Custom Commands

OpenOrca supports user-defined slash commands via markdown template files. Create a .md file in a commands directory and it becomes a slash command.

Command Directories

Location	Scope	Priority
.orca/commands/	Project-level	Checked first
~/.openorca/commands/	Global	Fallback

Project-level commands take priority over global commands with the same name. Built-in commands (like /help, /clear, etc.) always take priority over custom commands.

Creating a Command

Create a markdown file in one of the command directories. The filename (without .md) becomes the command name.

Example: /review-pr

Create .orca/commands/review-pr.md:

Please review PR #{{ARG1}} thoroughly. Focus on:

1. Code style and consistency
2. Security vulnerabilities
3. Test coverage
4. Performance implications

Additional context: {{ARGS}}

Example: /deploy

Create .orca/commands/deploy.md:

Deploy the application to {{ARG1}} environment.

Steps:
1. Run all tests
2. Build in Release mode
3. Deploy to {{ARG1}}

Extra flags: {{ARG2}}

Template Variables

Templates support the following substitution variables:

Variable	Description
{{ARGS}}	All user arguments joined with spaces
{{ARG1}}	First positional argument
{{ARG2}}	Second positional argument
{{ARG3}}	Third positional argument (and so on)

Variables that don't have a corresponding argument are left as-is in the template.

Usage

> /review-pr 123
> /deploy staging --verbose
> /lint src/

When a custom command runs:

1. The template file is loaded
2. {{ARGS}} and {{ARGn}} variables are substituted
3. The expanded template is injected as a user message
4. The agent loop runs to process it (with full tool access)

Discovery

Custom commands are discovered when OpenOrca starts. Use /help to see available custom commands listed under "Custom Commands".

Tips

• Use custom commands for repetitive workflows (PR reviews, deployments, code generation patterns)
• Global commands in ~/.openorca/commands/ work across all projects
• Project commands in .orca/commands/ can be committed to version control for team sharing
• The template is sent as a regular user message, so the LLM has full tool access to execute it