Claude Code: Commands Frontmatter Reference

Quick-reference tables for defining custom commands in .claude/commands/<name>.md.

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Frontmatter Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`description`	string	Recommended	Short description shown in autocomplete when user types `/`
`model`	string	No	Model override for this command (e.g., `haiku`, `sonnet`)

Commands have minimal frontmatter compared to agents and skills — they are lightweight entry points that delegate heavy work to agents.

Invocation

Method	Example
Slash command	User types `/command-name` at the prompt
With arguments	`/command-name arg1 arg2` — arguments are appended to the prompt

Scope Levels

Scope	Location	Shared
Project	`.claude/commands/*.md`	Yes (committed to repo)
User	`~/.claude/commands/*.md`	No (personal, all projects)

Both scopes are available simultaneously — project commands appear alongside user commands.

Template Variables

Available inside command markdown via ${VARIABLE}:

Variable	Description
`${ARGUMENTS}`	Arguments passed after the command name
`${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}`	Current session identifier
`${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}`	Project root directory path

Example: Orchestrator Command

---
description: Fetch and transform weather data for Karachi
model: haiku
---

# Weather Orchestrator

1. Ask the user for temperature unit preference
2. Use the Task tool to invoke the weather agent
3. Report the results

Commands in This Repository

Command	Model	Description	Delegates To
`weather-orchestrator`	haiku	Fetch and transform Karachi weather	weather agent

Intentionally Not Documented Here

These items were identified during the 2.1.0–2.1.49 audit but belong in other reports:

Item	Reason	Where It Belongs
Skill `user-invocable` field	Skill-specific frontmatter	claude-skills-frontmatter.md
Skill `${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}` variable	Skill-specific template variable	claude-skills-frontmatter.md
Agent `memory` frontmatter	Already covered in depth	claude-agent-memory.md
claude.ai MCP connectors	Product feature, not settings	N/A
`chat:newline` keybinding	Keybindings reference, not settings	claude-commands.md (Keyboard Shortcuts section)

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