Keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are optimized for terminal use. The TUI is keyboard-first, with partial mouse support as an optional enhancement.
General controls
| Shortcut | Description | Context |
|---|
Shift+Tab | Toggle between agents | Switch to next agent |
Ctrl+S | Open conversation picker | Switch/create/delete conversations |
Tab | Cycle through components | Input → Messages → Sidebar |
Esc | Return focus to input | From any component |
? | Show help panel | Display available shortcuts |
Ctrl+C | Cancel current operation or exit | Standard interrupt |
Navigation
| Shortcut | Description | Context |
|---|
Up/Down arrows | Navigate command history | In input area |
J/K | Scroll messages (Vim-style) | In messages pane |
Ctrl+J | Insert line break | Multiline input |
PgUp/PgDn | Page scroll in messages | Messages pane |
Home/End | Jump to start/end | Messages pane |
Agent switching
| Method | Shortcut | Description |
|---|
| Quick toggle | Shift+Tab | Cycle through available agents |
| Slash command | /agent <name> | Switch to specific agent by name |
| Direct command | /agent builder | Switch to Builder agent |
Slash commands
| Command | Description |
|---|
/ | Open command picker with fuzzy search |
/agent <name> | Switch to a specific agent |
/focus <name> | Focus on an agent for development (Builder only) |
/clear | Clear conversation history |
| Shortcut | Description | Context |
|---|
Ctrl+J | Line break (multiline input) | In input area |
Up/Down | Navigate command history | In input area |
Ctrl+A | Move to start of line | In input area |
Ctrl+E | Move to end of line | In input area |
Ctrl+K | Delete to end of line | In input area |
Ctrl+U | Delete entire line | In input area |
Permission prompts
When tools require permission, you’ll see a dialog with these options:
| Key | Action | Behavior |
|---|
Y | Allow once | Execute this time only |
A | Always allow | Remember and auto-approve future requests |
N | Deny | Block execution |
Session Management
Opperator manages conversations as separate sessions, each with its own history and state.
Conversation Picker
Press Ctrl+S to open the conversation picker, which shows:
- List of all conversations
- Current conversation highlighted
- Conversation titles (auto-generated from first message)
Creating a New Conversation
- Press
Ctrl+S to open conversation picker
- Press
n to create new conversation
- New empty conversation starts with timestamp title
- Title updates automatically after first message
Switching Conversations
- Press
Ctrl+S to open conversation picker
- Use
↑/↓ arrows to select conversation
- Press
Enter to switch
- All messages and state from that conversation load
Deleting Conversations
- Press
Ctrl+S to open conversation picker
- Use
↑/↓ to select conversation to delete
- Press
d to delete
- Confirmation prompt appears
- Conversation and all messages are removed
- Automatically switches to most recent conversation
Clearing Current Conversation
Use /clear command to clear all messages in the current conversation while keeping the session.
Note: Each conversation maintains:
- Message history
- Input history (accessible with Up/Down arrows)
- Agent state
- Active agent selection
Agent System
Core Agents
Always available:
- Opperator - General-purpose agent for chat and tasks
- Builder - Specialized for creating and developing agents
Learn more about how the agent system works in How Opperator Works.
Custom Agents
Your custom agents appear in the sidebar when running.
Switching Agents
- Press
Shift+Tab to cycle through agents
- Or use
/agent <name> to switch directly
- Active agent shown in header and sidebar
Permissions
Opperator requests permission before executing potentially sensitive tools:
Permission Dialog:
- Appears when tool needs approval
- Shows tool name and arguments
- Options: Allow once (Y), Always (A), Deny (N)
- “Always” decisions are cached for future use
Permission Modes:
- Interactive (default) - Ask for each tool
- Auto-approve - Skip prompts for trusted tools
Common Workflows
Starting a conversation
- Launch Opperator:
op
- Type your prompt in the input area
- Press Enter to submit
- See streaming response in messages pane
Switching agents
- Press
Shift+Tab to cycle agents
- Or type
/agent builder for Builder
- Continue conversation with new agent
- Previous messages remain visible
Using Builder agent
- Switch to Builder:
/agent builder
- Ask Builder to create an agent (learn more in Building Your First Agent)
- Watch real-time progress and testing
- Builder hands off when complete
Managing multiple agents
- View all agents in sidebar
- Press Tab to focus sidebar
- Use arrow keys to select
- Press Enter to activate agent
See also
