Reference
Flash CLI keyboard shortcuts
Write prompts, switch panels and modes, answer approvals and work in the debug panel from the keyboard in Flash CLI.
These shortcuts are for Flash CLI. Alt is Option on macOS (enable “Use Option as Meta” in your terminal if needed). Flash IDE has its own, in the Flash IDE guide; Flash for VS Code works from the Command Palette. Slash commands work everywhere.
Conversation controls
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Send the message, or confirm the active selection |
| Ctrl+J / Alt+Enter | Insert a new line |
| Esc | Interrupt the running turn, or close the open overlay or panel |
| Ctrl+O | Open or close the agent’s full-screen worklog |
| Ctrl+Y | Copy the chat output |
| Alt+Y | Copy the serial log |
| PgUp / PgDn | Scroll the chat, diff, settings or log in focus |
| Ctrl+C / Ctrl+D | Quit Flash |
See Flash heading the wrong way? Press Esc. It stops the current turn and keeps the conversation, so you can steer it back without starting over.
Chat input
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| / | Open command suggestions |
| @ | Reference a project file |
| ! | Run a shell command through Flash, subject to your approvals |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move through suggestions |
| Tab | Complete a command or open a folder |
| Esc | Dismiss suggestions |
Panels and modes
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Alt+P | Toggle PROJECT: platform, devices, system and peripherals |
| Alt+C | Toggle CHANGES |
| Alt+B | Toggle BUILD |
| Alt+D | Toggle DEBUG: serial, MQTT, GDB and BLE |
| Alt+S | Toggle SETTINGS |
| Alt+M | Cycle the agent mode: Normal, Plan, Teach, Debug |
| Alt+← / Alt+→ | Resize the side panel |
Approvals
| Request | Keys |
|---|---|
| Permission request | y allow once · n or Esc deny · ↑ ↓ and Enter to allow for this session or always in this project |
| Board programming | f flash now · a allow for this session · s or Esc skip |
Debug panel
Open the DEBUG panel with /debug or Alt+D. While it has focus and you are not typing in a field, ← and → move between Serial, MQTT, GDB and BLE. Every tab and button can also be clicked.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+S | Run the selected operation, or send the message you composed |
| Esc | Cancel the operation in progress |
| Alt+1–4 | Switch serial tab |
| Alt+N / Alt+W | Open or close a serial tab |
| Alt+R | Rename the serial tab |
| Alt+\ | Show or hide the serial split view |
The Debugging overview explains what each instrument does.