Additional
Message Box Shortcuts
Synced from github.com/CoWork-OS/CoWork-OS/docs
Message box shortcuts are slash-searchable commands in the main composer. They share one picker with skill-backed workflow shortcuts so users can discover app actions and reusable workflows from the same / menu.
This page documents the current concept, runtime behavior, authoring model, and implementation contract.
Concept
There are two shortcut families:
| Family | Source | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| App commands | Shared deterministic catalog in the app | Runs a fixed UI/app behavior or starts a safe built-in workflow |
| Workflow shortcuts | Skills and plugin-pack slashCommands | Invokes a skill through the existing skills runtime |
The picker merges these sources in this order:
- App commands
- Built-in onboarding commands
- Plugin-pack slash command aliases
- Enabled task skills with valid slash-safe IDs
Visible command names are always valid slash tokens such as /batch-rename, not skill display names with spaces.
App Commands
The built-in app command catalog is:
| Command | Behavior |
|---|---|
/side [question] | Opens a right-side Side Chat panel for the selected active task. The side task is a read-only chat fork that can answer questions about the parent session without steering, stopping, approving, or mutating the parent task. If [question] is provided, it is sent as the first side-chat message. See Side Chat. |
/schedule ... | Creates, lists, enables, disables, or deletes scheduled tasks through the deterministic schedule handler. Plain /schedule ... creates standalone scheduled work; /schedule here ... and schedule prompts that clearly ask to return to this conversation create a scheduled follow-up for the selected task thread. |
/clear | Clears the current task/chat view without deleting history and without switching the current workspace. |
/plan <task> | Creates a new task in Plan execution mode using <task> as the prompt. |
/cost <task> | Creates an Analyze-mode estimate request for token usage, model cost, runtime, and risk without executing the requested task. |
/goal <objective> | Starts a fresh persistent-goal task. The task stores the objective in its agent configuration, enables deep-work continuations, and keeps working until the goal is complete, blocked, paused, or cleared. |
/goal | Reports the selected task's persistent-goal status. |
/goal pause | Pauses the selected task's persistent goal. |
/goal resume | Resumes the selected task's persistent goal and continues work from the current task state. |
/goal clear | Clears the selected task's persistent goal metadata. |
/multitask [N] <task> | Starts a fresh collaborative multitask run. CoWork strips the command prefix, splits the request into N lane-specific child tasks (2-8, default 4), runs them through the existing team orchestrator, and synthesizes the result. See Multitask Command. |
/compact [context] | Starts a safe continuation-brief workflow that summarizes context, decisions, open questions, constraints, and next actions. |
/doctor [context] | Starts a diagnostic workflow for workspace/app state, integrations, permissions, skills, commands, and setup issues. It should not make changes unless explicitly asked. |
/undo [context] | Starts a safe undo-planning workflow. It does not roll back, delete, or modify anything unless the user explicitly approves a follow-up action. |
/review [target] | Invokes the code-review workflow for local changes, a PR, or the requested focus in the current regular workspace. It is unavailable in temporary workspaces. |
/clear is intentionally view-only. It deselects the current task and clears visible events, but it does not delete task history or move the user into a new temporary workspace.
/side requires a selected task because the side conversation is scoped to that parent session. It accepts text questions only. The visible Side Chat panel shows only side-chat messages; inherited parent transcript and live parent-status context remain hidden prompt context. Status-style questions such as how is it going? receive a fresh parent-status snapshot before the side response is generated.
Workflow Shortcuts
Workflow shortcuts are regular skills exposed through slash tokens.
They can come from:
- a skill ID such as
/llm-wiki - a plugin-pack alias from
slashCommands, such as/gmail-summary-drive - the bundled CoWork Shortcuts pack
/review is the code-review shortcut. It routes to the bundled code-reviewer skill, passes the text after /review as the review target or focus, and is read-only by default. Examples:
/review all uncommitted fixes
/review PR #123
/review focus on security and migration risk
Because code review depends on a real project checkout and git state, /review only runs from a regular workspace. Temporary workspaces reject the command and ask the user to switch to a workspace first.
When a plugin alias exists, the backend resolves the visible command token to the target skillId. Alias precedence matches the picker: if a plugin alias and a direct skill ID collide on the same visible token, the plugin alias wins when its target skill is enabled and available. If the alias target is missing or disabled, resolution falls back to the direct skill when one exists.
Unknown slash commands and invalid slash tokens are ignored by the generic skill resolver.
Remote channel slash commands use the gateway command registry instead of the desktop picker. There, recognized commands are handled by the gateway and unknown slash commands return an explicit in-channel unknown-command reply. See Gateway Message Lifecycle.
Parameter Behavior
Selecting a skill-backed shortcut from the / picker inserts the command token into the message box and leaves the cursor after it. This lets the user add natural-language context before launch:
/litigation-legal-demand-intake unpaid invoices acme logistics
Manually typing /<alias> ... works the same as selecting it from autocomplete and then sending. App commands also insert the token first, except for immediate UI-only controls such as /clear and built-in onboarding launchers.
