Summary

Add guarded keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl/Cmd+1-9) to switch between agents/sessions directly from the Control UI dashboard.

Problem to solve

When managing multiple agents or sessions in the Control UI, each switch currently requires mouse navigation through the session picker. This slows down power users who frequently switch contexts, especially when operating over 5+ agents or sessions simultaneously.

Proposed solution

Implement guarded keyboard shortcuts that are active only when the dashboard main area is focused and no text input is active:

• through → jump to sessions 1-9 by position
• → cycle to next session
• → deselect / close picker

Guard condition: shortcuts should NOT fire when an input field (text box, search) has focus, preventing accidental navigation while typing.

Alternatives considered

• Mouse-only navigation is current workaround — slow for power users
• Global shortcuts would conflict with channel-specific bindings
• Command palette () exists in some contexts but requires modal

Impact

• Affected: Operators managing 3+ sessions/agents simultaneously
• Severity: Annoying / blocks workflow efficiency
• Frequency: Occasional to frequent
• Consequence: +5-30 seconds per switch for mouse navigation vs instant keyboard

Evidence/examples

See related issues:

• Control UI: add guarded dashboard keyboard shortcuts #81946 ( Control UI: add guarded dashboard keyboard shortcuts — same direction, different scope)
• [Feature]: Sessions view in the Control UI / TUI — tabbed/list overview with peek + inline reply #80901 ( Sessions view in the Control UI / TUI — tabbed/list overview with peek + inline reply)
• [Feature]: Topic/Session Management UI #54397 (Topic/Session Management UI)

These are broader session UI features; this is a narrow, specific shortcut ergonomics improvement.