Standard Editor

Rune's standard editor follows the modeless conventions used by Sublime Text, VS Code, Zed, IntelliJ, and native text controls. Typing inserts text, arrow keys move the caret, and the ordinary <shift> movement keys extend the selection through the same movement. Semantic-selection shortcuts are listed separately below.

Preset

Enable it in config.yaml:

config.yaml

editor:
  mode: "standard"

The preset adapts application shortcuts to the operating system:

• On macOS, <meta> is Command and <alt> is Option.
• On Linux, common application shortcuts use <ctrl>, while <meta> is Super.

Every key on this page uses Rune's key syntax. Tables omit a platform when the same shortcut works everywhere.

The Standard editor accepts the same built-in editing and movement keys on every operating system. The tables list the conventional macOS and Linux forms, but either form works on either platform. Application commands come from the platform's preset and can differ by operating system.

Remapping keys

Most editing and movement keys are built into the editor, not Rune commands, so they cannot be rebound through command.key_bindings. To swap the physical keys that trigger them, use gui.key_mapping, which rewrites a key combination before it reaches the editor.

Application and layout shortcuts are Rune commands and can be changed through command.key_bindings. The editor receives ordinary keys before the command layer, so a command binding does not replace a key that the standard editor already handles. Choose an unused chord when remapping a command.

Windows and tabs

Standard keybindings preset

When configuring Rune for the first time, we offer the ability to choose one of three presets. If you choose the standard preset, Rune keeps familiar text-editing conventions while putting windows, tabs, Git changes, and diagnostics on consistent keyboard layers, powered by adding a second arrow key cluster at the ijkl keys. The same layout-management bindings apply on macOS and Linux.

The preset uses a single <alt> layer, so a binding is guessable from the key alone:

• <alt> plus ijkl points up, left, down, and right.
• <alt> plus a layout letter acts on a window or a tab.
• <alt> plus a code letter asks the language server about the caret.
• Adding <shift> turns focus into movement, or asks for a symbol by name.
• Adding <meta> to the ijkl cluster resizes instead of focusing.

No application binding in this preset needs three modifiers.

The tables below provide a copyable reference for the preset bindings:

Action	Up / left / down / right
Focus a window	<alt-i> / <alt-j> / <alt-k> / <alt-l>
Move a window	<alt-shift-i> / <alt-shift-j> / <alt-shift-k> / <alt-shift-l>
Resize a window	<alt-meta-i> / <alt-meta-j> / <alt-meta-k> / <alt-meta-l>

The resize directions are taller, narrower, shorter, and wider. <shift-meta-backspace> restores the default size, while <shift-meta-+> and <shift-meta--> maximize and minimize the focused window.

Common window actions stay on the same <alt> layer:

Action	Key
Split the focused window	<alt-n>
Open a terminal in place or in a new split	<alt-enter>
Close the focused window	<alt-q>
Close every window	<alt-shift-q>
Toggle maximization of the focused window	<alt-m>
Set horizontal / vertical split orientation	<alt-h> / <alt-v>
Prefill windowconverttab in the command prompt	<alt-shift-enter>

Tabs use brackets for left and right. Add <shift> to reorder the current tab:

Action	Key
Close tab	<alt-w>
Previous / next tab	<alt-[> / <alt-]>
Move tab left / right	<alt-shift-[> / <alt-shift-]>
Focus tab 1 to 9	<alt-1> … <alt-9>
Move the current tab to position 1 to 9	<alt-shift-1> … <alt-shift-9>
Search open tabs	<alt-`>

New tab is a platform-native shortcut rather than an <alt> binding: <meta-t> on macOS and <ctrl-n> on Linux. macOS also keeps <meta-w> as a native close-tab alias. See Layout Management for the complete layout system.

Common navigation commands avoid keys owned by the editor:

Action	macOS	Linux
Toggle the file explorer	<shift-meta-e>	<ctrl-shift-e>
Previous / next cursor position	<alt-,> / <alt-.>	<alt-,> / <alt-.>
Open the cheatsheet	<alt-/>	<alt-/>

Code-intelligence commands share the same <alt> layer and are listed under Language intelligence.

Selection

Add <shift> to a movement to select through the same destination. Releasing <shift> and moving the caret clears the selection. Pressing <esc> also clears the selection. <ctrl-shift-left> and <ctrl-shift-right> are semantic selection commands rather than word-selection variants.

