eyaltoledano/claude-task-master · error

Dynamic slash command "${name}" must contain $ARGUMENTS plac

Error message

Dynamic slash command "${name}" must contain $ARGUMENTS placeholder

What it means

The dynamicCommand factory in @tm/profiles builds slash commands whose template text is filled with user arguments at runtime. It requires the raw content to contain the literal $ARGUMENTS placeholder; a template without it cannot receive arguments, so the factory refuses to create the command.

Source

Thrown at packages/tm-profiles/src/slash-commands/factories.ts:87

 * const goham = dynamicCommand(
 *   'goham',
 *   'Start Working with Hamster Brief',
 *   '[brief-url]',
 *   '# Start Working\n\nBrief URL: $ARGUMENTS'
 * );
 * ```
 *
 * @throws Error if content doesn't contain $ARGUMENTS placeholder
 */
export function dynamicCommand(
	name: string,
	description: string,
	argumentHint: string,
	content: string,
	mode?: OperatingMode
): DynamicSlashCommand {
	if (!content.includes('$ARGUMENTS')) {
		throw new Error(
			`Dynamic slash command "${name}" must contain $ARGUMENTS placeholder`
		);
	}

	return {
		type: 'dynamic',
		metadata: {
			name,
			description,
			argumentHint,
			...(mode && { mode })
		},
		content
	};
}

View on GitHub (pinned to c0c98d367c)

Solutions

1. Add the literal $ARGUMENTS placeholder where user input should be inserted in the template content.
2. Check spelling/casing: it must be exactly $ARGUMENTS.
3. If loading content from a file, verify the file actually contains the placeholder (grep for it) before calling the factory.
4. If the command needs no arguments, use a static slash command factory instead of dynamicCommand.

Example fix

// before
const content = 'Analyze the project structure and report findings.';
dynamicCommand('analyze', 'Analyze project', '[focus]', content); // throws
// after
const content = 'Analyze the project structure focusing on $ARGUMENTS and report findings.';
dynamicCommand('analyze', 'Analyze project', '[focus]', content); // ok

function assertArgumentsPlaceholder(content, name) {
  if (typeof content !== 'string' || !content.includes('$ARGUMENTS')) {
    throw new Error(`Slash command "${name}" template must contain $ARGUMENTS`);
  }
  return content;
}
// call before dynamicCommand(...)

function hasArgumentsPlaceholder(c) {
  return typeof c === 'string' && c.includes('$ARGUMENTS');
}

try {
  const cmd = dynamicCommand(name, description, hint, content);
} catch (e) {
  if (/must contain \$ARGUMENTS placeholder/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error(`Fix template for "${name}": insert $ARGUMENTS where user input goes.`);
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling dynamicCommand(name, description, argumentHint, content) with a content string that does not include '$ARGUMENTS' — e.g. a hand-written markdown template or one loaded from a file that was edited to remove the placeholder.

Common situations: Authors customizing slash-command templates delete the placeholder or misspell it ($ARGUMENT, $arguments, {{args}}), or templates written for older versions that used different substitution syntax.

Related errors

• Schema validation failed: ${errors}
• Invalid template structure: missing required fields (id, pro
• MFA_VERIFICATION_FAILED
• Failed to initialize services: ${(error as Error).message}
• Invalid format: ${options.format}. Valid formats are: text,

AI-assisted analysis of eyaltoledano/claude-task-master@c0c98d367c (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/03af8813c5f0e302. Report an issue: GitHub.