Using Shortcuts

Shortcuts in Memos help you work faster by saving frequently used filters and providing keyboard shortcuts for common actions.

Filter Shortcuts

Filter shortcuts save complex CEL expressions for instant access.

Creating a Shortcut

Open the Create Dialog

Click the + New Shortcut button in the sidebar (visible on Home page).

Enter Title

Choose a descriptive title. Emoji are supported and recommended:

💼 Work TODOs
✅ Completed Tasks
👥 Team Updates
📊 Weekly Reports

Write Filter Expression

Enter a CEL filter expression:

tag_search == "work" && property.has_incomplete_tasks == true

The filter is validated before saving.

Save

Click Save to create the shortcut. It appears immediately in your sidebar.

Using Shortcuts

Click a shortcut in the sidebar
Memos are filtered instantly
The shortcut highlights to show it’s active
Click again to deactivate and clear the filter

Shortcuts are exclusive - activating one deactivates others.

Managing Shortcuts

Edit
Delete
Reorder

Update existing shortcuts:

Click the menu icon (three dots) next to the shortcut
Select Edit
Modify the title or filter
Save changes

The shortcut updates immediately for all active sessions.

Shortcut Examples

Here are practical shortcut filters you can use:

Personal Productivity

✅ Today's TODOs

Find incomplete tasks for today:

property.has_incomplete_tasks == true

🔥 High Priority

Find urgent and high-priority items:

tag_search == "urgent" || tag_search == "high-priority"

📌 Pinned Items

Show only pinned memos:

pinned == true

📅 This Week

Memos from the current week:

create_time > timestamp("2024-01-20T00:00:00Z")

Update the timestamp each week, or use relative timestamps if your implementation supports them.

Work & Projects

💼 Work Items

All work-related memos:

tag_search == "work" || tag_search.startsWith("work/")

🚀 Active Projects

Memos for active projects:

(tag_search == "project/alpha" || tag_search == "project/beta") &&
!(tag_search == "archived")

👥 Team Updates

Team-related memos and meetings:

tag_search == "team" || tag_search == "meeting" || tag_search == "standup"

📝 Meeting Notes

All meeting notes:

tag_search == "meeting" || tag_search == "meeting-notes"

Learning & Knowledge

📚 Reading List

Memos with links to read:

tag_search == "reading" && property.has_link == true

💻 Code Snippets

Memos containing code:

property.has_code == true

🎓 Learning

Educational content and tutorials:

tag_search == "learning" || tag_search == "tutorial" || tag_search == "til"

🔗 Resource Collection

Public memos with links:

visibility == "PUBLIC" && property.has_link == true

Content Types

✔️ Task Lists

All memos with task lists:

property.has_task_list == true

🔒 Private Notes

Your private memos only:

visibility == "PRIVATE"

🌐 Public Posts

Publicly shared content:

visibility == "PUBLIC"

📸 With Images

Memos with attachments (approximate via tags):

tag_search == "image" || tag_search == "photo"

Direct attachment filtering is not yet exposed in CEL. Tag images for now.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Boost productivity with keyboard shortcuts in the editor.

Editor Shortcuts

Mac
Windows/Linux

Action	Shortcut
Save memo	`Cmd + Enter`
Bold text	`Cmd + B`
Italic text	`Cmd + I`
Insert link	`Cmd + K`
Insert code	`Cmd + E`
Toggle focus mode	`Cmd + Shift + F`
Cancel editing	`Esc`

Action	Shortcut
Save memo	`Ctrl + Enter`
Bold text	`Ctrl + B`
Italic text	`Ctrl + I`
Insert link	`Ctrl + K`
Insert code	`Ctrl + E`
Toggle focus mode	`Ctrl + Shift + F`
Cancel editing	`Esc`

Slash Commands

Type / in the editor to access quick insertions:

Command	Output	Use Case
`/code`	```\n\n```	Insert fenced code block
`/table`	Markdown table template	Create a table structure
`/todo`	`- [ ]`	Start a task list
`/divider`	`---`	Insert horizontal rule

Using slash commands:

Type / in the editor
See available commands
Type command name or use arrow keys
Press Enter to insert
Cursor automatically positions for editing

Global keyboard navigation is planned but not yet implemented.