Movement	macOS	Linux
Select one character	<shift-left> / <shift-right>	<shift-left> / <shift-right>
Select one line vertically	<shift-up> / <shift-down>	<shift-up> / <shift-down>
Select by word	<alt-shift-left> / <alt-shift-right>	<alt-shift-left> / <alt-shift-right>
Select to line boundary	<shift-meta-left> / <shift-meta-right>	<shift-home> / <shift-end>
Select to document boundary	<shift-meta-up> / <shift-meta-down>	<ctrl-shift-home> / <ctrl-shift-end>
Select to previous / next paragraph	<ctrl-shift-up> / <ctrl-shift-down>	<ctrl-shift-up> / <ctrl-shift-down>

Line-start movements include leading whitespace. For example, <shift-meta-left> on macOS selects all the way to column zero, not only to the first non-blank character.

Selection commands

Action	macOS	Linux
Select all	<meta-a> or <ctrl-a>	<ctrl-a> or <meta-a>
Select current line; repeat to extend	<meta-l>	<meta-l>
Select next occurrence	<meta-d> or <ctrl-d>	<ctrl-d> or <meta-d>
Select previous occurrence	<ctrl-meta-d>	<ctrl-meta-d>
Select indentation level	<shift-meta-j>	<shift-meta-j>
Expand semantic selection	<ctrl-w> or <shift-meta-space>	<ctrl-w> or <shift-meta-space>
Shrink semantic selection	<ctrl-shift-w>	<ctrl-shift-w>
Shrink / expand semantic selection	<ctrl-shift-left> / <ctrl-shift-right>	<ctrl-shift-left> / <ctrl-shift-right>
Select enclosing (), {}, or []	<ctrl-shift-m>	<ctrl-shift-m>
Undo / redo a selection change	<meta-u> / <shift-meta-u>	<meta-u> / <shift-meta-u>
Clear selection	<esc>	<esc>

Semantic selection depends on language support for the current buffer.

Cursor movement

Common movement

Key	Movement
<left> / <right>	one character
<up> / <down>	one line
<home> / <end>	start / end of line
<pgup> / <pgdn>	one viewport up / down

Platform movement

Movement	macOS	Linux
Previous word start	<alt-left>	<ctrl-left>
Next word end	<alt-right>	<ctrl-right>
Previous / next paragraph	<ctrl-up> / <ctrl-down>	<ctrl-up> / <ctrl-down>
Start of line	<meta-left>	<home>
End of line	<meta-right>	<end>
Start of document	<meta-up>	<ctrl-home>
End of document	<meta-down>	<ctrl-end>
Jump to matching delimiter	<ctrl-m>	<ctrl-m>

<meta-left> always means the actual start of the line. Rune keeps the Meta-arrow combinations available to the editor rather than using them for window focus or movement.

Scrolling

Action	macOS	Linux
Move one viewport	<pgup> / <pgdn>	<pgup> / <pgdn>
Select one viewport	<shift-pgup> / <shift-pgdn>	<shift-pgup> / <shift-pgdn>
Center the current line	<ctrl-l>	<ctrl-l>
Scroll one line without moving the caret	<ctrl-alt-up> / <ctrl-alt-down>	<ctrl-alt-up> / <ctrl-alt-down>

Editing

Typing and deletion

Action	macOS	Linux
Insert text	any printable key	any printable key
Newline	<enter>	<enter>
Indent / outdent	<tab> / <shift-tab>	<tab> / <shift-tab>
Delete left / right	<backspace> / <delete>	<backspace> / <delete>
Delete previous word	<alt-backspace> or <ctrl-backspace>	<ctrl-backspace> or <alt-backspace>
Delete next word	<alt-delete> or <ctrl-delete>	<ctrl-delete> or <alt-delete>
Delete to start of line	<meta-backspace>	<meta-backspace>
Delete to end of line	<meta-delete>	<meta-delete>
Cut to end of line	<ctrl-k>	<ctrl-k>
Delete current line	<shift-meta-k>	<ctrl-shift-k>
Transpose characters around the caret	<ctrl-t>	<ctrl-t>

Word deletion follows the caret direction: Backspace deletes the word to the left, and Delete removes the word to the right. At the end of a line, <ctrl-k> cuts the newline and joins the following line.

