Keybindings

This page lists rozi's default keys and explains how to change them. To see the keys currently in effect, including your overrides, press Ctrl+A, then ? to open the Keybindings overlay. You can edit bindings there or under [keys] in config.toml.

Prefix and held modifier

Every command key in the tables below works in two ways by default:

• Press the prefix Ctrl+A, release it, then press the command key.
• Hold Alt and press the command key.

For example, close a pane with Ctrl+A, then w, or with Alt+W.

• Press Ctrl+A twice to send a literal Ctrl+A to the focused pane.
• Esc cancels a pending prefix.
• A key with no binding ends prefix mode and is not sent to the pane.

Set [input] prefix, [input] modifier, or [input] modifier_shortcuts to change this scheme. With modifier_shortcuts = false, prefix commands keep working and held-modifier chords go to the pane instead. See Configuration and Core concepts.

Key notation

rozi writes keys the same way everywhere: on this page, in the Keybindings overlay, in footers, and in the which-key strip.

Kind	Notation	Examples
Printable key with Ctrl, Alt, or Super	Every modifier written out; letters uppercase, case means nothing	Ctrl+A, Ctrl+Shift+A, Alt+Shift+W, Ctrl+Shift+/
Printable key on its own, such as after the prefix	The character it types	s, S, ?
Named key	Every modifier written out	Tab, Shift+Tab, Ctrl+Shift+Left

So S after the prefix means Shift+S, while Ctrl+S never includes Shift.

A footer hint is also a button: clicking it does what pressing its key does, including the second press a destructive action asks for. Hints for moving between fields, such as Tab for the next field, are reminders only.

Default command keys

Panes and focus

Command	Command key
New pane	Enter
New floating pane	Shift+Enter
Close pane	w
Toggle floating	t
Toggle fullscreen	f
Rename pane	N
Paste text	v
Paste text directly	Ctrl+V
Promote to master	.
Swap left, down, up, right	H/J/K/L, or Shift plus arrows
Move and reinsert left, down, up, right	Ctrl+H/J/K/L, or Ctrl plus arrows
Focus left, down, up, right	h/j/k/l, or arrows
Cycle focus forward or backward	Tab or Shift+Tab

Ctrl+V pressed directly, without the prefix, pastes only when the clipboard holds text. For other clipboard formats, it passes through to the pane. The prefix and held-modifier forms always paste text.

Layout and workspaces

Command	Command key
Flip split axis	Space
Grow split or master area	=
Shrink split or master area	-
Resize mode	r
Cycle layout	m
Layouts	M
Rename workspace	n
Switch to workspace 1 through 9	1 through 9
Move pane to workspace 1 through 9	Shift+1 through Shift+9
Move or swap whole workspace	Ctrl+Shift+1 through Ctrl+Shift+9

Terminals that report shifted symbols may send the shifted workspace keys as !@#$%^&*(. rozi accepts both forms.

Bare n renames the workspace; N renames the pane. See Layouts and panes for layout behavior.

App, profiles, sessions, and collaboration

Command	Command key
Command palette	p
Keybindings help	?
Copy mode	[
Hint mode	u
Scratchpad	` (backtick)
Search scrollback	/
Profiles	o
Save session as profile	O
Sessions	s
Agents	a
Rename or name current session	S
Take or request layout control	g
Grant layout control	e
Quit client	q
Detach	d
Toggle DevTools	F12

Quit and detach do the same thing. Named sessions keep running; temporary sessions follow the rules in Sessions.

Sidebar

Command	Command key
Toggle sidebar	b
Toggle one or two panels	\
Focus sidebar	B
Next sidebar tab	PageDown
Previous sidebar tab	PageUp

See Sidebar keys for the keys that work once the sidebar has focus.

Commands without default keys

These actions are available in the command palette, and you can bind them under [keys]:

• toggle-pane-synchronization
• toggle-pane-logging
• respawn-pane
• focus-next-blocked-pane
• smart-focus-left, smart-focus-down, smart-focus-up, smart-focus-right
• settings
• extensions
• update-rozi (listed only when a newer release is known)
• open-config
• reload-extensions
• apply-profile
• collaborators
• new-temporary-session
• toggle-input-lock
• toggle-control-takeover
• kill-workspace
• kill-session
• restart-session
• edit-scrollback
• copy-last-output
• screenshot-pane (listed only when a pane has focus)
• screenshot-ui
• toggle-pane-recording (listed when the focused pane can be recorded)
• mark-pane-recording (listed while the focused pane records)
• toggle-ui-recording
• mark-ui-recording (listed while the UI records)

Appearance actions live in Settings and can also be bound by their action ids.

