50 ChatGPT "Hidden Commands" — Not an Official Feature, But They Actually Work (Sources Included)

You've probably seen posts claiming ChatGPT has "hidden commands" — tags like "/human" or "/think" you can drop at the start of a prompt to instantly get better answers. Let's clear something up first: these aren't secret features OpenAI built into the system. They're user-invented shorthand that ChatGPT interprets as instructions — putting a short tag in front of your question nudges the model's angle, depth, or tone.

Not official, but the underlying techniques are genuinely effective, and many are backed by OpenAI's own documentation or established research (chain-of-thought, role-play, devil's advocate, and more). Here are 50 tags organized by use case, with sources so you can trust what's actually working here.

1. Deep Thinking

1. /think — Have the AI reason through the problem before answering, instead of giving a surface-level response
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /think My e-commerce site is running a limited Halloween flash sale next week, expecting a 50x traffic spike, and the current setup is a single database —how should I optimize it to avoid crashing?
2. /alt3 — Get three distinct angles on the same answer, so you can compare (adjustable to /alt4, /alt5 — cap it at /alt5, since beyond that the angles start overlapping and get harder to digest)
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /alt3 I'm sellinga caffeine-free herbal black bean tea marketed for better sleep. Write one attention-grabbing Instagram ad line for it.
3. /blind-spot — Have it proactively surface what you might be missing
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /blind-spot I'm planning to launchan Instagram account for Japan-sourced motorcycle gear reselling. What risks might I be overlooking in this plan?
4. /devil — Play devil's advocate, specifically hunting for holes in your argument
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /devil I thinkraising prices by 20% won't hurt sales. Argue against this.
5. /root-cause — Dig down to the actual cause, not just the surface symptom
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /root-cause Recentlymy Instagram post reach suddenly dropped by half. What could be the root cause?
6. /first-principles — Rebuild the answer from first principles instead of reaching for a stock response
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /first-principles Don't copy what competitors do — designa cost-minimal payment and logistics solution for a reselling business from first principles.
7. /worst-case — Lay out the worst-case scenario along with a contingency plan
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /worst-case I'm about to signa one-year exclusive distribution deal with a supplier. Lay out the worst-case scenarios and contingency plans.
8. /assumptions — List the hidden assumptions baked into this answer
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /assumptions I assumemy followers are mostly women aged 20-30. What unverified assumptions might be baked into that belief?

2. Communication & Writing

9. /no-fluff — Cut all the filler, keep only what matters
   
   ChatGPT Prompt Example

   /no-fluff For a small e-commerce site choosinga payment gateway, compare only fees, approval speed, and integration difficulty in a Markdown table.
10. /human — Answer in a more natural, less robotic voice
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /human Share, in first person, a funny little story about"my first solo trip to Japan, where I fell asleep on the train and rode it all the way to the last stop".
11. /eli5 — Explain it like I'm 5
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /eli5 What isan API key, and why is it dangerous if it leaks?
12. /tone-casual — Switch to a relaxed, conversational tone
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /tone-casual Rewritethis product announcement in a casual, friend-to-friend tone.
13. /tone-formal — Switch to a formal, professional tone
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /tone-formal Rewritethis payment reminder message in a formal but polite tone.
14. /shorten — Cut the length in half while keeping the key points
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /shorten Cut this product description's length in half without losing the key selling points.
15. /bullet — Present everything as bullet points, no long paragraphs
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /bullet Reformatthe steps in this tutorial article as bullet points instead of long paragraphs.
16. /story — Explain through a story or analogy instead of listing facts
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /story Explain, through a story rather than a list of rules, whyresellers use tiered exchange-rate markups.

3. Decision-Making & Analysis

17. /pros-cons — Produce a pros-and-cons comparison table
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /pros-cons List a pros-and-cons comparison table forSupplier A's and Supplier B's terms.
18. /decision-matrix — Use a scoring matrix to help you decide
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /decision-matrix I'm deciding whether torun Instagram ads. Use a scoring matrix to help me evaluate it.
19. /risk — Surface the potential risks in this decision
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /risk I'm planning toswitch all products to a pre-order model. Surface the potential risks in this decision.
20. /compare — Compare the differences between two options
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /compare Compare the differences between building a store onWooCommerce versus Shopify.
21. /prioritize — Rank multiple tasks by priority
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /prioritize Prioritize these five to-dos:listing new products, replying to a complaint, reviewing ad reports, restocking, and product photography.

4. Creativity & Brainstorming

22. /brainstorm — Generate a large volume of ideas without filtering
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /brainstorm Brainstorm20 content ideas for Instagram Stories, without filtering any out yet.
23. /wild — Give me one wild, impractical, but genuinely inspiring idea
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /wild Give me one wild, impractical but genuinely inspiringmarketing idea for a reselling business.
24. /remix — Mash up two unrelated concepts to generate something new
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /remix Mash up"Japanese local festivals" and "motorcycle gear unboxing" — two unrelated concepts — into one content idea.
25. /alternative — Give three completely different alternative directions
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /alternative For namingthis new product, give me three completely different alternative directions.

5. Learning & Understanding

26. /teach-me — Use the Socratic method to guide me to the answer myself, instead of just telling me
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /teach-me I want to understandhow customs duty is calculated. Guide me to work it out myself using the Socratic method, don't just give me the answer.
27. /quiz-me — Quiz me on what I just learned
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /quiz-me Quiz me onthe Yoast SEO rules I just learned.
28. /analogy — Explain the abstract concept through a relatable analogy
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /analogy Explain"what is an API" using an everyday analogy.
29. /step-by-step — Break it down into a concrete, actionable sequence of steps
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /step-by-step Break down"how to apply for Meta Business Verification" into concrete steps.

