Global Bindings

Keybindings that are active everywhere in Claude Code, regardless of current focus.

Overview

Global bindings handle app-level operations: screen control, history search, transcript viewing, and feature toggles. These are always available and take precedence over context-specific bindings.

Shipped Global Bindings

Core Control

Key	Action	Description
ctrl+c	app:interrupt	Interrupt current operation. Hardcoded; uses double-press detection for exit. Cannot be rebound.
ctrl+d	app:exit	Exit Claude Code. Hardcoded; requires double-press. Cannot be rebound.
ctrl+l	app:redraw	Redraw the entire screen. Useful if display is corrupted.

Navigation & History

Key	Action	Description
ctrl+r	history:search	Open history search dialog. Enter search term; navigate with Ctrl+R to cycle results, Tab or Escape to select.

Toggles

Key	Action	Description
ctrl+t	app:toggleTodos	Show/hide todo list in footer.
ctrl+o	app:toggleTranscript	Show/hide transcript (history of all interactions).
ctrl+shift+o	app:toggleTeammatePreview	Show/hide teammate activity preview.
ctrl+shift+b	app:toggleBrief	Show/hide brief mode (summarized output). Feature-gated: KAIROS or KAIROS_BRIEF.
meta+j	app:toggleTerminal	Show/hide integrated terminal panel. Feature-gated: TERMINAL_PANEL.

Search & Quick Navigation (Feature-Gated)

Requires: QUICK_SEARCH feature flag.

Key	Action	Description
ctrl+shift+f	app:globalSearch	Global file/content search (portable; ctrl+shift combination).
cmd+shift+f	app:globalSearch	Global search on macOS/kitty terminals (cmd shortcut).
ctrl+shift+p	app:quickOpen	Quick open command/file picker (portable).
cmd+shift+p	app:quickOpen	Quick open on macOS/kitty terminals.

Customization Examples

Add a custom global search shortcut

{
  "Global": {
    "ctrl+alt+f": "app:globalSearch"
  }
}

Disable a global binding

Set the key to null:

{
  "Global": {
    "ctrl+t": null
  }
}

Now Ctrl+T will not trigger the todo toggle (but the key is still consumed; typing won’t emit a literal t).

Rebind history search

{
  "Global": {
    "ctrl+h": "history:search"
  }
}

This overrides ctrl+r for history search. The old ctrl+r binding is not removed; if you want to fully disable it, set it to null.

Notes

• Double-press exit: ctrl+c and ctrl+d require a second press within ~500ms to actually exit. This prevents accidental termination.
• Screen redraw (ctrl+l) is useful when the TUI becomes visually corrupted, but does not clear scrollback.
• Feature gates: QUICK_SEARCH, KAIROS/KAIROS_BRIEF, and TERMINAL_PANEL are not always enabled. If a feature is not available, its bindings are not registered.
• Chord vs. single-key: Global bindings use single modifiers (ctrl+, meta+, shift+) or single keys, not multi-step chords.

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