To run an action from a script, use rozi run-action <id>. Built-in actions and named [[commands]] entries have stable ids; inline commands defined directly under [keys] do not.

Resize mode

After the r command key:

Key	Action
h/j/k/l or arrows	Resize toward that direction
Esc or Enter	Leave resize mode

Other keys are ignored. Floating panes resize their own rectangle. In the Scrollable layout, only horizontal resizing applies, and it changes the focused column's width.

Copy mode

After the [ command key:

Key	Action
h/j/k/l or arrows	Move the cursor
w/b/e	Move by word
W/B/E	Move by whitespace-delimited word
0, ^, $	Start, first non-blank, or end of row
Ctrl+U, Ctrl+D	Half page up or down
g, G	Top of history or live bottom
/	Search this pane
n, N	Next or previous search match
[, ]	Previous or next shell prompt
o	Copy the last command output
v or Space	Start a selection
y or Enter	Copy and exit
Esc or q	Exit

Prompt jumps and last-output copying need shell integration. See Terminal features.

Hint mode

After the u command key, rozi labels visible URLs, paths, Git commit ids, and your custom [[hints]] patterns.

• Type a lowercase label to copy its target.
• Type the label with an uppercase final character to open an eligible URL or custom target.
• Esc or q exits.

Other keys are not sent to the pane while hint mode is active.

Sidebar keys

After the B command key focuses the sidebar:

Key	Action
j/k or arrows	Move through rows
PageUp, PageDown	Move by a page
g, G, Home, End	First or last row
Enter	Activate the selected row
x	Close the selected row; press again to confirm
Tab, Shift+Tab	Next or previous tab
h/l, arrows, Space	Collapse, expand, or toggle file-tree directories
Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right	Reorder the active tab
Ctrl+Up/Down	Focus the other panel
Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down	Move the active tab between panels
Shift+Left/Right	Resize the sidebar
Shift+Up/Down	Resize the panel split
s	Toggle one or two panels
Esc	Return focus to the pane

See Sidebar for what each tab shows.

Picker keys

Sessions

Key	Action
Enter	Connect, switch, or restore
Ctrl+N	Create a named session
Ctrl+T	Open the temporary shell
Ctrl+K twice	Kill a live session, or forget a snapshot or last-seen cache entry
Ctrl+E twice	Restart a live session
Ctrl+W	Disconnect a background attachment
Ctrl+X	Disconnect a remote host
Ctrl+R	Open Remote hosts

Opening Sessions does not probe remote hosts. See Sessions.

Remote hosts

Key	Action
Enter	Connect the selected host and stay on the list; press again to open a connected host
Ctrl+N	Add a host
Ctrl+E	Edit the selected host
Ctrl+R	Connect the selected host again
Ctrl+K twice	Forget the selected host
Esc	Cancel the connection in progress, or close Remote hosts when none is running

Only one host connects at a time. While it does, Enter and Ctrl+R wait for it, but navigation, Ctrl+E, and Ctrl+K still work on the other rows. In the host editor, Tab and Shift+Tab move between lines.

A host's own Sessions view uses Enter to attach, Ctrl+N for a named session, Ctrl+T for a temporary session, Ctrl+K twice to kill a live session or forget a last-seen cache entry, Ctrl+E twice to restart, Ctrl+W to disconnect a retained attachment, and Ctrl+X to disconnect from the host. Esc goes back to Remote hosts, then to Sessions.

Agents

Agents lists every agent rozi knows about, on this machine and on every connected host, with the ones that need attention first. Enter goes to the highlighted agent: rozi changes focus if the agent is in the session on screen, or attaches to its session first if it is not. See Go to an agent.

