Press R to cite selected assistant text #16154

chhoumann · 2026-10-05T18:25:12Z

chhoumann
Oct 5, 2026

Request

Add a keyboard shortcut to the existing Cite action on web and desktop. When text in an assistant response is selected and the Cite button is showing, pressing R cites it and puts the cursor in the comment box, exactly as clicking Cite does.

Today the flow is: select text, move to the Cite button, click it, then type the comment. With the shortcut it becomes: select text, press R, type.

Proposed behavior

R only acts while the Cite button is visible. Without a selection, typing R behaves as it does today.
Plain R only. Cmd/Ctrl/Alt+R stay with the browser, and R is never taken from a focused text field.
The Cite button shows a small R hint (and aria-keyshortcuts), so the shortcut is visible where it applies.
It is a contextual shortcut on a visible control, like the letter shortcuts in the right-panel launcher, so it is not added to the configurable keybindings. I can route it through keybindings instead if you prefer.
Mobile does not create citations today, so it is unaffected.

Direction and scope approval

Would maintainers accept this direction and scope? Would you prefer a different key, or integration with the keybindings system?

Prototype

I have a working implementation on a branch and have not opened a PR. It is about 35 lines in AssistantSelectionToolbar plus one line so type-to-focus leaves R for the Cite action, with focused tests, checked in T3's Browser panel. If the direction is approved, I will open the PR with before/after screenshots and link this discussion.

What it looks like

Select text in a response. The Cite button shows the R hint:

Press R. The quote is cited in the composer and the cursor is in the comment box, so you can type right away:

Prepared with Claude Opus 5.5 through Claude Code in T3 Code.

aryaxo · 2026-10-07T11:45:35Z

aryaxo
Oct 7, 2026

Another approach to faster citing: hold a modifier

This has the same goal as this thread: cite without the detour to the Cite button. It uses a held modifier instead of a letter key.

hold-to-cite.mp4

Hover marks the target. Holding Option (Alt on Windows and Linux) over a response highlights the object under the pointer: a paragraph, list item, quote, code block, inline code, table row or column, or heading section. The highlight shows exactly what a click will cite.
Click cites it. It then opens the comment box, the same as the Cite button.
Releasing a selection cites it. Releasing a drag selection while holding Option cites it immediately, so selection cites skip the button too.
It can be changed or turned off. Settings → General → Hold to cite keybind offers Option, Command, Shift, or Off.

Scope:

Web and desktop only. Mobile doesn't create citations.
It reuses the existing citation path and stored format. The only contract addition is one client setting.
A table column isn't one contiguous quote. A column cite keeps the column's text, but following the chip back shows the response without marking the cells.

Performance:

Hover work runs only when the hovered element changes, using the CSS Custom Highlight API, with no DOM or React updates.
Each flash is a single short animation, and nothing repaints continuously.

I have a working implementation with focused tests. Would you take this as a PR, and should it sit alongside the R shortcut or instead of it?

2 replies

chhoumann Oct 7, 2026
Author

I think that's pretty cool. The reason why I'm mostly keen on the shortcut (pressing R) is that usually I might mark something, but then maybe I decide I want to mark less or more.

You can hold Shift and then click elsewhere in the text to still capture that. Having a hotkey to confirm 'I want to cite' allows for pretty nice UX here IMO.

MatthewAlbrecht Oct 27, 2026

+1. Being able to hold Shift (or some modifier) while selecting so it goes straight into cite and focuses the input would be nice.

OscarSwanros · 2026-10-27T21:35:25Z

OscarSwanros
Oct 27, 2026

Another option: right-click to cite, and triple-click that goes straight to the comment

For me the friction starts before the trip to the button. When I double-click a word, Cite only appears after SELECTION_MULTI_CLICK_INTERVAL_MS (500 ms), because the observer waits to see whether a triple-click follows. A triple-click waits just as long (event.detail >= 2), and then I still have to aim at the button.

Two proposals that work alongside R (#25570) and hold-Option:

Right-click a selection → Cite. Right-clicking on selected assistant text opens a menu with Cite and Copy, through api.contextMenu.show: a native menu on desktop and the DOM fallback on web. Right-clicking anywhere else keeps the current menu. People already look for actions on selected text in the context menu, it doesn't depend on timing or aim, and it gives Aside (Ask an aside from selected text without interrupting the agent #25533) and Fork (Fork a thread from selected assistant text #25534) a natural place to live.
Triple-click. Cite shows immediately after a triple-click; only a double-click keeps the wait. A new setting, Settings → Chat → Triple-click in responses, chooses between Select paragraph (the default, which keeps triple-click-to-copy) and Cite paragraph. Cite paragraph cites the paragraph and opens the comment box directly. A fourth click by accident counts as part of the same burst, so it doesn't close the new comment box or reselect the paragraph.

Working example: main...OscarSwanros:cockpit:feat/right-click-cite. It includes browser tests in real Chromium, and each one fails without its change. vp run check:changed passes, and the user guide is updated. I've used it in the desktop app.

If you'd accept either direction, I'd open them as two separate PRs with before/after recordings.

0 replies

caiopizzol · 2026-10-30T22:11:23Z

caiopizzol
Oct 30, 2026

How Grokbot does it, for comparison

In Grokbot, when you select text, an "Add to chat ⌘L" button shows up. You press ⌘L, the quote drops into the message box, and you type your reply right after it. The sent message shows the quote above your reply, and Grokbot's answer responds to both.

In T3 Code, you have to click Cite with the mouse, then write your comment in a separate popup. The sent message only shows a chip with your comment, not the quote. And the agent gets the raw t3-citation:// link instead of the quote (#16327).

What I'd love: select, press a key, type, send. No mouse. The message shows the quote and my comment, and the agent gets both as plain text. R from #25570 works for me, and ⌘L would match Grokbot.

Screenshots

T3 Code

Grokbot

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chhoumann Oct 5, 2026

Request

Proposed behavior

Direction and scope approval

Prototype

What it looks like

Replies: 3 comments · 2 replies

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aryaxo Oct 7, 2026

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chhoumann Oct 7, 2026 Author

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MatthewAlbrecht Oct 27, 2026

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OscarSwanros Oct 27, 2026

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caiopizzol Oct 30, 2026

chhoumann
Oct 5, 2026

Replies: 3 comments 2 replies

aryaxo
Oct 7, 2026

chhoumann Oct 7, 2026
Author

OscarSwanros
Oct 27, 2026

caiopizzol
Oct 30, 2026