Custom prompts begin with /prompts: (#4476)

<img width="608" height="354" alt="Screenshot 2025-09-29 at 4 41 08 PM"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/162508eb-c1ac-4bc0-95f2-5e23cb4ae428"
/>

codex-rs/protocol/src/custom_prompts.rs

@@ -3,6 +3,12 @@ use serde::Serialize;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use ts_rs::TS;
 
+/// Base namespace for custom prompt slash commands (without trailing colon).
+/// Example usage forms constructed in code:
+/// - Command token after '/': `"{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:name"`
+/// - Full slash prefix: `"/{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:"`
+pub const PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX: &str = "prompts";
+
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug, Clone, TS)]
 pub struct CustomPrompt {
     pub name: String,

codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/chat_composer.rs

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ use crate::slash_command::SlashCommand;
 use crate::style::user_message_style;
 use crate::terminal_palette;
 use codex_protocol::custom_prompts::CustomPrompt;
+use codex_protocol::custom_prompts::PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX;
 
 use crate::app_event::AppEvent;
 use crate::app_event_sender::AppEventSender;
@@ -438,9 +439,11 @@ impl ChatComposer {
                                 let name = prompt.name.clone();
                                 let starts_with_cmd = first_line
                                     .trim_start()
-                                    .starts_with(format!("/{name}").as_str());
+                                    .starts_with(format!("/{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:{name}").as_str());
                                 if !starts_with_cmd {
-                                    self.textarea.set_text(format!("/{name} ").as_str());
+                                    self.textarea.set_text(
+                                        format!("/{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:{name} ").as_str(),
+                                    );
                                 }
                                 if !self.textarea.text().is_empty() {
                                     cursor_target = Some(self.textarea.text().len());
@@ -464,7 +467,8 @@ impl ChatComposer {
                 // immediately regardless of the popup selection.
                 let first_line = self.textarea.text().lines().next().unwrap_or("");
                 if let Some((name, _rest)) = parse_slash_name(first_line)
-                    && let Some(prompt) = self.custom_prompts.iter().find(|p| p.name == name)
+                    && let Some(prompt_name) = name.strip_prefix(&format!("{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:"))
+                    && let Some(prompt) = self.custom_prompts.iter().find(|p| p.name == prompt_name)
                     && let Some(expanded) =
                         expand_if_numeric_with_positional_args(prompt, first_line)
                 {
@@ -498,7 +502,8 @@ impl ChatComposer {
                                     self.textarea.set_text("");
                                     return (InputResult::Submitted(expanded), true);
                                 } else {
-                                    let text = format!("/{} ", prompt.name);
+                                    let name = prompt.name.clone();
+                                    let text = format!("/{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:{name} ");
                                     self.textarea.set_text(&text);
                                     self.textarea.set_cursor(self.textarea.text().len());
                                 }
@@ -2122,13 +2127,17 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn extract_args_supports_quoted_paths_single_arg() {
-        let args = extract_positional_args_for_prompt_line("/review \"docs/My File.md\"", "review");
+        let args = extract_positional_args_for_prompt_line(
+            "/prompts:review \"docs/My File.md\"",
+            "review",
+        );
         assert_eq!(args, vec!["docs/My File.md".to_string()]);
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn extract_args_supports_mixed_quoted_and_unquoted() {
-        let args = extract_positional_args_for_prompt_line("/cmd \"with spaces\" simple", "cmd");
+        let args =
+            extract_positional_args_for_prompt_line("/prompts:cmd \"with spaces\" simple", "cmd");
         assert_eq!(args, vec!["with spaces".to_string(), "simple".to_string()]);
     }
 
@@ -2603,7 +2612,10 @@ mod tests {
 
         type_chars_humanlike(
             &mut composer,
-            &['/', 'm', 'y', '-', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm', 'p', 't'],
+            &[
+                '/', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm', 'p', 't', 's', ':', 'm', 'y', '-', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm',
+                'p', 't',
+            ],
         );
 
         let (result, _needs_redraw) =
@@ -2640,8 +2652,8 @@ mod tests {
         type_chars_humanlike(
             &mut composer,
             &[
-                '/', 'm', 'y', '-', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm', 'p', 't', ' ', 'f', 'o', 'o', ' ', 'b',
+                '/', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm', 'p', 't', 's', ':', 'm', 'y', '-', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm',
-                'a', 'r',
+                'p', 't', ' ', 'f', 'o', 'o', ' ', 'b', 'a', 'r',
             ],
         );
         let (result, _needs_redraw) =
@@ -2673,14 +2685,17 @@ mod tests {
             argument_hint: None,
         }]);
 
-        type_chars_humanlike(&mut composer, &['/', 'p']);
+        type_chars_humanlike(
+            &mut composer,
+            &['/', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm', 'p', 't', 's', ':', 'p'],
+        );
         let (result, _needs_redraw) =
             composer.handle_key_event(KeyEvent::new(KeyCode::Enter, KeyModifiers::NONE));
 
