Shortcuts
Shortcuts depend on focus. A key can be handled by the app shell, the active terminal, the embedded editor, the operating system, or a modal. Click the surface you want first.
Some shortcuts are macOS only, and a few use Ctrl on every platform. Both are called out below.
Workspace navigation
Navigation shortcuts use Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on Windows and Linux.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+Shift+H / Ctrl+Shift+H | Go to workspace home. |
Cmd+Shift+T / Ctrl+Shift+T | Go to tasks. |
Cmd+Shift+E / Ctrl+Shift+E | Toggle the editor. |
Cmd+Shift+B / Ctrl+Shift+B | Go to the browser. |
Cmd+Shift+A / Ctrl+Shift+A | Go to Agent Teams. |
Cmd+Shift+K / Ctrl+Shift+K | Go to Matcha QA. |
Ctrl+Backtick | Return to the terminal workspace. |
Cmd+B / Ctrl+B | Toggle the left sidebar. |
Ctrl+Backtick uses Ctrl on every platform.
Zoom
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+= / Ctrl+= | Zoom in. |
Cmd+- / Ctrl+- | Zoom out. |
Cmd+0 / Ctrl+0 | Reset zoom. |
Global summon hotkey
Coldtea can register one system-wide hotkey to show or hide the main window. It has no built-in default: you record the combination you want in Settings → Features. The recorder needs at least one modifier.
Agent launch
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+9 | Launch the installed agent at that position on workspace home. |
Agent launch uses Ctrl on macOS too. On macOS, Cmd+1 through Cmd+9 is reserved for tab switching, so the two intentionally differ.
Panes and tabs
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+N / Ctrl+N | Open or close the composer for a new pane. |
Cmd+T / Ctrl+T | New terminal tab. |
Cmd+W / Ctrl+W | Close the active pane or tab. |
Cmd+D | Split the active pane to the right (macOS only). |
Cmd+Shift+D | Split the active pane down (macOS only). |
Cmd+1 through Cmd+9 | Switch workspace tabs (macOS only). |
There is no keyboard shortcut for splitting up; use the pane context menu for that. Split shortcuts and tab switching are macOS only.
Worktrees
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+Y / Ctrl+Y | Start a worktree from the active pane. |
Cmd+Shift+Y / Ctrl+Shift+Y | Configure worktree scripts. |
Terminal
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+F / Ctrl+F | Search the active terminal pane. |
Cmd+K | Clear the active terminal pane (macOS only). |
Coldtea also forwards common line-editing shortcuts into the terminal:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Shift+Enter | Send an alternate newline sequence. |
Shift+Backspace | Delete the previous word. |
Cmd+Backspace | Delete back to the start of the line (macOS). |
Cmd+Left / Cmd+Right | Move to start or end of line (macOS). |
Option+Left / Option+Right | Move by word (macOS). |
Ctrl+Left / Ctrl+Right | Move by word (Windows). |
Embedded editor
These editor shortcuts apply when the editor has focus.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+N / Ctrl+N | New file. |
Cmd+P / Ctrl+P | Go to file. |
Cmd+S / Ctrl+S | Save. |
Cmd+F / Ctrl+F | Find. |
Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P | Command palette. |
Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z | Undo. |
Cmd+Shift+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo. |
Cmd+X/C/V/A / Ctrl+X/C/V/A | Cut, copy, paste, select all. |
Comments and annotations
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+Option+M / Ctrl+Alt+M | Add a comment on the current selection. |
Cmd+Shift+Click / Ctrl+Shift+Click | Add a comment where you click in the terminal, editor, or browser. |
Cmd+Enter / Ctrl+Enter | Save a comment or plan-review draft. |
Escape | Close many modals, popovers, and selection modes. |
If a shortcut does nothing
Check:
- The target pane has focus.
- A modal, popover, or agent prompt is not capturing input.
- The shortcut is available on your platform. Split, tab switching, and clear terminal are macOS only.
- The embedded editor or terminal app did not handle it first.
- Your OS or another app has not claimed the same shortcut.
Next: troubleshooting.