Problem
Frequently-used app actions — toggling voice mode, compacting context, switching modes, opening the palette — currently take multiple keystrokes or require remembering slash commands. Power users want a single-keypress surface for the handful of things they actually reach for all day.
Desired behavior
A persistent 8-slot hotbar pinned to the bottom of the sidebar, styled like an MMO action bar. Each slot binds to a named action from a registry. Actions can come from many sources: built-in app actions, slash commands, MCP tools, skills, and plugins. A first-run setup wizard walks the user through picking bindings, with curated recommendations pre-selected based on what's installed.
Triggers:
- Bare
1–8 fires the slot when the composer buffer is empty (MMO "not typing in chat" rule).
Alt+1–Alt+8 fires the slot regardless of composer state.
Like a whale surfacing for a quick breath — the actions you reach for most should be one keystroke away, not buried in menus.
Scope
This is the tracking issue. Implementation is split across the children below. Foundation issues (#2–#5) must land before source adapters (#6–#9), and the setup wizard (#10) lands last.
Children
Out of scope (future)
- Drag-to-rearrange slots in the panel
- Mouse click-to-fire
- Per-project hotbar overrides
- Icons/glyphs beyond ASCII
- Multiple hotbar pages (MMO-style page swap)
Acceptance criteria
Problem
Frequently-used app actions — toggling voice mode, compacting context, switching modes, opening the palette — currently take multiple keystrokes or require remembering slash commands. Power users want a single-keypress surface for the handful of things they actually reach for all day.
Desired behavior
A persistent 8-slot hotbar pinned to the bottom of the sidebar, styled like an MMO action bar. Each slot binds to a named action from a registry. Actions can come from many sources: built-in app actions, slash commands, MCP tools, skills, and plugins. A first-run setup wizard walks the user through picking bindings, with curated recommendations pre-selected based on what's installed.
Triggers:
1–8fires the slot when the composer buffer is empty (MMO "not typing in chat" rule).Alt+1–Alt+8fires the slot regardless of composer state.Like a whale surfacing for a quick breath — the actions you reach for most should be one keystroke away, not buried in menus.
Scope
This is the tracking issue. Implementation is split across the children below. Foundation issues (#2–#5) must land before source adapters (#6–#9), and the setup wizard (#10) lands last.
Children
Out of scope (future)
Acceptance criteria
/hotbarre-opens the setup wizard at any time