Command Reference

This page is a quick-reference companion to Operating Modes & Commands. Use it to look up slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, and tool approval settings.

Slash Commands

Slash commands are prefixed with / and provide quick access to CLI features without leaving the conversation. They are the primary way to control Copilot CLI behavior during an interactive session.

Discovering Commands

• Type /help to see the full list of available commands
• Press ctrl+x then / to run a command via keyboard shortcut
• Commands are tab-completable. Start typing / followed by the first letters

Command Categories

Category	Commands	Purpose
Session	/clear, /session, /resume, /rename, /usage	Manage session lifecycle
Navigation	/cwd, /cd, /add-dir, /list-dirs	Control directory scope
Context	/context, /compact	Monitor and optimize token usage
Tools	/allow-all, /yolo, /reset-allowed-tools	Manage tool permissions at runtime
Review	/diff, /review, /plan	Code review and planning workflows
Configuration	/model, /mcp, /theme, /terminal-setup, /experimental	Customize CLI behavior
Extensibility	/skills, /plugin, /agent	Manage skills, plugins, and agents
Sharing	/share, /feedback	Export sessions and submit feedback
Account	/login, /logout, /user	Authentication and user management
System	/help, /exit, /quit, /init, /tasks, /lsp, /update, /changelog	General utilities

Keyboard Shortcuts

In addition to slash commands, Copilot CLI supports keyboard shortcuts:

Full Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
@	Mention files: include file contents in context
!	Execute a shell command directly (bypass Copilot; also the only way to access shell mode since v0.0.410)
Esc	Cancel the current operation
ctrl+x → /	Run a slash command
ctrl+c	Cancel operation / clear input / exit
ctrl+d	Shutdown / exit CLI on empty prompt (v0.0.410+)
ctrl+l	Clear the screen
ctrl+n	Navigate down (alternative to down arrow, v0.0.410+)
ctrl+p	Navigate up (alternative to up arrow, v0.0.410+)
ctrl+o	Expand recent timeline (when no input)
ctrl+e	Expand all timeline (when no input); or cycle to end of visual/logical line (v0.0.413+ overrides in edit mode)
ctrl+t	Toggle model reasoning display
ctrl+a	Cycle to beginning of visual line; repeated press goes to beginning of logical line (v0.0.413+)
ctrl+u	Delete to beginning of logical line (v0.0.413+)
ctrl+y	Edit plan in terminal editor (v0.0.412+)
ctrl+x → ctrl+e	Edit prompt in terminal editor (v0.0.412+)
ctrl+z	Suspend/resume CLI (Unix platforms only, v0.0.410+)
ctrl+insert	Copy selected text in alt-screen mode (v0.0.413+)
Home / End	Navigate within visual line (v0.0.415+)
ctrl+Home / ctrl+End	Jump to text boundaries (v0.0.415+)
Shift+Tab	Cycle through modes: (suggest) ⟷ (normal) since v0.0.410; use ! for shell mode
Shift+Enter	Insert newline in prompt (requires kitty keyboard protocol, v0.0.410+)
Page Up / Page Down	Scroll in alt-screen mode (v0.0.410+)
Double-click	Select word in alt-screen mode (v0.0.412+)
Triple-click	Select line in alt-screen mode (v0.0.412+)

warning

Some keyboard shortcuts require specific terminal capabilities:

• Shift+Enter for newlines requires terminals with kitty keyboard protocol support
• Ctrl+Z suspend/resume works on Unix platforms only
• Page Up/Down, Double/Triple-click require alt-screen mode support
• Ctrl+Y and Ctrl+X Ctrl+E require a terminal editor (set via $EDITOR or $VISUAL)

Key Commands Not Covered in Other Modules

Some commands are covered in depth in later modules (/mcp in Module 6, /skills in Module 7, /plugin in Module 8, /context and /compact in Module 11). The following important commands are unique to this section:

Command	Description
/plan [prompt]	Ask Copilot to create an implementation plan before writing code
/review [prompt]	Run a code review agent to analyze changes
/diff	Review all changes made in the current directory during the session
/init	Initialize Copilot instructions and agentic features for a repository
/tasks	View and manage background tasks (subagents, shell sessions)
/rename <name>	Rename the current session for easy identification
/theme [show|set|list]	View or configure the terminal color theme
/terminal-setup	Configure terminal for multiline input support (shift+enter)
/lsp	View configured Language Server Protocol servers
/user [show|list|switch]	Manage GitHub user list (multi-account support)
/update	View update instructions for the latest Copilot CLI version
/changelog	View the changelog for recent Copilot CLI releases

Tool Approval Reference

Approval Options Explained

Option	Behavior	Risk Level
Yes	Allow this one time	Low - Full control
Yes, for session	Allow all similar for session	Medium - Review first use
No	Deny and redirect	None - Maximum safety

Dangerous Commands to Watch

⚠️ Be careful approving session-wide permissions for:

• rm - File deletion
• chmod - Permission changes
• git push - Pushing to remote
• sudo - Elevated privileges
• Network commands - Data exfiltration risk

Safe Commands for Session Approval

✅ Generally safe for session-wide approval:

• ls, cat, head, tail - Read-only
• git status, git log, git diff - Read-only git
• pwd, echo - Environment queries
• Linters and formatters - Analysis only

Summary

• Slash commands provide quick access to CLI features via /command syntax
• Keyboard shortcuts offer fast navigation and control (e.g., @ for files, ! for shell)
• Tool approval has one-time and session-wide options
• Be cautious with session-wide approval for destructive commands
• Use /help to discover all available commands at any time

References

• About Copilot CLI - GitHub Docs
• Use Copilot CLI - GitHub Docs
• Copilot Coding Agent