Keybindings Reference

Complete keyboard reference for Railroad OS. All operations are accessible via keybindings with zero mouse required.

Mod = Super/Windows key | Mod1 = Alt key

Quick Reference Card

Most frequently used commands for daily workflow

Terminal Focus

Mod+F1-F5Focus Claude terminals by number

Mod+F7Focus ranger (file manager)

Mod+F8Focus docker monitor

Mod+F9Focus metrics

Mod+F10Focus cmd-terminal

Session Management

Mod+Shift+sLaunch multi-project session

Mod+Ctrl+aAdd terminals to session

Mod+Ctrl+cLaunch single Claude terminal

Mod+Ctrl+qClose terminal and renumber

Mod+TabCycle through Claude terminals

Quick Actions

Mod+`Toggle last window

Mod+bFocus browser window

Mod+hSearch hotkeys

Mod+Ctrl+Alt+hjklQuick resize (4K)

Mod+Shift+Ctrl+Alt+hjklMove window

Emergency

Mod+Shift+qKill window

Mod+Shift+rRestart i3

Mod+Shift+eExit i3

Terminal Focus (Function Keys)

Direct access to Claude Code terminals and utility windows. Terminals display title bars with <project>[<branch>] #N showing the project name, git branch, and terminal number.

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+F1`	Focus Claude #1	First Claude terminal
`Mod+F2`	Focus Claude #2	Second Claude terminal
`Mod+F3`	Focus Claude #3	Third Claude terminal
`Mod+F4`	Focus Claude #4	Fourth Claude terminal
`Mod+F5`	Focus Claude #5	Fifth Claude terminal
`Mod+F6`	Focus Claude #6	Reserved (manual use only)
`Mod+F7`	Focus Ranger	File manager utility
`Mod+F8`	Focus Docker	Docker container monitor
`Mod+F9`	Focus Metrics	System metrics display
`Mod+F10`	Focus Terminal	Command terminal utility

Navigation & Focus

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Tab`	Next Claude Terminal	Cycle forward through Claude-marked windows
`Mod+Shift+Tab`	Previous Claude Terminal	Cycle backward through Claude-marked windows
Mod+`	Toggle Last Window	Switch to previously focused window (backtick key)
`Mod+j/k/l/;`	Focus Direction	Focus left/down/up/right
`Mod+Arrow`	Focus Direction	Focus using arrow keys

Window Movement

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Shift+Ctrl+Alt+h`	Move Left	Swap window with left neighbor
`Mod+Shift+Ctrl+Alt+j`	Move Down	Swap window with bottom neighbor
`Mod+Shift+Ctrl+Alt+k`	Move Up	Swap window with top neighbor
`Mod+Shift+Ctrl+Alt+l`	Move Right	Swap window with right neighbor
`Mod+Shift+j/k/l/;`	Standard Move	Move using standard i3 bindings
`Mod+Shift+Arrow`	Standard Move	Move using arrow keys

Window Resizing

Quick 4K Resize (100px increments)

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Ctrl+Alt+h`	Shrink Width	Make window narrower
`Mod+Ctrl+Alt+l`	Grow Width	Make window wider
`Mod+Ctrl+Alt+j`	Grow Height	Make window taller
`Mod+Ctrl+Alt+k`	Shrink Height	Make window shorter
`Mod+Ctrl+Alt+Arrow`	Resize	Arrow key alternatives

Standard Resize Mode (10px increments)

Press Mod+r to enter resize mode, then use the following keys. Exit with Esc, Enter, or Mod+r.

Key	Action
`j` / `Left`	Shrink width
`;` / `Right`	Grow width
`k` / `Down`	Grow height
`l` / `Up`	Shrink height

Layout Control

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Shift+h`	Split Horizontal	Next window opens to the right
`Mod+v`	Split Vertical	Next window opens below
`Mod+s`	Stacking Layout	Windows stack vertically
`Mod+w`	Tabbed Layout	Windows appear as tabs
`Mod+e`	Toggle Split	Toggle between horizontal/vertical split
`Mod+f`	Fullscreen	Toggle fullscreen mode

Window State

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Shift+t`	Float Toggle	Switch between tiling/floating
`Mod+Ctrl+s`	Sticky Toggle	Pin window to all workspaces
`Mod+Shift+q`	Kill Window	Close focused window
`Mod+space`	Focus Mode Toggle	Switch focus between tiling/floating

Workspace Management

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+1` to `Mod+0`	Switch Workspace	Go to workspace 1-10
`Mod+Ctrl+w`	Railroad Workspace	Go to dedicated Railroad command center
`Mod+Shift+1` to `Mod+Shift+0`	Move to Workspace	Move window to workspace 1-10
`Mod+Shift+Ctrl+0`	Move to Railroad	Move window to Railroad workspace

