> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chainlit.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Command

Commands are a great way to capture user intent in a deterministic way.

## Attributes

<ParamField path="id" type="str">
  Identifier for the command, this will be used in the UI.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="icon" type="str" optional>
  The lucide icon name for the command. See [https://lucide.dev/icons/](https://lucide.dev/icons/).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="description" type="str" optional>
  The description of the command.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="button" type="boolean" optional>
  Whether to display the command as a button in the message composer.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="persistent" type="boolean" optional>
  Whether to keep the command active after the user sent the message.
</ParamField>

## Set available commands

You can set the available commands at any moment using the `cl.context.emitter.set_commands` method.

```python theme={null}
import chainlit as cl

commands = [
    {"id": "Picture", "icon": "image", "description": "Use DALL-E"},
    {"id": "Search", "icon": "globe", "description": "Find on the web"},
    {
        "id": "Canvas",
        "icon": "pen-line",
        "description": "Collaborate on writing and code",
    },
]

@cl.on_chat_start
async def start():
    await cl.context.emitter.set_commands(commands)

@cl.on_message
async def message(msg: cl.Message):
    if msg.command == "Picture":
        # User is using the Picture command
        pass
    pass
```

<Frame caption="The user selecting a command">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/chainlit-43/b2WeFP1vh0enOZXn/images/command.gif?s=9d2cb6badeb245e433a9bdd43f50fb9b" width="1732" height="1080" data-path="images/command.gif" />
</Frame>

<Note>
  Since version **2.1.0**. If you use a SQL-based data layer, the `steps` table requires a `command` column. See the [migration guide](/guides/migration/2.1.0).
</Note>