movie.
4. /imagine-video: when a still frame wants to breathe
/imagine-video a gentle camera move across a calm dark terminal with a slash menu glowing softly, six seconds, cozy not scaryNot every account has every media feature every day. If /imagine-video appears for you, try it once. A tiny moving sketch can make a launch post or a tutorial intro feel alive.
If it doesn’t appear, /imagine alone is already a gift.
5. /deep-research: send a
7. /goal: name the finish line so the day has a shape
/goal: name the finish line so the day has a shapeVague sessions wander. Named goals give the day a horizon.
/goal Get the demo to a place I can show a friend: main checks green, honest about what's still manual, nothing turned on by default that the settings page doesn't explain.You can pause, resume, or clear:
/goal pause
/goal resume
/goal clearThe spirit is simple: tell the tool what “do
10. /context and /compact: spring cleaning for a long chat
Long chats get heavy. That’s not you failing. That’s math.
/contextWhen it’s time to tidy:
/compact Keep the rules we agreed on, the notes about what is and isn't finished, and the open small leftovers. Drop the long side story about the flaky Wi-Fi.You’re not erasing your past. You’re choosing what still needs to sit near the top of the suitcase. Leave instructions so the summary kee
A cozy one-hour first adventure
If you want a gentle script for your first real play session:
/plan Help me add a check so my app's public copy can't accidentally promise something the feature doesn't do. Prefer clear, honest language.
/btw Should we explicitly allow the phrase "not yet supported" so honest disclaimers don't get flagged?
/contextWhile that settles:
/imagine a simple two-column sketch: "simple mode" vs "advanced mode", friendly labels, high contrast, no logosWhy this matters
Slash commands look like syntax. Underneath, they’re invitations.
Invitations to plan before you thrash.
Invitations to ask a small question without shame.
Invitations to make a picture while the idea is warm.
Invitations to research without abandoning the day.
Invitations to name “done” so your energy has somewhere to land.
You don’t have to become a terminal person to borrow terminal power. You can be a curious person with a good menu and a patient tool.
Start with one slash. Let it feel a little magical. Then, when you’re ready, try a second.
Where to go next
- Command reference: docs.x.ai/build/modes-and-commands
- Skills and marketplace: Skills, plugins, marketplaces
Coming up on the blog: Grok Bot’s / versus @ (skills and teammates), in the same friendly voice. Then Claude Code’s most delightful commands. Then Codex and the “/visualize” myth (usually a skill or plugin, not a classic slash).
Same home for all of it. If you found this from X, LinkedIn, Medium, or a friend’s forward: welcome. You’re in the right place.
Written as a field note for humans, September 2026. Every command here was checked in a live Grok Build session (v1.0.30). The docs lag the menu; trust the menu. This category changes monthly, so when in doubt, type / in your own Build session and believe what you see.
Before you close the lid:
/goal Copy checks are green on main, with a couple of small tests that prove the allowlist and the blocklist both behave.
/loop 15m If checks are red, just tell me the failing test name.That’s a whole little arc: intention, curiosity, picture, finish line, watchfulness. You did not need to be fluent. You needed to be willing.
A tiny “don’t mix the cousins” table
| Place you’re standing | What / usually means |
|---|---|
| Grok Build | This whole slash OS (you are here) |
| Grok Bot | Pick a saved skill; use @ for teammates |
| Consumer Grok (web / X / apps) | Not a Build-style slash catalog |
| Claude Code / Codex | Their own slash worlds. We’ll visit soon. |
If a random tip says “just type /imagine in Grok” and never says Build, smile, and ask which room of the house they mean.
ps the sharp bits.
11. /remember, /flush, /dream: teach it what shouldn’t get lost
/remember Never call a feature "live" until we've verified it on the real machine and someone has double-checked the release notes.Save it more firmly:
/flushAnd when memory features are on:
/dreamThese show up when cross-session memory is enabled. The feeling you’re after: stop re-explaining the same hard-won lesson every Monday.
12. /doctor: when something feels off and you want a checkup
/doctorSome builds also offer a fix-oriented path:
/doctor fixNearby friendly tools: /terminal-setup, /usage, /release-notes, /feedback. New to all of this? /tutorial and /docs are warmer than a pile of Discord screenshots.
