Text Expansions

Text expansions let you type short triggers like :date to insert longer text snippets or AI prompts. Similar to TextExpander or Espanso, but built into CommandLane.

Quick Start

In the capture window, type a trigger starting with ::

:date       → 2025-12-04
:time       → 14:30
:now        → 2025-12-04 14:30
:todo       → - [ ]
:meeting    → Full meeting notes template

As you type, matching expansions appear in an autocomplete dropdown. Press Enter or click to expand.

Default Expansions

CommandLane includes these built-in expansions:

Trigger	Type	Expands To
:date	Snippet	Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)
:time	Snippet	Current time (HH:MM)
:now	Snippet	Date and time combined
:todo	Snippet	Markdown checkbox - [ ]
:meeting	Snippet	Meeting notes template
:summarize	Prompt	AI summarization prompt
:explain	Prompt	AI explanation prompt

Managing Expansions

Using /snippet Command

/snippet list                                    # List all expansions
/snippet add :sig "Best regards, Matt"           # Add snippet
/snippet add :ask "{{selected}}" --prompt        # Add AI prompt
/snippet remove :sig                             # Remove expansion
/snippet help                                    # Show help

Direct File Editing

Expansions are stored in ~/.cmdlane/expansions.json:

{
  "version": 1,
  "expansions": [
    {
      "trigger": "sig",
      "content": "Best regards,\nMatt",
      "description": "Email signature",
      "type": "snippet"
    },
    {
      "trigger": "standup",
      "content": "## Standup - {{date}}\n\n### Yesterday\n- {{cursor}}\n\n### Today\n-\n\n### Blockers\n- None",
      "description": "Daily standup template",
      "type": "snippet"
    }
  ]
}

Variables

Use variables in your expansions for dynamic content:

Variable	Description	Example Output
{{date}}	Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)	2025-12-04
{{date:FORMAT}}	Custom date format	See below
{{time}}	Current time (HH:MM)	14:30
{{selected}}	Currently selected text	(user's selection)
{{clipboard}}	Clipboard contents	(clipboard text)
{{cursor}}	Cursor position marker	(cursor placed here)

Date Formatting

Use Python's strftime format codes with {{date:FORMAT}}:

{{date:%Y-%m-%d}}      → 2025-12-04
{{date:%B %d, %Y}}     → December 04, 2025
{{date:%A}}            → Thursday
{{date:%m/%d/%y}}      → 12/04/25
{{date:%Y-W%W}}        → 2025-W49

Common format codes:

• %Y - Year (2025)
• %m - Month (12)
• %d - Day (04)
• %B - Month name (December)
• %A - Weekday name (Thursday)
• %H - Hour 24h (14)
• %M - Minute (30)

Expansion Types

Snippets

Static text with optional variables. Use for templates, signatures, and boilerplate:

{
  "trigger": "email-reply",
  "content": "Hi,\n\nThank you for your message.\n\n{{cursor}}\n\nBest regards,\nMatt",
  "description": "Email reply template",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Prompts

AI prompt templates that include {{selected}} for context:

{
  "trigger": "review",
  "content": "Please review the following code for bugs and improvements:\n\n{{selected}}",
  "description": "Code review prompt",
  "type": "prompt"
}

When you use a prompt expansion:

1. Select text in any application
2. Open CommandLane capture window
3. Type :review
4. Your selected text is inserted into the prompt
5. Submit to send to AI

Example Expansions

Meeting Notes Template

{
  "trigger": "meeting",
  "content": "## Meeting Notes - {{date:%B %d, %Y}}\n\n**Attendees:** {{cursor}}\n\n**Agenda:**\n1. \n\n**Discussion:**\n\n**Action Items:**\n- [ ] \n\n**Next Meeting:**",
  "description": "Meeting notes template",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Bug Report Template

{
  "trigger": "bug",
  "content": "## Bug Report - {{date}}\n\n**Summary:** {{cursor}}\n\n**Steps to Reproduce:**\n1. \n\n**Expected Behavior:**\n\n**Actual Behavior:**\n\n**Environment:**\n- OS: Windows 11\n- Version:",
  "description": "Bug report template",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Code Review Prompt

{
  "trigger": "review",
  "content": "Please review this code for:\n- Bugs and edge cases\n- Performance issues\n- Security vulnerabilities\n- Code style and readability\n\n```\n{{selected}}\n```",
  "description": "Code review prompt",
  "type": "prompt"
}

Explain Code Prompt

{
  "trigger": "explain",
  "content": "Explain what this code does in simple terms:\n\n{{selected}}",
  "description": "Explain code prompt",
  "type": "prompt"
}

Weekly Review Header

{
  "trigger": "week",
  "content": "# Week of {{date:%B %d, %Y}}\n\n## Goals\n- {{cursor}}\n\n## Accomplishments\n-\n\n## Challenges\n-\n\n## Next Week\n-",
  "description": "Weekly review template",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Project Note

{
  "trigger": "proj",
  "content": "#project:{{cursor}} ",
  "description": "Project tag prefix",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Tips & Tricks

Cursor Placement

Use {{cursor}} to position the cursor after expansion:

{
  "trigger": "todo",
  "content": "- [ ] {{cursor}}",
  "type": "snippet"
}

After typing :todo, your cursor is placed right after the checkbox.

Multi-line Content

Use \n for line breaks in JSON:

{
  "trigger": "sig",
  "content": "Best regards,\n\nMatt\nSoftware Engineer\nCommandLane",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Chaining with Clipboard

Copy text, then use {{clipboard}} in your expansion:

{
  "trigger": "quote",
  "content": "> {{clipboard}}\n\n{{cursor}}",
  "description": "Quote clipboard as blockquote",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Quick Tags

Create expansions for frequently used tags:

{
  "trigger": "urgent",
  "content": "#priority:high #status:urgent ",
  "type": "snippet"
}

Autocomplete Behavior

1. Type : to see all available expansions
2. Continue typing to filter (:me shows :meeting)
3. Use arrow keys to navigate suggestions
4. Press Enter to expand selected suggestion
5. Press Escape to dismiss suggestions

Syncing Expansions

The expansions.json file can be:

• Synced via cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive)
• Version controlled with your dotfiles
• Shared across machines

Just ensure the file is at ~/.cmdlane/expansions.json on each machine.

Troubleshooting

Expansion Not Working

1. Check the trigger starts with :
2. Verify the expansion exists: /snippet list
3. Check for typos in expansions.json
4. Restart CommandLane if you edited the file directly

Variables Not Resolving

• Ensure variable syntax is correct: {{variable}}
• Check date format codes are valid
• {{selected}} only works if text was selected before opening capture window

Autocomplete Not Showing

• Make sure you're in the capture window input field
• Type : followed by at least one character
• Check that expansions are loaded: /snippet list