Keyboard Shortcuts
Master the workflow editor with these keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow creation process.
Shortcuts pause while you are typing in a text field, code editor, or terminal, so single-key shortcuts never interfere with typing. A few shortcuts behave differently depending on whether you are in pointer mode or drawing mode — these differences are called out below.
Global
Available in every editor:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + S | Save the current document (enabled when there are unsaved changes) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As… |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + O | Open Project |
| Cmd/Ctrl + O | Open File — browse for a single file, or paste in a path |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + N | New Project |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Enter | Toggle full screen mode (hides the header, menu, and tab bar) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + , | Toggle the settings panel |
| F1 | Open the in-app documentation (Help tab) |
Tabs & Split-Screen Panes
Move between editor tabs and split-screen panes without the mouse (also in the View menu):
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + T | New tab where you are: another chat while the chat panel has focus, another terminal while a terminal has focus. On the web this key can be claimed before Circuitry sees it — rebind it in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts. |
| Cmd + Option (Mac) / Ctrl + Alt + Right | Next tab (cycles within the active pane) |
| Cmd + Option (Mac) / Ctrl + Alt + Left | Previous tab (cycles within the active pane) |
| Cmd + Shift + Option (Mac) / Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Arrow | Focus the split-screen pane in that direction (available while a split or bottom panel is active) |
Tools & Canvas Modes
Quickly switch tools and modes while editing your workflow. These single-letter shortcuts belong to the board in pointer mode — while drawing mode is on, the same letters pick up drawing implements instead (see Drawing Tools below).
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| A | Select pointer/selection tool |
| H | Select hand/pan tool |
| D | Enter drawing mode for freehand annotations (once drawing, D is the Path pen — use Shift + D to leave) |
| Shift + D | Leave drawing mode and go back to the nodes |
| M | Toggle mind map mode |
| V | Toggle the canvas between vertical and horizontal flow orientation |
| Shift (hold) | Temporary pan mode while held (pointer mode) |
| Cmd/Ctrl (hold) | Temporary pan mode while held (drawing mode) |
| Middle mouse button (hold) | Temporary hand grab — press the wheel and drag to move the canvas, from any tool and from anywhere on it (over nodes and over drawings alike). Release to go straight back to what you were doing. |
Node Creation
Quickly add new nodes to your workflow:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Open the node search overlay to add a node continuing the flow from the selected node (on an empty canvas the new node is placed in the center) |
| Shift + Space | Open the node search overlay placing the new node perpendicular to the flow direction |
Selection & Editing
Manage node selection and editing in your workflow:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + A | Select all nodes |
| Cmd/Ctrl + D | Deselect all nodes and edges |
| Escape | Deselect all nodes and edges, and clear navigation highlighting |
| Delete or Backspace | Delete selected nodes (the Start node is protected); with no nodes selected, deletes the selected edge(s) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Z | Undo last action |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo last undone action |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Y | Redo last undone action (alternative) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + C | Copy the current selection (also in the Edit menu and right-click menu) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + X | Cut the current selection |
| Cmd/Ctrl + V | Paste (images from the clipboard take precedence, then strokes or nodes) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup the selected group node |
Duplicate is available from the Edit menu and the right-click menu — in the workflow editor the Cmd/Ctrl + D combo deselects instead. Grouping nodes with Cmd/Ctrl + G is not currently available, but Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + G still dissolves an existing group node.
