docs/chat-commands.md
These commands work inside chat channels and interactive agent sessions:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/new | Stop current task and start a new conversation |
/stop | Stop the current task |
/restart | Restart the bot |
/status | Show bot status |
/model | Show the current model and available model presets |
/model <preset> | Switch the runtime model preset for future turns |
/dream | Run Dream memory consolidation now |
/dream-log | Show the latest Dream memory change |
/dream-log <sha> | Show a specific Dream memory change |
/dream-restore | List recent Dream memory versions |
/dream-restore <sha> | Restore memory to the state before a specific change |
/skill | List enabled skills and their descriptions |
/pairing | List pending pairing requests |
/pairing approve <code> | Approve a pairing code |
/pairing deny <code> | Deny a pending pairing request |
/pairing revoke <user_id> | Revoke a previously approved user on the current channel |
/pairing revoke <channel> <user_id> | Revoke a previously approved user on a specific channel |
/help | Show available in-chat commands |
When someone sends a DM to the bot and isn't on the allowlist — whether it's a new user or an existing user on a new channel — nanobot automatically replies with a pairing code (like ABCD-EFGH) that expires in 10 minutes. To grant them access:
/pairing approve ABCD-EFGH
To see who's waiting, use /pairing. To remove someone later, use /pairing revoke <user_id> — you can find user IDs in the /pairing list output.
See Configuration: Pairing for the full setup guide.
Use /model to inspect the current runtime model:
/model
The response shows the current model, the current preset, and the available preset names. Named presets come from the top-level modelPresets config and are the recommended way to configure model choices. default is always available and represents the model settings from direct agents.defaults.* fields.
To switch presets for future turns:
/model fast
/model deep
/model default
Preset names come from the top-level modelPresets config. Switching is runtime-only: it does not rewrite config.json, and an in-progress turn keeps using the model it started with. See Configuration: Model presets for setup details.
Periodic tasks are driven by HEARTBEAT.md in your workspace (~/.nanobot/workspace/HEARTBEAT.md). When nanobot gateway starts, it registers a protected heartbeat cron job by default. Every 30 minutes, that job checks the file; if it finds tasks under ## Active Tasks, the agent executes them and delivers results to your most recently active chat channel. If there are no active tasks, the heartbeat is skipped silently.
Setup: edit ~/.nanobot/workspace/HEARTBEAT.md (created automatically by nanobot onboard):
## Active Tasks
- Check weather forecast and send a summary
- Scan inbox for urgent emails
The agent can also manage this file itself — ask it to "add a periodic task" and it will update HEARTBEAT.md for you. Completed tasks should be deleted from the file, not moved to another section.
You can change the interval or disable the built-in heartbeat in ~/.nanobot/config.json:
{
"gateway": {
"heartbeat": {
"enabled": true,
"intervalS": 1800
}
}
}
The heartbeat job is visible in cron(action="list") as heartbeat, but it is system-managed and cannot be removed with the cron tool. To stop it, set gateway.heartbeat.enabled to false and restart the gateway.
Note: The gateway must be running (
nanobot gateway) and you must have chatted with the bot at least once so it knows which channel to deliver to.