Chat Bindings

Keybindings active when the chat input field is focused. This is the largest context, covering prompt entry, submission, history, editing, and mode toggles.

Overview

Chat bindings handle the primary interaction loop: entering prompts, submitting, navigating history, managing sessions, and toggling model options. These are active whenever the prompt input is focused.

Shipped Chat Bindings

Submission & Cancellation

Key	Action	Description
enter	chat:submit	Submit the current prompt. Sends input to Claude.
escape	chat:cancel	Cancel/clear the current prompt without submitting.
ctrl+x ctrl+k	chat:killAgents	Kill all running agents (kill chord; avoids shadowing ctrl+a/b/e/f readline keys).

Mode Toggles

Key	Action	Description	Platform
shift+tab	chat:cycleMode	Cycle editor mode (normal → raw → smart/multi-line).	Windows 24.2+, macOS, Linux
meta+m	chat:cycleMode	Cycle editor mode fallback (for Windows <24.2 without VT mode).	Windows <24.2
meta+p	chat:modelPicker	Open model selection dialog.	All
meta+o	chat:fastMode	Toggle fast/draft mode. Quick, lower-accuracy responses.	All
meta+t	chat:thinkingToggle	Toggle extended thinking (Claude 3.5 Sonnet feature).	All

History Navigation

Key	Action	Description
up	history:previous	Cycle to previous prompt in history.
down	history:next	Cycle to next prompt in history.

When navigating history, the current input is preserved on a temporary “draft” line. Pressing up/down cycles through submitted prompts; exiting history restores your draft.

Editing & Undo

Key	Action	Description	Note
ctrl+_	chat:undo	Undo last edit. Uses legacy terminal control char (\x1f).	Traditional; widely supported
ctrl+shift+-	chat:undo	Undo last edit (Kitty protocol variant). Uses physical minus key.	Kitty-protocol terminals only

Both bindings are registered; your terminal determines which one works. Most terminals support ctrl+_.

External Editor

Key	Action	Description	Note
ctrl+x ctrl+e	chat:externalEditor	Open prompt in external editor ($EDITOR). Supports chord sequence.	Standard readline binding
ctrl+g	chat:externalEditor	Alternative shortcut for external editor (single key).	Convenient alias

Both work; choose whichever is easier to remember.

Image & File Attachments

Key	Action	Description	Platform
alt+v	chat:imagePaste	Paste images from clipboard into prompt.	Windows
ctrl+v	chat:imagePaste	Paste images from clipboard into prompt.	macOS, Linux

Platform-specific because Windows Terminal uses Ctrl+V for system paste; Claude Code intercepts Alt+V instead.

Prompt Storage

Key	Action	Description
ctrl+s	chat:stash	Save current prompt to stash (temporary storage). Retrieve later without scrolling history.

Stashed prompts are stored per-session and cleared when the session ends.

Message Actions (Feature-Gated)

Requires: MESSAGE_ACTIONS feature flag.

Key	Action	Description
shift+up	chat:messageActions	Open action menu on previous message. Navigate, edit, retry, copy, or delete.

Voice Mode (Feature-Gated)

Requires: VOICE_MODE feature flag.

Key	Action	Description
space	voice:pushToTalk	Hold to record voice input. Release to stop and submit.

Important: Space is only bound to voice if the feature is enabled. Otherwise, space emits a literal space character in the prompt.

Rebinding Voice

If you want to use a different key for voice, add to keybindings.json:

{
  "Chat": {
    "ctrl+alt+v": "voice:pushToTalk"
  }
}

This overrides the default space binding. To disable voice entirely, set space to null:

{
  "Chat": {
    "space": null
  }
}

However, Claude Code provides a /voice command as the canonical way to enable/disable voice. Null-unbinding space in custom bindings causes space to be “swallowed” (not emitted) due to a pre-existing trap in the keybinding handler—use /voice instead to toggle the feature safely.

Customization Examples

Rebind editor mode cycle

By default, use Shift+Tab. If that conflicts with your terminal, override:

{
  "Chat": {
    "ctrl+alt+m": "chat:cycleMode"
  }
}

Add a faster model picker

{
  "Chat": {
    "ctrl+m": "chat:modelPicker"
  }
}

Change fast mode toggle

{
  "Chat": {
    "ctrl+alt+f": "chat:fastMode"
  }
}

Notes

Chord Sequences Avoid Readline Conflicts

• ctrl+x ctrl+k uses a two-step chord to avoid shadowing ctrl+a (line start), ctrl+b (back char), ctrl+e (line end), ctrl+f (forward char), etc. These readline bindings are handled by your shell, not Claude Code.
• ctrl+x ctrl+e is the readline standard for “edit and execute command,” familiar to bash/zsh users.

Terminal & Prompt Capabilities

• External editor: Requires $EDITOR environment variable. Default editors: nano, vi, emacs, code.
• Undo: Two bindings provided for terminal compatibility. Try ctrl+_ first; if it doesn’t work, your terminal might need ctrl+shift+-.
• Image paste: Automatically uses the correct binding per platform. Some terminals (WezTerm, iTerm2) may have additional clipboard handling.

History Behavior

• Up arrow in empty prompt: If your prompt is empty, up arrow goes to the most recent history item. If you’ve typed text, up arrow searches history for prompts starting with that text.
• Draft line: While navigating history, your current unsaved prompt is preserved. Pressing down after reaching the end returns to your draft.

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