Remapping keys

The same file holds your key remaps. Each mode gets its own section — [keys.normal], [keys.insert], [keys.select] — and each line maps a key to a command name:

[keys.normal]
C-s = ":w"

A key can also open a nested table, which turns it into a prefix. This is how you get the classic jk to leave insert mode:

[keys.insert]
j = { k = "normal_mode" }

Helix waits after j to see whether k follows; anything else inserts the j as usual.

Two kinds of command can go on the right-hand side. Anything you can type at the prompt works, written with its colon (":w"). Bare names like normal_mode or extend_line are the editor commands that keys are bound to out of the box; the Helix keymap documentation lists every one.

Work through the checklist below to add the jk map and prove it works.