Pressing `Cmd + R` when the Agents Pane message input seems to open a new chat, but the specific keybinding is not documented or observable

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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

I have Cmd+R keymapped to “Go to symbol in editor…”, with no When condition attached:

{
  "key": "cmd+r",
  "command": "workbench.action.gotoSymbol"
}

But when I run this when the message input in the Agents Pane is focused, the command is not run. Instead a “New Agent” fresh chat is opened, as if I pressed Cmd+N instead.

(Cmd+N is bound to “New Chat Tab”)

{
  "key": "cmd+n",
  "command": "composer.createNewComposerTab",
  "when": "agentsPaneFocused && !editorTextFocus && !explorerViewletFocus && !filesExplorerFocus || composerFocused && !editorTextFocus && !explorerViewletFocus && !filesExplorerFocus || !editorTextFocus && !explorerViewletFocus && !filesExplorerFocus && activeEditor == 'workbench.editor.composer' || !editorTextFocus && !explorerViewletFocus && !filesExplorerFocus && focusedView =~ /^workbench.panel.aichat.view/"
}

If I do this after running Developer: Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting, I can see workbench.action.goToSymbol was indeed matched, but some reason wasn’t run, and there’s no indication of any other command being run instead:

2026-05-26 10:20:23.737 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: / Soft dispatching keyboard event
2026-05-26 10:20:23.738 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: \ Keyboard event cannot be dispatched
2026-05-26 10:20:23.738 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: / Soft dispatching keyboard event
2026-05-26 10:20:23.738 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: \ Keyboard event cannot be dispatched
2026-05-26 10:20:23.738 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: / Soft dispatching keyboard event
2026-05-26 10:20:23.739 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: \ Keyboard event cannot be dispatched
2026-05-26 10:20:23.739 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: / Received  keydown event - modifiers: [meta], code: MetaLeft, keyCode: 91, key: Meta
2026-05-26 10:20:23.740 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: | Converted keydown event - modifiers: [meta], code: MetaLeft, keyCode: 57 ('Meta')
2026-05-26 10:20:23.741 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: \ Keyboard event cannot be dispatched in keydown phase.
2026-05-26 10:20:23.865 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: / Soft dispatching keyboard event
2026-05-26 10:20:23.865 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: | Resolving meta+[KeyR]
2026-05-26 10:20:23.865 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: \ From 7 keybinding entries, matched workbench.action.gotoSymbol, when: no when condition, source: user extension ms-vscode.atom-keybindings.
2026-05-26 10:20:23.865 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: / Soft dispatching keyboard event
2026-05-26 10:20:23.865 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: | Resolving meta+[KeyR]
2026-05-26 10:20:23.865 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: \ From 7 keybinding entries, matched workbench.action.gotoSymbol, when: no when condition, source: user extension ms-vscode.atom-keybindings.
2026-05-26 10:20:23.865 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: / Soft dispatching keyboard event
2026-05-26 10:20:23.977 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: + Storing single modifier for possible chord meta.
2026-05-26 10:20:24.278 [info] [Window] [KeybindingService]: + Clearing single modifier due to 300ms elapsed.

so this is pretty confusing/unexpected and opaque behavior.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Have both an editor and the Agents Pane (right sidebar) open
  2. Have Cmd+R bound to workbench.action.goToSymbol
  3. Run Developer: Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting (optionally clear the existing logs there so it’s easy to see the new ones)
  4. Focus the user message input box in the Agents Pane (in any chat)
  5. Hit Cmd+R

Expected Behavior

workbench.action.goToSymbol is run, not some other command for no visible reason.

If it’s intentional that some different command is being run instead, it should at least be knowable what command that is (both in the Keyboard Shortcuts viewer, and in the Developer: Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting logs), and the user should be able to adjust the keybinding to their preferences.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Screen Shot 2026-05-26 at 10.43.59 AM.png
Screen Shot 2026-05-26 at 10.43.59 AM.png2778×2000 761 KB

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 3.5.33
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: aac81804b986d739acab348ed96b8bea6e83cc50
Date: 2026-05-22T06:47:48.039Z
Layout: editor
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.8.1
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.1
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 21.6.0

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the detailed report with logs and repro steps. This looks like the same bug we already discussed here: Ctrl+r in chat/composer ignores user keybindings and still creates a new chat

In short, the composer chat input captures the keyboard event at the DOM level before the VS Code keybinding service can dispatch the command. That’s why your logs show a soft dispatch with the correct workbench.action.gotoSymbol, but the hard dispatch never happens. Instead, the input handles Cmd+R itself as new chat. This affects any user keybinding that overlaps with what the input captures internally.

I’ve linked your thread to the existing issue. I can’t share an ETA for a fix yet. Workaround is to use a different shortcut for gotoSymbol, or press Cmd+R when focus is in the editor or explorer, not in the composer input.

7

I see, thanks for explaining a bit. That might explain why other keybindings aren’t working either for me in the Agents Pane, e.g. for Select Next Chat.

8

Yeah, exactly, it’s the same issue. The Composer input captures the event at the DOM level before the VS Code keybinding service can dispatch the command, and it only lets through commands from a hardcoded whitelist. Everything else, including Select Next Chat, gets silently ignored when the input is focused.

I’ve already reported this internally in a broader form, not just Cmd+R, but any user keybindings in the Composer input. There’s no ETA for a fix yet. Once I get an update, I’ll post it here. For now the workaround is the same: move focus to the editor or Explorer before using the shortcut, or use shortcuts that aren’t in the Composer whitelist.