Clipboard

Action	macOS	Linux
Copy	<meta-c> or <ctrl-c>	<ctrl-c> or <meta-c>
Cut	<meta-x> or <ctrl-x>	<ctrl-x> or <meta-x>
Paste	<meta-v> or <ctrl-v>	<ctrl-v> or <meta-v>
Paste and reindent	<shift-meta-v> or <ctrl-shift-v>	<ctrl-shift-v> or <shift-meta-v>
Paste from clipboard history	<alt-meta-v>	<alt-meta-v>

Copy and cut use the current line when there is no selection. Copy leaves the buffer unchanged; cut removes the line. A later paste preserves the line-wise clipboard behavior. After pasting, repeat <alt-meta-v> to replace that paste with progressively older clipboard-history entries.

Undo and redo

Action	macOS	Linux
Undo	<meta-z> or <ctrl-z>	<ctrl-z> or <meta-z>
Redo	<shift-meta-z>, <meta-y>, <ctrl-shift-z>, or <ctrl-y>	<ctrl-shift-z>, <ctrl-y>, <shift-meta-z>, or <meta-y>

Line operations

Action	macOS	Linux
Insert line below	<ctrl-enter>	<ctrl-enter>
Insert line above	<ctrl-shift-enter>	<ctrl-shift-enter>
Move line up / down	<alt-up> / <alt-down>	<alt-up> / <alt-down>
Duplicate line up / down	<alt-shift-up> / <alt-shift-down>	<alt-shift-up> / <alt-shift-down>
Duplicate line below	<shift-meta-d>	<shift-meta-d>
Join with next line	<meta-j> or <ctrl-shift-j>	<meta-j> or <ctrl-shift-j>
Indent line	<meta-]> or <ctrl-]>	<ctrl-]> or <meta-]>
Outdent line	<meta-[> or <ctrl-[>	<ctrl-[> or <meta-[>
Toggle line comment	<meta-/> or <ctrl-/>	<ctrl-/> or <meta-/>
Toggle block comment	<alt-meta-/>	<alt-meta-/>
Reflow paragraph at the ruler	<alt-meta-q>	<alt-meta-q>
Toggle soft wrap	<alt-z>	<alt-z>

Search

Action	macOS	Linux
Find in the current buffer	<meta-f> or <ctrl-f>	<ctrl-f> or <meta-f>
Open replace	<meta-r>	<meta-r>
Upgrade an open find to replace	<meta-r>	<meta-r>
Next match while open	<enter>, <meta-f>, or <ctrl-f>	<enter>, <ctrl-f>, or <meta-f>
Cycle between find and replacement inputs	<tab> / <shift-tab>	<tab> / <shift-tab>
Close and leave the active match selected	<esc>	<esc>
Next / previous match after closing	<ctrl--> / <ctrl-shift-->	<ctrl--> / <ctrl-shift-->

Find opens a floating widget and selects the active match in the buffer as you type. In replace mode, Replace changes the active occurrence and advances to the next one, while All replaces every occurrence. These buttons are mouse-only; <enter> always advances to the next match. The input fields use Standard editing behavior, including drag selection and double-click word selection. Search is case-sensitive, does not match across line boundaries, and wraps from the last match to the first. Rune starts from the caret and retains the last query for the next search. Closing an empty search restores the caret to its starting position instead of leaving a match selected.

Search configuration

Configure the widget under editor.standard.search. The examples show the default keys and visual attributes:

config.yaml

editor:
  standard:
    search:
      find_key: "<meta-f>"
      replace_key: "<meta-r>"
      attr: { fg: default, bg: default }
      input_attr: { fg: default, bg: default }
      placeholder_attr: { fg: gray, bg: default }
      frame_attr: { fg: gray, bg: default }
      focus_frame_attr: { fg: silver, bg: default }
      button_attr: { fg: default, bg: gray }
      button_hover_attr: { fg: default, bg: blue }
      match_attr: { fg: grey, bg: yellow }
      current_match_attr: { fg: default, bg: default }

config.star

config["editor"]["standard"]["search"] = {
    "find_key": "<meta-f>",
    "replace_key": "<meta-r>",
    "attr": attr(fg = "default", bg = "default"),
    "input_attr": attr(fg = "default", bg = "default"),
    "placeholder_attr": attr(fg = "gray", bg = "default"),
    "frame_attr": attr(fg = "gray", bg = "default"),
    "focus_frame_attr": attr(fg = "silver", bg = "default"),
    "button_attr": attr(fg = "default", bg = "gray"),
    "button_hover_attr": attr(fg = "default", bg = "blue"),
    "match_attr": attr(fg = "grey", bg = "yellow"),
    "current_match_attr": attr(fg = "default", bg = "default"),
}

attr styles the widget background. The input, placeholder, frame, focused frame, button, hovered button, inactive match, and active match can each be styled independently with their corresponding keys. Attribute colors accept Rune's named colors and hex values. The optional status_attr styles the legacy status-bar Find prompt used only if Rune cannot open the floating Find window; it is unset by default.

