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

bound ctx: backend @feat/api-v2
resolved ctx: backend @feat/api-v2 (source: bound)

bound ctx is what /ctx set stored for this chat or topic; resolved ctx is what the next message will actually use, and source says where it came from: bound (this chat’s binding), ambient (inside a forum topic, the topic’s binding merged with the chat’s project), default_project (the chat’s project or the global default_project) or none. If you send /ctx as a reply to a message with a dir: line, it shows reply_ctx. If nothing is bound, bound ctx reads none and a note: line shows how to bind one. Inside a forum topic the reply also shows the topics scope and the topic’s stored sessions.

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, Untether creates or reuses a worktree for that branch under the project’s worktrees_dir, and the agent runs inside it. If the project’s main checkout is already on that branch, the agent runs in the project directory instead. See Worktrees.

Branch shorthand

Inside a forum topic of a project chat you can set just the branch: /ctx set @new-branch, and the chat’s project is implied. Outside a topic, a bare @branch uses the global default_project and is refused (project is required) if none is set. In a topic of a chat that isn’t bound to a project, a bare @branch is always refused; name the project.

Clear binding#

Remove the context binding to revert to the default:

/ctx clear

The chat or topic falls back to the chat’s project (if the chat is a project chat via projects.<alias>.chat_id), then the default project (if configured), then the global startup directory.

Claude sessions that are still open

If Claude Code is still holding a session open after its answer (for background tasks), /ctx set, /ctx clear or rebinding the topic closes that session, and your next message resumes it in the new project or branch, as after /model or /planmode. Background tasks still running in it are stopped with a “Settings changed” notice. Before v0.36.0 the next message could run in the old working directory (#996).

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. Chat’s project — the project whose projects.<alias>.chat_id is this chat (see Route by chat)
4. default_project — configured in your untether.toml
5. 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 chat’s project and then the global default. A reply to a message carrying a dir: line, or a /<project> / @branch directive at the start of a message, overrides all of these for that one message (see Context resolution).

Related#

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