Steer the work back on track
Goal: do not lose control during a turn - know when you can interject, when you should queue, and when you should interrupt.
The core fact: a running turn never locks the input box. You can type at any time; the only difference is when your input takes effect.
When inputs take effect
| What you want | Action | When it takes effect |
|---|---|---|
| Adjust the current task | Type and press Enter | Sent as steering before the next model sample; does not cancel a running command |
| Append the next piece of work | Type, then press Tab | After the current turn ends; automatically begins as a new user message |
| Recall pending input | Alt+↑ (follow-up), Alt+↓ (steering) | Brings the queued text back into the editor |
| Promote a queued item to an interjection | Alt+→ | Converts a pending follow-up into steering, moved up to before the next sample |
| Stop the current turn | Ctrl+C | Interrupts the model stream, running tools, and subsequent steps; pending input returns to the editor. Press once more for a hard stop |
Steering is not preemption: commands already sent will run to completion, and your words are seen before the next tool step. So use Ctrl+C to "make it stop" and Enter to "make it change direction" - do not mix the two.
Looking at the details
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+O | Expand/collapse all tool output (by default only a one-line summary and status) |
| Ctrl+T | Cycle the reasoning effort (low → medium → high → xhigh → max) |
| ↑ / ↓ | Page through the prompts you have sent |
| Esc | Close the current menu or monitor; the slash menu first, when one is open |
| ? | Print the command list |
Shift+Enter or Ctrl+Enter inserts a newline, for writing multi-line prompts.
Which one to use when
- The model is drifting further and further off, but the direction is still right: send a line with Enter as steering; it saves tokens compared to interrupting and starting over.
- What you want to do next is unrelated to the current task: queue it with Tab, and it automatically becomes the next turn after the current turn ends.
- A command is stuck or the model is way off: Ctrl+C. If the turn ended but the task did not, describe the remaining part and send it once more.
Related scenarios: Let unfinished commands keep going, Come back and keep working.