Current navigation:

Use Tab to move between UI elements
Use arrow keys in suggestions and menus
Use Enter to confirm selections
Use Esc to close dialogs and menus

API Usage

Create Shortcut

import { createPromiseClient } from "@connectrpc/connect";
import { createConnectTransport } from "@connectrpc/connect-web";
import { ShortcutService } from "./gen/api/v1/shortcut_service_pb";

const client = createPromiseClient(ShortcutService, transport);

const shortcut = await client.createShortcut({
  parent: "users/123", // Your user resource name
  shortcut: {
    title: "💼 Work TODOs",
    filter: 'tag_search == "work" && property.has_incomplete_tasks == true',
  },
});

console.log("Created:", shortcut.name);
// Output: "users/123/shortcuts/abc-def-ghi"

List Shortcuts

const response = await client.listShortcuts({
  parent: "users/123",
});

for (const shortcut of response.shortcuts) {
  console.log(`${shortcut.title}: ${shortcut.filter}`);
}

// Output:
// 💼 Work TODOs: tag_search == "work" && property.has_incomplete_tasks == true
// ✅ Completed: property.has_task_list == true && !property.has_incomplete_tasks

Update Shortcut

import { create } from "@bufbuild/protobuf";
import { FieldMaskSchema } from "@bufbuild/protobuf/wkt";

await client.updateShortcut({
  shortcut: {
    name: "users/123/shortcuts/abc-def-ghi",
    title: "🔥 Urgent Work", // Updated title
    filter: 'tag_search == "work" && tag_search == "urgent"', // Updated filter
  },
  updateMask: create(FieldMaskSchema, {
    paths: ["title", "filter"],
  }),
});

Delete Shortcut

await client.deleteShortcut({
  name: "users/123/shortcuts/abc-def-ghi",
});

console.log("Shortcut deleted");

Validate Filter

Test a filter without creating:

try {
  await client.createShortcut({
    parent: "users/123",
    shortcut: {
      title: "Test",
      filter: 'tag_search == "work"',
    },
    validateOnly: true, // Don't actually create
  });
  console.log("✓ Filter is valid");
} catch (error) {
  console.error("✗ Invalid filter:", error.message);
}

Advanced Techniques

Combining Multiple Tags

Create shortcuts for tag combinations:

# Any of multiple tags (OR)
tag_search == "work" || tag_search == "project" || tag_search == "client"

# All tags must match (AND)
# Note: Single memo can't have multiple tag_search values simultaneously
# Use hierarchical tags instead: #work/project/client
tag_search == "work/project/client"

Date-Based Shortcuts

# This quarter (Q1 2024)
create_time >= timestamp("2024-01-01T00:00:00Z") &&
create_time < timestamp("2024-04-01T00:00:00Z")

# This year
create_time >= timestamp("2024-01-01T00:00:00Z")

# Older than 90 days
create_time < timestamp("2023-10-27T00:00:00Z")

Update timestamps periodically, or build a tool to generate dynamic shortcuts.

Complex Workflows

Chain filters for advanced workflows:

# Sprint planning: Incomplete work items not blocked
tag_search.startsWith("sprint/") && 
property.has_incomplete_tasks == true &&
!(tag_search == "blocked")

# Review queue: Public posts with links for review
visibility == "PUBLIC" &&
property.has_link == true &&
tag_search == "review"

# Archive candidates: Old completed tasks
property.has_task_list == true &&
!property.has_incomplete_tasks &&
create_time < timestamp("2023-01-01T00:00:00Z")

Shortcuts are per-user but filters are portable:

Export your filter expressions
Share with teammates
They recreate shortcuts with same filters
Team maintains consistent filtering

Team filter library example:

const teamFilters = {
  "Work TODOs": 'tag_search == "work" && property.has_incomplete_tasks == true',
  "Team Updates": 'tag_search == "team" || tag_search == "meeting"',
  "Code Reviews": 'tag_search == "code-review" && property.has_link == true',
};

