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The board

Every workspace is a board: a large canvas where consoles, notes, web tiles and cards sit side by side. This page covers moving around, arranging things and the controls around the edges.

Updated October 22, 20264 min read

On this page

Move around#

ActionTrackpadMouseKeys
PanTwo-finger scrollWheel, with Shift for sideways, or drag with the middle button
ZoomPinch, or ⌘ with scroll⌘ or Control with the wheel⌘= and ⌘-
Actual size⌘0
See everythingShift1

Pinch zooms the board even over a web page. Zoom runs from 20 to 300 percent, and the board is 24,000 points on each side. The zoom controls also sit in the bottom right corner. Double-click a node to frame it on screen; on a sticky note or a text box, a double-click edits the text instead, and a web tile is framed from its header bar.

Select and arrange#

  • Click a node to select it, drag across empty canvas to select several, or press ⌘A for everything.
  • Consoles and web tiles take clicks for their own content. Select them by their header bar.
  • Drag to move. Arrow keys nudge the selection by one point, ten with Shift.
  • ⌘C, ⌘X, ⌘V and ⌘D copy, cut, paste and duplicate. A copied console starts a new session of the same agent; the conversation is not copied.
  • Delete removes the selection. Running consoles ask before they close.
  • ⌘Z and ⌘ShiftZ undo and redo, up to 80 steps. Undoing the removal of a console brings the console back with a fresh session; its old scrollback is gone.
  • Alignment and spacing guides appear while you drag. They are guides only; nothing snaps.

⌘G groups the selected consoles, ⌘ShiftG ungroups them. Groups and teams explains what a group does.

The rails#

Left rail: tools#

ToolKeyWhat a click on the canvas does
SelectVSelects, moves, and drags out a selection box.
Spawn agentTDrops a console of the agent armed in its flyout. With nothing armed, it opens the flyout so you can choose.
ShapesDrops the chosen shape or a sticky note.
DiagramsPicking the tool opens a panel with the diagram generator and four starters; a click on the canvas drops the Flow starter. See Diagrams.
TextDrops a text box ready to type in.
PenPDraws ink strokes.
EraserEDrag over strokes and nodes to erase them. Consoles and orchestrator cards are never erased.
Web tileDrops a browser tile.
Insert imageOpens a file picker.
Fit to contentFrames everything on the board.

A placing tool goes back to Select after one placement. With a shape or text selected, an inspector opens beside the rail with its style; Shapes, ink and images lists the options.

Right rail: things to insert#

  • Presets: ready layouts of consoles and groups, and your saved layouts.
  • Insert to-do: a checklist, a kanban board or a calendar.
  • Insert orchestrator: an orchestrator card.
  • Browse project code and Browse markdown docs: the Code and Markdown studios.
  • Generate PDF: the Documents studio.
  • Loops, with a badge counting the loops that run.

The right-click ring#

Right-click empty canvas for a ring of quick actions: Spawn agent, Insert image, Insert web, Paste, Shapes and Spawn group. More opens a list: insert a checklist, kanban board, calendar, flow shapes, memory card or Git branches card, open the Mission Map, select all, fit to content, or zoom to 100 percent.

Right-click a node for Duplicate, Bring to front and Delete (not offered for a running console), plus what that node needs: Text size on a console, Open file and Reveal in Finder on a file card, export options on a generated diagram. A web page shows its own browser menu instead.

Around the edges#

Top left
Back to home (everything keeps running), the repo switcher, the workspace tabs and + for a new workspace.
Top right
The live chip, which counts running consoles and opens a list of every console on the board, the needs you chip, the usage pill, the Tools menu (Presets, GitHub, Code, Markdown, Mission Map, Memory, Skills, Loops, Settings), the gear and your avatar.
Bottom
The command bar in the middle, the GitHub pill on the left with the branch and the number of changed files, and on the right Found a bug? and the zoom controls.

Single-key tools#

When no console or text field has the keyboard, single letters switch tools and open panels: V Select, T Spawn agent, P Pen, E Eraser, G Git panel, M Memory, S Skills, L Loops, D Markdown, X Mission Map and N jump to the console that needs you. Hold Space to talk to the command bar.

Typing goes to a selected console

With exactly one running console selected, letters go into that console instead of switching tools. Click empty canvas to give the keyboard back to the board.

All of them except X can be changed in SettingsShortcuts. The full list is on Keyboard shortcuts.

Keep going#

Repos and workspacesThe home screen, tabs and how boards are saved. Agent consolesStart, name, restart and close agents. Keyboard shortcutsEvery key in one table.

Something on this page does not match what you see in the app? Write to hello@symvibe.com or tell us in the Discord, and we will fix it.