Why ⌘K and not ⌘/?

⌘K is the convention Slack, Linear, GitHub, and Notion use. Users already know it. Don't be different for its own sake.

Should Ctrl+K work on Windows?

Yes. Bind both. Detect platform and show the right glyph in tooltips.

What about screen readers?

Announce the palette as a dialog with role="combobox". Move focus on open; restore on close. aria-activedescendant for the highlighted row.

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In-product AI·Jul 6, 2026·3 min read

Command palette shortcuts: the cheatsheet users expect

Users have memorized ⌘K palettes from Linear, Slack, GitHub, and Notion. Ship the conventions: ⌘K to open, Esc to close, ↑↓ to navigate, Enter to invoke, ⌘Enter for background, Tab to accept suggestions, ⌘⌫ to clear. Use prefix modes (> commands, # issues, @ people, / docs, ? help) and surface a ⌘K chip plus per-row glyphs. Deviating from the convention is not differentiation — it's friction that costs adoption.

⌘

Command+K team

Design

Core bindings users expect

⌘K / Ctrl+K — open palette
Esc — close palette
↑ ↓ — move between results
Enter — invoke highlighted action
⌘Enter — invoke in new tab / background
Tab — accept inline suggestion
⌘⌫ — clear query

Mode prefixes

> — commands only
# — issues / tickets
@ — people
/ — docs / files
? — help / shortcuts

Make shortcuts discoverable

Show a ⌘K chip in the global header. Show shortcut glyphs on every result row. On first open, show a 3-line tip; never a modal tour.

FAQ

Why ⌘K and not ⌘/?: ⌘K is the convention Slack, Linear, GitHub, and Notion use. Users already know it. Don't be different for its own sake.
Should Ctrl+K work on Windows?: Yes. Bind both. Detect platform and show the right glyph in tooltips.
What about screen readers?: Announce the palette as a dialog with role="combobox". Move focus on open; restore on close. aria-activedescendant for the highlighted row.

#Command Palette #UX #Shortcuts #Accessibility