🧠 Reasoning & Analysis
| Cheat Code | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
/think | Enable extended thinking | /think plan a 12-week course |
/chainofthought | Show reasoning steps | /chainofthought debug SQL |
/critique | Critique the given text | /critique this pitch deck copy |
/redteam | Attack your own plan | /redteam launch strategy |
/steelman | Best version of opposing view | /steelman remote-first |
/assumptions | Surface hidden assumptions | /assumptions our pricing model |
/tradeoffs | Name the trade-offs | /tradeoffs Postgres vs Mongo |
📚 Long-Context (200K)
Claude handles very long inputs — use these to steer what it does with them.
| Cheat Code | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
<document>…</document> | Tag source material | <document>{paste}</document> |
/faithful | Only use provided text | /faithful summarise <document> |
/cite | Quote sources inline | /cite claims with page numbers |
/extract | Pull structured fields | /extract names, dates, amounts |
/dedupe | Remove duplicate points | /dedupe these bullet lists |
/index | Build a topical index | /index this 80-page PDF |
/redact | Mask PII in output | /redact emails and phones |
✍️ Writing (Claude excels here)
| Cheat Code | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
/rewrite | Rewrite in same tone | /rewrite tighter, keep voice |
/editorial | Editor pass | /editorial line edit this essay |
/tone | Shift tone | /tone warm but direct |
/style | Match a style sample | /style <sample>…</sample> |
/humanize | Sound less AI | /humanize this LinkedIn draft |
/explainer | Long-form explainer | /explainer VAT for freelancers |
/faq | Convert to FAQ | /faq this help article |
💻 Claude Code / Coding
| Cheat Code | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
/plan | Plan before coding | /plan a rate limiter |
/write | Write the code | /write the module from plan |
/test | Generate tests | /test edge cases too |
/review | Review a diff | /review <diff>…</diff> |
/refactor | Refactor safely | /refactor extract handlers |
/typescript | TS-first output | /typescript strict, no any |
/nofluff | Code only, no prose | /nofluff /write |
🤖 Roles & Guardrails
| Cheat Code | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
/actas | Adopt a role | /actas senior legal writer |
/audience | Set the reader | /audience non-technical CFO |
/format | Lock the output shape | <format>markdown table</format> |
/constraints | Hard constraints | <constraints>≤200 words</constraints> |
/safe | Refuse if unsafe | /safe legal boundaries only |
/uncertain | Flag uncertainty | /uncertain rate 0-1 per claim |
⭐ The Master Formula
Stack shortcuts inside a structured prompt to get repeatable, high-quality output every time.
<role>Senior policy writer</role>
<task>{what you want}</task>
<document>{paste sources}</document>
<format>Markdown with H2s, tables where useful</format>
<constraints>Max 600 words. Cite from <document> only.</constraints>Frequently asked questions
Does Claude actually parse XML tags?
It doesn't 'parse' them, but Anthropic's own docs recommend XML tags because Claude was trained to treat them as strong structural signals.
Is extended thinking always better?
No. Use /think for planning, multi-step reasoning, or ambiguous problems. For simple rewrites it just adds latency.