github / github/copilot-cli

Shell (!) mode: Tab should trigger normal terminal completion, not switch to Issues

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area:input-keyboard
Dominant language
Shell
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Description

### Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve

When executing a shell command directly by prefixing it with  ! , pressing Tab does not behave like a normal terminal's tab-completion (completing file/directory paths, commands, or flags). Instead, it switches focus/navigation to the Issues view within the CLI. This breaks the expected muscle-memory of a shell prompt and makes it harder to quickly complete paths or commands while working in  !  shell mode.

### Proposed solution

When a command is prefixed with  !  (direct shell execution), pressing Tab currently gets intercepted by Copilot CLI's own UI (switching focus/view to Issues) instead of being passed through to the underlying shell for standard completion (file paths, commands, flags — like a normal terminal). Since  !  is meant to give a raw shell pass-through experience, Tab keystrokes while in that mode should be forwarded to the shell's native completion instead of being captured by the CLI's own keybindings.

### Example prompts or workflows

1. In the Copilot CLI, type  !cd ../../projects/my-  and press Tab — expected: shell completes the path to the matching directory, same as typing it directly in a terminal.
2. Type  !git chec  and press Tab — expected: shell completes to  git checkout  (or cycles matches), not a switch to the Issues panel.
3. Type  !ls src/  and press Tab to cycle through files/folders in  src/  — expected: standard filename completion, same as bash/zsh/PowerShell.

### Additional context

_No response_

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by tracing Tab handling in ! shell mode and the keybinding that switches to the Issues view; the issue does not name a file or test. Verify the behavior with the listed path, git checkout, and src/ completion workflows, and consider the work done when Tab uses the underlying shell's normal completion instead of changing CLI views.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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