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TanStackHotkeys
Getting Started

Quick Start

This guide adds keyboard shortcuts to a Svelte app. If you haven't installed TanStack Hotkeys yet, see Installation.

Create a hotkey

TanStack Hotkeys needs no special setup. To create a keyboard shortcut, call createHotkey in the component that owns the action:

svelte
<script lang="ts">
  import { createHotkey } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'

  createHotkey('Mod+S', () => saveDocument())
</script>

<textarea></textarea>

Mod is Command on macOS and Control on Windows and Linux, so Mod+S is the save shortcut each user already knows. The browser's Save dialog stays closed, and the shortcut still works while the user types in the textarea. Sensible Defaults explains these defaults.

That's all a hotkey needs. Providers, scopes, and the other features later in this guide are optional, so add them as your app grows.

Create several hotkeys

When a component has more than one hotkey, create them together with createHotkeys:

svelte
<script lang="ts">
  import { createHotkeys } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'

  createHotkeys([
    { hotkey: 'Mod+S', callback: () => save() },
    { hotkey: 'Mod+Z', callback: () => undo() },
    { hotkey: 'Mod+Shift+Z', callback: () => redo() },
  ])
</script>

createHotkeys also accepts a getter that returns the array, so the list can come from $state and change length over time.

Sequences

Pass an array of chords to create a sequence, pressed one after another:

ts
createHotkey(['G', 'G'], () => scrollToTop())

Each step must follow the previous one within a second.

createHotkeys accepts chords and sequences in the same array:

ts
createHotkeys([
  { hotkey: 'Mod+K', callback: () => openSearch() },
  { hotkey: ['G', 'H'], callback: () => goHome() },
  { hotkey: ['G', 'S'], callback: () => goToSettings() },
])

Show the shortcut

Label a button or menu item with formatForDisplay. Format the same value you register, so the label always matches the binding:

svelte
<script lang="ts">
  import { createHotkey, formatForDisplay } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'
  import type { HotkeyChord } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'

  const saveHotkey: HotkeyChord = 'Mod+S'

  createHotkey(saveHotkey, () => save())
</script>

<button onclick={save}>
  Save <kbd>{formatForDisplay(saveHotkey)}</kbd>
</button>

The label is ⌘ S on macOS and Ctrl+S on Windows and Linux. HotkeyChord checks the string, so a typo in the binding is a type error. Use Hotkey for a value that can also be a sequence.

Hotkeys follow your components

A hotkey is registered when the component that creates it mounts, and unregistered when that component is destroyed. Put each hotkey in the component it belongs to, so it is active only while that component is mounted:

svelte
<!-- App.svelte -->
<script lang="ts">
  import SettingsDialog from './SettingsDialog.svelte'

  let isOpen = $state(false)
</script>

<button onclick={() => (isOpen = true)}>Settings</button>
{#if isOpen}
  <SettingsDialog onClose={() => (isOpen = false)} />
{/if}
svelte
<!-- SettingsDialog.svelte -->
<script lang="ts">
  import { createHotkey } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'

  let { onClose }: { onClose: () => void } = $props()

  // Registered only while the dialog is mounted
  createHotkey('Escape', () => onClose())
</script>

<div role="dialog">...</div>

For a condition that doesn't match a component, pass enabled. Pass options as a getter, so they follow your state:

ts
createHotkey('Mod+S', () => save(), () => ({ enabled: hasUnsavedChanges }))

When a group of hotkeys turns on and off together, put them in a scope instead. See Add providers and scopes.

Element hotkeys

A hotkey's default target is document, so it works wherever focus is on the page. To limit it to one element, create an attachment and attach it to that element:

svelte
<script lang="ts">
  import { createHotkeyAttachment } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'

  // Fires only while the panel, or something inside it, has focus
  const closeOnEscape = createHotkeyAttachment('Escape', () => closePanel())
</script>

<div tabindex="0" {@attach closeOnEscape}>...</div>

createHotkeysAttachment does the same for an array of hotkeys. The element must be focusable to receive key presses, so give it a tabindex if it isn't a control.

Add providers and scopes (optional)

So far, every hotkey uses the built-in defaults and belongs to the global scope, so it is active whenever its component is mounted. You don't need a provider for that.

Wrap your app in HotkeysProvider to set default options for every hotkey inside it, such as more time between sequence steps:

svelte
<!-- App.svelte -->
<script lang="ts">
  import { HotkeysProvider } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'
  import Editor from './Editor.svelte'
</script>

<HotkeysProvider defaultOptions={{ hotkey: { timeout: 1500 } }}>
  <Editor />
</HotkeysProvider>

Hotkeys can also be grouped into scopes. Every hotkey in a scope turns on and off with it. Make a scope exclusive, and while it is mounted, only its hotkeys work. Use one for dialogs and popups that should own the keyboard.

A component can make itself a scope with setHotkeysContext. Call it before creating the component's hotkeys:

svelte
<!-- ConfirmDialog.svelte -->
<script lang="ts">
  import { createHotkeys, setHotkeysContext } from '@tanstack/svelte-hotkeys'

  let { onConfirm, onCancel }: { onConfirm: () => void; onCancel: () => void } =
    $props()

  setHotkeysContext({ scope: 'confirm-dialog', exclusive: true })

  createHotkeys([
    { hotkey: 'Enter', callback: () => onConfirm() },
    { hotkey: 'Escape', callback: () => onCancel() },
  ])
</script>

<div role="dialog">...</div>

While the dialog is open, Enter and Escape confirm and cancel it, and every hotkey outside the dialog is suspended. When the dialog closes, they work again.

setHotkeysContext reads its options once. When enabled or exclusive needs to change over time, wrap the component in <HotkeysProvider scope="..." exclusive> instead. HotkeysProvider and Scopes covers nested scopes, precedence, and turning a scope off without destroying it.

Next steps

Learn more about the basics:

As your app grows:

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