Ask Side Questions with /btw

Use /btw to ask a question about your current work without adding it to the conversation.

/btw what was the name of that config file again?

The point is context hygiene. The question and the answer never enter the conversation history, so a quick check does not distract the main session.

What it can and cannot do

/btw sees the full conversation: your messages, Claude’s replies, and the tool results gathered so far. It has no tool access. Claude cannot read files, run commands, or search when answering a side question.

So use it for what Claude already knows from this session or from its own knowledge. When something has to be looked up, use a subagent or ask in the main conversation.

• You can run /btw while Claude is working. It does not interrupt the main turn.
• Each answer is a single response. To continue the thread, ask another /btw, or press f to fork the question and answer into a background subagent with full tool access.
• Running /btw with no question reopens your most recent side question (v2.1.212 or later).

Good uses

• Recalling a detail from earlier in the session: a file name, a decision, an error Claude already saw.
• Explaining an error message that is already on screen.
• Quick syntax questions.
• Asking for a tiny concept refresher.

Avoid it for

• Anything that needs a file read, a command, or a web search.
• Decisions that should affect the implementation.
• Requirements Claude needs to remember.
• Findings that should be part of the final plan.

If the answer matters to the task, put it in the main conversation.