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VibeTunnel Keyboard Shortcuts

VibeTunnel provides a comprehensive set of keyboard shortcuts for efficient terminal session management. The app intelligently handles keyboard input to balance browser functionality with terminal control.

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Keyboard Capture Modes

VibeTunnel operates in two keyboard capture modes:

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1. Capture Active (Default)

  • Most keyboard shortcuts are sent to the terminal
  • Critical browser shortcuts remain functional
  • Indicated by the keyboard icon in the session header

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2. Capture Disabled

  • Browser shortcuts take precedence
  • Terminal receives only typed text
  • Toggle with double-press Escape

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Toggling Keyboard Capture

Press Escape twice within 500ms to toggle between capture modes.

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Mobile Quick Keys

On touch devices, open Settings → Mobile Quick Keys → Customize to reorder or hide the terminal shortcut buttons. VibeTunnel includes Default and Compact layouts, stores the selected layout in the current browser, and keeps the Done button fixed so the software keyboard can always be dismissed.

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Critical Browser Shortcuts (Always Available)

These shortcuts always work, regardless of keyboard capture state:

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Tab Management

*When keyboard capture is active in session view, these shortcuts switch between VibeTunnel sessions instead of browser tabs

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Window Management

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Essential Operations

*When capture is active, ⌘A/Ctrl+A goes to terminal (moves cursor to line start)

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Developer Tools

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VibeTunnel-Specific Shortcuts

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Session Switching (When Keyboard Capture Active)

Note: When keyboard capture is active in session view, number shortcuts switch between VibeTunnel sessions instead of browser tabs. The session numbers correspond to the numbers shown in the session list. This allows quick navigation between active sessions without leaving the keyboard.

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Terminal Shortcuts (When Capture Active)

When keyboard capture is active, these shortcuts are sent to the terminal:

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Cursor Movement

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Text Editing

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Terminal Control

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Shortcuts Behavior by Capture State

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When Capture is Active ✅

These shortcuts go to the terminal:
  • Text editing (⌘A, ⌘E, ⌘W, ⌘K, ⌘U)
  • Navigation (⌘F, ⌘B for forward/backward char)
  • Terminal control (⌘L, ⌘D, ⌘R)

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When Capture is Disabled ❌

These shortcuts perform browser actions:
  • ⌘F/Ctrl+F - Find in page
  • ⌘L/Ctrl+L - Focus address bar
  • ⌘D/Ctrl+D - Bookmark page
  • ⌘P/Ctrl+P - Print
  • ⌘S/Ctrl+S - Save page

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Special Key Handling

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Modified Enter Key

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Function Keys

  • F1-F12 are sent to the terminal when capture is active
  • F5 (Refresh) works in browser when capture is disabled
  • F11 (Fullscreen) always works

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Platform Differences

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macOS

  • Uses ⌘ (Command) as primary modifier
  • ⌥ (Option) for word navigation
  • Additional shortcuts like ⌘H (Hide), ⌘M (Minimize)

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Windows/Linux

  • Uses Ctrl as primary modifier
  • Alt for word navigation
  • Alt+F4 closes windows

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Tips

  1. Double-tap Escape to quickly toggle between terminal and browser shortcuts
  2. Critical shortcuts (new tab, close tab, copy/paste) always work
  3. Session switching (⌘1-9, ⌘0) - When keyboard capture is ON in session view, quickly switch between active sessions
  4. Tab switching (⌘1-9, ⌘0) - When keyboard capture is OFF, switch browser tabs as usual
  5. When unsure, check the keyboard icon in the session header to see capture state

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Troubleshooting

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Shortcuts not working as expected?

  1. Check keyboard capture state - Look for the keyboard icon in the session header
  2. Try double-escape - Toggle capture mode on/off
  3. Browser shortcuts in terminal? - Ensure keyboard capture is active
  4. Terminal shortcuts in browser? - Disable keyboard capture with double-escape

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Copy/Paste issues?

  • Standard copy/paste (⌘C/⌘V or Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V) always works
  • For terminal copy mode, use the terminal’s built-in shortcuts
  • Right-click context menu is always available

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Implementation Details

The keyboard shortcut system is implemented in:
  • web/src/client/utils/browser-shortcuts.ts - Centralized shortcut detection
  • web/src/client/components/session-view/input-manager.ts - Terminal input handling
  • web/src/client/app.ts - Application-level shortcut handling
The system uses a priority-based approach:
  1. Critical browser shortcuts (highest priority)
  2. VibeTunnel app shortcuts
  3. Terminal shortcuts (when capture active)
  4. Browser defaults (when capture disabled)