Hotkey Reference

This reference covers all available commands and hotkeys in Slate CLI, with interaction commands prioritized for quick access.

Quick Reference

Essential Shortcuts
All Shortcuts

Agent Interaction

Ctrl+X then E

Open external editor - Compose long prompts in your preferred editor

Ctrl+X then M

Open model picker - Switch between available models

Ctrl+X then P

Open providers - Manage provider connections

Ctrl+B

Toggle session sidebar - Show or hide the session sidebar

Ctrl+R

Rename session - Rename the current session

Ctrl+T

Cycle model variant - Switch to the next model variant

Shift+Tab

Toggle permission mode - Switch the current session permission mode

Enter

Send / Enter action - Sends your prompt normally; if the agent is already running, it performs the current Enter mode action

Tab

Queue while busy - Queues the current message under the Queued section when the agent is running

/enter-mode-next

Cycle Enter mode - Cycles steer, queue, and interrupt for Enter while Slate is working

/steer / /queue / /interrupt

Set Enter mode directly - Sets the active Enter mode without cycling

Ctrl+- / Super+Z

Undo - Undo the last input edit (on Windows, Ctrl+Z also works as undo)

Ctrl+L

Focus input - Move focus back to the input box from dialogs or other UI regions

Ctrl+Shift+S

Show shell output - Expand the shell output panel

Ctrl+Shift+B

Hide shell output - Collapse the shell output panel

Ctrl+C

Clear input / Exit - Clears the composer when it has text; exits the application when the composer is empty

Ctrl+D

Exit - Exits the application when the composer is empty

Shell Mode

Enter shell mode - Type ! to enter bash command mode

↑/↓ arrows

Navigate history - Browse through previous commands

Tab

Autocomplete - Complete commands and file paths

Text Editing

Ctrl+A          Move to beginning of line
Ctrl+E          Move to end of line
←               Move left one character
→               Move right one character
Alt+B           Move back one word
Alt+F           Move forward one word
↑               Move up one line
↓               Move down one line
Shift+Arrows    Extend selection

Ctrl+K          Delete to line end
Ctrl+U          Delete to line start
Ctrl+W          Delete word backward
Alt+D           Delete word forward
Backspace       Delete character before cursor
Delete          Delete character under cursor

Ctrl+L          Focus input box
Ctrl+P          Open command list / command palette
Ctrl+V          Paste
Ctrl+-          Undo
Ctrl+.          Redo
Enter           Submit input; while Slate is working it follows the current Enter mode
Shift+Return    Insert newline
Tab             Queue current message while the agent is busy
Escape          Cancel current operation
Double Escape   Enter chat reverse search mode

Navigation & UI

↑/↓             Navigate options in dialogs
Enter           Select current option
Escape          Cancel/close dialog
Ctrl+C          Cancel/close dialog

Tab             Queue current message while busy; otherwise autocomplete commands and file paths when suggestions are open
Escape          Cancel/clear input or interrupt agent
Double Escape   Enter chat reverse search mode

Ctrl+X then N   New session
Ctrl+X then L   Open session list
Ctrl+X then T   Open themes
Ctrl+X then P   Open providers
Ctrl+X then K   Cycle main model
Ctrl+X then M   Open model list
Ctrl+X then Y   Copy message
Ctrl+X then R   Redo message
Ctrl+X then E   Open external editor
Ctrl+X then H   Toggle tips
Ctrl+X then Q   Edit queued messages in external editor

Ctrl+B          Toggle session sidebar
Ctrl+R          Rename session
Ctrl+T          Cycle model variant
Shift+Tab       Toggle permission mode
Ctrl+Shift+S    Show shell output
Ctrl+Shift+B    Hide shell output

PageUp          Scroll messages up
PageDown        Scroll messages down
Home            Jump to first message
End             Jump to last message

/sessions       Switch between sessions
/enter-mode-next Cycle Enter between steer, queue, and interrupt while Slate is working
/steer          Set Enter to steer while Slate is working
/queue          Set Enter to queue while Slate is working
/interrupt      Set Enter to interrupt and send next while Slate is working
Alt+Up          Pop the latest queued message back into the composer
/exit           Exit application
Ctrl+C          Graceful shutdown

Slash Commands

All commands start with / and support autocomplete with Tab

Slate includes built-in program commands /goal and /deep-research; this page only notes their availability, not a full per-command reference.

