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Overview

The Action Menu is Tabby’s command palette for AI-powered text transformations. Trigger it with Ctrl+\ on any selected text to instantly access grammar fixes, tone changes, text expansion, and more.
The Action Menu works system-wide across all applications - from code editors to email clients to messaging apps.

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Opening the Action Menu

ShortcutAction
Ctrl+\Open action menu with selected text
TabQuick AI chat mode
Alt+[Key]Trigger specific action

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Basic Usage

  1. Select text in any application
  2. Press Ctrl+\ to open the Action Menu
  3. Search or navigate with arrow keys to find an action
  4. Press Enter to execute, or use Alt+[Key] shortcuts for instant access
const handleActionSelect = useCallback(
  async (action: Action) => {
    if (action.id === "chat") {
      setShowChatMode(true);
      return;
    }

    setCurrentAction(action);
    setMessages([]);

    const prompt = getActionPrompt(action);
    sendMessage(
      {
        parts: [{
          type: "text",
          text: selectedText
        }]
      },
      {
        body: { action: action.id as ActionType, customPrompt: prompt },
      }
    );
  },
  [sendMessage, selectedText, setMessages]
);

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Layout Modes

The Action Menu supports two layout modes:
Default mode - A searchable list interface similar to VS Code’s command palette.
  • Search actions by name
  • Navigate with arrow keys
  • See keyboard shortcuts at a glance
  • Perfect for keyboard-driven workflows
Toggle between modes by clicking the grid icon in the bottom toolbar.

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Keyboard Navigation

The Action Menu is fully keyboard-accessible:
KeyAction
↑ / ↓Navigate through actions
EnterSelect highlighted action
EscClose menu or go back
TabOpen Quick AI chat mode
Alt+[Key]Direct action shortcut
Use the search bar to quickly filter actions. Type a few letters to narrow down the list.

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Action Groups

Actions are organized into two main groups:

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AI Agents

Interactive, multi-turn AI assistants:
  • Chat Mode (Alt+H) - Free-form conversation with context
  • Interview Copilot (Alt+I) - Coding interview assistance with screen capture
  • Text Agent (Alt+T) - Quick text transformations and AI tools
  • Voice Agent (Alt+V) - Real-time voice conversation

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AI Actions

Single-shot text transformations (see Text Transformations).

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Quick AI Chat Mode

Press Tab from the Action Menu to enter Quick AI Chat:
  • Free-form conversation with AI
  • Full context of your selected text
  • Multi-turn dialogue support
  • Memory-enhanced responses
export function ChatPanel({
  selectedText,
  onBack,
  onClose,
}: ChatPanelProps) {
  const { messages, status, sendMessage } = useChat({
    transport: createAuthenticatedChatTransport("/api/completion"),
    generateId: () => generateUUID(),
  });

  // Chat interface with message history and input
  return (
    <div className="flex h-full flex-col">
      <MessageList messages={messages} />
      <ChatInput onSend={sendMessage} />
    </div>
  );
}

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Custom Prompts

The Custom Prompt action (Alt+K) lets you define your own transformation:
  1. Select the Custom Prompt action
  2. Enter your instruction (e.g., “Make this sound more confident”)
  3. Press Enter to apply
Your custom prompts are saved and can be reused for similar transformations.
Custom prompts are stored locally and will only be available on the current device.

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Result Panel

After selecting an action, the Result Panel shows:
  • Original text for reference
  • AI-generated output with streaming support
  • Action buttons: Copy, Paste, Regenerate
KeyAction
EnterPaste result into original location
EscGo back to action selection

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Toolbar Features

The bottom toolbar provides quick access to:
  • Settings - Configure AI models, shortcuts, and preferences
  • Theme toggle - Switch between light and dark mode
  • Layout toggle - Switch between command palette and homescreen
  • Invisibility mode - Hide from screen recorders (useful for interviews)
Invisibility mode uses content protection APIs to prevent screen recording software from capturing the Action Menu window.

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API Integration

The Action Menu communicates with the completion API: 
export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const { messages, action, customPrompt, userId } = await req.json();

  // Use custom prompt if provided
  const systemPrompt = customPrompt
    ? `${customPrompt}\n\n${getSystemPrompt(userId)}`
    : getSystemPrompt(userId);

  const stream = createUIMessageStream({
    generateId: generateUUID,
    execute: async ({ writer: dataStream }) => {
      const result = streamText({
        model: myProvider.languageModel(defaultModel),
        system: systemPrompt,
        messages: modelMessages,
        tools: {
          tavilySearchTool,
          addMemory: addMemoryTool,
          searchMemory: searchMemoryTool,
        },
        stopWhen: stepCountIs(20),
      });

      dataStream.merge(result.toUIMessageStream({
        sendReasoning: true,
      }));
    },
  });

  return new Response(stream.pipeThrough(new JsonToSseTransformStream()));
}

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See Also

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