[FEATURE] Support `skills:` frontmatter in slash commands to load skills into command context
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
- [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)
Problem Statement
The 2.1.0 release added excellent support for running slash commands in forked contexts via context: fork in frontmatter, and specifying agent types via the agent: field. However, there's currently no way to load specific skills into a slash command's context.
This is different from #14886 which requests skill injection into spawned agents. This request is about loading skills directly into the slash command's own context (whether inline or forked).
Current state (2.1.0):
---
description: My command
context: fork
model: haiku
agent: general-purpose
hooks: ...
---
Desired addition:
---
description: My command
context: fork
model: haiku
skills: my-skill # or skills: [skill-a, skill-b]
---
Proposed Solution
Add a skills: frontmatter field to slash commands that loads the specified skill(s) into the command's context before execution.
Syntax options:
# Single skill
skills: my-skill
# Multiple skills (array)
skills:
- skill-a
- skill-b
Behavior:
- When the slash command is invoked, the specified skill SKILL.md content is loaded into the context
- Works with both inline commands and
context: forkcommands - Skills are loaded before the command prompt is processed
- Skill resolution follows standard skill lookup (project
.claude/skills/, user~/.claude/skills/, plugins)
Alternative Solutions
Current workaround: Include instructions in the command prompt to read skill files:
---
description: My command
context: fork
---
First read and follow the instructions in .claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md
Then do: $ARGUMENTS
Problems with workaround:
- Not guaranteed (Claude may skip or summarize)
- Extra tool call overhead
- No validation that skill exists
- Poor developer experience
Priority
Medium - Would be very helpful
Feature Category
CLI commands and flags
Use Case Example
Scenario: Specialized code review command
-
I have a
code-standardsskill that defines my team's coding conventions -
I want a
/reviewcommand that reviews code using those standards -
Currently I must either:
- Duplicate the skill content in the command (maintenance burden)
- Hope Claude reads the skill file when instructed (unreliable)
- Create a full agent just for this (overkill)
-
With this feature:
# .claude/commands/review.md
---
description: Review code using team standards
context: fork
model: haiku
skills: code-standards
---
Review the following code for adherence to our coding standards:
$ARGUMENTS
The code-standards skill is automatically loaded, ensuring consistent reviews without duplication or extra tool calls.
Additional Context
Relationship to 2.1.0 features:
The 2.1.0 changelog added several frontmatter fields for skills and slash commands:
-
context: fork- run in forked sub-agent context -
agent- specify agent type for execution -
hooks- define lifecycle hooks
Adding skills: would complete this pattern, allowing commands to compose with skills the same way agents can compose with skills.
Related issues:
- #14886 - Command-triggered agent spawning with skill injection (different: injects into agents, not commands)
- #16410 -
forwards-tofor command aliasing (different: replaces command, not augments)
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