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Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete reference of all keyboard shortcuts in the Consoul TUI.

Global Shortcuts

These shortcuts work from anywhere in the TUI.

Shortcut Action Description
q Quit Exit Consoul
^c Quit Alternative quit (Ctrl+C)
^n New Chat Create new conversation
^l Clear Clear current conversation messages
^b Toggle Sidebar Show/hide conversation list sidebar
^e Export Export current conversation
^i Import Import conversation from file
^t Tools Open tool manager modal
^comma Settings Open settings modal (Ctrl+,)
^m Model Open model picker modal
^p Profile Open profile selector
^o Ollama Library Browse Ollama model library
^s Search History Search conversation history
^shift+p Permissions Open permissions/tool manager (alias)
^shift+s System Prompt View/edit system prompt
f1 Help Show help modal
/ Focus Input Move focus to input area
Esc Cancel Cancel streaming response or close modal
Tab Focus Next Move focus to next UI element
Shift+Tab Focus Previous Move focus to previous UI element

Input Area

Shortcuts for composing and sending messages.

Shortcut Action Description
Enter Send Message Send the current message
Shift+Enter New Line Insert newline without sending
^a Select All Select all text in input
^c Copy Copy selected text
^v Paste Paste from clipboard
^x Cut Cut selected text
^z Undo Undo last edit
^y Redo Redo last undo
Home Start of Line Move cursor to start of line
End End of Line Move cursor to end of line
^Home Start of Input Move cursor to start of text
^End End of Input Move cursor to end of text

Conversation Sidebar

Shortcuts for navigating and managing conversations.

Shortcut Action Description
^b Toggle Sidebar Show/hide sidebar
^s Search Search conversation history
↑ Previous Move selection up (when focused)
↓ Next Move selection down (when focused)
Enter Load Load selected conversation
Esc Clear Search Clear search query and unfocus

Chat Area

Shortcuts for interacting with messages.

Shortcut Action Description
↑ Scroll Up Scroll chat area up
↓ Scroll Down Scroll chat area down
PageUp Page Up Scroll up one page
PageDown Page Down Scroll down one page
Home Top Scroll to top of conversation
End Bottom Scroll to bottom of conversation
Esc Cancel Stream Stop streaming response

File Attachment Browser

Shortcuts in the file selection modal (if available via button).

Shortcut Action Description
↑ Previous Item Move selection up
↓ Next Item Move selection down
→ Expand Open/expand selected directory
← Collapse Close/collapse selected directory
Space Toggle Select/deselect file
Enter Confirm Open directory or confirm selection
Esc Cancel Close modal without attaching
Backspace Parent Navigate to parent directory

Settings Modal

Shortcuts in the settings dialog.

Shortcut Action Description
^comma Open Open settings modal
Tab Next Field Move to next setting
Shift+Tab Previous Field Move to previous setting
Space Toggle Toggle boolean settings
Enter Apply Save and apply settings
Esc Cancel Close without saving
→ Next Tab Switch to next settings tab
← Previous Tab Switch to previous settings tab

Settings Tabs: - Appearance - Performance - Behavior - Advanced

Model Selector Modal

Shortcuts for selecting AI models and providers.

Shortcut Action Description
^m Open Open model selector
Tab Next Provider Switch to next provider tab
Shift+Tab Previous Provider Switch to previous provider tab
↑ Previous Model Move selection up
↓ Next Model Move selection down
Enter Select Choose selected model and close
Esc Cancel Close without changing model

Provider Tabs: - Openai - Anthropic - Google - HuggingFace - Local (Ollama)

Tool Manager Modal

Shortcuts for managing AI tools.

Shortcut Action Description
^t Open Open tool manager
↑ Previous Tool Move selection up
↓ Next Tool Move selection down
Space Toggle Enable/disable selected tool
Enter Apply Save tool configuration
Esc Cancel Close without saving

Profile Selector Modal

Shortcuts for selecting profiles.

Shortcut Action Description
^p Open Open profile selector
↑ Previous Move selection up
↓ Next Move selection down
Enter Select Load selected profile
Esc Cancel Close without changing profile

Export Dialog

Shortcuts for exporting conversations.

Shortcut Action Description
^e Open Open export dialog
Tab Next Option Move to next export option
Shift+Tab Previous Move to previous option
Space Toggle Toggle checkboxes
Enter Export Export with selected options
Esc Cancel Close without exporting

Help Modal

View keyboard shortcuts and help.

Shortcut Action Description
f1 Open Show help modal
Esc Close Close help modal

Import Dialog

Import conversations from file.

Shortcut Action Description
^i Open Open import dialog
Enter Confirm Import selected file
Esc Cancel Close without importing

Platform-Specific Modifiers

The ^ symbol represents the Control key:

macOS

  • ^ = Control (not Command)
  • ⌘ (Command) is not used in Consoul shortcuts
  • ⌥ (Option) = Alt

Linux/Windows

  • ^ = Control (Ctrl)
  • Alt available but not currently used

Quick Reference Card

Essential shortcuts for daily use:

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║      CONSOUL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS          ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ GLOBAL                                   ║
║ q         Quit                           ║
║ ^n        New conversation               ║
║ ^l        Clear conversation             ║
║ ^b        Toggle sidebar                 ║
║ ^comma    Settings (Ctrl+,)              ║
║ ^m        Model picker                   ║
║ ^p        Profile selector               ║
║ ^e        Export                         ║
║ ^t        Tools                          ║
║ ^shift+p  Permissions                    ║
║ ^s        Search history                 ║
║ f1        Help                           ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ INPUT                                    ║
║ Enter     Send message                   ║
║ Shift+↵   New line                       ║
║ /         Focus input                    ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ NAVIGATION                               ║
║ ↑↓        Scroll/Navigate                ║
║ PgUp/PgDn Page up/down                   ║
║ Home/End  Top/Bottom                     ║
║ Tab       Next focus                     ║
║ Esc       Cancel/Close                   ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Tips for Power Users

Essential Workflow

Quick conversation management: 

^n          → New conversation
^s          → Search conversations
^e          → Export current
^i          → Import conversation

Quick settings: 

^comma      → Open settings
^m          → Switch model
^p          → Switch profile
^t          → Manage tools

Navigation: 

^b          → Toggle sidebar
/           → Focus input
Esc         → Cancel/close
Tab         → Cycle through UI

Efficiency Tips

  1. Keep Hands on Keyboard: Master global shortcuts to avoid mouse
  2. Use Search: ^s to quickly find past conversations
  3. Quick Navigation: Home/End in chat to jump to start/end
  4. Model Switching: ^m for rapid model changes
  5. Tool Management: ^t for quick tool enable/disable

Troubleshooting

Shortcut Not Working

Common Issues:

  1. Terminal Compatibility: Some terminals intercept certain key combinations
  2. Try different terminal emulator

  3. Check terminal preferences for key mappings

  4. Focus Context: Some shortcuts only work in specific contexts

  5. Ensure correct widget is focused

  6. Try clicking on the target area first

  7. Platform Differences: macOS vs Linux/Windows

  8. ^ = Control on all platforms
  9. Command key is not used

Terminal-Specific Issues

tmux/screen: 

# May need to configure pass-through in config
# Check .tmux.conf or .screenrc

iTerm2/Terminal.app (macOS): 

Preferences → Profiles → Keys
Check "Use Option as Meta key" setting

Windows Terminal: 

// settings.json
// Check for conflicting keybindings

Next Steps