         // With no args typed, selecting the prompt inserts the command template
         // and does not submit immediately.
         assert_eq!(InputResult::None, result);
-        assert_eq!("/p ", composer.textarea.text());
+        assert_eq!("/prompts:p ", composer.textarea.text());
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -2706,7 +2721,12 @@ mod tests {
             argument_hint: None,
         }]);
 
-        type_chars_humanlike(&mut composer, &['/', 'p', 'r', 'i', 'c', 'e', ' ', 'x']);
+        type_chars_humanlike(
+            &mut composer,
+            &[
+                '/', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm', 'p', 't', 's', ':', 'p', 'r', 'i', 'c', 'e', ' ', 'x',
+            ],
+        );
         let (result, _needs_redraw) =
             composer.handle_key_event(KeyEvent::new(KeyCode::Enter, KeyModifiers::NONE));
 
@@ -2741,7 +2761,8 @@ mod tests {
         type_chars_humanlike(
             &mut composer,
             &[
-                '/', 'r', 'e', 'p', 'e', 'a', 't', ' ', 'o', 'n', 'e', ' ', 't', 'w', 'o',
+                '/', 'p', 'r', 'o', 'm', 'p', 't', 's', ':', 'r', 'e', 'p', 'e', 'a', 't', ' ',
+                'o', 'n', 'e', ' ', 't', 'w', 'o',
             ],
         );
         let (result, _needs_redraw) =

codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/command_popup.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use crate::slash_command::SlashCommand;
 use crate::slash_command::built_in_slash_commands;
 use codex_common::fuzzy_match::fuzzy_match;
 use codex_protocol::custom_prompts::CustomPrompt;
+use codex_protocol::custom_prompts::PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX;
 use std::collections::HashSet;
 
 /// A selectable item in the popup: either a built-in command or a user prompt.
@@ -120,8 +121,12 @@ impl CommandPopup {
                 out.push((CommandItem::Builtin(*cmd), Some(indices), score));
             }
         }
+        // Support both search styles:
+        // - Typing "name" should surface "/prompts:name" results.
+        // - Typing "prompts:name" should also work.
         for (idx, p) in self.prompts.iter().enumerate() {
-            if let Some((indices, score)) = fuzzy_match(&p.name, filter) {
+            let display = format!("{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:{}", p.name);
+            if let Some((indices, score)) = fuzzy_match(&display, filter) {
                 out.push((CommandItem::UserPrompt(idx), Some(indices), score));
             }
         }
@@ -158,7 +163,7 @@ impl CommandPopup {
                         (format!("/{}", cmd.command()), cmd.description().to_string())
                     }
                     CommandItem::UserPrompt(i) => (
-                        format!("/{}", self.prompts[i].name),
+                        format!("/{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:{}", self.prompts[i].name),
                         "send saved prompt".to_string(),
                     ),
                 };

codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/prompt_args.rs

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use codex_protocol::custom_prompts::CustomPrompt;
+use codex_protocol::custom_prompts::PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX;
 use shlex::Shlex;
 
 /// Parse a first-line slash command of the form `/name <rest>`.
@@ -26,9 +27,9 @@ pub fn parse_positional_args(rest: &str) -> Vec<String> {
     Shlex::new(rest).collect()
 }
 
-/// Expands a message of the form `/name key=value …` using a matching saved prompt.
+/// Expands a message of the form `/prompts:name [value] [value] …` using a matching saved prompt.
 ///
-/// If the text does not start with `/`, or if no prompt named `name` exists,
+/// If the text does not start with `/prompts:`, or if no prompt named `name` exists,
 /// the function returns `Ok(None)`. On success it returns
 /// `Ok(Some(expanded))`; otherwise it returns a descriptive error.
 pub fn expand_custom_prompt(
@@ -39,7 +40,12 @@ pub fn expand_custom_prompt(
         return Ok(None);
     };
 
-    let prompt = match custom_prompts.iter().find(|p| p.name == name) {
+    // Only handle custom prompts when using the explicit prompts prefix with a colon.
+    let Some(prompt_name) = name.strip_prefix(&format!("{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:")) else {
+        return Ok(None);
+    };
+
+    let prompt = match custom_prompts.iter().find(|p| p.name == prompt_name) {
         Some(prompt) => prompt,
         None => return Ok(None),
     };
@@ -79,7 +85,11 @@ pub fn extract_positional_args_for_prompt_line(line: &str, prompt_name: &str) ->
     let Some(rest) = trimmed.strip_prefix('/') else {
         return Vec::new();
     };
-    let mut parts = rest.splitn(2, char::is_whitespace);
+    // Require the explicit prompts prefix for custom prompt invocations.
+    let Some(after_prefix) = rest.strip_prefix(&format!("{PROMPTS_CMD_PREFIX}:")) else {
+        return Vec::new();
+    };
+    let mut parts = after_prefix.splitn(2, char::is_whitespace);
     let cmd = parts.next().unwrap_or("");
     if cmd != prompt_name {
         return Vec::new();