diff --git a/src/bot.ts b/src/bot.ts
index 0f7291b..7745f3b 100644
--- a/src/bot.ts
+++ b/src/bot.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,27 @@
-import { Bot, type Context } from "grammy";
+import { Bot, type Context, Keyboard } from "grammy";
 import { Store } from "./state/store.js";
 import { SessionManager } from "./services/session-manager.js";
 import { ClaudeService } from "./services/claude.js";
 import { registerCommands } from "./handlers/commands.js";
 import { createMessageHandler } from "./handlers/message.js";
 
+// Persistent reply keyboard
+const mainKeyboard = new Keyboard()
+  .text("Sessions").text("Projects").text("Status").row()
+  .text("Stop").text("Stop All").text("Help")
+  .resized()
+  .persistent();
+
+// Button text → command name mapping
+const BUTTON_COMMANDS: Record<string, string> = {
+  "Sessions": "sessions",
+  "Projects": "projects",
+  "Status": "status",
+  "Stop": "stop",
+  "Stop All": "stopall",
+  "Help": "help",
+};
+
 export function createBot(token: string, ownerId: number): Bot {
   const bot = new Bot(token);
 
@@ -20,12 +37,25 @@ export function createBot(token: string, ownerId: number): Bot {
 
   // Register command handlers
   const commands: Record<string, (ctx: Context) => Promise<void>> = {};
-  registerCommands(manager, claude, commands);
+  registerCommands(manager, claude, commands, mainKeyboard);
 
   for (const [name, handler] of Object.entries(commands)) {
     bot.command(name, handler);
   }
 
+  // Handle reply keyboard button presses
+  bot.on("message:text", async (ctx, next) => {
+    const text = ctx.message.text;
+    const commandName = BUTTON_COMMANDS[text];
+    if (commandName && commands[commandName]) {
+      // Simulate empty match for commands that don't need args
+      (ctx as any).match = "";
+      await commands[commandName](ctx);
+      return;
+    }
+    await next();
+  });
+
   // Callback queries for inline buttons
   bot.on("callback_query:data", async (ctx) => {
     const data = ctx.callbackQuery.data;
@@ -69,5 +99,20 @@ export function createBot(token: string, ownerId: number): Bot {
   // Plain text messages
   bot.on("message:text", createMessageHandler(manager, claude));
 
+  // Send main keyboard on /start (Telegram's built-in start) with no args
+  bot.api.setMyCommands([
+    { command: "start", description: "Start a session: /start <path|name>" },
+    { command: "save", description: "Save bookmark: /save <name> <path>" },
+    { command: "switch", description: "Switch session: /switch <name>" },
+    { command: "remove", description: "Remove bookmark: /remove <name>" },
+  ]);
+
+  // Show keyboard on first interaction
+  bot.use(async (ctx, next) => {
+    await next();
+  });
+
   return bot;
 }
+
+export { mainKeyboard };
diff --git a/src/handlers/commands.ts b/src/handlers/commands.ts
index 37ceee0..0057ea7 100644
--- a/src/handlers/commands.ts
+++ b/src/handlers/commands.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { type Context, InlineKeyboard } from "grammy";
+import { type Context, InlineKeyboard, type Keyboard } from "grammy";
 import { existsSync } from "fs";
 import { SessionManager } from "../services/session-manager.js";
 import { ClaudeService } from "../services/claude.js";
@@ -7,11 +7,12 @@ export function registerCommands(
   manager: SessionManager,
   claude: ClaudeService,
   onCommand: Record<string, (ctx: Context) => Promise<void>>,
+  keyboard: Keyboard,
 ): void {
   onCommand["start"] = async (ctx) => {
     const arg = ctx.match as string;
     if (!arg) {
-      await ctx.reply("Usage: /start <path or project name>");
+      await ctx.reply("Usage: /start <path or project name>", { reply_markup: keyboard });
       return;
     }
 
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ export function registerCommands(
     const sessions = manager.getAllSessions();
     const names = Object.keys(sessions);
     if (names.length === 0) {
-      await ctx.reply("No active sessions.");
+      await ctx.reply("No active sessions.", { reply_markup: keyboard });
       return;
     }
 
@@ -98,12 +99,12 @@ export function registerCommands(
       return `${marker} ${name} — ${s.cwd} (${s.status})`;
     });
 
-    const keyboard = new InlineKeyboard();
+    const inlineKb = new InlineKeyboard();
     for (const name of names) {
-      keyboard.text(name, `switch:${name}`);
+      inlineKb.text(name, `switch:${name}`);
     }
 
-    await ctx.reply(lines.join("\n"), { reply_markup: keyboard });
+    await ctx.reply(lines.join("\n"), { reply_markup: inlineKb });
   };
 
   onCommand["status"] = async (ctx) => {
@@ -146,37 +147,33 @@ export function registerCommands(
     const projects = manager.getProjects();
     const names = Object.keys(projects);
     if (names.length === 0) {
-      await ctx.reply("No saved projects.");
+      await ctx.reply("No saved projects. Use /save <name> <path>", { reply_markup: keyboard });
       return;
     }
 
     const lines = names.map((n) => `${n} — ${projects[n]}`);
-    const keyboard = new InlineKeyboard();
+    const inlineKb = new InlineKeyboard();
     for (const name of names) {
-      keyboard.text(`Start ${name}`, `start:${name}`);
+      inlineKb.text(`Start ${name}`, `start:${name}`);
     }
 
-    await ctx.reply(lines.join("\n"), { reply_markup: keyboard });
+    await ctx.reply(lines.join("\n"), { reply_markup: inlineKb });
   };
 
   onCommand["help"] = async (ctx) => {
     await ctx.reply(
       [
-        "Session commands:",
-        "  /start <path|name> — start new session",
-        "  /stop [name] — stop session",
-        "  /stopall — stop all sessions",
-        "  /switch <name> — switch active session",
-        "  /sessions — list sessions",
-        "  /status — current session info",
+        "Use buttons below or commands:",
         "",
-        "Project bookmarks:",
-        "  /save <name> <path> — save bookmark",
-        "  /remove <name> — remove bookmark",
-        "  /projects — list bookmarks",
+        "/start <path|name> — start new session",
+        "/stop [name] — stop session",
+        "/switch <name> — switch active session",
+        "/save <name> <path> — save bookmark",
+        "/remove <name> — remove bookmark",
         "",
         "Any other text is sent to the active session.",
       ].join("\n"),
+      { reply_markup: keyboard },
     );
   };
 }