[BUG] Slash commands not working - "Unknown skill" error for all built-in commands

[tallevin]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Environment:

• Claude Code version: 2.1.11
• OS: macOS (Tahoe 26.2.0)
• Shell: zsh
• Installation method: npm

Steps to reproduce:

1. Start claude
2. Type /help and press enter
3. Observe error: Unknown skill: help

Expected behavior:
Built-in slash commands should execute normally and appear in autocomplete.

Actual behavior:
All slash commands show "Unknown skill: [command]" error.

Troubleshooting attempted:

• Full uninstall and reinstall of Claude Code
• Cleared ~/.claude/cache
• Removed ~/.claude/settings.local.json
• Removed ~/.mcp.json
• Completely deleted ~/.claude directory
• Tested in clean directory (/tmp)
• Downgraded to version 2.1.0
• Issue persists in all cases

What Should Happen?

Expected behavior:
Built-in slash commands should execute normally and appear in autocomplete.

Error Messages/Logs

All slash commands show "Unknown skill: [command]" error.

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to reproduce:

1. Start claude
2. Type /help and press enter
3. Observe error: Unknown skill: help

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

v2.1.11

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

No response

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] Built-in commands treated as unknown skills in v2.0.74 #18677
2. [BUG] Slash commands not loading in version 2.0.27 - "Unknown slash command" error #10294
3. [Bug] Most build-in Slash Commands Not Working in VS Code Extension 2.0.x #8860

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[llermaly]

I'm seeing this same issue when using GH actions.

[kasvith]

Same issue with /frontend-design

[amosjyng]

It seemed to fail the first time and then succeed the second time in the same conversation. Even the agent picked up on it:

It worked this time! Strange - the Skill tool must have had a transient issue earlier.

[Teckden]

I'm seeing a similar issue with MCP executable prompts. They show up when I type /, but selecting them gives "Unknown skill" error

[regnarock]

I face the same issue when typing /keybindings on the latest released (2.1.19)

[AIchark]

Possible lead: custom skill named run triggering the issue

I experienced the same "Unknown skill" error for all built-in slash commands (/help, /doctor, /compact, etc.) on v2.1.34, macOS Darwin 24.6.0.

After troubleshooting, I discovered that the issue started after I created a custom skill named run (at .claude/skills/run/). Deleting this skill immediately resolved the issue — all slash commands worked again without reinstalling or restarting.

This is a hypothesis, not a confirmed root cause — it's possible something else about the skill (e.g. its content or YAML header) caused the conflict rather than the name itself. But the correlation was clear and reproducible in my case.

The name "run" may conflict with an internal command or keyword in the skill resolution system. This could be a useful direction for investigating the root cause.