Node Navigation & Focus
Navigate between nodes and control focus:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Arrow Keys | Move the selection to the nearest node in that direction, automatically centering it |
| Tab / Shift + Tab | Walk forward / backward along connected nodes (with nothing selected, starts at the Start node), centering the view on each |
| Enter | Focus the selected node's content (editor, chat, or grid) |
Edges
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| P | Add a pivot point to the last-clicked edge at the position you clicked, letting you reshape its path |
Alignment
Line up selected nodes (also available in the Align menu and right-click menu, along with Align Center, Align Middle, and Distribute):
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Left | Align selected nodes left |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Right | Align selected nodes right |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Up | Align selected nodes to the top |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Down | Align selected nodes to the bottom |
Running & Debugging
Run and debug your workflows:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| R | Run the selected node (when a single node is selected) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + R | Run the whole workflow |
| Cmd/Ctrl + . | Stop execution (while a run is in progress) |
| S | Toggle the tokens-per-second display for AI nodes |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + D | Enable/disable debugging |
| F5 | Debug: Continue (while paused) |
| F10 | Debug: Step Over (while paused) |
| F11 | Debug: Step Into (while paused) |
| Shift + F11 | Debug: Step Out (while paused) |
| Shift + F5 | Debug: Stop Debugging |
Detail View Nodes
Shortcuts for nodes expanded into detail mode:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Shift + T | Toggle the header of the selected detail-mode node — hide it to give the content the full node space (saved per node) |
| Ctrl + W | Open the AI wizard for the selected detail-mode node (Code, Prompt, Data, Image, and more). Note: Ctrl, not Cmd, on Mac too |
| Ctrl + M | Toggle the model selector menu in AI wizards |
Chat
Shortcuts for the chat panel and Chat nodes:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + T | New chat, in the mode you're already in — a command-line agent begets another command-line agent (chat panel) |
| Enter | Send chat message (without Shift) |
| Shift + Enter | Add a new line without sending the message |
| Shift + Tab | Cycle the agent permission mode (chat panel) |
| Hold Space | Speak your message — dictation runs while you hold, and stops when you let go (chat panel) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Space | Turn dictation on or off hands-free, without holding a key (chat panel) |
| Esc | Stop dictation (chat panel) |
A quick tap of Space still types a space as normal — only a deliberate hold turns the microphone on. See the Chat Tour for what dictation looks like while it's running, and where it works.
Code Editing
Shortcuts for the code editors:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + V | Toggle Vim mode in every code editor (except while a terminal has focus) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + / | Comment or uncomment the current line or selection |
| Shift + Alt + A | Comment or uncomment as a block |
| Alt + ↑ / ↓ | Move the current line up or down |
| Shift + Alt + ↑ / ↓ | Duplicate the current line up or down |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + K | Delete the current line |
| Shift + Alt + F | Format the document |
| Cmd/Ctrl + [ / ] | Outdent or indent the selected lines |
| Cmd/Ctrl + D | Add the next occurrence of the selected text to the selection |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + L | Select every occurrence at once |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + ↑ / ↓ | Add a cursor on the line above or below |
| Shift + Alt + I | Put a cursor at the end of every selected line |
| Cmd/Ctrl + F2 | Change every occurrence of the word under the cursor at once |
| F2 | Rename the symbol under the cursor, in scope |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + R | Filter the selection through a command |
Everything above is also in the Edit and Select menus, along with another two dozen commands that have no shortcut — changing case, sorting lines, removing duplicates, trimming trailing whitespace, converting indentation. Case conversion, Replace and Find Next differ between macOS and Windows, so they are listed in the menus rather than here.
Drawing Tools (the pen tray)
One letter per implement, clustered under the left hand so you can change tools without letting go of the mouse or the pen. These work on the whiteboard, in the notepad, in the designer, and in a workflow while drawing mode is on — anywhere the pen tray is at the bottom of the canvas. Hover an implement in the tray to see its key.
| Shortcut | Implement |
|---|---|
| W | Pen — the everyday freehand pen |
| Q | Pencil |
| B | Ballpoint |
| M | Marker |
| H | Highlighter |
| A | Pointer — press again to swap between Object and Vertex |
| S | Shape — press again to walk Auto → Rect → Oval → Circle |
| D | Path — the vector pen for exact outlines |
| F | Write — press again to swap between Type and Auto OCR |
| G | Select — press again to walk Lasso → Rect → Brush |
| E | Eraser |
| R | Arrow — press again to walk the arrowheads |
| Shift + D | Leave the drawing surface (drawing mode in a workflow, pencil mode in a notepad) |
Press again to cycle. Pressing the key of the implement already in your hand opens its shelf with the next mode already chosen — so S S is Shape then Rect. Keep pressing to walk the modes; the shelf tucks itself away a moment after you stop, with nothing to dismiss. Implements with no modes (Pen, Pencil, Ballpoint, Marker, Highlighter, Path, Eraser) simply stay in your hand.
