/btw

Asks a quick, read-only side question mid-turn, without adding to the chat history.

/btw asks a side question mid-turn; the answer streams into its own dismissible overlay with full conversation context and never lands in the actual chat history. Documented in the official changelog, not (yet) listed in the command reference table.

✅ WHEN TO USE IT?

Quickly clarify an understanding question without interrupting the running task

/btw Which file did you just change last?

Ask a detail question without filling the main history with side matter

/btw Why was this library chosen over another one?

⛔ WHEN NOT TO?

The answer should permanently be part of the conversation

/btw answers land in the overlay, not the chat history, and are lost as context for later turns.

Better: Ask the question as a normal chat message instead

The question should actually change files

/btw is explicitly read-only.

Better: Use a normal message in agent mode

SOURCES

Cursor Docs — Changelog ↗ cursor.com