Keybindings

Hollow uses Vim-style chord notation, modal bindings, and a leader key. This page covers the key syntax, the default keymap shipped in conf/init.lua, and how to override anything from your personal config.

For the full action list, see Built-in keymap actions. For the API, see hollow.keymap.

Chord syntax

Form	Meaning
j	Single printable key
<C-t>	Ctrl + t
<C-S-Tab>	Ctrl + Shift + Tab
<A-PageDown>	Alt + PageDown
<leader>r	The leader key followed by r
<leader>uu	The leader key followed by u, then u (sequence)

Mods you can chain: C- (Ctrl), S- (Shift), A- (Alt). Legacy ctrl+..., leader+..., and split mods/key APIs are not supported; use the <...> form.

Modes

Every binding belongs to a mode. Hollow ships two:

• normal — the default; binding applies to the focused pane
• copy_mode — the modal scrollback navigator; see Copy mode

mode defaults to "normal". Bind to copy mode with { mode = "copy_mode" }.

The leader key

The leader key is a prefix that opens a small mini-language of two-key sequences. The shipped base config sets <C-Space> with a 1200 ms timeout:

hollow.keymap.set_leader("<C-Space>", { timeout_ms = 1200 })

Override from your personal config with a different chord. hollow.keymap.clear_leader() removes the leader entirely.

The default keymap

This is the keymap shipped in conf/init.lua. Override any entry by calling hollow.keymap.set(...) again with the same chord and a new action — last set wins.

Clipboard

Chord	Action
<C-S-c>	copy_selection
<C-S-v>	paste_clipboard
<S-Insert>	paste_clipboard

Tabs

Chord	Action
<C-t>	new_tab
<C-w>	close_tab
<C-Tab>	next_tab
<C-S-Tab>	prev_tab
<C-A-Right>	next_tab
<C-A-Left>	prev_tab

Workspaces

Chord	Action
<C-A-n>	new_workspace
<C-A-p>	workspace_switcher
<C-A-r>	rename_workspace
<C-A-w>	close_workspace
<C-A-Right>	next_workspace
<C-A-Left>	prev_workspace

Panes

Chord	Action
<C-\>	split_vertical
<C-S-\>	split_horizontal
<C-S-w>	close_pane
<C-S-m>	maximize_pane
<C-S-f>	float_pane
<C-A-S-f>	tile_pane

Focus

Chord	Action
<C-S-Left>	focus_pane_left
<C-S-Right>	focus_pane_right
<C-S-Up>	focus_pane_up
<C-S-Down>	focus_pane_down

Move

Chord	Action
<C-A-h>	move_pane_left
<C-A-l>	move_pane_right
<C-A-k>	move_pane_up
<C-A-j>	move_pane_down

Resize

Chord	Action
<C-A-S-Left>	resize_pane_left
<C-A-S-Right>	resize_pane_right
<C-A-Up>	resize_pane_up
<C-A-Down>	resize_pane_down

Scrollback

Chord	Action
<A-S-PageUp>	scrollback_page_up
<A-S-PageDown>	scrollback_page_down
<C-S-Home>	scrollback_top
<C-S-End>	scrollback_bottom
<A-S-Up>	prompt_jump_prev
<A-S-Down>	prompt_jump_next

Copy mode

Chord	Action
<C-S-x>	copy_mode
<C-S-X>	copy_mode (alias)
<leader>/	copy_mode_search

See Copy mode for the modal bindings.

Leader bindings

Chord	Action
<leader>r	Rename current tab
<leader>uu	Reload config
<leader>p	Open the command palette

Font size

Chord	Action
<C-S-minus>	Decrease font size by 0.5
<C-S-equal>	Increase font size by 0.5
<C-0>	Reset font size

These are bound to inline Lua callbacks in conf/init.lua; see Config snippets for the pattern.

Overriding keymaps

local hollow = require("hollow")

-- Replace an action
hollow.keymap.set("<C-t>", function()
  hollow.term.new_tab({ domain = "wsl" })
end, { desc = "new tab in wsl" })

-- Remove a binding
hollow.keymap.del("<C-S-c>")

-- Bind a leader sequence
hollow.keymap.set("<leader>e", "split_vertical", { desc = "split vertical" })

-- Deleting a keymap
hollow.keymap.del("<leader>uu")

Inline callbacks and string action names are equivalent. desc is used by the key-legend widget and by the workspace switcher.

Adding copy-mode bindings

hollow.keymap.set("h", "copy_mode_move_left",  { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("j", "copy_mode_move_down",  { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("k", "copy_mode_move_up",    { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("l", "copy_mode_move_right", { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("gg", "copy_mode_top",       { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("G",  "copy_mode_bottom",    { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("v",  "copy_mode_begin_selection",      { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("<C-v>", "copy_mode_begin_block_selection", { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("y",  "copy_mode_copy_selection", { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("/", "copy_mode_search",         { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("n", "copy_mode_search_next",    { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("N", "copy_mode_search_prev",    { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("q", "copy_mode_exit",           { mode = "copy_mode" })
hollow.keymap.set("<Esc>", "copy_mode_exit",       { mode = "copy_mode" })

Reference

• hollow.keymap — full API
• Built-in keymap actions — every action name
• Copy mode — the modal binding surface