Back to Blog

Keyboard Shortcuts: Navigate Probefish at the Speed of Thought

Clicking through menus slows you down. When you're deep in a testing session, running tests and switching tabs should be instant. That's why we added keyboard shortcuts to Probefish.

The Problem with Mouse-Only Navigation

Testing workflows involve repetitive actions:

  • Run tests → check results → tweak prompt → run again
  • Switch between Test Cases, Validation, and History tabs
  • Save changes frequently

Each mouse movement breaks your flow. Power users know that keyboard shortcuts are the difference between feeling productive and feeling stuck.

What We Built

Probefish now supports global keyboard shortcuts with a command palette and help overlay - similar to VS Code, Slack, and other tools you already use.

Command Palette (Cmd+K)

Press Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K on Windows/Linux) to open a searchable command menu:

Category Command Shortcut
General Open command palette ⌘ + K
General Show keyboard shortcuts ⌘ + ?
General Save current item ⌘ + S
Testing Run tests ⌘ + ↵
Navigation Go to Test Cases tab ⌘ + 1
Navigation Go to Validation tab ⌘ + 2

Start typing to filter commands, then press Enter to execute.

Quick Reference (Cmd+/)

Forgot a shortcut? Press Cmd+/ to see all available keyboard shortcuts in a clean overlay:

General Shortcut Navigation Shortcut
Open palette ⌘ + K Test Cases ⌘ + 1
Show help ⌘ + ? Validation ⌘ + 2
Save ⌘ + S LLM Judge ⌘ + 3
Testing Settings ⌘ + 4
Run tests ⌘ + ↵ History ⌘ + 5
Compare ⌘ + 6

Available Shortcuts

Global (Works Everywhere)

Shortcut Action
Cmd+K Open command palette
Cmd+/ Show keyboard shortcuts help
Cmd+S Save current changes

Test Suite Page

Shortcut Action
Cmd+Enter Run tests immediately
Cmd+1 Switch to Test Cases tab
Cmd+2 Switch to Validation tab
Cmd+3 Switch to LLM Judge tab
Cmd+4 Switch to Settings tab
Cmd+5 Switch to History tab
Cmd+6 Switch to Compare tab

On Windows/Linux, use Ctrl instead of Cmd


Real-World Workflows

The Rapid Iteration Loop

When refining a prompt, you'll run tests dozens of times:

1. Edit test case inputs
2. Cmd+S to save
3. Cmd+Enter to run tests
4. Cmd+5 to check history
5. Cmd+1 to go back to test cases
6. Repeat

All without touching the mouse.


The Review Workflow

When reviewing test results across tabs:

1. Cmd+1 → Review test cases
2. Cmd+2 → Check validation rules
3. Cmd+3 → Verify LLM Judge config
4. Cmd+5 → Analyze historical runs
5. Cmd+6 → Compare model performance

Six tabs in six keystrokes.


The Quick Save Habit

Make it muscle memory:

  • Made a change? Cmd+S
  • Added a test case? Cmd+S
  • Updated validation? Cmd+S

Your changes are always saved.


Smart Conflict Handling

Shortcuts are disabled when they'd interfere with your work:

Form Inputs

When you're typing in an input field, Cmd+K won't hijack your cursor. Shortcuts only trigger when you're not actively typing.

Code Editor

The Monaco code editor (used for prompt editing) handles its own shortcuts. Cmd+S in the editor saves the prompt, not the test suite.

Dialogs

When a dialog is open, Escape closes it (built into Radix UI). No conflicts with the shortcut system.


Design Decisions

Why These Shortcuts?

We chose shortcuts that feel familiar:

  • Cmd+K - Universal command palette (VS Code, Slack, Linear, Notion)
  • Cmd+S - Universal save
  • Cmd+1-6 - Tab switching (Chrome, VS Code, most IDEs)
  • Cmd+Enter - Execute/run (Jupyter, most REPLs)

No learning curve if you've used modern dev tools.


Getting Started

  1. Open any test suite in Probefish
  2. Press Cmd+/ to see all available shortcuts
  3. Try Cmd+K to explore the command palette
  4. Use Cmd+Enter to run your tests instantly

The shortcuts are active immediately - no configuration needed.


Conclusion

Keyboard shortcuts transform Probefish from a tool you use into a tool that disappears. When navigation is instant, you focus on what matters: building better AI.

Press Cmd+K and start moving faster.