This keeps skill authoring and enable/disable behavior inside the existing skills and plugin-pack system.
Claude-for-Legal Workflow Cards
Claude-for-Legal plugin-pack commands use the same slash picker and skills runtime as other workflow shortcuts, with one extra main-view affordance for workflows that need structured matter context:
/litigation-legal-demand-intake ...shows a specialized demand-letter intake card in the task view.- Other legal commands that benefit from matter context, such as
/privacy-legal-dpa-review ...or/commercial-legal-saas-msa-review ..., show a generic legal workflow details card. - Legal pack management commands, such as
/legal-builder-hub-disable, do not show matter-intake UI.
Submitting the card sends a follow-up message to the same task; blank fields are preserved so the workflow can flag missing inputs. See Claude-for-Legal Workflows.
CoWork Shortcuts Pack
CoWork OS ships a bundled CoWork Shortcuts plugin pack at:
resources/plugin-packs/cowork-shortcuts/cowork.plugin.json
The manifest ID is cowork-shortcuts-pack.
The pack seeds general productivity workflow shortcuts as skills. They are not hard-coded app actions.
Core workflow shortcuts:
/strategy/review- code-review local changes or a pull request in the current workspace/memory
File and workspace workflows:
/batch-rename/smart-deduplication/folder-structure/archive-stale-files/template-generator/recursive-search-extract/format-converter/size-audit
Communication and calendar workflows:
/gmail-summary-drive/calendar-prep-brief/slack-action-items/email-chain-resolver/meeting-notes-distributor/daily-inbox-zero/monday-planning-brief/end-of-day-log
Cross-source and document workflows:
/drive-analysis-slides/multi-source-report/cross-platform-search/voice-note-draft/meeting-recording-notes/research-executive-brief/proposal-customizer/contract-plain-english/spreadsheet-narrative/content-repurposing/weekly-newsletter/weekly-file-cleanup/monthly-financial-organizer/competitive-scan
These shortcuts use optional input parameters so picker selection inserts the slash token and lets the user add context before launch.
Enable, Disable, and Refresh
Shortcut availability follows existing skill and pack state:
- Disabling a plugin pack removes its aliases from the picker and backend resolution.
- Disabling an individual pack skill removes aliases targeting that skill.
- Disabled skills do not appear as direct skill commands.
- The picker refreshes after pack/skill toggles and on window focus.
Customize remains the authoring and enable/disable surface. There is no separate shortcut editor.
Implementation Landmarks
| Area | Files |
|---|---|
| App command catalog and parser | src/shared/message-shortcuts.ts |
| Renderer picker option builder | src/renderer/utils/message-slash-options.ts |
| Main composer integration | src/renderer/components/MainContent.tsx |
Side Chat panel and /side app wiring | src/renderer/components/SideChatPanel.tsx, src/renderer/App.tsx |
| Side task fork and live parent-status injection | src/electron/agent/daemon.ts |
| Side Chat prompt rules and read-only chat execution | src/electron/agent/executor.ts |
| Claude-for-Legal intake detection and follow-up serialization | src/renderer/utils/legal-demand-intake.ts |
Safe /clear view handling | src/renderer/App.tsx |
| Plugin alias backend resolution | src/electron/agent/skill-slash-aliases.ts |
| Generic skill slash execution | src/electron/agent/executor.ts |
| Multitask command parser and lane planning | src/shared/multitask-command.ts, src/electron/agents/MultitaskLanePlanner.ts |
| Bundled shortcut pack | resources/plugin-packs/cowork-shortcuts/cowork.plugin.json |
Focused Checks
Run the focused shortcut checks with:
npx vitest run \
src/shared/__tests__/message-shortcuts.test.ts \
src/shared/__tests__/skill-slash-commands.test.ts \
src/electron/agent/__tests__/skill-slash-aliases.test.ts \
src/electron/agent/__tests__/executor-schedule-slash.test.ts \
src/shared/__tests__/multitask-command.test.ts \
src/electron/agents/__tests__/MultitaskLanePlanner.test.ts \
src/electron/agents/__tests__/AgentTeamOrchestrator.test.ts \
src/electron/agent/__tests__/daemon-fork-session.test.ts \
src/electron/agent/__tests__/executor-chat-mode.test.ts \
src/electron/agent/__tests__/tool-policy-pipeline.test.ts \
src/renderer/utils/__tests__/legal-demand-intake.test.ts \
src/renderer/utils/__tests__/message-slash-options.test.ts \
src/renderer/components/__tests__/side-chat-panel.test.ts \
src/renderer/components/__tests__/main-content-working-state.test.ts
For broader validation after shortcut changes, also run:
npm run type-check
npm run build:react