Startup message "/voice to enable" is misleading — /voice is not a valid command

[anmolp1]

Goal

The startup banner tells users to run /voice to enable voice mode, but /voice is not a recognized command. Users hit a dead end immediately after following the on-screen instruction. The message should either point to the correct enablement method or /voice should work as advertised.

Problem

The startup banner displays:

✻ Voice mode is now available · /voice to enable

Typing /voice returns "Unknown skill: voice". The actual way to enable voice mode is setting voiceEnabled: true in ~/.claude/settings.json or via /config.

This creates a frustrating first-touch experience — the product surfaces a feature and tells you exactly how to activate it, but the instruction doesn't work.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start Claude Code (v2.1.74) — observe the startup banner says /voice to enable
2. Type /voice
3. Get error: Unknown skill: voice

Context

• Voice mode does work once voiceEnabled: true is set in settings — the feature itself is fine
• The issue is purely the startup message pointing to a non-existent command
• Users who don't know to check settings will assume voice mode is broken or unavailable
• This was encountered on macOS with Claude Code v2.1.74 (Opus 4.6, Claude Max)

Proposed Resolutions

Option A (minimal fix): Update the startup message text to point to the correct method:

✻ Voice mode is now available · enable in /config or settings.json

Option B (ideal UX): Make /voice a valid command that:

1. If voice mode is disabled → toggles voiceEnabled: true in settings and confirms
2. If voice mode is already enabled → starts a voice input session (or shows usage instructions)

This would make the startup message accurate as-is and give users a zero-friction activation path.

Option C (remove ambiguity): If /voice won't be implemented, remove the startup banner entirely for users who haven't enabled voice mode, and only show voice-related hints after enablement.

Success Criteria

• Typing /voice (or whatever the message recommends) successfully enables voice mode
• Startup message accurately reflects the enablement method
• No dead-end UX — every on-screen instruction leads to a working action

Failure Criteria

• Startup message still references a non-existent command
• User must discover the real enablement path through external documentation or trial-and-error
• /voice silently fails or returns an unhelpful error

Environment

• Claude Code v2.1.74
• macOS Darwin 25.3.0
• Opus 4.6 with high effort · Claude Max

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. /effort slash command shown in status bar but returns 'Unknown skill: effort' #33000
2. [BUG] slash command /btw shown in tips but returns 'Unknown skill' when feature flag isn't enabled. #33403
3. [BUG] /btw slash command suggested in tips but not implemented #33433

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[anmolp1]

The other issues are about something else, for ex, commands starting with /btw. This is about voice mode