Keyboard Shortcuts

Overview

Jean includes extensive keyboard shortcuts for fast navigation and workflow control. All shortcuts are customizable in Preferences.

Notation

Cmd on macOS = Ctrl on Windows/Linux
Opt on macOS = Alt on Windows/Linux
Shift, Enter, Backspace are platform-independent

Default Keybindings

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Cmd+B`	Toggle Left Sidebar	Show or hide projects sidebar
`Cmd+,`	Open Preferences	Open preferences dialog
`Cmd+O`	Open In…	Open worktree in editor/terminal/finder
`Cmd+N`	New Worktree	Create new worktree in current project
`Cmd+Shift+T`	Restore Archived	Restore most recently archived item
`/`	Focus Canvas Search	Focus search input on canvas views
`Cmd+Shift+D`	GitHub Dashboard	Open GitHub Dashboard (issues/PRs/security)
`Cmd+.`	Quick Menu	Open floating quick menu
`Cmd+Shift+F`	Finished Sessions	Open finished/unread sessions popover

Chat

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Cmd+L`	Focus Chat Input	Move focus to chat textarea
`Cmd+T`	New Session	Create new chat session
`Cmd+Opt+Right`	Next Session	Switch to next chat session
`Cmd+Opt+Left`	Previous Session	Switch to previous chat session
`Cmd+W`	Close Session	Close session (or worktree if last session)
`Shift+Tab`	Cycle Execution Mode	Cycle through Plan/Build/Yolo modes
`Cmd+Enter`	Approve Plan	Approve current plan (plan mode)
`Cmd+Y`	Approve Plan (YOLO)	Approve plan with YOLO mode
`Cmd+Shift+Y`	Clear Context and Yolo	Approve, clear context, start new yolo session
`Cmd+Shift+Enter`	Clear Context and Build	Approve, clear context, start new build session
`P`	Open Plan	Open plan dialog for selected session
`R`	Open Recap	Open session recap dialog
Cmd+`	Toggle Terminal	Show or hide terminal panel
`Cmd+S`	Toggle Label	Mark/unmark session with “Needs testing” label
`Cmd+Shift+P`	Open Provider Dropdown	Open provider selector dropdown
`Cmd+Shift+M`	Open Model Dropdown	Open model selector dropdown
`Cmd+Shift+E`	Open Thinking Dropdown	Open thinking/effort level dropdown
`Cmd+Opt+Backspace`	Cancel Prompt	Cancel running Claude process
`Cmd+Up`	Scroll Chat Up	Scroll message list up by one page
`Cmd+Down`	Scroll Chat Down	Scroll message list down by one page

Git

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Cmd+Shift+C`	Open Commit Modal	Open git commit dialog
`Cmd+G`	Open Git Diff	Open git diff view for uncommitted changes
`Cmd+M`	Magic Commands	Open magic git commands menu
`Cmd+R`	Execute Run	Start or stop run script in current workspace

Customizing Shortcuts

Via Preferences

Open Preferences (Cmd+,)
Navigate to Keyboard Shortcuts tab
Find action to customize
Click on current shortcut
Press new key combination
Save changes

Shortcut Format

Jean uses lowercase shortcut notation:

mod+shift+key

Components:

mod - Cmd (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows/Linux)
shift - Shift key
alt - Alt (Windows/Linux) or Option (macOS)
key - Letter, number, or special key

Examples:

mod+l - Cmd+L / Ctrl+L
mod+shift+c - Cmd+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+C
mod+alt+backspace - Cmd+Opt+Backspace / Ctrl+Alt+Backspace

Special Keys

comma      // ,
period     // .
slash      // /
backquote  // `
arrow up   // ↑
arrowdown  // ↓
arrowleft  // ←
arrowright // →
backspace  // Backspace/Delete
enter      // Enter/Return
tab        // Tab
escape     // Esc

Conflicts

Jean warns if shortcut conflicts with:

Another Jean action
System shortcuts (Cmd+Q, Cmd+W, etc.)
Browser shortcuts (if running in web mode)

Resolution: Change one of the conflicting shortcuts.

Context-Specific Shortcuts

Some shortcuts only work in specific contexts:

Canvas Views Only

/ - Focus search (only on canvas, not in chat)
P - Open plan (only when session card selected)
R - Open recap (only when session card selected)

Chat View Only

Cmd+L - Focus input (only in chat window)
Cmd+Enter - Approve plan (only when plan visible)
Shift+Tab - Cycle mode (only in chat input)

Terminal Panel

Cmd+` - Toggle terminal (works from anywhere)
Standard terminal shortcuts when focused (Cmd+C, Cmd+V, etc.)

Shortcut Categories

Keybindings are grouped by category in Preferences:

Sidebar, preferences, open in, worktree creation, canvas search, etc.

Chat (18 shortcuts)

Focus input, sessions, execution modes, plan approval, model selection, etc.

Git (4 shortcuts)

Commit, diff, magic commands, run script

Disabled Shortcuts

To disable a shortcut:

Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts
Find action
Click shortcut field
Press Backspace to clear
Save

Effect: Action can only be triggered via UI (menu/button).

