Keyboard Shortcut support

[ryunosuke21]

Summary

We already have a Command Palette, but PR review is still mostly mouse-driven because the palette doesn’t expose PR review actions (and therefore there are no default shortcuts for them). Add a set of PR review commands to the existing palette, and ship sensible default keybindings (GitHub-like where appropriate) for faster review: j/k to move between files, i to toggle comment visibility, plus navigation between threads/unresolved threads.

Problem

Reviewing a PR involves repetitive actions:

• next/prev file
• jump between comment threads
• find unresolved threads
• toggle comment visibility while scanning diffs
• quickly start a comment/reply

Today, these aren’t first-class “commands” in the product, so:

• they can’t be invoked from the Command Palette
• they can’t be bound to shortcuts consistently
• it’s harder for both humans and agents to drive review workflows deterministically

Proposal

1) Add PR review commands to the existing Command Palette

Expose a dedicated group/namespace like “Pull Request: …” (or “PR: …”), available when a PR review view is active.

Initial command set (suggested):

File navigation

• Pull Request: Next file
• Pull Request: Previous file
• Pull Request: Open file picker (focus file list / search within changed files)

Threads / discussions

• Pull Request: Next thread
• Pull Request: Previous thread
• Pull Request: Next unresolved thread
• Pull Request: Previous unresolved thread

Comments visibility

• Pull Request: Toggle comments visibility
  (see “Scope” below)

Composing

• Pull Request: Add comment (contextual: selection/line if possible, else general)
• Pull Request: Reply to thread (when a thread is focused)

2) Provide default keyboard shortcuts that trigger those commands

Use the command system as the single source of truth: shortcuts → commands → handlers.

Suggested defaults (can be adjusted to match existing conventions):

• j / k: PR Next/Previous file
• n / p: Next/Previous thread
• u / shift+u: Next/Previous unresolved thread
• i: Toggle comments visibility
• c: Add comment (contextual)
• r: Reply to focused thread
• ?: Show keyboard shortcuts help (if present today)

Important: do not capture these while typing in an input/textarea/contenteditable (comment editor, search fields, etc.).

UX details / expected behavior

• j/k changes the “selected file” and scrolls the diff pane to that file.
• Thread commands:
  • If a thread is focused, n/p cycles within the current file first (optional), otherwise across the PR.
  • Unresolved navigation should skip resolved threads deterministically.
• Toggle comments visibility scope:
  • Option A (simplest): toggles comments for the currently selected file.
  • Option B: toggles comments for the entire PR.
  • If both are valuable, consider two commands:
    • Pull Request: Toggle comments for file
    • Pull Request: Toggle comments for PR

Why Command Palette-first

• Discoverability: users can search “next file”, “toggle comments”, etc.
• Consistency: the palette becomes the canonical list of “things you can do” in PR review.
• Extensibility: agents/automation can invoke the same commands (future-friendly) without bespoke UI plumbing.
• Keybindings become trivial: bind keys to existing commands.

Acceptance criteria

• In PR review view, the Command Palette shows the new “Pull Request: …” commands listed above.
• All new commands are invokable via the palette and perform the expected action.
• Default shortcuts are wired to those commands:
  • j/k navigates files
  • i toggles comment visibility
  • n/p navigates threads
  • u/shift+u navigates unresolved threads
• Shortcuts do not fire while focus is inside editable fields.
• Works on macOS and Linux.

Implementation notes (non-prescriptive)

• Register PR-specific commands only when PR review context is active (avoid polluting global palette).
• Use the existing command infrastructure; add a small “PR review controller” that exposes:
  • current file index / file list
  • thread list / unresolved thread list
  • actions for select-next/select-prev and toggles
• Add basic tests for:
  • command registration in PR context
  • keyboard shortcut dispatch → command execution
  • “don’t intercept while typing”

Motivation / reference

GitHub’s PR review flow is dramatically faster with keyboard-driven navigation (j, k, i, etc.). Supporting similar muscle memory (or compatible defaults) would reduce friction and make PR review feel “instant” in this product.

[ping-maxwell]

Will do!