cmux is designed to be keyboard-driven for maximum efficiency. All major actions have keyboard shortcuts.
Note: This document should be kept in sync with src/utils/ui/keybinds.ts, which is the source of truth for keybind definitions.
- macOS: Shortcuts use
⌘ (Command) as the primary modifier
- Linux/Windows: Shortcuts use
Ctrl as the primary modifier
When documentation shows Ctrl, it means:
⌘ (Command) on macOSCtrl on Linux/Windows
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Cancel / Close / Interrupt | Esc |
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Focus chat input | a, i, or Ctrl+I |
| Send message | Enter |
| New line in message | Shift+Enter |
| Cancel editing message | Ctrl+Q |
| Jump to bottom of chat | Shift+G |
| Change model | Ctrl+/ |
| Toggle thinking level | Ctrl+Shift+T |
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Create new workspace | Ctrl+N |
| Next workspace | Ctrl+J |
| Previous workspace | Ctrl+K |
| Open workspace in terminal | Ctrl+T |
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Toggle between Plan and Exec modes | Ctrl+Shift+M |
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Open command palette | Ctrl+Shift+P |
| Toggle sidebar | Ctrl+P |
- Vim-inspired navigation: We use
J/K for next/previous navigation, similar to Vim
- VS Code conventions: Command palette is
Ctrl+Shift+P and quick toggle is Ctrl+P (use ⌘ on macOS)
- Consistent modifiers: Most workspace/project operations use
Ctrl as the modifier
- Natural expectations: We try to use shortcuts users would naturally expect (e.g.,
Ctrl+N for new)
- Focus anywhere: Use
Ctrl+I to quickly jump to the chat input from anywhere in the application
- Per-model thinking:
Ctrl+Shift+T toggles thinking on/off and remembers your last preference for each model
- Terminal access:
Ctrl+T opens the current workspace in your system terminal