Slash and at: composer commands for active traders in Hippo

Hippo’s message box has two shortcuts for active traders. Typing a slash opens a list of commands for common requests. Typing the at sign pulls a data source or an attached file into the question. On plans that include it, traders can also save their own commands, so a question they ask every morning becomes one short command instead of a sentence typed again.

Plain English is the right default for most traders. Active traders, who ask the same few things many times a day, want something faster. The composer gives them that without changing anything for everyone else.

What does the slash do?

Typing “/” opens a list of commands. Each is a shortcut to a common request, so the trader picks it rather than writing the question out.

Commands suit requests that come up again and again. A trader who knows what they want can get there in a couple of keystrokes. A trader who does not can ignore the slash entirely and type a question as usual.

What does the at sign do?

Typing “@” pulls something into the question. Two kinds of input:

Input	Example use
A data source	Pull a specific source into a research question
An attached file	Ask about a statement or CSV the trader has uploaded

This makes the source of an answer explicit. Instead of hoping Hippo uses the file just attached, the trader points at it.

What are saved commands?

On plans that include them, such as Trader Pro, traders can save their own commands. An illustrative example: a trader who asks the same thing every morning saves it once.

Saved as /morning: “What moved BTC, ETH and SOL overnight, and how are my open positions doing?”

From then on, typing /morning runs that question with fresh data. The answer is the same research card the full question would get. See how Hippo answers a trading question.

Saved commands are a plan feature. On plans without them, the slash list and the at sign still work.

Who is it for?

Most traders never need the composer shortcuts, and they do not get in the way. The slash list appears only when a trader types a slash. The traders who reach for them are the ones who open Hippo many times a day: active spot traders checking the same markets, derivatives traders watching their positions through a session, and anyone with a routine they repeat each morning. For them, saving ten seconds on every question adds up.

Where is the advice line?

A command is a shortcut to a question, nothing more. The answer follows the same rules as a typed question:

• Hippo explains what the data shows; it does not give a verdict.
• An order is drafted on Hippo’s ticket and submitted only after the trader confirms.
• A saved command cannot run a trade on its own. It can ask a question; it cannot place an order.

That last point matters. A saved command that traded on a schedule would be an automated strategy, which Hippo is not. The rule behind it is in why confirm-by-default matters.

Why it matters to the exchange

The traders who would use commands are the exchange’s most active ones. They are also the ones most likely to have a second screen open with another tool. Giving them a faster way to ask, inside the exchange’s own app, keeps that activity on the venue.

Saved commands also give the exchange something to offer heavy users beyond the free tier, through a paid plan the exchange sells. The model is covered in how credit pools keep an exchange’s bill predictable.

Composer commands are live on Hippo’s demo exchange today. If you run product at an exchange or broker, askthehippo.com has more on how a pilot works.