#The command palette

Find and run anything the Shell can do by opening the palette, typing a few letters, and picking it — no exact names to memorize.

#Overview

The Shell can do a lot, and you should never have to keep its full vocabulary in your head. The command palette is the fast way in: open it, start typing what you have in mind, and the matching actions surface for you to choose. It turns "I know the Shell can do this, but what was it called?" into a quick search-and-pick.

The palette is there for the moments when you want to act quickly without breaking your flow. Instead of recalling an exact name, you describe roughly what you want, and the Shell narrows the list as you type until the right thing is in front of you. It is built for speed and discovery at once — it gets you to the thing you already know, and it shows you things you did not know were there.

#What you can do

  • Open the palette and search the things the Shell can do by typing, instead of remembering exact names.
  • Discover capabilities you have not used yet by browsing or searching what comes up.
  • Reach the built-in session commands — like showing recent context, checking what the session has used, condensing a long session, stopping a running command, or closing the session — through the same quick search.
  • Pick an action and run it directly from the palette.
  • Stay in your current session and permission level while you do it, so the palette is a faster path to the same controlled work, not a way around it.

#How to use it

  1. Open the command palette from within the Shell.
  2. Start typing a few letters of what you want — a word from the action, not its exact name. The list narrows as you type.
  3. Scan the matches. The closest options rise to the top, so you usually do not have to type the whole thing.
  4. Pick the one you want and run it. The Shell carries it out in your current session, and the output appears live as usual.
  5. If nothing matches, type a different word for the same idea — describe the outcome you want, and the right action tends to appear.
Tip

The palette is also a way to learn the Shell. When you have a spare moment, open it and skim what comes up — it is a quick map of what the Shell can do, and you will pick up capabilities you would otherwise miss.

#Examples

What you ask:

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condense

What you see: The palette filters to the action that condenses the session's history, and selecting it tidies a long session so it stays manageable — the same effect as the built-in compact command, reached without remembering its name.

What you ask:

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stop

What you see: The palette surfaces the action that stops the command currently running. You pick it, the running command halts immediately, and your session stays open and ready for the next thing.

What you ask:

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context

What you see: The palette finds the action that shows recent context from the session, and choosing it brings the last steps back into view so you can see where you are before deciding what to do next.

#Tips

  • Type the idea, not the exact name. The palette matches on what you mean, so a single descriptive word usually gets you there faster than trying to recall a precise label.
  • Use it to find your footing in a new session. When you are not sure what to do next, the palette is the quickest way to see the moves available to you.
  • It respects your controls. Anything you run from the palette still runs in your current session at the permission level you set — lower levels still pause for your approval, and stopping always works immediately.
  • For commands you already know by heart, you do not need the palette at all — type the built-in session command or your own command directly. Use the palette when recall is the slow part.