Command Reference
Every typed command telectl understands, with syntax, flags, and examples.
All commands start with the prefix from bot.command_prefix (default /).
Command families
| Family | Commands |
|---|---|
| Info | /start, /help, /about, /version, /config |
| Browse | /get, /describe, /resources |
| Logs & exec | /logs, /exec, /portforward |
| Cluster | /contexts, /use-context, /top, /events, /watch |
| Operations | /restart, /scale |
| Menus | /monitor, /operations, /settings |
Shared flags
Most browse/operate commands accept these kubectl-style flags (in both
separated and = forms):
| Flag | Meaning |
|---|---|
-n, --namespace <ns> |
Namespace (defaults to session namespace, then kubernetes.default_namespace) |
-A, --all-namespaces |
All namespaces (overrides -n) |
-o, --output <fmt> |
wide, json, yaml (default: compact table) |
-l, --selector <expr> |
Label selector, e.g. app=api,env=prod |
--field-selector <expr> |
Field selector, e.g. status.phase=Running |
/start
Greeting + the main reply keyboard.
/help
Command reference summary.
/about
Version, links, project info.
/version
Build version, commit, and build date.
/config
Prints the effective configuration (secrets redacted): which kubeconfig, context, namespace, dry-run state, impersonation status, and the cluster display name.
/get <resource> [name] [-n ns] [-o fmt] [-l selector] [--field-selector ...]
List or fetch resources, kubectl-style.
/get pods -A
/get pods -n production -l app=api
/get deployment frontend -o yaml
/get nodes -o wide
Supported resources (aliases accepted):
pods/po, deployments/deploy, services/svc, replicasets/rs,
namespaces/ns, nodes/no, configmaps/cm, secrets,
persistentvolumeclaims/pvc, persistentvolumes/pv, ingresses/ing,
events/ev.
/describe <resource> [name] [-n ns]
Detailed view: metadata, status conditions, events, and a readable summary. Without a name, describes the resource type’s notable objects.
/resources
Opens the interactive resource browser menu (see Menu Navigation). Alias of tapping Resources.
/logs <pod> [-n ns] [-c container] [-f] [-p] [--tail N] [--since TIME]
Read pod logs.
| Flag | Meaning |
|---|---|
-c, --container <name> |
Specific container in the pod |
-f, --follow |
Stream new lines (bounded; stops with /cancel) |
-p, --previous |
Logs from the previous (terminated) container instance |
--tail N |
Last N lines. Respected exactly — no silent cap |
--since <time> |
Logs since a time (e.g. 10m, 1h, RFC3339) |
/logs api-74b6f5d9c9-abcde
/logs api-74b6f5d9c9-abcde -n production -c sidecar --tail 500
/exec <pod> [-n ns] [-c container] [-- command args...]
Run a command inside a pod container.
- No command → interactive shell (
sh). - Everything after the pod name (or after
--) is the command; the command’s own flags are passed through untouched.
/exec api-abcde # shell
/exec api-abcde -n production -- printenv
/exec api-abcde -c sidecar ls -la
/portforward <pod> <local:remote> [-n ns]
Forward a local port to a pod port. Output gives the forwarding address.
/contexts
Lists every context in the kubeconfig with its cluster, user, and namespace, as buttons — tap to switch. See Context Management.
/use-context <name>
Switch the active context in-process (does not rewrite the kubeconfig file on disk). Persistent switch is available from the Settings menu’s context picker.
/use-context my-prod-cluster
/top <pods|nodes> [-n ns]
CPU/memory usage. Requires metrics-server in the cluster; otherwise it says so explicitly (rather than surfacing a raw 404).
/top pods -n production
/top nodes
/events [-n ns]
Recent events in the namespace (events expire after ~1h, so a quiet namespace may show none).
/watch <resource> [-n ns]
Follows changes to a resource and pushes updates as they happen. Runs as a
command (not in the pane) because it streams; stop with /cancel.
/watch pods -n production
/restart deployment <name> [-n ns]
Rolling restart of a workload (deployment/statefulset/daemonset).
/restart deployment frontend -n production
/scale deployment <name> <replicas> [-n ns]
Scale a deployment or replicaset to a replica count.
/scale deployment frontend 5 -n production
/monitor, /operations, /settings
Open the corresponding menu panes (see Menu Navigation).
Command allowlist
bot.allowed_commands controls which commands dispatch. The default list
(and the source of truth for valid names) is:
start help about version get describe logs exec portforward
contexts use-context config top events watch restart scale
resources monitor operations settings
Note the key is portforward (not port-forward). A command missing from
the list is rejected as not allowed even though its handler exists — if you
trim this list, trim it deliberately.