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Cluely is designed for keyboard-first workflows. All major features are accessible via global shortcuts that work anywhere on your system.

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Global shortcuts reference

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Core actions

Cmd+Shift+Space    # Show/center Cluely window
Cmd+B              # Toggle window visibility
Cmd+H              # Take screenshot + auto-process
Cmd+Enter          # Process queued screenshots
Cmd+R              # Clear queues and reset

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Window positioning

Cmd+Left           # Move window to left side
Cmd+Right          # Move window to right side
Cmd+Up             # Move window up
Cmd+Down           # Move window down

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Detailed shortcuts

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Show/center window

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Space Brings Cluely to the front and centers it on your current screen. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+Shift+Space", () => {
  this.appState.centerAndShowWindow()
})
This is the primary shortcut for accessing Cluely. It works from any application and brings the window to focus.

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Toggle visibility

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+B Quickly show or hide the Cluely window without changing its position. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+B", () => {
  this.appState.toggleMainWindow()
  
  const mainWindow = this.appState.getMainWindow()
  if (mainWindow && !this.appState.isVisible()) {
    // On macOS, force window to front
    if (process.platform === "darwin") {
      mainWindow.setAlwaysOnTop(true, "normal")
      setTimeout(() => {
        if (mainWindow && !mainWindow.isDestroyed()) {
          mainWindow.setAlwaysOnTop(true, "floating")
        }
      }, 100)
    }
  }
})
On macOS, this shortcut temporarily adjusts the window’s always-on-top level to ensure it appears above other windows.

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Screenshot capture

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+H Captures a screenshot and automatically processes it with AI. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+H", async () => {
  const mainWindow = this.appState.getMainWindow()
  if (mainWindow) {
    try {
      const screenshotPath = await this.appState.takeScreenshot()
      const preview = await this.appState.getImagePreview(screenshotPath)
      
      mainWindow.webContents.send("screenshot-taken", {
        path: screenshotPath,
        preview
      })
      
      // Automatically process the screenshot
      await this.appState.processingHelper.processScreenshots()
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("Error capturing screenshot:", error)
    }
  }
})
Workflow:
  1. Hides Cluely window
  2. Waits 100ms for window to hide
  3. Captures entire screen
  4. Shows window again
  5. Automatically processes screenshot with AI
This shortcut conflicts with “Hide Application” on macOS. You may need to disable the system shortcut in System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts.

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Process screenshots

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Enter Manually triggers processing of queued screenshots. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+Enter", async () => {
  await this.appState.processingHelper.processScreenshots()
})
When to use:
  • You’ve captured multiple screenshots and want to process them together
  • You’ve added context/questions to screenshots before processing
  • You’re in debug mode and want to process additional screenshots

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Reset and clear

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+R Resets Cluely to its initial state. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+R", () => {
  // Cancel ongoing API requests
  this.appState.processingHelper.cancelOngoingRequests()
  
  // Clear both screenshot queues
  this.appState.clearQueues()
  
  // Update view state to 'queue'
  this.appState.setView("queue")
  
  // Notify renderer to switch view
  const mainWindow = this.appState.getMainWindow()
  if (mainWindow && !mainWindow.isDestroyed()) {
    mainWindow.webContents.send("reset-view")
  }
})
What gets reset:
  • All queued screenshots (deleted from disk)
  • Debug screenshots (deleted from disk)
  • Ongoing API requests (cancelled)
  • View state (back to queue)
  • React Query cache (invalidated)
Use this shortcut to start fresh when working on a new problem or if you want to clear context.

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Window movement shortcuts

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Move left

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Left Moves the Cluely window to the left side of your screen. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+Left", () => {
  this.appState.moveWindowLeft()
})

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Move right

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Right Moves the window to the right side. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+Right", () => {
  this.appState.moveWindowRight()
})

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Move up

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Up Moves the window up on your screen. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+Up", () => {
  this.appState.moveWindowUp()
})

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Move down

Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Down Moves the window down. 
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+Down", () => {
  this.appState.moveWindowDown()
})

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IPC shortcuts

These shortcuts are available through the IPC API for use in the renderer process: 
// Trigger shortcuts from renderer
await window.electronAPI.moveWindowLeft()
await window.electronAPI.moveWindowRight()
await window.electronAPI.moveWindowUp()
await window.electronAPI.moveWindowDown()
await window.electronAPI.centerAndShowWindow()
await window.electronAPI.toggleWindow()

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Shortcut registration

All global shortcuts are registered at app startup: 
export class ShortcutsHelper {
  public registerGlobalShortcuts(): void {
    // Register all shortcuts...
  }
}

// Cleanup on quit
app.on("will-quit", () => {
  globalShortcut.unregisterAll()
})
Shortcuts are automatically unregistered when the app quits to avoid conflicts with other applications.

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Platform differences

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macOS

  • Uses Command key for shortcuts
  • Includes special always-on-top handling for toggle visibility
  • May conflict with system shortcuts (especially Cmd+H)

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Windows/Linux

  • Uses Control key for shortcuts
  • Standard window behavior without special z-order handling
  • Generally fewer conflicts with system shortcuts

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Customization

Shortcuts are currently hardcoded in electron/shortcuts.ts. To customize:
  1. Edit the shortcut registration in ShortcutsHelper.registerGlobalShortcuts()
  2. Rebuild the application
  3. Test for conflicts with system shortcuts
// Example: Change screenshot to Cmd+Shift+S
globalShortcut.register("CommandOrControl+Shift+S", async () => {
  // Screenshot logic...
})
Changing shortcuts requires rebuilding the application. Future versions may support user-configurable shortcuts.

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Troubleshooting

Possible causes:
  • Another app is using the same shortcut
  • macOS accessibility permissions not granted
  • Electron’s globalShortcut module failed to register
Solutions:
  • Check System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts for conflicts
  • Grant accessibility permissions to Cluely
  • Restart the application
  • Check console for registration errors
Cause: macOS system shortcut conflictSolutions:
  • Disable “Hide [App]” in System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → App Shortcuts
  • Or modify Cluely’s screenshot shortcut to use a different key combination
Solutions:
  • Try using Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Space instead of Cmd/Ctrl+B
  • On macOS, ensure Cluely has accessibility permissions
  • Check if another window is set to always-on-top

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Quick reference table

ActionmacOSWindows/LinuxDescription
Show windowCmd+Shift+SpaceCtrl+Shift+SpaceCenter and show Cluely
Toggle visibilityCmd+BCtrl+BHide/show window
ScreenshotCmd+HCtrl+HCapture + auto-process
Process queueCmd+EnterCtrl+EnterManually process screenshots
ResetCmd+RCtrl+RClear queues and reset
Move leftCmd+LeftCtrl+LeftReposition window
Move rightCmd+RightCtrl+RightReposition window
Move upCmd+UpCtrl+UpReposition window
Move downCmd+DownCtrl+DownReposition window

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