Config option that swaps the default Enter key behavior: Enter inserts newline, Ctrl+Enter submits input

[hackf5]

What feature would you like to see?

Currently, pressing Enter submits the input, while Ctrl+Enter inserts a newline.
This setup optimises for single-line use, but many workflows involve multi-line input by default. Accidental early submissions are frequent and frustrating.

Proposed Enhancement

Add a new config option that swaps the default behavior:

• Enter → insert newline
• Ctrl+Enter → submit input

Additional information

No response

[github-actions]

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

• Restore shift-enter for newline #5305
• Extension's return key behavior is non-standard and frustrating #5687

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[mafiozydev]

same. Using codex for one week. And i was speechless when discovered after last update that there is no more inserting trough enter and you cannot return it back. So, now i have ctrl+enter and enter that are sending messages :)))))) and you cannot reset it somewhere. just... i dont know.. wanna break my keyboard

[PaulRudin]

The keybinds for this kind of thing just need to be configurable - some fix set of presets is always going to be inconvenient for some users.

[PowerSix]

We're slowly regressing. Now "Enter to send" is being forced on everyone since 0.4.67 -> #5687
0.4.66 is the latest non-frustrating version.

[gpeal]

We're slowly regressing. Now "Enter to send" is being forced on everyone since 0.4.67 -> #5687 0.4.66 is the latest non-frustrating version.

There is a setting (which, admittedly, didn't work in the latest release) but will be fully working in the next one.

[PowerSix]

This setting is just a cheap way to restore the functionality that used to be a previous default. And, as you noted, it doesn't even work.
I reported it here (#5687) but it just got ignored, like most of discussions about Codex hotkeys.

Even this conversation we're having right here is being marked as off-topic. Devs would rather stifle this entire hotkey conversation than have people choose whether to use Enter or Ctrl+Enter for a new line.

If they actually cared, we wouldn't have 4-month long, highly upvoted issues like this one (#3049).

[etraut-openai]

@PowerSix, this issue is specifically about the Codex CLI (TUI). If I understand correctly, you are using the Codex IDE Extension, so this issue does not apply. That's why I hid these remarks as "off topic" to avoid confusion.

[fatih]

I have a problem with this as well. I think Codex's current setting is suboptimal, and isn't a standard at all. Here is what Codex provides us:

The problem is that, I want it to be predictable, meaning:

• enter: creates a newline, always
• cmd+enter: submits my prompts

However with this settings, if enabled, if I write a line, and hit enter, it submits my prompt immediately. I have to first do a shift+enter, and then each enter becomes a newline. Not only is it pretty uncommon, it also messes up with our mental model.

The industry wide standard is obvious. If you provide this, make sure Enter always creates a newline, and cmd+enter or ctrl+enter submits it. Here are some example from other app or websites.

Slack macOS App:

LinkedIn:

Cursor:

Can we please fix the setting and makes sure it doesn't introduce a new behaviour. Let's make sure it's following certain standards, and it's predictable and doesn't require us to think about when a enter produces a newline.

[miura-htec]

+1 for this request. On macOS, I want Enter to insert a newline and Cmd+Enter to send (Ctrl+Enter on Windows/Linux). This would prevent accidental sends when writing multi-line prompts.