Platform Differences

macOS

Cmd = Command (⌘)
Opt = Option (⌥)
Shift = Shift (⇧)
Dead keys (Opt+E, Opt+M) avoided by using Cmd+Shift instead

Windows

Ctrl = Control
Alt = Alt
Shift = Shift
Terminal shortcuts: Cmd+ becomes Ctrl+

Linux

Ctrl = Control
Alt = Alt
Shift = Shift
May conflict with desktop environment shortcuts (varies by distro)

Resetting Shortcuts

Reset All

Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts
Click Reset All to Defaults button
Confirm reset

Reset Single Shortcut

Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts
Find action
Click Reset icon next to shortcut
Shortcut restored to default

Shortcut Migration

Jean automatically migrates old shortcuts to new defaults: Example: toggle_left_sidebar changed from Cmd+1 to Cmd+B

If you had default Cmd+1, auto-updates to Cmd+B
If you customized to Cmd+X, keeps Cmd+X

Migrations happen silently on app load.

Shortcut Storage

Shortcuts are stored in preferences:

{
  "keybindings": {
    "focus_chat_input": "mod+l",
    "toggle_left_sidebar": "mod+b",
    "open_preferences": "mod+comma",
    ...
  }
}

Location: ~/Library/Application Support/io.coollabs.jean/preferences.json

Complete Keybindings Reference

Full List (37 shortcuts)

export const DEFAULT_KEYBINDINGS: KeybindingsMap = {
  focus_chat_input: 'mod+l',
  toggle_left_sidebar: 'mod+b',
  open_preferences: 'mod+comma',
  open_commit_modal: 'mod+shift+c',
  open_git_diff: 'mod+g',
  execute_run: 'mod+r',
  open_in_modal: 'mod+o',
  open_magic_modal: 'mod+m',
  new_session: 'mod+t',
  next_session: 'mod+alt+arrowright',
  previous_session: 'mod+alt+arrowleft',
  close_session_or_worktree: 'mod+w',
  new_worktree: 'mod+n',
  cycle_execution_mode: 'shift+tab',
  approve_plan: 'mod+enter',
  approve_plan_yolo: 'mod+y',
  approve_plan_clear_context: 'mod+shift+y',
  approve_plan_clear_context_build: 'mod+shift+enter',
  open_plan: 'p',
  open_recap: 'r',
  restore_last_archived: 'mod+shift+t',
  focus_canvas_search: 'slash',
  toggle_terminal: 'mod+backquote',
  toggle_session_label: 'mod+s',
  open_provider_dropdown: 'mod+shift+p',
  open_model_dropdown: 'mod+shift+m',
  open_thinking_dropdown: 'mod+shift+e',
  open_unread_sessions: 'mod+shift+f',
  cancel_prompt: 'mod+alt+backspace',
  scroll_chat_up: 'mod+arrowup',
  scroll_chat_down: 'mod+arrowdown',
  open_github_dashboard: 'mod+shift+d',
  open_quick_menu: 'mod+period',
}

Accessibility

For users who prefer mouse/trackpad:

Preferences > Appearance
Enable Show Keybinding Hints
Shortcuts displayed at bottom of canvas views

For users who need alternative shortcuts:

Customize any shortcut to avoid conflicts
Use one-handed shortcuts (avoid multi-key combos)
Map to number pad keys if available

Tips

Learn incrementally: Master 5-10 shortcuts first, add more over time
Print cheat sheet: Screenshot this page, keep visible while learning
Use hints: Enable keybinding hints in Preferences
Muscle memory: Practice shortcuts daily for 1-2 weeks
Customize for you: Change shortcuts to match your mental model

Troubleshooting

Shortcut Not Working

Check focus: Some shortcuts require specific focus (e.g., chat input)
Verify enabled: Check Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts
Check conflicts: Look for system/browser conflicts
Restart Jean: Reload keybindings

Wrong Action Triggered

Check for duplicates: Multiple actions with same shortcut
Reset to defaults: Preferences > Reset All
Manually review: Check preferences.json for conflicts

Platform-Specific Issues

macOS dead keys: Opt+E, Opt+M type accents instead of triggering shortcuts

Solution: Use Cmd+Shift+E, Cmd+Shift+M instead

Windows terminal conflict: Ctrl+` may conflict with terminal emulators

Solution: Customize toggle_terminal shortcut

Linux desktop conflicts: Ctrl+Alt+Arrow may switch workspaces

Solution: Customize prev/next session shortcuts

Get Started

Core Concepts

Features

Guides

Advanced

Reference

​Overview

​Notation

​Default Keybindings

​Navigation

​Chat

​Git

​Customizing Shortcuts

​Via Preferences

​Shortcut Format

​Special Keys

​Conflicts

​Context-Specific Shortcuts

​Canvas Views Only

​Chat View Only

​Terminal Panel

​Shortcut Categories

​Navigation (10 shortcuts)

​Chat (18 shortcuts)

​Git (4 shortcuts)

​Disabled Shortcuts

​Platform Differences

​macOS

​Windows

​Linux

​Resetting Shortcuts

​Reset All

​Reset Single Shortcut

​Shortcut Migration

​Shortcut Storage

​Complete Keybindings Reference

​Full List (37 shortcuts)

​Accessibility

​Tips

​Troubleshooting

​Shortcut Not Working

​Wrong Action Triggered

​Platform-Specific Issues

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