Windows and shortcuts
The floating window, mini chat, and quick assistant, plus slash commands, @ quick actions, and keyboard shortcuts.
9xchat gives you flexible ways to position and interact with your workspace on desktop, whether working in floating overlays or navigating with rapid keyboard commands.
Multi-window surfaces
Three desktop surfaces put the assistant beside whatever you are actively working on:
| Surface | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Floating window | Keeps the assistant on top of other applications while you work |
| Mini chat | A compact window for a quick question without changing context |
| Quick assistant | Summoned from anywhere on the desktop with a global hotkey |
They share your threads and models with the main window, so a conversation started in one continues in another.
Floating window, mini chat, quick assistant, and multiple chat tabs require
Pro. Slash commands, @ quick actions, and keyboard shortcuts work on a free
account. See Credits, Pro, and usage.
Multiple tabs in one thread
A thread can hold multiple tabs so you can explore parallel conversation branches without losing context. Multiple tabs require an active Pro subscription.
@ Quick actions and slash commands
In the desktop composer, typing a bare @ or / opens the Quick Actions menu.
You can also type a letter shortcut immediately after @ or / to jump directly
to a specific section:
| Shortcut | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
@a or /a | Agents | Select and switch assistant personas |
@p or /p | Prompts | Insert reusable prompt templates from your library |
@m or /m | MCP Servers | Reach configured Model Context Protocol servers |
@n or /n | Notes | Search and link your saved notes into the composer |
@t or /t | Tools | Access built-in agentic tools |
@s or /s | Skills | Select instruction skills (e.g., Code Review) |
@k or /k | Knowledge | Query indexed document collections |
@e or /e | Extensions | Reach enabled workspace extensions |
On desktop, typing @ inside the Code workspace is reserved for mentioning
specific project files; use / to trigger quick actions when working in Code.
Keyboard shortcuts
The ones that move you around the app:
- ⌘F (or Ctrl+F) — global search across chats and notes.
- ⌘P (or Ctrl+P) — quick switcher between threads.
- ⌘N (or Ctrl+N) — new chat thread.
- / — jump focus into the composer.
- Esc — close the active modal, popup, or quick-action picker.
Every binding, its Windows and Linux equivalent, and how to reassign one are in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts.
Screen capture and read out loud
- Smart Screen Capture: Snap full screens or specific windows directly into the chat context without saving files first.
- Read Out Loud (TTS): Have any model response read aloud. Both features work on a free account.