Keyboard shortcuts

Helmsman is built to be driven from the keyboard so you can move between cells without reaching for the mouse. The exact bindings are being finalized for the first release; this page covers the shape of them and is kept current with each version.

Inside a cell

A focused cell is a real terminal, so every keystroke goes straight to that Claude Code session. Standard terminal editing and the usual Claude Code keys all work, because Helmsman does not intercept them. Copy and paste use the normal macOS shortcuts.

Moving around the grid

The grid is designed for quick movement between cells: focus a cell, do your work, and return to the overview. The navigation keys for stepping between cells and for focusing or releasing a cell will be listed here in full once they are locked for launch.

A note on capture

When a cell is focused, Helmsman sends your input to that session rather than treating it as an app shortcut, so an agent never misses a keystroke. Grid-level navigation is available when you are not typing into a cell.

This page will list the final, exact bindings at launch. If you rely on a specific key, the changelog will note any change to the shortcuts.