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+O

Toggle subagent overlay - View active subagent sessions

Ctrl+Y

Navigate to parent session - Return to the parent session from a subagent session

Alt+Up

Edit last queued message - Pop the latest queued follow-up message back into the composer for editing

Ctrl+X then Q

Edit queue in editor - Open all queued messages as ----separated markdown blocks in your external editor

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
Ctrl+B / ←      Move left one character
Ctrl+F / →      Move right one character
Alt+B           Move back one word
Alt+F           Move forward one word
↑               Move up one line
↓               Move down one line
Home            Move to beginning of line
End             Move to end of line

Navigation & UI

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

Slash Commands

All commands start with / and support autocomplete with Tab

Core Commands

Agent & Session Controls

/rename - Rename the current session

Rename the active session.

/timestamps (alias: /timestamp) - Toggle message timestamps

Show or hide message timestamps in the current session.

/permission-mode (aliases: /perm-mode, /yolo) - Toggle session permission mode

Toggle between default permission prompts and session yolo mode.

/model-next (aliases: /next-model, /cycle-model) - Cycle the main model

Switch to the next configured main model.

/effort-next (aliases: /next-effort, /cycle-thinking) - Cycle thinking level

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

/editor - Open external editor

Open your configured external editor for composing a prompt.

/config (aliases: /settings, /approvals) - Open workspace config

Open workspace configuration and permissions.

Workspace Management

/workspace (alias: /workspaces) - 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 (aliases: /plan, /subscription, /org)

Switch billing context (personal/organization)

/mcps

Manage MCP servers and tools

/workspace (alias: /workspaces)

Open workspace manager

/add-dir

Quick-add a workspace directory

/queue-mode

Toggle queue vs interrupt behavior while the agent is busy

/queue-edit

Edit queued messages in external editor as --- separated markdown blocks

/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

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 add . to quickly add the current directory
Chain shell commands with !command1 && command2

Advanced Usage

Use Ctrl+O to inspect subagent sessions while they run
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)

​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