Add slash command to reload skills/commands without restarting

Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Feb 5, 2026 by shawnmitchell Closed Feb 5, 2026

Feature Request

Add a /reload or /refresh command that reloads skills and commands from disk without requiring a full session restart.

Problem

When developing or adding new custom commands (e.g., ~/.claude/commands/*.md), users must restart the Claude Code session to pick up changes. This is frustrating because:

  1. Context loss - Restarting loses all conversation context, which can be substantial during a work session
  2. Development friction - Testing new commands requires constant restarts
  3. Workflow disruption - Users may be mid-task when they realize they need a new command

Proposed Solution

Add a built-in command like /reload-skills or /refresh that:

  • Re-scans ~/.claude/commands/ and ~/.claude/skills/
  • Re-scans project-level .claude/commands/ and .claude/skills/
  • Reloads plugin skills if applicable
  • Preserves conversation context

Alternatives Considered

  • Hot-reload with file watchers (more complex, may have performance implications)
  • Partial reload (only new files) vs full reload

Additional Context

This would significantly improve the developer experience when creating custom commands and skills.

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