Use Grok Build keyboard shortcuts
Use Grok Build keyboard shortcuts
Grok Build’s TUI is driven by chords. Press Ctrl+. (or Ctrl+X on Windows and terminals without the Kitty keyboard protocol) to open the in-app list; entries that do not apply in the current context are dimmed. The live table is on Keyboard Shortcuts.
Essentials
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Send the prompt |
| Tab | Move focus between prompt and scrollback |
| Esc | Cancel the running turn |
| Esc Esc | Clear the prompt, or open rewind when empty |
| Ctrl+C | Cancel turn |
| Shift+Tab | Cycle mode (Normal / Plan / Auto when available / Always-approve) |
| Ctrl+P or ? | Command palette |
| Ctrl+. / Ctrl+X | Keyboard shortcuts |
| F2 or Ctrl+, | Settings |
| Ctrl+Q / Ctrl+D | Quit (press twice) |
Input and interject
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Enter or Ctrl+I | Interject while a turn is running |
| Shift+Enter | Newline — or send, in multiline mode (Alt+Enter where Shift+Enter is unsupported) |
| Ctrl+M | Toggle multiline input |
| Ctrl+R | Search prompt history |
| ! | Shell mode, on an empty prompt |
Panels you will reach often
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+T | Todo pane (agent screen) |
| Ctrl+B | Send the running command to the background |
| Ctrl+; or Ctrl+' | Prompt queue |
| Ctrl+S | Sessions |
| Ctrl+L | Extensions (plugins / hooks / skills / MCP) |
| Ctrl+G | Tasks pane |
| Ctrl+O | Toggle always-approve |
| Ctrl+N | New session (press twice) |
| Ctrl+\ | Agent Dashboard |
Terminal differences
Official Terminal Support and the shortcuts page call out:
- VS Code-family terminals (VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed): quit is Ctrl+D only; interject is Ctrl+L; half-page scroll is Shift+D; Ctrl+L does not open extensions (use
/plugins). Use Alt+Enter for newlines. - Apple Terminal: Ctrl+O also interjects; OSC 52 clipboard over SSH is unreliable — prefer
grok wrap ssh …when you need local clipboard. - WezTerm: set
enable_kitty_keyboard = truefor Ctrl+Enter and Shift+Enter.
Run /terminal-setup (aliases /terminal-check, /terminal-info) inside Grok to see what was detected.
Modes vs keys
Shift+Tab cycles session modes. Plan, Auto, and Always-approve behavior is documented under Permissions and Plan Mode. Slash commands that mirror some chords live on Modes and Commands.
Pitfalls
- In IDE embedded terminals, Shift+Enter often cannot be distinguished from Enter — use Alt+Enter for a newline.
- Clipboard and mouse reporting fixes are terminal settings, not Grok Build config alone.