Grok Build CLI: Slash Commands and Keyboard Mastery

@GrokInsider· Jun 6, 2026

Listen0:00 / 2:12

Grok's TUI is fast once your hands know it. There is a command for almost everything and a key for the rest. This part is the cheat sheet that turns a new user into someone who flies.

New here? Begin with Grok Build CLI: Zero to Hero (Start Here).

The command palette is your map

You never have to memorize anything. Press Ctrl+P (or ?) to open the command palette, a fuzzy searchable list of every action, every slash command, and every installed skill. Type to filter, Enter to run.

Keys while the agent is working

You are not locked out during a turn. Add a mid-turn note without cancelling, or push a long running command into the background and keep going.

Modes that change how you work

A few toggles reshape the session. Switch models, enter plan mode, flip multiline input, turn on vim scrollback keys, change the theme live, or diagnose your terminal.

Simple mode vs vim mode

Out of the box Grok uses simple mode: arrow keys navigate the scrollback, Shift+Arrow jumps between your prompts, and any printable key jumps to the prompt and starts typing. Prefer modal editing? Set vim_mode = true under [ui] in config.toml (or toggle /vim-mode) and you get j/k navigation, h/l folding, g/G jumps, and y/Y to copy.

Either way, every Ctrl+letter shortcut and the arrow keys work the same, so the muscle memory that matters is portable.

Themes and terminal setup

Grok ships four themes (GrokNight, GrokDay, TokyoNight, RosePineMoon). Run /theme for a live preview picker, or set theme = "auto" to follow your OS light/dark mode. If colors look washed out or Ctrl+Enter is not registering, run /terminal-setup. It tells you exactly what Grok detected and the precise fix for your terminal, tmux, or SSH setup.

One gotcha worth knowing: on GNOME Terminal and other VTE terminals, the newline chord is Alt+Enter, not Shift+Enter. If a shortcut feels dead, /terminal-setup is the answer.

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