The command palette

Every command in Helix has a name, and Space ? opens a picker over all of them: the command palette. Each row shows the command’s name, the key it’s bound to, and a one-line description. Typing filters the list, and Enter runs the highlighted command.

It has two jobs. The obvious one is running things you don’t have a key for yet. The more useful one is looking keys up: if you remember what a command does but not how to trigger it, search the palette — most rows show the key next to the name. After a few lookups you stop needing it.

Work through the checklist below. Both commands you run have a normal-mode key of their own — ge and gg — so once you know them you won’t need the palette for this at all. That is the pattern: the palette gets you there the first time, and the key takes over after.

Note

Typing : opens a prompt for typable commands like :theme, :new, or :write. The palette lists those too, with their : names, so it’s a single place to search everything.