Keyboard Shortcuts
Every shortcut NEXUS binds by default. Throughout the app, Return activates a dialog's default button and Esc cancels it, following standard macOS convention — that pattern isn't repeated for every individual dialog below.
Beyond these built-in shortcuts, you can define your own — see Command Shortcuts in the Settings reference.
Window & view
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘, | Open Settings |
| ⇧⌘N | New Window (opens a new workspace in its own window) |
| ⌘W | Close Session |
| ⇧⌘W | Close Window |
| ⌃⌘I | Toggle the Inspector |
| ⌃⌘M | Toggle the Neural Map |
| ⌃⌘R | Toggle the Room |
| ⌃⌘S | Toggle the Stage |
| ⌃⌘L | Toggle Stream Mode |
| ⇧⌘J | Turn the Nexus Overlay on or off |
Sessions & panes
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘T | New Session (opens a new terminal pane) |
| ⌘N | New Bit Page |
| ⇧⌘G | Clone Repository… |
| ⌘J | Toggle Focus Mode (expand the current pane to fill the window, or restore the grid) |
| ⌘D | Grid: 2 Columns |
| ⇧⌘D | Grid: 3 Columns |
| ⌥⌘D | Grid: 4 Columns |
| ⇧⌘R | Rename Session… |
| ⌥⌘→ | Next Session |
| ⌥⌘← | Previous Session |
Pause and Resume are available from a pane's own menu but have no default shortcut.
Terminal
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘K | Clear Terminal |
| ⌃⌘⌫ | Kill Shell |
Command Palette
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘P | Open the Command Palette |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move the highlighted command (while the palette is open) |
| Return | Run the highlighted command (while the palette is open) |
| Esc | Dismiss the palette |
The Command Palette lists every command above by name, plus a few that have no dedicated shortcut of their own — it's a searchable index of everything you can do, not only what's bound to a key.
Voice
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌥Space | Start or stop a voice command |
| ⇧⌥Space | Dictate into the focused field |
Both require Voice to be turned on first.
Where to go next
- Settings Reference — every control behind these shortcuts.
- Window & Panes — how splitting, grids, and Focus Mode work.
- Agents — session and shell actions in context.