Keyboard shortcuts

This page lists every shortcut in Cuewire. You can reach everything on the canvas without a mouse.

On a Mac, use Cmd where this page says Ctrl, and Option where it says Alt. Inside a terminal, the Mac keys are listed on their own.

Anywhere in the window

Keys	What they do
`Ctrl+B`	Hide or show the sidebar
`Ctrl+Q`	Quit Cuewire (your agents keep running)

On the canvas

Keys	What they do
`Ctrl+K` or `Ctrl+Shift+P`	Open the command palette
`Tab` / `Shift+Tab`	Select the next / previous node: row by row, each row left to right
`Enter`	Go into the selected node: a terminal or portal takes your keys, a note or file opens for editing, a file tree takes the wheel
`F2`	Rename the selected node, or edit a label’s or text block’s words
`Esc`	Close a menu or the palette, stop a tool, or clear the selection
`Delete` or `Backspace`	Delete the selection (running terminals ask first), or the selected wire
Arrow keys	Move the selection one grid step
`Shift` + arrow keys	Move the selection four grid steps
`Ctrl+A`	Select every node
`Ctrl+G`	Group the selected nodes
`Ctrl+Shift+G`	Ungroup
`Ctrl+Z`	Undo
`Ctrl+Shift+Z` or `Ctrl+Y`	Redo
`Ctrl+Enter`	Write a prompt for the selected agents
`Ctrl+Shift+Y`	Approve the first question in the Needs you list that has Approve
`Ctrl+Shift+N`	Deny that question

Tools

Keys	Tool
`V`	Select
`Ctrl+T`	Terminal
`N`	Note
`R`	Rectangle
`L`	Label
`T`	Text

After you choose a tool, click the canvas or drag to size the node. Esc stops the tool.

View

Keys	What they do
`Ctrl+=` / `Ctrl+-`	Zoom in / out
`Ctrl+0`	Zoom back to 100%
`Ctrl+1`	Fit every node into the view
`Ctrl+2`	Fit the selected nodes into the view
`F`	Zoom to the selected node; `Esc` goes back
`Ctrl+Alt+1` … `Ctrl+Alt+9`	Save the view in that slot
`Alt+1` … `Alt+9`	Go back to the view in that slot

Mouse

Do this	What it does
Scroll	Pan
`Ctrl` + scroll	Zoom around the pointer
Hold `Space` and drag, or drag with the middle button	Pan
Drag across empty canvas	Select every node the box touches
`Shift`+click, `Shift`+drag	Add to the selection, or take out of it
Double-click a title bar	Rename the node
Double-click a label or text block	Edit its words
Drag from a node’s edge handle to another node	Connect them with a wire
Right-click	Open a menu for what you clicked

Inside a terminal

Every key goes to the program in the terminal, except these:

Windows	Mac	What it does
`Shift+Esc`	`Shift+Esc`	Leave the terminal; it stays selected
`Ctrl+Shift+C`	`Cmd+C` or `Ctrl+Shift+C`	Copy the selected text
`Ctrl+C` with text selected	`Ctrl+C` with text selected	Copy the selected text. With nothing selected, `Ctrl+C` goes to the program.
`Ctrl+Shift+V` or `Shift+Insert`	`Cmd+V` or `Ctrl+Shift+V`	Paste
`Ctrl+Shift+F`	`Cmd+F` or `Ctrl+Shift+F`	Find in the terminal’s history
`Ctrl+Shift+P`	`Cmd+Shift+P`	Open the command palette
`Ctrl`+click a link	`Cmd`+click a link	Open the link in your browser

Ctrl+K stays with the program, because shells use it.

In the find box:

Keys	What they do
`Enter`	Find the older match
`Shift+Enter`	Find the newer match
`Esc`	Close the find box

In a note or a file you are editing

Keys	What they do
`Ctrl+S`	Save
`Esc` or `Shift+Esc`	Stop editing; this saves too
`Ctrl+Z`	Undo
`Ctrl+Y` or `Ctrl+Shift+Z`	Redo
`Ctrl+C` / `Ctrl+X` / `Ctrl+V`	Copy / cut / paste. With nothing selected, copy and cut take the whole line.
`Ctrl+A`	Select everything
`Tab` / `Shift+Tab`	Indent / outdent the selected lines
`Home`	Go to the line’s first character, then to its very start
`Ctrl+Home` / `Ctrl+End`	Go to the top / bottom
`Page Up` / `Page Down`	Move up / down one page
`Ctrl+Left` / `Ctrl+Right`	Move one word
`Ctrl+Backspace` / `Ctrl+Delete`	Delete one word back / forward

Clicking somewhere else also stops editing and saves.

In the prompt box

Keys	What they do
`Enter`	Send the prompt
`Shift+Enter`	Start a new line
`Esc`	Close the prompt box and keep the draft
`@`	List notes, agents and files to name
`Up` / `Down`, `Enter`, `Esc`	In that list: move, take one, close the list
`Ctrl+Z` / `Ctrl+Y`	Undo / redo

In the command palette

Keys	What they do
Type	Filter the commands
`Up` / `Down`	Move through the list
`Enter`	Run the highlighted command
`Esc`	Close the palette

In text fields

These work in every one-line field: the palette, renaming, sheets and forms.

Keys	What they do
`Enter`	Confirm
`Esc`	Cancel
`Ctrl+Left` / `Ctrl+Right`	Move one word
`Ctrl+Shift+Left` / `Ctrl+Shift+Right`	Select one word
`Ctrl+Backspace`	Delete one word back
`Home` / `End`	Go to the start / end
`Shift+Home` / `Shift+End`	Select to the start / end
`Ctrl+A`	Select everything
`Ctrl+C` / `Ctrl+X` / `Ctrl+V`	Copy / cut / paste

On a Mac, the word keys use Option instead of Ctrl: Option+Left, Option+Backspace and so on. This is true in the prompt box too.

In dialogs and sheets

Keys	What they do
`Enter`	Do what the main button says, for example Delete (Enter)
`Esc`	Keep things as they are, or close the sheet

Screen readers

Cuewire works with screen readers on Windows, such as Narrator and NVDA, through Windows UI Automation.

Every button, menu item and field has a name.
Each node on the canvas is listed in reading order. Its name says its kind and its title. For a terminal, it also says what the agent is doing, for example “Terminal Builder, needs you”.
The canvas says what is selected as you press Tab.
Messages on the canvas, such as “View 3 saved”, are read out as status messages. Errors are read out at once.

Cuewire User Guide