| name | help-command |
| description | Use when writing or fixing a `*-help` slash command in a plugin under harness/plugins/ — a command whose only job is to print a static help table/guide. Trigger on "add a help command", "write a help command", "the help command prints junk / shows load summary instead of the table", "fix code-help/work-help". |
Writing a *-help command
A help command is a Claude Code slash command whose body is static reference content (a command table, a usage guide). Its only job: print that content verbatim. It must not reason, summarize, or call tools.
Where it lives
harness/plugins/<plugin>/commands/<name>-help.md. The plugin dir is the plugin root; commands/*.md auto-register as /<plugin>:<name>-help.
Structure
---
name: <name>-help
description: Show all /<thing> subcommands with one-line descriptions.
---
Print the following table verbatim. No preamble, no commentary, no tool calls — output only the markdown below.
## `/<thing> <subcommand>` — full list
| Subcommand | Does |
|---|---|
| `foo` *(default)* | … |
| `bar` | … |
The one rule that matters
Open the body with an explicit verbatim directive:
Print the following <table|guide> verbatim. No preamble, no commentary, no tool calls — output only the markdown below.
A slash-command file is injected as a prompt, then the model responds. A soft lead-in like Display this table: lets the model paraphrase, add chatter, or fire tool calls instead of printing the content. The directive above pins it to emit the block and nothing else.
Checklist
- Frontmatter
name: matches the filename (code-help → code-help.md).
- Body = verbatim directive, then the static content. No logic, no
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} references, no tool use.
- Keep every help command in the plugin consistent — same directive wording.
- Editing files under
harness/plugins/<plugin>/ trips the pre-commit hook → that plugin's plugin.json minor-bumps on commit. Expected.
- Reload to test:
/reload-plugins, then run /<plugin>:<name>-help.