Default Workspaces

1: term - Terminal workspace
2: code - Code editors (Cursor, VS Code)
3: web - Web browsers
4: slack - Slack messaging
5: chat - Communication apps
6: media - Media applications
7: misc - Miscellaneous
W: railroad - Railroad command center

Application Launchers

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Return`	Terminal	Launch Alacritty terminal
`Mod+Shift+Return`	Terminal	Launch Alacritty terminal (alternate)
`Mod+d`	Application Launcher	Launch dmenu
`Mod+c`	Code Editor	Launch Cursor/VSCode
`Mod+Shift+w`	Web Browser	Launch Chrome/Firefox
`Mod+Shift+f`	File Manager	Launch Nautilus
`Mod+Ctrl+c`	Claude Terminal	Launch single Claude Code terminal
`Mod+Ctrl+a`	Add Terminals	Add Claude terminals to existing session
`Mod+Shift+s`	Railroad Session	Launch multi-project development session

Scratchpad

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Shift+minus`	Move to Scratchpad	Send focused window to scratchpad
`Mod+minus`	Show Scratchpad	Toggle scratchpad visibility

Quick Focus

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+b`	Focus Browser	Jump to Chrome/Firefox/Brave window

Help

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+h`	Search Hotkeys	Open searchable keybinding reference (type to filter, arrows to scroll)

System Control

Key	Action	Description
`Mod+Shift+c`	Reload Config	Reload i3 configuration
`Mod+Shift+r`	Restart i3	Restart i3 in-place
`Mod+Shift+e`	Exit i3	Show exit confirmation

Media Keys

Key	Action
`XF86AudioRaiseVolume`	Volume up (+10%)
`XF86AudioLowerVolume`	Volume down (-10%)
`XF86AudioMute`	Toggle mute
`XF86AudioMicMute`	Toggle microphone mute

Tips & Best Practices

Keyboard-Only Workflow

Start session: Mod+Shift+s to launch the multi-project picker
Select projects: Choose one or more repos and assign terminal counts (up to 5 total)
Navigate: Use Mod+F1 through Mod+F5 for direct access by number
Cycle terminals: Mod+Tab / Mod+Shift+Tab
Identify context: Each terminal title bar shows <project>[<branch>] #N
Discover bindings: Press Mod+h to search all hotkeys by name

Terminal Numbering

Terminals are numbered sequentially (1-5) across all selected projects. For example, selecting pinpoint with 3 terminals and railroad with 2 yields:

F1: pinpoint[main] #1
F2: pinpoint[main] #2
F3: pinpoint[main] #3
F4: railroad[feature/xyz] #4
F5: railroad[feature/xyz] #5

Dynamic Layout

Terminals resize proportionally when added or removed:

5 terminals: each gets approximately 20% width
3 terminals: each gets approximately 33% width
2 terminals: each gets approximately 50% width

The utility row (ranger, docker, metrics) remains fixed at 30% height.

4K Display Optimization

Standard resize mode (Mod+r) uses 10px increments - too small for 4K
Quick resize (Mod+Ctrl+Alt+hjkl) uses 100px increments - better for 4K
Use arrow key alternatives if Vim hjkl feels awkward

Focus Management

Mod+` (backtick) toggles between current and last window - fastest way to compare
Mod+Tab cycles only through Claude-marked terminals, ignoring utilities
Standard Mod+space toggles between tiling/floating layer

Conflict Resolutions

The following bindings were modified to avoid conflicts with standard i3 configuration:

Float toggle: Changed from Mod+Shift+f to Mod+Shift+t
Original conflict: Mod+Shift+f launches Nautilus file manager

Sticky toggle: Changed from Mod+Shift+s to Mod+Ctrl+s
Original conflict: Mod+Shift+s is stacking layout mode

Quick resize: Using Mod+Ctrl+Alt+hjkl instead of Mod+Ctrl+hjkl
Avoids potential conflicts and provides clear separation from standard resize mode

Window swap: Using Mod+Shift+Ctrl+Alt+hjkl
Maximum modifier combination to avoid any standard i3 binding conflicts

Split horizontal: Changed from Mod+h to Mod+Shift+h
Mod+h reassigned to searchable hotkey reference for discoverability

Configuration Files

Main config: ~/.config/i3/config

Source of truth: code/installer/i3/install.sh (heredoc)

To apply changes: Mod+Shift+c (reload) or Mod+Shift+r (restart)