Keyboard Shortcuts

The shortcut scheme follows a simple model: Cmd works at the gem (project tab) level, Cmd + Ctrl works at the shard (session) level, and Cmd + D / Cmd + Opt handle split panes.

Gems (project tabs)

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + T`	New gem
`Cmd + W`	Close gem (or the focused pane when split)
`Cmd + 1-9`	Jump to gem by position
`Cmd + Shift + ]`	Next gem
`Cmd + Shift + [`	Previous gem

Shards (sessions within a gem)

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + Ctrl + T`	New shard
`Cmd + Ctrl + W`	Close shard
`Cmd + Shift + T`	Resurrect the most recently closed shard (undo-close)
`Cmd + Ctrl + 1-9`	Jump to shard by position
`Cmd + Ctrl + ]`	Next shard
`Cmd + Ctrl + [`	Previous shard

Split panes

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + D`	Split / unsplit toggle
`Cmd + Opt + Left`	Move focus to the left pane
`Cmd + Opt + Right`	Move focus to the right pane

Cmd + D changed in v2.75.0. In older versions it made a new shard, now it toggles a split pane. To make a new shard, use Cmd + Ctrl + T.

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + ]`	Next sidebar view (workbench, files, markdown, sequences when enabled)
`Cmd + [`	Previous sidebar view

A first press opens the sidebar if it’s closed. The arrow buttons beside the sidebar’s title do the same thing with the mouse, and their tooltips show these keys. The same unsaved-edit guard applies as the arrows, so an unsaved markdown edit is never discarded by a key press.

In the agent activity panel, Tab cycles the agents, orchestration, and touches tabs, and Shift + Tab goes back. Works while the panel is the focused window; a small hint beside the tabs points it out.

Terminal

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + K`	Clear screen and scrollback (keeps the shell prompt)
`Cmd + F`	Find in scrollback
`Cmd + +`	Increase font size
`Cmd + -`	Decrease font size
`Cmd + 0`	Reset font size
`Cmd + Ctrl + F`	Toggle full screen
`Cmd + Y`	Toggle the conversation (split or composer) for the focused shard
`Cmd + Shift + Y`	Peek this shard’s terminal without leaving composer mode, and again to go back
`Cmd + C`	Copy selection
`Cmd + V`	Paste
Click	Open a file path or URL under the pointer
`Cmd + click`	Open it while a full-screen app has the mouse

Cmd + Y flips the window between the terminal and the conversation, read from the transcript rather than the terminal renderer. You can read and drive the conversation without the TUI in the way. It returns to whichever view mode you were last in, split or composer, and the pill in the shard bar picks between all three. Tool calls appear as their own rows there: click one to expand its full output, with a copy button. You can also click a collapsed … +N lines (click to expand) row straight in the terminal.

A single click opens the file path or URL under the pointer. When a full-screen app has the mouse, a click goes to that app, so use Cmd + click instead. The terminal underlines a link only when a click on it opens something, so a path to a file that is not there stays plain. A bare domain like crystl.dev shows as a link too, and a click asks first: visit https://crystl.dev, copy it with https://, or copy it as written. On a remote shard you can also open it as a file.

Cmd + F opens a find bar over the terminal. Type to search, Enter / Shift + Enter jump to the next / previous match, a count shows how many matches were found, and Esc closes the bar.

Cmd + Shift + F opens global history search: a floating palette that searches everything your agents ever said and every command that ran, across all gems and shards, open or closed. Arrow keys move through results, Enter jumps to an open shard or shows the surrounding conversation for closed history, and Esc (or the close button) dismisses it. Scope and kind filters narrow to the current gem, conversations, or commands.

Cmd + K and Cmd + F are claimed by crystl at the app level (the same way iTerm and Warp claim them), so they won’t reach the program running in the terminal.

Typing a new line

Shift + Return inserts a new line. Plain Return sends. Use it whenever you want a multi-line message and don’t want to fire it off halfway through writing.

It works where you’ll want it most: typing a prompt to Claude Code in the terminal. No /terminal-setup step, no config. crystl passes the key through and Claude Code picks it up. Other agents handle multi-line input their own way, so check their docs if Shift + Return doesn’t behave there.

The same key works in crystl’s own text boxes, though plain Return varies by field:

Where	`Return`	`Shift + Return`
Terminal prompt (Claude Code)	Sends the message	New line
Message box (split, composer, quest chat, side quests)	Sends the message	New line
Workbench task description	New line	New line
Workbench task title	Commits the rename	Commits the rename

The Workbench description is the odd one out: it’s a multi-line note, so plain Return already gives you a new line. Each line round-trips as its own detail line in WORKBENCH.md. Esc hands focus back to the terminal.

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + Opt + 1`	Fire the facet insert bound to bar slot 1 into the active shard
`Cmd + Opt + 2`	Fire the facet insert bound to bar slot 2
`Cmd + Opt + 3`	Fire the facet insert bound to bar slot 3

Approval management

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + Return`	Allow the focused project’s pending approvals
`Cmd + Esc`	Deny the focused project’s pending approvals

The approval chords act on the focused project: one press answers every approval queued for the gem in front of you. A queued approval in a sibling project is left alone. When two or more requests are pending, an allow all bar also floats above the cards; clicking it approves the whole queue.

Plain Return in the terminal does not approve anything. It used to, and that is gone. Return sends your message, nothing more. To answer an approval, use Cmd + Return / Cmd + Esc, click Allow or Deny on the panel, or answer the agent’s own menu in the terminal.

App

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd + ,`	Open settings
`Cmd + Q`	Quit crystl
Hold `Option` at launch	Fresh start: open with no restored gems