Context binding

Bind a chat or forum topic to a specific project and branch, so every message runs in the right directory automatically — no need to prefix with /<project> each time. Set it once from Telegram and forget about it.

Check current context

Send /ctx to see what project and branch are active for the current scope:

/ctx

Untether Project: backend Branch: feat/api-v2 Source: topic binding

If no context is bound, Untether shows the default project (if configured) or the startup directory.

Bind to a project

Use /ctx set with a project alias to bind the current chat or topic:

/ctx set myproject

All subsequent messages in this chat run in that project’s directory. You no longer need to prefix messages with /myproject.

Bind to project + branch

Add @branch to also bind to a specific git branch:

/ctx set myproject @feature-branch

When a branch is specified and worktrees are enabled for the project, Untether creates or reuses a worktree for that branch. The agent runs inside the worktree directory.

Branch shorthand If you’re already bound to a project, you can set just the branch: /ctx set @new-branch.

Clear binding

Remove the context binding to revert to the default:

/ctx clear

The chat or topic returns to using the default project (if configured) or the global startup directory.

Create a bound topic

In a forum-enabled group, use /topic to create a new forum topic pre-bound to a project and branch:

/topic myproject @branch

The topic is created with the context already set — you can start sending messages immediately without running /ctx set. Untether names the topic to reflect the binding.

Requires topics The /topic command only works in forum-enabled supergroups where the bot has Manage Topics permission. See Topics for setup.

Resolution order

When Untether receives a message, it resolves context using the first match from this list:

1. Topic binding — set via /ctx set or /topic inside a forum thread
2. Chat binding — set via /ctx set in a private or group chat
3. default_project — configured in your untether.toml
4. Startup directory — the working directory when Untether started

The first match wins. A topic binding always takes priority over a chat-level binding, which takes priority over the global default.

Related

• Projects — register repos as projects
• Worktrees — branch-based worktree runs
• Topics — forum topic setup and management
• Context resolution — full resolution logic reference