Needing help is not a beginner tell. It’s how adults use tools.
ne” looks like in human words.
8. /fork: try two futures without burning the first
/forkOne session keeps the safe path. The forked session gets to try the weird idea. It’s the creative version of “duplicate the slide deck before you redesign it.”
You get to experiment without gambling the only copy of your conversation. That alone lowers the temperature for a lot of us.
9. /create-workflow and /workflow: turn a habit into a named helper
We all have little rituals we retype. Review this. Check that. Write the summary again.
/create-workflow Review my current branch against main for real bugs. For each finding, either point to a failing test or say clearly why we're skipping it.Later:
/workflow review-changes {"target":"origin/main...HEAD"}And to watch runs:
/workflowsThis is how “I always mean to be careful” becomes “I have a named process that helps me be careful.” It’s not bureaucracy. It’s kindness to Future You.
scout while you keep building
Research used to mean “I’ll do that Sunday,” which often meant never.
/deep-research Compare how Grok Build, Claude Code, and Codex handle recurring tasks and research workflows. Prefer official docs. Note when something is a skill or plugin instead of a built-in slash command.Deep research runs in the background. You keep moving. The writeup returns when it’s ready. It’s like asking a patient friend to read the map while you keep walking the trail.
You don’t have to become a professional researcher overnight. You can ask for help gathering, then you decide what matters.
6. /loop: a gentle repeating reminder inside the chat
/loop 10m Check whether my long file copy finished. If it looks stuck for more than 30 minutes, summarize the last useful lines and stop looping.This is for waiting without doom-scrolling the same log. Deploys. Big downloads. “Tell me when it’s green.”
It only shows up when the feature is on for your account. If you don’t see it, no stress. The idea still matters: you’re allowed to ask tools to watch with you.
/btw In plain English, what's the difference between a library license that covers the code I use and one that covers the code I write on top of it?/btw is “by the way.” Side question. Main work keeps its train of thought. You get an answer without derailing the adventure.
If you’ve ever been afraid to interrupt a person who is concentrating, this command is the soft knock on the door frame.
3. /imagine: make a picture without leaving the room
You know that moment when the idea is clear in your head and your words are almost there, but you wish you could see it?
/imagine a friendly fox sketch in charcoal, simple and bold, cookbook vibe, no logos, square icon styleYou’re still in Build. You’re not opening seventeen tabs and losing the thread. You’re saying: show me.
This is for README headers, social cards, mood boards, “what should this thing feel like” experiments. Play is productive more often than we admit.
>
Plans are permission to be thoughtful in a culture that keeps yelling “ship.”
How to play along
- Open Grok Build’s interactive terminal UI (most people just launch
grok). - Type
/and watch the menu appear. - Type a few letters of a command name, pick one, and press Enter.
- If something isn’t there, it may be turned off for your account or version. Pick another and keep going.
Ready? Twelve invitations. Steal freely.
1. /plan (and /view-plan): give your future self a map
Before a big change, tell Build you’d like a plan, not a stampede.
/plan Help me outline a safer way for my recipe app's "dark mode" toggle to remember its setting, without two places disagreeing about what's true.Later, peek back:
/view-planWhy this feels good: you get to think out loud with structure. You’re not “slowing the AI down.” You’re teaching it that clarity is part of the work.
t: Modes and Commands. The docs lag the product. If your menu and the docs disagree, believe the menu. You’re not broken. You’re just on a newer (or older) Tuesday.
Quick boundary: Grok Bot uses / mostly to pick a saved skill, and @ to tap a teammate. Tonight we’re only in Build.
First, a tiny pep talk about the terminal
The terminal is a text doorway. That’s it.
It’s not grading you. It doesn’t know whether you feel smart today. It waits. You type. Something happens. Sometimes you mistype and try again. That is a normal human loop, not a failure.
That slash opens a menu of commands. Not a scavenger hunt. Not a secret handshake. A menu. Think of it less like “hacking” and more like opening the app drawer on your phone. You tap (well, type) what you want. The tool meets you halfway.
If you’ve only used Grok on the website or in X, that’s wonderful. Keep using that. Consumer Grok is great for chatting, imagining pictures, talking out loud, exploring ideas on the couch.
Grok Build is the cousin who hangs out near your projects. Same family energy. Different room in the house.
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