Language intelligence, diagnostics, and Git changes

In-file navigation uses a <ctrl-meta> IJKL layer. The vertical i / k pair visits Git changes, while the horizontal j / l pair visits diagnostics:

Action	Key
Previous Git change	<ctrl-meta-i>
Next Git change	<ctrl-meta-k>
Previous diagnostic	<ctrl-meta-j>
Next diagnostic	<ctrl-meta-l>

Everything else the language server offers sits on a plain <alt> letter. Each binding acts on the symbol under the caret; adding <shift> opens the Command Prompt with that command ready for a symbol name instead:

Action	Key	By name
Go to definition	<alt-d>	<alt-shift-d>
Find references	<alt-r>	<alt-shift-r>
Find implementations	<alt-p>	<alt-shift-p>
Show hover and type information	<alt-t>	<alt-shift-t>
Go to declaration	<alt-c>	<alt-shift-c>
Go to type definition	<alt-y>	<alt-shift-y>
Show signature help	<alt-g>
Format the buffer	<alt-b>
List diagnostics	<alt-e>
Complete at the caret	<ctrl-space>

Three more <alt> letters jump to a symbol declared in the current file by name, using the language's tree-sitter locals.scm queries rather than the language server:

Action	Key
Jump to a function or method	<alt-f>
Jump to a type	<alt-s>
Jump to a variable	<alt-x>

Symbol rename is available through the Command Prompt as lsp rename.

Folds

Key	Action
<ctrl-{>	collapse the fold at the caret
<ctrl-}>	expand the fold at the caret
<ctrl-shift-a>	toggle all folds
<alt-meta-[> / <alt-meta-]>	collapse / expand the fold at the caret
<meta-k><meta-j>	expand all folds
<meta-k><meta-1>	collapse all folds

Hidden lines

Key	Action
<ctrl-alt-h>	hide the lines covered by the selection
<ctrl-alt-v>	reveal the hidden block at the caret

Macros

Key	Action
<ctrl-q>	start or stop recording to the unnamed register
<ctrl-shift-q>	play the recorded macro

Legacy <meta-k> prefix

The standard editor retains a one-shot <meta-k> compatibility layer for a small set of advanced operations:

Sequence	Action
<meta-k><meta-space>	set mark at the caret
<meta-k><meta-a>	select from mark to caret
<meta-k><meta-w>	delete from mark to caret
<meta-k><meta-x>	swap caret and mark
<meta-k><meta-g>	clear mark
<meta-k><meta-u>	uppercase selection
<meta-k><meta-l>	lowercase selection
<meta-k><meta-k>	delete to end of line
<meta-k><meta-backspace>	delete to start of line
<meta-k><meta-j>	expand all folds
<meta-k><meta-1>	collapse all folds

This layer is optional compatibility, not the primary standard keymap. On Linux, normal cut remains <ctrl-x>.

Auto-pair and paste

When auto_pair is enabled, typing (, [, {, ", or ' inserts the matching close. Typing a supported closer immediately before the same existing character moves over it instead of inserting a duplicate. <backspace> inside a supported empty pair removes both characters. <enter> between {} splits the braces across a blank line; other pairs receive a normal indented newline.

When no selection is active, bracketed terminal paste is inserted verbatim as one text run. It does not add auto-paired closers or rewrite indentation.

Command prompt and configuration

Action	macOS	Linux
Open the command prompt	<shift-meta-p>	<ctrl-shift-p>
Open Rune's configuration	<meta-,>	<ctrl-,> or <meta-,>

See Command Prompt for commands, aliases, completion, and custom bindings.

What's not here

The standard editor does not currently implement:

• Multi-cursor editing.
• An Emacs <ctrl-x> prefix layer.
• An editor-owned completion popup. Completion lives in language extensions; the Standard preset invokes it with <ctrl-space> when available.
• A dedicated goto-line key. Use the Command Prompt.

For complete Vim, Neovim, Helix, Emacs, or another editor's behavior, use Exoeditor.