Keyboard Shortcuts and Actions Cheat Sheet
When working with tasks in WorkBuddy, frequent mouse operations slow you down: finding a task means scrolling through lists, and cleaning up old tasks means clicking them one by one. This page organizes WorkBuddy shortcuts into a cheat sheet by usage scenario, covering task navigation, global search, bulk actions, the input box, and slash commands, with Mac and Windows key bindings compared side by side.
If you haven't used task lists and bulk actions yet, first read Task Management: Status, Search, and Bulk Actions; this page is its "key bindings edition"—consult it whenever you need it.
💡 Key Binding Conventions
Mac uses the ⌘ (Command) key and Windows uses the Ctrl key, with individual exceptions noted separately in the table. Shortcuts for some actions are also displayed when you hover the mouse over the corresponding entry point.
WorkBuddy Basic Shortcuts: Task Navigation and Positioning
| Shortcut (Mac) | Shortcut (Windows) | Function |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘+K | Ctrl+K | Open global search |
| ⌘+Shift+E | Ctrl+Shift+E | Locate the current task |
| ⌘+[ / ⌘+] | Ctrl+[ / Ctrl+] | Switch to the previous / next task |
Three key bindings handle the three most frequent tasks:
- ⌘+K / Ctrl+K: Opens global search, which can retrieve tasks, spaces, artifacts, and knowledge base content; when no keyword is entered, the "All" page shows recently viewed records in reverse chronological order by browsing time.
- ⌘+Shift+E / Ctrl+Shift+E: When tasks and windows pile up, locate the current task with one keystroke.
- ⌘+[ / ⌘+]: Quickly switch context between tasks without going back to the sidebar to click.
Global Search Shortcuts: Search Without Touching the Mouse
Click the search button at the top left of the window, or press ⌘+K / Ctrl+K to open global search. There is a persistent shortcut hint bar at the bottom of the window, with the following key bindings:
| Shortcut (Mac) | Shortcut (Windows) | Function |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | ↑ / ↓ | Move the selected result up / down |
| Enter | Enter | Open the currently selected result |
| ⌃+Tab (Control key, not ⌘) | Ctrl+Tab | Switch category |
| Esc | Esc | Close the global search window |
⚠️ On Mac, "Switch Category" is not ⌘+Tab
On Mac this key is ⌃+Tab (Control key)—the official table specifically notes "Control key, not ⌘", so be careful not to press ⌘+Tab instead.
Search results fall into the categories "All / Tasks / Spaces / Artifacts / Knowledge Base", with keyword matches highlighted. After clicking a result, WorkBuddy navigates to the corresponding position in the navigation and the content, briefly highlighting the matched location; when there are no matching results, it shows "No related results found".
Bulk Action Shortcuts: Check, Archive, and Delete
Right-click on a task row, select "Bulk Actions", and after entering bulk selection mode the shortcuts below take effect; once you exit, normal keyboard behavior resumes.
| Shortcut (Mac) | Shortcut (Windows) | Function |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | ↑ / ↓ | Move focus between tasks—moving only, without opening tasks |
| X / Space | X / Space | Check / uncheck the currently focused task |
| Shift+↑ / Shift+↓ | Shift+↑ / Shift+↓ | Continuously select multiple tasks upward / downward from the starting point |
| Shift + click | Shift + click | Select all tasks between the last-clicked task and the currently clicked task |
| ⌘+A | Ctrl+A | Select all / deselect all currently selectable tasks |
| E | E | Archive the selected tasks, with a confirmation prompt first |
| Delete / Backspace | Delete / Backspace | Delete the selected tasks, with a confirmation prompt first |
| Esc | Esc | The first press clears the selected tasks, the second exits bulk actions; when a confirmation dialog is open, Esc closes the dialog first |
Three usage tips:
- When no tasks are checked, E and Delete won't take effect.
- Running tasks cannot be checked; you need to wait for them to finish or stop them first, then delete them together.
- The delete confirmation dialog supports keyboard operation: Enter to confirm, Esc to cancel, and clicking the blank area also cancels; the dialog title and result message for bulk deletion both include the count (e.g., "Confirm deleting 2 tasks?" "2 tasks deleted").