Profiles

Key	Action
Enter	Open the session with the profile's name
Ctrl+O	Launch under another name
Ctrl+N	Capture the current session
Ctrl+R twice	Replace the current session
Ctrl+F	Toggle the default profile
Ctrl+D twice	Delete the profile

See Profiles.

Worktrees

Worktrees has no default command key. Open it from the command palette or from the sidebar's Worktrees tab.

Key	Action
Enter	Open the checkout's session
Ctrl+N	Create a checkout
Ctrl+R	Refresh
Ctrl+K	Remove a linked checkout

In the new-worktree form, Ctrl+E adds a worktree directory inside the repository to .git/info/exclude when Git does not already ignore it. See Worktrees.

Other overlay keys

In every overlay, Esc closes it, or returns to the parent overlay if one opened another. Enter activates the selected row or submits a prompt.

• Layouts: Ctrl+F saves the highlighted layout as the default.
• Scrollback search: the arrow and paging keys move through results, Enter selects one, and Tab changes the scope.
• Settings: Tab, Shift+Tab, and Left/Right switch categories, each remembering its last highlighted row. Enter toggles a two-option row. A row with more values shows … after its label; Enter opens a small picker where the highlight previews the value, Enter saves, and Esc restores the old one. Shift+Enter cycles the live value without opening the picker. Theme and Terminal padding have their own editors.
• Extensions: Tab, Shift+Tab, and Left/Right switch between Installed and Discover. See the list below.
• Collaborators: Enter grants control, Ctrl+D declines a request, and Ctrl+K twice removes a client.
• Rename prompts: Enter submits. An empty pane or workspace name clears it.

In Extensions:

Key	Action
Enter on an installed row	Enable or disable it
Ctrl+D on an installed row	Open its report
Enter on a Discover row	Open its installation report
Enter again in a discovery report	Install the exact indexed commit
Ctrl+I	Open the manual install prompt
Ctrl+U	Update a Git-managed installation, or check again when no update is known
Ctrl+R	Rescan installed manifests on Installed; refetch the index on Discover
Ctrl+O	Open an installed manifest
Ctrl+Y	Copy an installed report
Ctrl+K twice	Remove an installation
Ctrl+L	Open the report's link: a discovery entry's source at its indexed commit, or an installed extension's homepage
Arrow and paging keys	Scroll details

Rebind a command

Bind actions under [keys] in config.toml. A bare command key follows the current prefix and modifier scheme:

[keys]
copy-mode = "b"

An explicit chord replaces both the prefix and the held-modifier forms:

[keys]
spawn = "ctrl-b c"
detach = "ctrl-a d"

Use add to keep the defaults and add another binding:

[keys]
spawn = { add = "super-enter" }

A modified key is literal unless it starts with scheme:. For example, copy-mode = "scheme:ctrl-t" creates both the prefix form and the held-modifier form.

prefix: and mod: use one half of the scheme. Unlike literal chords, they follow later changes to the prefix or modifier:

[keys]
spawn = "prefix:enter"      # Ctrl+A Enter, and Ctrl+B Enter after a prefix change
copy-mode = "mod:b"         # Alt+B, dormant while modifier_shortcuts is off
detach = "ctrl-a d"         # always Ctrl+A D

See Configuration for lists, run, send, and named commands.

Edit keybindings in rozi

The Keybindings overlay (the ? command key) edits bindings without opening config.toml. Type to filter the list; the search field keeps focus while you navigate.

Key	Action
↑ / ↓, PageUp / PageDown, Home / End	Move the selection
← / →, Tab / Shift+Tab	Switch tabs
Enter or click	Change the selected binding
Ctrl+U	Unbind the selected action
Ctrl+D	Reset the selected binding, Prefix, or Mod to its default
Ctrl+R	Reset every keybinding override, after confirmation
Esc	Close

Keybindings

Ctrl+A, then ?, opens Keybindings. Typing new pane narrows the list to the command.

Record a binding

1. Select a row and press Enter.
2. Press the new key or chord. On terminals with enhanced keyboard support, held modifiers appear as you press them (Ctrl+, then Ctrl+Shift+, then Ctrl+Shift+A).
3. Review the captured binding. Press Enter to save it, or Esc to discard it and record again. Other keys are ignored at this step.

