Keyboard Navigation

cc-deck is designed for keyboard-first interaction. Every action has a shortcut, and your hands never need to leave the keyboard.

Global Shortcuts

These shortcuts work from any pane, at any time:

Key Action

Alt+s

Toggle navigation mode. If already in navigation mode, moves the cursor down to the next session.

Alt+a

Smart attend: switch to the next session that needs your attention. See Smart Attend for the priority algorithm.

Both keys are configurable. See Configuration for how to change them.

Navigation Mode

Press Alt+s to enter navigation mode. The sidebar highlights the current session with an amber cursor. While in navigation mode, the following keys are available:

Movement

Key Action

j or ↓

Move cursor down

k or ↑

Move cursor up

g

Jump to the first session

G

Jump to the last session

Actions

Key Action

Enter

Switch to the selected session’s tab

Esc

Exit navigation mode and return to the previously active tab

n

Open a new tab

r

Rename the selected session

d

Delete the selected session (closes the tab)

p

Toggle pause on the selected session (see Pause)

/

Enter search mode (filter sessions by name)

?

Show the help overlay with all shortcuts

Search Mode

Press / while in navigation mode to filter sessions. Type a search term and the sidebar shows only sessions whose name matches (case-insensitive substring match). Press Esc to clear the search and return to the full list.

This is useful when you have many sessions open and need to find a specific one quickly.

Exiting Navigation Mode

Navigation mode exits automatically in several situations:

  • You press Enter to switch to a session

  • You press Esc to cancel

  • You click on a terminal pane (detected via PaneUpdate)

  • A tab switch occurs (detected via TabUpdate)

  • You click the sidebar header

This means navigation mode never gets "stuck". Any interaction with the terminal returns you to normal mode.

Mouse Support

While cc-deck is keyboard-first, it also responds to mouse clicks:

  • Click a session: Switch to that session’s tab

  • Click the sidebar header: Toggle navigation mode

  • Right-click a session: Start renaming that session