Keyboard Shortcuts & Productivity Architecture
Master ARMES keyboard shortcuts across Web, PWA, and iPadOS: universal search, panel toggles, web-safe tab management, and single-key commands.
High-Velocity Cognitive Flow
ARMES is designed for power users who rely on the keyboard for deep focus and speed. The application runs as a unified experience across modern Web browsers, installed Progressive Web Apps (PWA), and the native iOS app (Capacitor WKWebView).
To provide desktop-class productivity without breaking the rules of the browser or operating system, ARMES uses a centralized shortcut coordinator with web-safe key mappings, context-aware scoping, input suppression, and native iPadOS hardware keyboard integration.
Universal Shortcut Cheatsheet
On macOS, use ⌘ (Command) and ⌥ (Option). On Windows and Linux, substitute Ctrl for ⌘ and Alt for ⌥.
1. Navigation & Global Actions
| Action | macOS Shortcut | Windows / Linux | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Search | ⌘ + K | Ctrl + K | Open the universal command palette and search dialog from anywhere in the app. |
| Shortcuts Reference | ⌘ + / | Ctrl + / | Open the interactive keyboard shortcuts cheatsheet modal. |
| Command Orb | ⌘ + . | Ctrl + . | Toggle the floating universal hub on marketing and secondary pages. |
| Dismiss / Close | Esc | Esc | Close active dialogs, drawers, search overlays, and slide-over menus. |
2. Workspace Panels & Layout
The Command Center (/command) features a three-panel IDE layout: Agents, Active Chat Tabs, and Context/Notes.
| Action | macOS Shortcut | Windows / Linux | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toggle Agents Panel | ⌘ + \ (or ⌘ + B) | Ctrl + \ (or Ctrl + B) | Collapse or expand the left Agents roster and thread history. |
| Toggle Context Panel | ⌘ + ⌥ + \ (or ⌘ + ⇧ + B) | Ctrl + Alt + \ (or Ctrl + Shift + B) | Collapse or expand the right Notes, Files, and Prompt Templates drawer. |
3. Multi-Tab Workspace Management
Rather than trapping you in a single chat, ARMES allows opening concurrent conversation tabs across multiple AI models and agents.
| Action | macOS Shortcut | Windows / Linux | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close Active Tab | ⌘ + ⌥ + W | Ctrl + Alt + W | Close the active workspace tab cleanly without closing your browser tab. |
| New Chat Tab | ⌘ + ⌥ + N | Ctrl + Alt + N | Open a fresh conversation tab with the currently active agent. |
| Next Tab | ⌘ + ⌥ + → (or ⌘ + ]) | Ctrl + Alt + → (or Ctrl + ]) | Cycle to the next open workspace tab. |
| Previous Tab | ⌘ + ⌥ + ← (or ⌘ + [) | Ctrl + Alt + ← (or Ctrl + [) | Cycle to the previous open workspace tab. |
4. Notes & Document Editing
| Action | macOS Shortcut | Windows / Linux | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save Note | ⌘ + S | Ctrl + S | Force-save the active note. Works inside markdown and TipTap rich-text inputs. |
| Import Document | ⌘ + I | Ctrl + I | Open the document import dialog to ingest markdown, PDF, or text into context. |
| Format Bold | ⌘ + B | Ctrl + B | Bold selected text inside note editors. |
5. In-Chat Slash Commands & Inline Triggers
When the chat composer input is focused, single-character triggers give immediate access to workspace primitives:
| Trigger | Action | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
/ | Slash Commands | Type /template to insert a prompt template, /note to attach a note, or /improve to enhance prompt clarity. |
@ | Context Mentions | Reference saved notes, persistent files, or knowledge cards directly into the active prompt payload. |
# | Agent Routing | Switch the responding agent mid-conversation (e.g. @Code Architect #Wordsmith Writer). |
Enter | Send Prompt | Submits your prompt to the active inference stream (use Shift + Enter for a newline). |
Why Web-Safe Shortcuts?
Modern web browsers enforce strict security boundaries. Certain keystrokes are hard-reserved by browser engines (Chromium, WebKit, Gecko) to guarantee user safety and autonomy:
⌘ + W(Close Browser Tab): Browsers intentionally ignoreevent.preventDefault()on⌘ + W. If an application attempted to bind⌘ + Wto close an in-app workspace tab, the browser would immediately kill the entire tab, causing you to lose your active session. ARMES uses⌘ + ⌥ + W, ensuring safe in-tab closure.⌘ + N(New Browser Window): In standard browser tabs,⌘ + Nopens an empty browser window. ARMES uses⌘ + ⌥ + Nto open a new chat tab within your existing session.⌘ + Tab(OS Application Switcher): Managed directly by macOS and Windows window managers before reaching the browser. ARMES uses⌘ + ⌥ + →/⌘ + ⌥ + ←and⌘ + ]/⌘ + [for rapid tab cycling.⌘ + \(Sidebar Toggle): Avoids collisions with browser bookmark bars (⌘ + Bon Chrome) and matches the modern convention established by VS Code, Notion, and Slack.
iPadOS External Keyboard Integration
When using the ARMES native iOS app on an iPad with a Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, or Bluetooth keyboard:
- Discoverability HUD: Hold down the
⌘(Command) key on your physical keyboard for 1 second. iPadOS displays the native translucent Discoverability Overlay, showing all available ARMES commands. - Hardware Event Bridging: Key combinations route directly through UIKit's
UIKeyCommandsystem into the WKWebView, guaranteeing instant response times even if focus was momentarily outside a DOM element.
Smart Input Suppression & Scoping
ARMES implements an intelligent priority stack so global shortcuts never interfere with your typing:
- Input Suppression: When your cursor is inside a prompt textarea, search input, or note editor, single-key navigation triggers and global navigation shortcuts are suppressed so you can type freely.
- Whitelisted Editing Hotkeys: Shortcuts designed for editing—such as
⌘ + S(Save Note) andEsc(Dismiss suggestion menus)—are explicitly marked withenableInInputs: trueso they always work. - Modal & Scope Priority: When a modal dialog or search palette is open, the shortcut system pushes a temporary
modalscope. PressingEscdismisses the top-most modal before interacting with the background workspace.