diff --git a/.eslintrc.json b/.eslintrc.json
index 82a5e9a873..3cd4207645 100644
--- a/.eslintrc.json
+++ b/.eslintrc.json
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@
         "typing_status": false,
         "sent_messages": false,
         "transmit": false,
+        "zcommand": false,
         "compose": false,
         "compose_actions": false,
         "compose_state": false,
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js
index f4edc87e37..ac0980a448 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ set_global('reminder', {
 global.document.location.protocol = 'https:';
 global.document.location.host = 'foo.com';
 
+zrequire('zcommand');
 zrequire('compose_ui');
 zrequire('util');
 zrequire('common');
diff --git a/static/js/compose.js b/static/js/compose.js
index 3876ea4338..526e569753 100644
--- a/static/js/compose.js
+++ b/static/js/compose.js
@@ -299,11 +299,21 @@ exports.finish = function () {
     exports.clear_private_stream_alert();
     notifications.clear_compose_notifications();
 
+    var message_content = compose_state.message_content();
+
+    // Skip normal validation for zcommands, since they aren't
+    // actual messages with recipients; users only send them
+    // from the compose box for convenience sake.
+    if (zcommand.process(message_content)) {
+        exports.do_post_send_tasks();
+        clear_compose_box();
+        return;
+    }
+
     if (! compose.validate()) {
         return false;
     }
 
-    var message_content = compose_state.message_content();
     if (reminder.is_deferred_delivery(message_content)) {
         reminder.schedule_message();
     } else {
diff --git a/static/js/zcommand.js b/static/js/zcommand.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e7de6be0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/static/js/zcommand.js
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+var zcommand = (function () {
+
+var exports = {};
+
+/*
+
+What in the heck is a zcommand?
+
+    A zcommand is basically a specific type of slash
+    command where the client does almost no work and
+    the server just does something pretty simple like
+    flip a setting.
+
+    The first zcommand we wrote is for "/ping", and
+    the server just responds with a 200 for that.
+
+    Not all slash commands use zcommand under the hood.
+    For more exotic things like /poll see submessage.js
+    and widgetize.js
+
+*/
+
+exports.send = function (opts) {
+    var command = opts.command;
+    var on_success = opts.on_success;
+    var data = {
+        command: command,
+    };
+
+    channel.post({
+        url: '/json/zcommand',
+        data: data,
+        success: function (data) {
+            on_success(data);
+        },
+        error: function () {
+            exports.tell_user('server did not respond');
+        },
+    });
+};
+
+exports.tell_user = function (msg) {
+    // This is a bit hacky, but we don't have a super easy API now
+    // for just telling users stuff.
+    $('#compose-send-status').removeClass(common.status_classes)
+        .addClass('alert-error')
+        .stop(true).fadeTo(0, 1);
+    $('#compose-error-msg').text(msg);
+};
+
+exports.process = function (message_content) {
+
+    var content = message_content.trim();
+
+    if (content === '/ping') {
+        var start_time = new Date();
+
+        exports.send({
+            command: 'ping',
+            on_success: function () {
+                var end_time = new Date();
+                var diff = end_time - start_time;
+                diff = Math.round(diff);
+                var msg = "ping time: " + diff + "ms";
+                exports.tell_user(msg);
+            },
+        });
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    // It is incredibly important here to return false
+    // if we don't see an actual zcommand, so that compose.js
+    // knows this is a normal message.
+    return false;
+};
+
+return exports;
+}());
+
+if (typeof module !== 'undefined') {
+    module.exports = zcommand;
+}
diff --git a/zerver/tests/test_messages.py b/zerver/tests/test_messages.py
index 6aafa5dd45..56db74f5bc 100644
--- a/zerver/tests/test_messages.py
+++ b/zerver/tests/test_messages.py
@@ -999,6 +999,17 @@ class SewMessageAndReactionTest(ZulipTestCase):
 
 class MessagePOSTTest(ZulipTestCase):
 
+    def test_zcommand(self) -> None:
+        self.login(self.example_email("hamlet"))
+
+        payload = dict(command="boil-ocean")
+        result = self.client_post("/json/zcommand", payload)
+        self.assert_json_error(result, "No such command: boil-ocean")
+
+        payload = dict(command="ping")
+        result = self.client_post("/json/zcommand", payload)
+        self.assert_json_success(result)
+
     def test_message_to_self(self) -> None:
         """
         Sending a message to a stream to which you are subscribed is
diff --git a/zerver/views/messages.py b/zerver/views/messages.py
index 057ba56cd3..c059987e61 100644
--- a/zerver/views/messages.py
+++ b/zerver/views/messages.py
@@ -681,6 +681,15 @@ def find_first_unread_anchor(sa_conn: Any,
 
     return anchor
 
+@has_request_variables
+def zcommand_backend(request: HttpRequest, user_profile: UserProfile,
+                     command: str=REQ('command')) -> HttpResponse:
+    if command == 'ping':
+        ret = dict()  # type: Dict[str, Any]
+        return json_success(ret)
+
+    raise JsonableError(_('No such command: %s') % (command,))
+
 @has_request_variables
 def get_messages_backend(request: HttpRequest, user_profile: UserProfile,
                          anchor: int=REQ(converter=int),
diff --git a/zproject/settings.py b/zproject/settings.py
index 6e60c686b7..d41c0e4364 100644
--- a/zproject/settings.py
+++ b/zproject/settings.py
@@ -968,6 +968,7 @@ JS_SPECS = {
             'js/compose_state.js',
             'js/compose_actions.js',
             'js/transmit.js',
+            'js/zcommand.js',
             'js/compose.js',
             'js/upload.js',
             'js/stream_color.js',
diff --git a/zproject/urls.py b/zproject/urls.py
index cf311b3f4a..f28a0d73b1 100644
--- a/zproject/urls.py
+++ b/zproject/urls.py
@@ -162,6 +162,9 @@ v1_api_and_json_patterns = [
     url(r'^mark_topic_as_read$', rest_dispatch,
         {'POST': 'zerver.views.messages.mark_topic_as_read'}),
 
+    url(r'^zcommand$', rest_dispatch,
+        {'POST': 'zerver.views.messages.zcommand_backend'}),
+
     # messages -> zerver.views.messages
     # GET returns messages, possibly filtered, POST sends a message
     url(r'^messages$', rest_dispatch,