Command Bar Modes

CommandLane's command bar has two modes, each optimized for different workflows. Press Shift+Tab to cycle between them.

Mode Overview

Mode	Purpose	Trigger
Capture	Quick notes, tasks, app launching, search	Default mode
Agent	Multi-turn AI conversations	Shift+Tab or q prefix

Capture Mode

The default mode for quickly saving thoughts, tasks, and notes. Also provides inline app launching and instant search.

Features

• Auto-classification: AI determines if your entry is a task or note
• Context awareness: Automatically captures which app you're in
• Instant search: As you type, matching entries and apps appear inline
• App launching: Fuzzy-match installed apps directly from the input
• Slash commands: Type / for available commands
• Text expansion: Type :trigger to expand saved snippets
• Calculator: Type = expression for instant math

Usage

Meeting notes from standup call
→ Classified as: Note

Email Sarah about the proposal
→ Classified as: Task

Inline Results

As you type in Capture mode, two types of results appear:

• Apps (up to 3): Fuzzy-matched installed applications you can launch
• Entries (up to 5): Matching notes and tasks from your knowledge base

Use Tab or arrow keys to navigate results, Enter to select.

Context Capture

CommandLane automatically records:

• Source app: The application you captured from (VS Code, Chrome, etc.)
• Window title: The specific window/tab title
• Timestamp: When you captured

Press Ctrl+Tab to cycle through open windows if you want to associate your capture with a different app.

Background Results

When the input is empty, Capture mode shows recent entries from your current app context. This helps you see related work without searching.

Agent Mode

Multi-turn AI conversations with access to your knowledge base.

Features

• Conversation memory: Context carries across messages
• Persistent history: Resume conversations later with /resume
• Model selection: Choose your preferred AI model from the dropdown
• Knowledge access: AI can search your entries to answer questions
• Agent mentions: Use @agentname to invoke specialized agents
• Slash commands: Use /command for built-in actions

Usage

Help me plan my day based on my open tasks

AI: Looking at your tasks, I see you have 5 items due today...

> What about the ones from last week I haven't finished?

AI: You have 3 overdue tasks from last week...

Resuming Conversations

Type /resume to see recent conversations:

/resume      → List recent conversations
/resume 20   → List 20 recent conversations

Select a conversation to continue where you left off.

Agent Mentions

Type @ followed by an agent name to invoke a specialized agent:

@researcher Find papers on transformer architectures

Ghost-text autocomplete helps you discover available agents.

Cross-Mode Prefix Shortcuts

These shortcuts work from any mode, letting you execute actions without switching:

Prefix	Action
q	Ask the Agent (switches to Agent mode)
c	Capture a task or note
g	Google web search (opens browser)
=	Calculator (copies result on Enter)
/	Slash command (universal)

Examples

g react hooks          → Google search for "react hooks"
q what did I decide?   → Ask Agent about past decisions
c remember to call Bob → Capture a task
= 42 * 3.14           → Calculate and copy result

Switching Modes

Keyboard

• Shift+Tab: Cycle between Capture and Agent
• q prefix: Switch to Agent mode with a question

Mode Selector

Hover over the mode icon (left of input) to see a dropdown with both modes:

• Capture (Plus icon)
• Agent (Sparkles icon)

Footer Controls

The footer bar provides:

Control	Purpose
Config button	Open dashboard settings
Model selector	Choose AI model (active in Agent mode)
Tab	Navigate results
Ctrl+Tab	Cycle app context
Shift+Tab	Cycle mode

Best Practices

When to Use Each Mode

Scenario	Best Mode
Quick thought capture	Capture
Launch an app	Capture (type app name)
Find a specific past entry	Capture (type to search)
Planning session with AI	Agent
Multi-turn brainstorming	Agent
Quick AI question	q prefix from Capture
Quick math	= prefix from any mode

Workflow Tips

1. Stay in Capture mode for rapid entry during meetings
2. Use q prefix for quick one-off AI questions without switching modes
3. Switch to Agent mode for longer interactions that need conversation context
4. Use g prefix for fast web searches from any mode