Drawing Mode
Annotate your canvas with freehand drawings (press D to toggle drawing mode):
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Delete/Backspace | Delete selected drawing strokes (with a single text object selected, Backspace starts editing its text instead — use Delete to remove it) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Z | Undo last drawing action |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z or Cmd/Ctrl + Y | Redo drawing action |
| Cmd/Ctrl + A | Select all drawing strokes (in the Designer this selects strokes on the current layer) |
| Escape | Deselect all drawing strokes |
| Cmd/Ctrl + C / X / V | Copy / cut / paste selected strokes (pasting an image from the clipboard takes precedence) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + G | Group the selected strokes (two or more strokes selected) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup the selected strokes |
| Cmd/Ctrl (hold) | Temporarily pan the canvas while held |
| Middle mouse button (hold) | Temporarily pan the canvas while held — the pen stays selected and no stroke is drawn |
Drawing a Path
With the Path pen, one gesture does both straight lines and curves — click for a corner, press and drag for a curve:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Click | Place a corner point — the line to it stays straight |
| Press and drag | Place a point and bend the line running into it as you drag — the next line stays straight until you drag again |
| Shift + drag | Lock the curve to 45° angles |
| Click the first point | Close the shape (drag as you click it to close with a curve) |
| Double-click, or Escape | Finish the path without closing it |
| Right-click a point (Vertex mode) | Switch that point between a sharp corner and a smooth curve |
| Right-click a handle (Vertex mode) | Retract that handle — straightens the line on that side only |
Modifier Keys on a Selected Object
With an object selected in drawing mode, holding a modifier changes what its selection handles do when you drag them:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Drag a corner or edge handle | Resize — corners keep the proportions, edges stretch one axis |
| Cmd/Ctrl + drag a corner handle | Perspective distort (green handles). Double-clicking a corner handle toggles the same mode |
| Option/Alt + drag any handle | Clip a selected image (amber handles) — cuts the picture smaller instead of scaling it |
| Option/Alt + C | Turn image clipping on or off for the selected image (Edit → Clip Image) |
| Escape | Leave clipping or distort mode, keeping the object selected |
Zoom Controls
Canvas Zoom
Zoom the workflow canvas to see more or less detail:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Shift + ↑ | Zoom in on the canvas (up to 200%) |
| Shift + ↓ | Zoom out on the canvas (down to 10%) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F | Fit the whole workflow in the view |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E | Zoom to the current selection |
Interface Zoom
Adjust the size of UI panels and controls for better visibility:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + + | Zoom in the interface (with text selected on a drawing surface, grows that text instead; when a node's content is focused, zooms that node's content) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + - | Zoom out the interface (or shrinks the selected text, or the focused node's content) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + 0 | Reset zoom to 100% |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Scroll | Zoom the interface (or the focused node's content) with the mouse wheel |
Documentation Search
Quickly search and navigate documentation (on docs pages):
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + K | Open the documentation search overlay |
| Arrow Up/Down | Navigate through search results |
| Enter | Open the selected documentation page |
| Escape | Close the search overlay |
Developer Tools
Debug and development shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + 1 | Toggle the alignment hit-areas debug view (shows visual indicators for node alignment zones). Note: Ctrl, not Cmd, on Mac too |
💡 Tips
- • Keyboard shortcuts pause while you are typing in input fields, code editors, or terminals
- • Temporary pan differs by mode: hold Shift in pointer mode, hold Cmd/Ctrl in drawing mode
- • Holding the middle mouse button (pressing the wheel) pans from any tool in any editor with a canvas — the one pan gesture you don't have to remember a modifier for
- • Interface zoom (Cmd/Ctrl + +/-) affects all UI panels; canvas zoom (Shift + ↑/↓) only affects the workflow canvas
- • Interface zoom settings are saved and restored when you return to the editor
- • The Shift + T header toggle persists per node — hide headers to see more code or data at once
- • Most shortcuts also appear next to their commands in the menus, so you can discover them as you work