// Create for current user
for (const [title, filter] of Object.entries(teamFilters)) {
  await client.createShortcut({
    parent: currentUser.name,
    shortcut: { title, filter },
  });
}

Best Practices

Naming Shortcuts

Use emoji for visual scanning
Keep titles under 20 characters
Use action words: “Review”, “Update”, “Check”
Group related shortcuts with emoji families

Good:

✅ Complete Tasks
🔄 In Progress
⏸️ Blocked

Bad:

Tasks that are complete
WIP Items
Stuff I can’t do yet

Filter Design

Start simple, refine over time
Test filters before saving
Document complex logic in memo
Use shortcuts for 2+ filter combinations
One-off filters don’t need shortcuts

Organization

Limit to 5-10 shortcuts
Delete unused shortcuts
Order by frequency of use
Group by workflow (work, personal, projects)
Review and update quarterly

Performance

Specific filters are faster than broad ones
Use indexed fields (tags, visibility)
Avoid expensive operations in filters
Test shortcuts with large datasets

Troubleshooting

Filter Not Working

Symptoms:

No memos shown
Wrong memos displayed
Error message

Solutions:

Validate filter syntax
Check field names (case-sensitive)
Verify timestamps format
Test filter components individually
Review server logs for validation errors

Shortcut Not Saving

Causes:

Invalid filter expression
Empty title or filter
Network error
Permission issue

Solutions:

Validate filter first
Check browser console
Verify authentication
Try simpler filter

Performance Issues

Symptoms:

Slow filter application
Timeout errors
UI lag

Solutions:

Simplify filter logic
Add more specific conditions
Use tag filters instead of content search
Paginate results
Check database indexes

Tips & Tricks

Quick Tags

Create shortcuts for your most-used tags to avoid typing:

tag_search == "meeting"
tag_search == "work"
tag_search == "personal"

Smart Archives

Find old completed items for archiving:

!property.has_incomplete_tasks &&
create_time < timestamp("2023-01-01T00:00:00Z")

Review Queue

Items needing review:

tag_search == "review" ||
(tag_search == "draft" && visibility == "PRIVATE")

Today's Focus

High-priority incomplete tasks:

(tag_search == "urgent" || pinned == true) &&
property.has_incomplete_tasks == true

Next Steps

Tags & Filters

Learn CEL filter syntax and advanced filtering

Creating Memos

Master memo creation and organization

API Reference

Full shortcut API documentation

Productivity Guide

Workflows and productivity tips

Get Started

Installation

Core Features

Configuration

Advanced

Developer Guide

​Filter Shortcuts

​Creating a Shortcut

​Using Shortcuts

​Managing Shortcuts

​Shortcut Examples

​Personal Productivity

​Work & Projects

​Learning & Knowledge

​Content Types

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Editor Shortcuts

​Slash Commands

​Navigation Shortcuts

​API Usage

​Create Shortcut

​List Shortcuts

​Update Shortcut

​Delete Shortcut

​Validate Filter

​Advanced Techniques

​Combining Multiple Tags

​Date-Based Shortcuts

​Complex Workflows

​Sharing Shortcuts

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Tips & Tricks

Quick Tags

Smart Archives

Review Queue

Today's Focus

​Next Steps

Tags & Filters

Creating Memos

API Reference

Productivity Guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Filter Shortcuts

Creating a Shortcut

Using Shortcuts

Managing Shortcuts

Shortcut Examples

Personal Productivity

Work & Projects

Learning & Knowledge

Content Types

Keyboard Shortcuts

Editor Shortcuts

Slash Commands

Navigation Shortcuts

API Usage

Create Shortcut

List Shortcuts

Update Shortcut

Delete Shortcut

Validate Filter

Advanced Techniques

Combining Multiple Tags

Date-Based Shortcuts

Complex Workflows

Sharing Shortcuts

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Tips & Tricks

Next Steps