Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete keyboard shortcuts reference for Jean

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

Navigation

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

1. Open Preferences (Cmd+,)
2. Navigate to Keyboard Shortcuts tab
3. Find action to customize
4. Click on current shortcut
5. Press new key combination
6. 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:

Navigation (10 shortcuts)

• 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:

1. Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Find action
3. Click shortcut field
4. Press Backspace to clear
5. 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

1. Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Click Reset All to Defaults button
3. Confirm reset

Reset Single Shortcut

1. Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Find action
3. Click Reset icon next to shortcut
4. 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:

1. Preferences > Appearance
2. Enable Show Keybinding Hints
3. Shortcuts displayed at bottom of canvas views

For users who need alternative shortcuts:

1. Customize any shortcut to avoid conflicts
2. Use one-handed shortcuts (avoid multi-key combos)
3. 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

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

Wrong Action Triggered

1. Check for duplicates: Multiple actions with same shortcut
2. Reset to defaults: Preferences > Reset All
3. 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