Input Box Shortcuts: Voice, History, and Paste
The task input box itself also has several frequently used shortcuts, all centered on "type less, repeat less":
| Action | Shortcut (Mac) | Shortcut (Windows) | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice input | Click or hold left ⌥ | Click or hold ALT | to start voice input; release the shortcut to stop recording |
| Recall history input | ↑ / ↓ (when the input box is empty) | ↑ / ↓ | Step back through recently sent messages one by one |
| Cancel drag-and-drop upload | Esc | Esc | While adding files by dragging, drag out of the page or press Esc to cancel |
| Paste image | ⌘+V | Ctrl+V | Paste an image (such as a screenshot) from the clipboard into the input box as an attachment |
Usage details:
- Voice input: Hover over the voice button to see the shortcut hint (on Mac, "Click or hold left ⌥ for voice input"; on Windows, "Click or hold ALT for voice input"). While recording, the input box shows the recognized text in real time; after you finish, the model adjusts the recognition result and fills it into the input box, which stays focused so you can edit it directly before sending.
- Recall history: When the input box is empty, press ↑ to step back through recently sent messages one by one, with up to 20 items kept; press ↓ to go back in the reverse direction, and pressing ↓ on the newest item clears the input box. Recalled content can be sent directly or edited first before sending.
- Add files by dragging: Drag files anywhere on the page (home page or conversation page) to add them to the attachments area, with up to 50 files supported; press Esc or drag out of the page to cancel, and the input box content is unaffected.
- Extra-long paste: When you paste text longer than 3000 characters, the input box automatically collapses it into an expandable entry; hover to preview the original text, and click to fully expand it into the input box for further editing.
In-conversation actions and slash commands
Slash command completion: Type / in the input box of a project conversation to see slash command completion for the current project (consistent with CodeBuddy Code):
- Project-level commands: Defined in
.codebuddy/commands/in the project working directory; available for completion in the input box as soon as the conversation is created, without sending a message first; - Filtering and hints: Keep typing the command name to filter the list, with command descriptions and parameter hints shown; nested directories are supported (e.g.,
team:review); - Priority-based merging: Project-level, user-level, and built-in commands are merged under a unified priority, and the override behavior for commands with the same name is consistent with CodeBuddy Code;
- No cross-project leakage: After switching projects or creating a new conversation, the completion list only includes commands available in the current project;
- Auto refresh: When command files are added, modified, or deleted, the completion list refreshes automatically.
Quote model output: When you want to follow up on a specific conclusion or table in the model's reply, there is no need to copy and paste manually—select the text to quote in the reply, an action bar appears above the selection, and clicking "Add to conversation" adds the selected content to the input box as a quote; you can optionally write in the annotation box next to the selection how you want it changed, and hovering over the quote shows the full original text. Tables and components also have an "Add to conversation" entry in the top-right corner on hover.
FAQ
Can shortcuts be customized?
Yes. Click the avatar at the bottom of the left sidebar, go to "Settings > Shortcut Settings", and you can adjust the default shortcut configuration.
What are the differences between Mac and Windows shortcuts?
The general rule is that Mac uses the ⌘ (Command) key while Windows uses the Ctrl key. Individual exceptions are noted separately in the official table—for example, "switch category" in global search is ⌃+Tab (Control key) on Mac, not ⌘.
Why don't E or Delete respond in batch operations?
Two situations: first, no tasks are currently checked, so E and Delete have no effect; second, you have exited the batch selection state—these shortcuts only work in the batch operation state, and after exiting, normal keyboard behavior resumes.
Summary
This page is a quick reference for WorkBuddy shortcuts: ⌘+K / Ctrl+K opens global search, ⌘+[ / ⌘+] switches between tasks, and in the batch operation state use X to check, E to archive, and Delete to delete; in the input box, hold ⌥/ALT to speak, press ↑ to recall history, and type / in a project conversation to bring up slash commands. No need to memorize the key bindings—there is a persistent hint bar at the bottom of the global search window, and hovering over the corresponding entry also shows the shortcut.
- To change key bindings: avatar at the bottom of the left sidebar → Settings > Shortcut settings.
- Batch operation keys only work in the batch selection state.
- For background on task lists and filtering, see Task Management: Status, Search, and Batch Operations; for input methods such as voice and files, see Input Methods Explained: Voice, Files, and Prompt Templates.
Encountered an error? See Troubleshooting Quick Reference: Error Codes and Frequent Issues. The next page is Changelog: WorkBuddy Version Timeline (2026).