diff --git a/cmd/server/db.go b/cmd/server/db.go
index edbae522..35fac20d 100644
--- a/cmd/server/db.go
+++ b/cmd/server/db.go
@@ -1919,13 +1919,21 @@ func (db *DB) GetEncryptedChannels(region ...string) ([]map[string]interface{},
 // a bare "ping".
 var channelMentionPrefixRe = regexp.MustCompile(`^@[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,32}\s+`)
 
+// pingTriggerWords are the exact (case-insensitive) message bodies that
+// trigger a pong reply. Mirrored by pingTriggerWords in
+// public/channels.js -- keep both lists in sync by hand.
+var pingTriggerWords = map[string]bool{
+	"ping":  true,
+	"/ping": true,
+}
+
 // isPingTrigger reports whether displayText, after stripping a leading
 // "@target " mention the same way the frontend does (public/channels.js
-// replyMatch), is exactly "ping".
+// replyMatch), exactly matches one of pingTriggerWords.
 func isPingTrigger(displayText string) bool {
 	trigger := strings.TrimSpace(displayText)
 	trigger = channelMentionPrefixRe.ReplaceAllString(trigger, "")
-	return strings.EqualFold(strings.TrimSpace(trigger), "ping")
+	return pingTriggerWords[strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(trigger))]
 }
 
 // pingBotReply synthesizes a "pong" reply for a channel message whose
diff --git a/cmd/server/db_test.go b/cmd/server/db_test.go
index caec75a4..0ef405b9 100644
--- a/cmd/server/db_test.go
+++ b/cmd/server/db_test.go
@@ -1527,12 +1527,19 @@ func TestGetChannelMessages_PingBotReply(t *testing.T) {
 	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, snr, rssi, path_json, timestamp)
 		VALUES (4, 1, 3.0, -99, '[]', 1736935380)`)
 
+	// tx5: "/ping" -- the slash-command form must trigger too.
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO transmissions (raw_hex, hash, first_seen, route_type, payload_type, decoded_json, channel_hash)
+		VALUES ('EE', 'chanmsg00000005', '2026-01-15T10:04:00Z', 1, 5,
+		'{"type":"CHAN","channel":"#ping","text":"/ping","sender":"Frank"}', '#ping')`)
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, snr, rssi, path_json, timestamp)
+		VALUES (5, 1, 6.0, -91, '["aa"]', 1736935440)`)
+
 	messages, total, err := db.GetChannelMessages("#ping", 100, 0)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if total != 4 {
-		t.Fatalf("expected 4 messages, got %d", total)
+	if total != 5 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 5 messages, got %d", total)
 	}
 
 	byText := map[string]map[string]interface{}{}
@@ -1572,6 +1579,14 @@ func TestGetChannelMessages_PingBotReply(t *testing.T) {
 	if mentionReply["hops"] != 0 {
 		t.Errorf("mention-prefixed ping botReply hops = %v, want 0 (empty path)", mentionReply["hops"])
 	}
+
+	slashReply, _ := byText["/ping"]["botReply"].(map[string]interface{})
+	if slashReply == nil {
+		t.Fatal("\"/ping\" should get a botReply -- it's in pingTriggerWords alongside bare \"ping\"")
+	}
+	if slashReply["sender"] != "CoreScopeBot" {
+		t.Errorf("\"/ping\" botReply sender = %v, want CoreScopeBot", slashReply["sender"])
+	}
 }
 
 // TestGetChannelMessages_PingBotReply_MultiObservation covers a single
diff --git a/public/channels.js b/public/channels.js
index fe8c19c0..9b62d70a 100644
--- a/public/channels.js
+++ b/public/channels.js
@@ -335,9 +335,12 @@
   // path (repeater names) -- the live WS broadcast doesn't carry a
   // per-packet resolved_path, only REST-loaded history does (via
   // GetChannelMessages). scope/area ARE available live and are included.
+  // pingTriggerWords mirrors pingTriggerWords in cmd/server/db.go -- keep
+  // both lists in sync by hand.
+  var pingTriggerWords = { 'ping': true, '/ping': true };
   function pingBotReply(text, hops, snr, observer, scope, area) {
     var trigger = String(text || '').trim().replace(/^@[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,32}\s+/, '').trim();
-    if (trigger.toLowerCase() !== 'ping') return null;
+    if (!pingTriggerWords[trigger.toLowerCase()]) return null;
     var parts = [hops > 0 ? (hops + ' hop' + (hops === 1 ? '' : 's')) : '0 hops (direct)'];
     if (snr !== null && snr !== undefined) parts.push('SNR ' + Number(snr).toFixed(1) + 'dB');
     if (observer) parts.push('heard by ' + observer);
@@ -2324,7 +2327,8 @@
       const safeId = btoa(encodeURIComponent(sender));
 
       // Ping-bot reply (server-synthesized in GetChannelMessages when this
-      // message's text is exactly "ping" -- see pingBotReply in db.go).
+      // message's text matches a trigger word (pingTriggerWords) -- see
+      // pingBotReply in db.go).
       // CoreScope-only: never transmitted back onto the mesh, since
       // CoreScope has no publish path to a MeshCore broker/radio. The
       // "Not sent to the mesh" caveat is load-bearing, not decoration --
diff --git a/test-channels-ping-bot-reply.js b/test-channels-ping-bot-reply.js
index 565d6b2d..30206d26 100644
--- a/test-channels-ping-bot-reply.js
+++ b/test-channels-ping-bot-reply.js
@@ -86,6 +86,14 @@ test('exact "ping" (any case) triggers a reply', () => {
   assert.ok(fn('  ping  ', 1, 5, 'Obs') !== null, 'surrounding whitespace should be trimmed');
 });
 
+test('"/ping" (the slash-command form) also triggers, alongside bare "ping"', () => {
+  const { ctx } = makeSandbox();
+  const fn = ctx.window._channelsPingBotReplyForTest;
+  assert.ok(fn('/ping', 1, 5, 'Obs') !== null);
+  assert.ok(fn('/PING', 1, 5, 'Obs') !== null, 'case-insensitive like the bare form');
+  assert.strictEqual(fn('/pingx', 1, 5, 'Obs'), null, 'still an exact match, not a prefix match');
+});
+
 test('a mention prefix like "@CoreScopeBot ping" is stripped before matching', () => {
   const { ctx } = makeSandbox();
   const fn = ctx.window._channelsPingBotReplyForTest;