MoonshotAI / MoonshotAI/kimi-cli

Feature Request: Shift+Enter to insert newline in prompt input

Open Beginner friendly
#2,010 1 comment 4 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Dominant language
Python
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Description

Description

Currently, pressing Enter in the prompt input submits the message. To insert a newline, users must use Ctrl-J or Alt-Enter.

However, Shift+Enter has become the universal standard across modern chat interfaces (ChatGPT, Claude, Discord, Slack, etc.) for inserting a new line without submitting. Muscle memory from these platforms makes the current kimi-cli behavior feel unintuitive.

Current Behavior
Shortcut Action
Enter Submit prompt
Ctrl-J Insert newline
Alt-Enter Insert newline
Shift+Enter ❌ Not supported for newline
Desired Behavior
Shortcut Action
Enter Submit prompt
Shift+Enter Insert newline
Ctrl-J / Alt-Enter Keep for backward compatibility
Why This Matters
  • Muscle memory: Millions of users are trained on Shift+Enter from web chat UIs. Supporting it reduces friction for new CLI users.
  • Ergonomics: Shift+Enter is easier to discover and type than Ctrl-J or Alt-Enter.
  • Parity: Aligns kimi-cli with the de-facto standard behavior users expect.
Environment
  • kimi-cli version: latest
  • OS: macOS (but applies to all platforms)

Thanks for considering this!

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the prompt input's keyboard handling and reproduce the current Enter, Ctrl-J, and Alt-Enter behavior in kimi-cli. Add Shift+Enter as another newline shortcut while preserving Enter submission and the existing alternatives, then verify the behavior interactively on the CLI.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
68/100

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