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@nikolovlazar
Last active October 31, 2025 21:47
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VSCode key bindings to navigate like Neovim
[
// Navigation
{
"key": "ctrl-h",
"command": "workbench.action.navigateLeft"
},
{
"key": "ctrl-l",
"command": "workbench.action.navigateRight"
},
{
"key": "ctrl-k",
"command": "workbench.action.navigateUp"
},
{
"key": "ctrl-j",
"command": "workbench.action.navigateDown"
},
{
"key": "space ,",
"command": "workbench.action.showAllEditors",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus)"
},
{
"key": "space e",
"command": "runCommands",
"args": {
"commands": [
"workbench.action.toggleSidebarVisibility",
"workbench.files.action.focusFilesExplorer"
]
},
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus) && !sideBarFocus"
},
{
"key": "space e",
"command": "runCommands",
"args": {
"commands": [
"workbench.action.toggleSidebarVisibility",
"workbench.action.focusActiveEditorGroup"
]
},
"when": "sideBarFocus && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "space e",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus && foldersViewVisible",
"command": "workbench.action.toggleSidebarVisibility"
},
{
"key": "s h",
"command": "workbench.action.splitEditor",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus)"
},
{
"key": "s v",
"command": "workbench.action.splitEditorDown",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus)"
},
// Coding
{
"key": "space c a",
"command": "editor.action.codeAction",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "shift-k",
"command": "editor.action.moveLinesUpAction",
"when": "vim.mode == 'VisualLine' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "shift-j",
"command": "editor.action.moveLinesDownAction",
"when": "vim.mode == 'VisualLine' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "shift-k",
"command": "editor.action.showHover",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "space c r",
"command": "editor.action.rename",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "space c s",
"command": "workbench.action.gotoSymbol",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "space b d",
"command": "workbench.action.closeActiveEditor",
"when": "(vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus) || !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "space b o",
"command": "workbench.action.closeOtherEditors",
"when": "(vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus) || !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "space space",
"command": "workbench.action.quickOpen",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus)"
},
{
"key": "space g d",
"command": "editor.action.revealDefinition",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "space g r",
"command": "editor.action.goToReferences",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "space g i",
"command": "editor.action.goToImplementation",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "space s g",
"command": "workbench.action.findInFiles",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus)"
},
{
"key": "space g g",
"command": "runCommands",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus)",
"args": {
"commands": ["workbench.view.scm", "workbench.scm.focus"]
}
},
{
"key": "ctrl-n",
"command": "editor.action.addSelectionToNextFindMatch",
"when": "(vim.mode == 'Normal' || vim.mode == 'Visual') && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus)"
},
// File Explorer
{
"key": "r",
"command": "renameFile",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "c",
"command": "filesExplorer.copy",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "p",
"command": "filesExplorer.paste",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "x",
"command": "filesExplorer.cut",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "d",
"command": "deleteFile",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "a",
"command": "explorer.newFile",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "s",
"command": "explorer.openToSide",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "shift-s",
"command": "runCommands",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceReadonly && !inputFocus",
"args": {
"commands": [
"workbench.action.splitEditorDown",
"explorer.openAndPassFocus",
"workbench.action.closeOtherEditors"
]
}
},
{
"key": "enter",
"command": "explorer.openAndPassFocus",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && !explorerResourceIsFolder && !inputFocus"
},
{
"key": "enter",
"command": "list.toggleExpand",
"when": "filesExplorerFocus && foldersViewVisible && !explorerResourceIsRoot && explorerResourceIsFolder && !inputFocus"
},
// Debug
{
"key": "space d a",
"command": "workbench.action.debug.selectandstart",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus) && debuggersAvailable"
},
{
"key": "space d t",
"command": "workbench.action.debug.stop",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus && inDebugMode && !focusedSessionIsAttached"
},
{
"key": "space d o",
"command": "workbench.action.debug.stepOver",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus) && inDebugMode && debugState == 'stopped'"
},
{
"key": "space d b",
"command": "editor.debug.action.toggleBreakpoint",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus"
},
{
"key": "space d e",
"command": "editor.debug.action.showDebugHover",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && editorTextFocus && inDebugMode && debugState == 'stopped'"
},
{
"key": "space d c",
"command": "workbench.action.debug.continue",
"when": "vim.mode == 'Normal' && (editorTextFocus || !inputFocus) && inDebugMode && debugState == 'stopped'"
}
]
@slavpetroff
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This is amazing, thank you very much. The only issue i have is that, space is always triggered as leader and expects another key to be pressed, even in the terminal. As you can guess, it does not even allow me to write anything on the terminal with more than one word as it breaks. Does anyone have this issue and a way to solve it?

@nikolovlazar
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Author

@slavpetroff you can add another conditional in the when value to not target the terminal. I think the editorTextFocus should cover that + the surrounding UI elements because the editor is just the code panel. If that still doesn't work, there must be a terminal-specific when condition. Search for it and see if that works. Let me know when you figure it out.

@ptsteadman
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If you're trying to use the ctrl-h,j,k,l navigation in Cursor and seeing Unknown part workbench.parts.activitybar, see: cursor/cursor#1570

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