Press Esc before capturing anything to close the card without changing the binding.

rozi saves exactly the modifiers the terminal reports. It never adds Shift because a letter is uppercase, since Caps Lock also produces capitals. Terminals without enhanced keyboard reporting send Ctrl+A and Ctrl+Shift+A identically, so both record as Ctrl+A there.

Each change is written to config.toml at once and takes effect immediately. A recorded command key such as Enter is saved as "enter" and follows the scheme; a chord with Ctrl, Alt, or Super is saved literally.

Resolve conflicts

If the new binding already belongs to another action, the card lists every conflict. Recording the prefix key itself reports a conflict with Prefix rather than with every command after it.

• Press Enter to take the binding. Only the colliding chords move: taking Alt+Enter from New pane leaves it bound to "prefix:enter".
• Press Esc to record a different binding.

You cannot take the prefix key for a command this way. Change Prefix first.

Change the prefix or modifier

• The Prefix row records one key, like any other binding.
• The Mod row opens a chooser. Use ← / → to pick Alt, Super, or Off, then press Enter. Off turns off held-modifier shortcuts and remembers the modifier for when you turn them back on.

Every command key that follows the scheme moves with the new Prefix or Mod. Literal chords such as ctrl-a q stay as written. If some literal chords use the old Prefix or Mod, the card counts them, and Tab offers to convert them to prefix: or mod: forms so they move too. Nothing is converted unless you turn that on.

rozi refuses a Prefix or Mod change that would make two commands collide, and lists the colliding pairs.

Read the list

• An unchanged binding shows its keys.
• An override shows current ← default. An unbound override shows — ← default.
• Unbind moves the action to the Unbound tab.
• Workspace ranges, mouse gestures, and the Modes tab are reference only.

Built-in actions and named [[commands]] entries are editable. Inline run and send entries in [keys] have no stable action id, so you can change them only in config.toml.

Split-aware navigation

The smart-focus-left, smart-focus-down, smart-focus-up, and smart-focus-right actions let one set of keys move between editor splits and rozi panes. The vim-rozi-navigator extension suggests these bindings when they are free:

[keys]
smart-focus-left = "ctrl-h"
smart-focus-down = "ctrl-j"
smart-focus-up = "ctrl-k"
smart-focus-right = "ctrl-l"

With that extension installed, this block is optional. Keep it to use these keys whatever the extension's state, or to override a conflicting binding. Any explicit entry for these actions, including [] to leave one unbound, replaces the extension's suggestion.

When you press a smart-focus key, rozi checks whether the focused pane is running an editor listed in [navigation] editors:

• If it is, rozi forwards Ctrl+H/J/K/L to the pane, and the editor moves between its own splits. At an outer edge, the editor plugin calls rozi run-action focus-<direction> to move rozi's focus. Integrations that should not wrap around at rozi's outer edge can call focus-<direction>-no-wrap instead, such as focus-left-no-wrap.
• If it is not, rozi moves pane focus itself.

On Linux and macOS, rozi checks every program in the pane's foreground process group, so it finds an editor started through a shell function, package runner, or other wrapper. On other platforms, it uses the command name the shell reports.

An enabled extension can add program names through [[navigation_targets]]. An explicit [navigation] editors entry, even an empty list, replaces both the built-in and the extension names.

The editor plugin manages its own splits and uses the same rozi run-action calls in local and attached sessions. See the Vim and Neovim navigator, whose repository contains both the editor plugin and the rozi extension.

Platform caveats

Alt is the default held modifier because terminal emulators usually deliver it. Many desktop environments reserve Super, and Windows intercepts most Windows-key chords before a console application receives them.

Windows Terminal and the classic console also intercept some Alt chords: Alt+Enter toggles fullscreen, and Alt+Space opens the window menu. Other host bindings can collide with rozi's held-modifier shortcuts. To avoid this, use the Ctrl+A prefix, unbind the host keys you want rozi to receive, or rebind the commands under [keys].

On Windows, Ctrl+C reaches the focused pane, and closing the console window detaches the client. Terminals report modified arrows and shifted symbols differently, so rozi registers the common forms of its default keys.

A bare F12 goes to the pane application. rozi's DevTools command uses only the prefix or held-modifier form.