Guide

Ask Claude Code a side question without breaking its focus

Published 24 October 2026 · Updated 31 October 2026

A dark terminal window showing the /btw command followed by a question about a function

Short answerType /btw followed by a question while Claude Code is working. The answer appears in an overlay, the main task is not interrupted, and neither the question nor the answer enters your conversation.

Claude Code is halfway through a big task and you suddenly wonder what one function does. If you type a normal message, you interrupt the job and clutter the chat. /btw is the side door.

How to use it

Terminal

/btw what does parseToken do in auth.js?

It works even while Claude is busy. The main task keeps going.
The answer shows in an overlay you can dismiss.
The question and the answer never enter the conversation, so the chat stays short and the main task keeps its focus.

The one big limit

/btw answers only from what Claude has already read in this session. It cannot open new files or run commands.

Need it to dig deeper?

Press F on the answer. It forks into a background helper that can use tools.

Good uses

"What does this flag mean?" while a refactor runs.
"Which file did we change first?" without scrolling.
A quick check on a name or a number.

Claude Code changes often. If /btw is missing on your version, type /help to see what you have.

When a normal message is better

If you want Claude to change course, or the answer needs files it has not read yet, send a normal message or press F to fork, as above. /btw is for quick looks, not new instructions.