Dex uses a consistent set of keybindings across all command centers. This reference documents every keyboard shortcut organized by danger level and command center.
Danger Levels Dex operations are classified by their potential impact:
SAFE Read-only operations. No file modifications or side effects.
EDIT Local file mutations. Changes workspace files but doesn’t publish.
PUBLISH Live publish/deploy operations. Triggers production side effects.
Always verify the danger level before executing commands. PUBLISH operations affect live production systems.
Global Keybindings These shortcuts work in all TUI command centers:
Key Action Danger Level Ctrl+QQuit Dex completely SAFE EnterRun selected command or continue to next step Varies ↑ / ↓Move cursor up/down SAFE ?Open command palette (Dashboard only) SAFE EscBack/exit current manager or previous step SAFE
Esc provides safe navigation backward through wizards and managers. Use it to cancel operations before committing changes.
Dashboard Main menu navigation for accessing all Dex commands.
Key Action Danger Level EnterOpen selected menu command SAFE ↑ / ↓Menu navigation SAFE ?Open/close command palette SAFE
Command Palette Mode Key Action Danger Level Type Filter commands by query SAFE ↑ / ↓Navigate filtered results SAFE Backspace / DeleteEdit search query SAFE EnterRun selected command SAFE EscClose palette SAFE
Init Wizard Create new entries with guided step-by-step interface.
Global Wizard Controls Key Action Danger Level EnterNext step EDIT EscPrevious step or cancel SAFE Ctrl+QQuit Dex SAFE
List-Style Fields Key Action Danger Level Ctrl+AAdd item to list EDIT Ctrl+DRemove last item from list EDIT
Download Step Recording download and source configuration.
Key Action Danger Level Ctrl+IRecording index import mode EDIT Ctrl+PPaste mode EDIT Ctrl+GCycle channel view (mono/stereo/multichannel) SAFE TabCycle focus between panes (rows/pdf/bundle/source/segments) SAFE ↑ / ↓Navigate segments and rows SAFE
Select entry tags with keyboard-driven interface.
Key Action Danger Level Type Filter available tags SAFE SpaceToggle tag selection EDIT ↑ / ↓Move tag cursor SAFE
Update Wizard Rehydrate and edit existing entry metadata.
Checklist Stage Key Action Danger Level SpaceToggle section completion EDIT EnterContinue to edit stage SAFE EscCancel and return to dashboard SAFE
Edit Stage Key Action Danger Level Type Edit current field EDIT ↑ / ↓Switch between fields SAFE Ctrl+IImport recording index from source URL EDIT EnterContinue to review stage SAFE EscReturn to checklist SAFE
Review Stage Key Action Danger Level Ctrl+SSave and regenerate entry HTML EDIT EscReturn to edit stage SAFE
Doctor Scan and repair entry health issues.
Key Action Danger Level ↑ / ↓Select entry report SAFE Type Filter entries by slug SAFE Ctrl+SRepair selected entry EDIT EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Doctor operations scan for drift between entry metadata and generated HTML. Repair operations regenerate files safely.
Entry Audit Inspect entry inventory and download tree coverage.
Key Action Danger Level ↑ / ↓Select inventory row SAFE rRerun audit SAFE EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Right Pane : Shows download tree and coverage model for selected entry.Catalog Manager Manage catalog manifest, spotlight, and publication workflow.
Key Action Danger Level mToggle view mode (full/staged) SAFE aStage manifest entry EDIT sSet spotlight entry EDIT vValidate and snapshot EDIT dDiff against test environment SAFE fDiff against prod environment SAFE pPublish to test PUBLISH oPublish to prod (requires confirmation) PUBLISH lPull from test EDIT kPull from prod EDIT rReload catalog data SAFE EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Publishing to prod (o) requires typing the confirmation phrase PUBLISH PROD
Home Featured Manager Manage featured entries on the home page.
Key Action Danger Level aSet featured entries list EDIT eReorder featured entries EDIT vValidate and snapshot EDIT dDiff against test SAFE fDiff against prod SAFE pPublish to test PUBLISH oPublish to prod (requires confirmation) PUBLISH lPull from test EDIT kPull from prod EDIT rReload home data SAFE EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Protected Assets Manager Validate and publish protected asset lookup mappings.
Key Action Danger Level vValidate coverage SAFE dDiff against test SAFE fDiff against prod SAFE pPublish to test PUBLISH oPublish to prod PUBLISH bEnsure bucket exists (test) PUBLISH nEnsure bucket exists (prod) PUBLISH rReload assets data SAFE ↑ / ↓Navigate lookup entries SAFE EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Polls Manager Create, edit, and publish polls.
Key Action Danger Level nCreate new poll EDIT eEdit selected poll EDIT oOpen poll for voting EDIT cClose poll voting EDIT rRefresh selected poll metrics SAFE Shift+RReload polls file SAFE mRefresh all poll metrics SAFE tPublish to test PUBLISH pPublish to prod PUBLISH EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Poll Editor Mode Key Action Danger Level ↑ / ↓Move between fields SAFE EnterEdit text field EDIT ← / →Cycle enum values EDIT SpaceToggle boolean field EDIT S or Ctrl+SSave changes EDIT EscClose editor (cancel) SAFE
Newsletter Manager Manage newsletter campaigns, templates, and sending.
Key Action Danger Level nCreate draft campaign EDIT aCycle audience segment EDIT sSchedule campaign (+5 minutes) PUBLISH xSend campaign now PUBLISH tTest send to email PUBLISH gFetch campaign stats SAFE pPreview campaign SAFE kCycle template seed EDIT rRefresh campaigns list SAFE ↑ / ↓Select campaign SAFE EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Newsletter sending (x) and scheduling (s) operations immediately affect production email campaigns.
Dex Notes Manager Manage markdown blog posts and editorial workflow.
Key Action Danger Level aAdd new post draft EDIT eEdit selected post in $EDITOR EDIT tSet post title EDIT bBuild notes bundle EDIT vValidate notes SAFE rReload notes list SAFE ↑ / ↓Select post SAFE EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
The e command opens your configured $EDITOR environment variable. Changes are saved when the editor exits.
Status Manager Manage status incidents and generate incident pages.
Key Action Danger Level nCreate new incident EDIT + PUBLISH rResolve selected incident EDIT + PUBLISH gRegenerate incident page EDIT uReload runtime status data SAFE EscReturn to dashboard SAFE
Incident Editor Mode Key Action Danger Level ↑ / ↓Move between fields SAFE EnterEdit text field EDIT ← / →Cycle enum values EDIT S or Ctrl+SSave incident EDIT + PUBLISH EscClose editor (cancel) SAFE
Creating and resolving incidents trigger publish events that update the live status page.
Text Entry
Printable characters - Appended to current fieldPaste - Large clipboard content handled via paste modeSpecial chars - Control characters filtered except allowed shortcuts
Backspace Handling Dex recognizes multiple backspace representations:
\x7f (standard)\x08 (legacy)key.backspace flag
Navigation Arrow keys (↑, ↓, ←, →) provide consistent navigation:
Vertical - List/menu navigation, field switchingHorizontal - Enum value cycling, tab panel focus
Tips for Effective TUI Usage
Esc safely cancels operations and navigates backward. It never commits changes until you explicitly save.
Always verify the danger level indicator before executing commands. PUBLISH operations affect production.
Command Palette for Speed
Press ? in the dashboard to quickly filter and run commands without menu navigation.
Wizards show a review stage before committing changes. Use this to verify all data is correct.
Minimum 80×24 recommended. Larger terminals provide better visibility for complex managers.