6. Efficiency & Formatting

30. /table — Present the content as a table
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /table Organize the specs ofthese camera models into a table.
31. /tldr — Give me a summary in three sentences or fewer
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /tldr Give me a three-sentence summary ofthis long contract clause.
32. /checklist — Convert this into a checkable checklist
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /checklist Convertthis "new product listing SOP" into a checkable checklist.
33. /template — Give me a ready-to-use template
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /template Give me a reusable template forInstagram post captions.

7. Business & Work

34. /email — Rewrite this as a professional, polished email
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /email Rewritethis complaint-toned message as a professional, polished email to a supplier.
35. /pitch — Frame this as a 30-second elevator pitch
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /pitch Introducemy reselling brand as a 30-second elevator pitch.
36. /negotiate — Give me talking points for this negotiation scenario
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /negotiate My supplierwants to raise prices. Give me talking points I can use in the negotiation.
37. /boss-mode — Review this the way a demanding boss would
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /boss-mode Reviewthis month's marketing plan the way a demanding boss would.
38. /meeting-notes — Turn this conversation into formatted meeting notes
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /meeting-notes Turnthis conversation with a supplier into formatted meeting notes.
39. /objection — Predict likely objections and prepare responses to them
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /objection Customers might object thatreselling prices are higher than Japan's official site. Predict their objections and prepare responses.

8. Code & Technical

40. /debug — Find where this code is likely to break
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /debug ThisNuxt API route keeps returning 500 errors. Help me find where it's likely breaking.
41. /explain-code — Explain this code line by line
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /explain-code Explainthis scraper code line by line.
42. /refactor — Improve this code's readability and efficiency
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /refactor Refactorthis repeatedly-duplicated product pricing calculation logic.
43. /edge-case — List the edge cases this logic might be missing
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /edge-case What edge cases mightthis order-total calculation logic be missing (e.g. zero-dollar orders, negative discounts)?

9. Emotional Support & Growth

44. /reframe — Reframe this in a more constructive, positive light
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /reframe The negotiation withmy supplier fell through. Reframe this in a more constructive, positive light.
45. /vent — Just let me vent first, don't jump straight to advice
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /vent I'm exhausted fromhandling customer complaints today. Just let me vent first, don't jump to advice.
46. /coach — Ask coaching questions to help me clarify my goal, instead of giving direct advice
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /coach I'm unsure whether topivot my reselling business into a private-label brand. Use coaching questions to help me clarify my goal.

10. Advanced Combinations

47. /chain — Break the task into multiple steps and guide me through each one
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /chain Break"planning a new-product launch livestream" into multiple steps and guide me through each one.
48. /persona — Answer as if you were a specific role or expert
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /persona Assume you'rea senior e-commerce consultant, and review this operations report from that perspective.
49. /socratic — Keep questioning me back until I work out the answer myself
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /socratic On the question of"should I raise prices", keep questioning me back until I work out the answer myself.
50. /source — Require the answer to be backed by cited credibility or sources, not asserted freely
    
    ChatGPT Prompt Example

    /source You mentionedan average e-commerce conversion rate for Taiwan — cite the source behind that number.

Do these tags actually have scientific backing?

To be honest: among these 50, some are mature techniques with solid research or official documentation behind them, while others are just well-known communication conventions repackaged as tags — equally useful in practice, but without a dedicated study validating the "tag name" itself.

It's worth separating "tag name" from "underlying technique" — these sit at two different levels of verifiability. The techniques themselves (chain-of-thought, devil's advocate, role-play, ELI5) genuinely have research or official documentation behind them. But the tag name itself is just whatever a given creator happened to call it — there's no standard, and there's no way to "verify" that a particular name is the correct one. Different roundups online use different tag names for the exact same technique, and you're free to rename any of these yourself, as long as the model understands what you mean.

• Chain-of-thought (behind /think, /step-by-step): A widely validated technique — having the model reason through steps before answering leads to more accurate, better-justified responses.
• Devil's advocate (behind /devil): Demonstrated in practice to turn ChatGPT from a compliant assistant into a critical partner that surfaces logical gaps.
• Role-play (behind /persona, /boss-mode): OpenAI's own best-practice guidance recommends giving the model an explicit role (e.g. "You are a senior financial analyst") to get answers closer to the expertise angle you actually want.
• ELI5, brevity requests (behind /eli5, /tldr, /no-fluff): These are long-standing communication conventions (ELI5 originates from Reddit's r/explainlikeimfive) — there's no dedicated AI research paper validating the name itself, but "ask for simpler language" is a request anyone, including the model, understands and executes effectively.

This "package prompting techniques as slash tags" approach isn't unique to this post either — other similar roundups exist online (such as a 32-shortcut ChatGPT cheat-code article), which you can cross-reference.

Bottom line

These tags aren't officially certified "system commands" — they're custom shorthand that the AI happens to understand. Drop the tag at the front of your prompt and it nudges the response style in that direction. The real quality of the output still depends on how clearly you describe the actual question — the tags just save you from retyping the same instruction pattern every time.

Sources

• OpenAI Help Center - Best practices for prompt engineering with the OpenAI API
• OpenAI API Docs - Prompt engineering guide
• Botpress - What is chain-of-thought prompting?
• MakeUseOf - This simple devil's-advocate prompt turned ChatGPT into a better assistant
• The Modern Field - The Cheat Codes of ChatGPT: 32 Shortcuts to Force Better Outputs