Core Commands

Agent & Session Controls

/rename - Rename the current session

Rename the active session.

/timestamps - Toggle message timestamps

Show or hide message timestamps in the current session.

/permission-mode - Toggle session permission mode

Toggle between default permission prompts and session yolo mode.

/model-next - Cycle the main model

Switch to the next configured main model.

/effort-next - Cycle thinking level

Switch to the next available thinking/effort level for the current model.

/providers - Manage providers

Connect provider accounts, then use /models, /model-next, or /effort-next for provider-backed model workflows.

/editor - Open external editor

Open your configured external editor for composing a prompt.

/config - Open workspace config

Open workspace configuration and permissions.

Workspace Management

/workspace - Manage workspace directories

Open the workspace manager to add, remove, and review workspace directories.

/add-dir - Quick workspace addition

Open workspace management with quick-add flow for directories.

Theme Commands

System Commands

Authentication & Account

/auth

/logout

Logout from your current account

Application Management

/version

Check the current version of Slate CLI

/docs

Open Slate documentation in your browser

/config

Open workspace configuration and permissions

/man

Open the built-in manual page

/usage

View credit usage and remaining balance

/billing

Switch billing context (personal/organization)

/mcps

Manage MCP servers and tools

/workspace

Open workspace manager

/add-dir

Quick-add a workspace directory

/enter-mode-next

Cycle what Enter does while Slate is working

/steer / /queue / /interrupt

Set the Enter mode directly

/exit

Exit the application gracefully

Shell Mode

Type ! at the beginning of a line to enter shell mode for direct command execution

Shell Mode Features

Command Execution

Run any shell command directly
Commands execute in the current workspace
Output is captured and displayed
Exit codes are reported

History & Completion

Full command history with ↑/↓ arrows
Tab completion for commands and paths
Persistent history across sessions

Common Shell Operations

!ls -la              # List files in detail
!pwd                 # Show current directory
!cd src              # Change directory
!cat README.md       # Display file contents
!mkdir new-folder    # Create directory

!git status          # Check git status
!git diff            # Show changes
!git add .           # Stage changes
!git commit -m "msg" # Commit changes
!git push            # Push to remote

!npm install         # Install dependencies
!npm test            # Run tests
!npm run build       # Build project
!python script.py    # Run Python script
!cargo build         # Build Rust project

Special Key Combinations

Dialog Controls
Paste Mode

Key	Action
Enter	Confirm/Select
Escape	Cancel/Close
Ctrl+C	Force close/Cancel
↑/↓	Navigate options
Tab	Move to next field

Tips & Tricks

Efficient Navigation

Productivity Shortcuts

Ctrl+X then E opens your system’s default editor for composing complex prompts
Ctrl+X then M opens the model picker to switch models without leaving the chat
Use /workspace to manage workspace directories, or /add-dir to start the quick-add flow
Chain shell commands with !command1 && command2

Advanced Usage

Use /subagents to inspect subagent sessions while they run or after they complete
Theme switching persists across sessions

Exit Codes

Understanding exit codes helps diagnose issues when commands fail

Code	Description
0	Success
1	General error or invalid usage
2	Misuse of shell command
126	Command found but not executable
127	Command not found
128	Invalid exit argument
130	User interrupted (Ctrl+C)

Getting started

Using Slate

Hotkey Reference

Quick Reference

Slash Commands

Core Commands

Agent & Session Controls

Workspace Management

Theme Commands

System Commands

Shell Mode

Shell Mode Features

Common Shell Operations

Special Key Combinations

Tips & Tricks

Exit Codes

​Quick Reference

​Slash Commands

​Core Commands

​Agent & Session Controls

​Workspace Management

​Theme Commands

​System Commands

​Shell Mode

​Shell Mode Features

​Common Shell Operations

​Special Key Combinations

​Tips & Tricks

​Exit Codes

Quick Reference

Slash Commands

Core Commands

Agent & Session Controls

Workspace Management

Theme Commands

System Commands

Shell Mode

Shell Mode Features

Common Shell Operations

Special Key Combinations

Tips & Tricks

Exit Codes