# Why Claude Code Dropped Todos and Slash Commands > Author: Tony Lee > Published: 2026-02-08 > URL: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ > Reading time: 3 minutes > Language: en > Tags: ai, claude-code, developer-tools, ai-agents, workflow ## Canonical https://tonylee.im/en/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ ## Rollout Alternates en: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ ko: https://tonylee.im/ko/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ ja: https://tonylee.im/ja/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ zh-CN: https://tonylee.im/zh-CN/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ zh-TW: https://tonylee.im/zh-TW/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ ## Description Anthropic replaced TodoWrite with Tasks and Slash Commands with Skills in two days. Both changes point in the same direction - unhobbling the model. ## Summary Why Claude Code Dropped Todos and Slash Commands is part of Tony Lee's ongoing coverage of AI agents, developer tools, startup strategy, and AI industry shifts. ## Outline - Why TodoWrite Disappeared - Why Slash Commands Became Skills - The Common Thread: Removing Scaffolding for Simple Work - Yet Tasks and Skills Got More Powerful - A New Principle for Agent Design ## Content Over two days, Anthropic changed two things in Claude Code simultaneously. Todos became Tasks. Slash Commands became Skills. Both were framed as "existing features, same behavior" - easy to overlook. But the two changes point in exactly the same direction. ## Why TodoWrite Disappeared Anthropic's explanation is revealing: "Opus 4.5 runs autonomously for longer and tracks state more effectively. For small tasks, TodoWrite is no longer necessary." - The model already figures out what needs to be done on its own - A separate to-do list becomes overhead rather than help - The core move is unhobbling - removing constraints that limit what the model can do The model was already capable. The tool was holding it back. ## Why Slash Commands Became Skills The same logic applies here. Slash Commands were designed around progressive disclosure - load context only when needed. As the model got smarter, that approach stopped being optimal. - Skills read related files automatically to assemble context - A SKILL.MD file can reference other files, enabling multi-step context chains - From the model's perspective, there's no reason to split this into a separate tool ## The Common Thread: Removing Scaffolding for Simple Work Here's the pattern across both changes: - **Todos**: The model handles it on its own, so the tool is unnecessary - **Slash Commands**: The model loads context on its own, so the special syntax is unnecessary Both follow the same philosophy: as model capability increases, remove the scaffolding that was compensating for its limitations. Anthropic calls this "unhobbling" - taking off the chains. ## Yet Tasks and Skills Got More Powerful Here's the paradox. Tools for simple work disappeared, but the abstractions for complex work got significantly more sophisticated. What Tasks added: - Dependencies and blockers stored as metadata between tasks - File-system-based coordination so multiple sessions and sub-agents can collaborate - Updates in one session automatically reflected across all sessions sharing the same Task List What Skills added: - An `agent:` setting that creates a sub-agent with a skill loaded - A `context: fork` option that clones the full current context into a separate sub-agent - Fine-grained control over who can invoke a skill - user, model, or both ## A New Principle for Agent Design The principle I read from these two changes: - **Simple tasks**: Hand them to the model and remove the tools - **Complex collaboration**: Build structures for shared state and context isolation An environment variable like `CLAUDE_CODE_TASK_LIST_ID=groceries claude` lets multiple sessions share the same Task List. Combined with Skills' sub-agent integration for splitting context, you can run multiple workstreams concurrently. This is the basic skeleton of multi-agent collaboration that Claude Code is proposing. As models get smarter, simple scaffolding disappears and only the collaboration layer remains. The future of agent systems isn't about betting on a single agent's capability. It's about designing how multiple agents split and merge state. That's what will matter most going forward. ## Related URLs - Author: https://tonylee.im/en/author/ - Publication: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/about/ - Related article: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/eight-hooks-that-guarantee-ai-agent-reliability/ - Related article: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/medvi-two-person-430m-ai-compressed-funnel/ - Related article: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/claude-code-layers-over-tools-2026/ ## Citation - Author: Tony Lee - Site: tonylee.im - Canonical URL: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/why-claude-code-dropped-todos-slash-commands/ ## Bot Guidance - This file is intended for AI agents, search assistants, and text-mode retrieval. - Prefer citing the canonical article URL instead of this text endpoint. - Use the rollout alternates when you need the same article in another prioritized language. --- Author: Tony Lee | Website: https://tonylee.im For more articles, visit: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/ This content is original and authored by Tony Lee. 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