Cursor IDE shortcut keys

Cursor is built on VS Code, so most of what you already know still applies, with one wrinkle: it claims several combinations for its own AI features, and those are exactly the ones people search for. Here are the keys worth memorising, where to check the current set on your build, and which pair is worth a physical button. That last part is where the Slam Buttons come in, and it is a narrow case rather than a general recommendation.

What are the main Cursor AI shortcut keys?

Tab accepts the inline completion, the same as in the editor it is based on. Cmd+K on macOS, or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux, opens the inline prompt box for editing what you have selected. Cmd+L or Ctrl+L opens the chat with your selection attached. Cmd+I or Ctrl+I opens the agent pane in current builds.

Those four cover most of the day. Everything else, including the keys for accepting and rejecting a proposed diff, has moved between versions often enough that we would rather send you to the live list than print a combination that changes next month.

Why do some VS Code shortcuts behave differently here?

Because Cmd+K is taken. In VS Code, Cmd+K is the opening half of a two key chord: you press it, then a second key. Cursor uses Cmd+K on its own for the inline prompt, so the chords that begin with it are the ones most likely to surprise you if you have arrived with muscle memory from elsewhere. Most other bindings are intact.

Where do I see the current key list?

Cursor keeps a keyboard section in its own settings, and the standard keyboard shortcuts editor it inherits is still there, reachable from the command palette with Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P. Search either one by command name rather than by key. Both lists are generated from the build you are running, so they stay right long after a page like this one has aged.

Which shortcuts are worth a dedicated key?

The accept and reject pair, if you review a lot of diffs. It is the highest frequency decision in an agent driven editor, it alternates between two keys, and unlike Tab it usually needs a modifier you have to hunt for. Two separate buttons remove the reach and, more usefully, keep your eyes on the diff rather than on your hands.

The rest we would leave alone. Cmd+K is one key from home position. Putting it on a macropad would be slower, and slower is the thing you were trying to avoid.

Before you buy anything, check that the action you want has a keyboard binding at all, because hardware can only send a key that already exists. If it does, two buttons is a strange thing to want until the day you want it: Slam Buttons, two arcade buttons on a plate, $29.