DenchClaw Keyboard Mastery: Work 2x Faster

Most DenchClaw users interact with their CRM through a mix of UI clicks and Telegram messages. That's a great workflow. But if you spend significant time in the DenchClaw web UI — adding entries, reviewing pipelines, navigating between objects — keyboard shortcuts cut that time roughly in half.

This guide covers everything you need to move through DenchClaw without touching the mouse: navigation shortcuts, the command palette, entry management, view switching, and the tricks that power users use to stay in flow.

The Philosophy of Keyboard-First CRM#

A CRM that slows you down doesn't get used. The barrier to adding a new contact, updating a deal stage, or logging a note should be as low as possible — because every point of friction is a contact that doesn't get added, a follow-up that gets forgotten, a deal that stalls unnoticed.

DenchClaw's keyboard system is designed around the assumption that you should be able to navigate, enter data, and query your CRM without lifting your hands from the keyboard.

Global Navigation#

Opening DenchClaw Fast#

If you've added DenchClaw to your Dock as a PWA (recommended), a single keyboard shortcut opens it from anywhere on your Mac:

• Option + Space (or your configured global shortcut) — open DenchClaw
• Cmd + Tab — switch back to DenchClaw if already open

For Telegram power users: the DenchClaw Telegram bot is always accessible via the Telegram app shortcut on your phone or desktop.

Sidebar Navigation#

In the web UI:

• Arrow Up/Down — navigate between items in the sidebar
• Enter — open the selected object or view
• Cmd + 1–9 — switch between your top 9 objects (if configured)
• Escape — collapse a sidebar section or close a panel

The Command Palette#

The command palette is the fastest way to get anywhere in DenchClaw. Open it with:

• Cmd + K — open command palette

From the command palette, you can:

• Jump to any object: type the object name
• Create a new entry: "new person", "new deal", "new company"
• Switch views: "switch to kanban", "open stale leads view"
• Run a quick search across all entries
• Open settings or workspace docs

If you learn only one shortcut, learn Cmd+K. It covers 80% of navigation.

Table View Navigation#

When you're in a table view:

Sorting and Filtering Quickly#

• Click a column header — sort by that column (click again to reverse)
• Shift + Click — add a secondary sort
• Cmd + F in table view — opens inline filter bar
• Type a column name and value to filter: "Status: Lead"

Kanban View Navigation#

Moving cards between stages with Shift + → is significantly faster than drag-and-drop, especially when you're doing a weekly pipeline review where you're moving 10-20 cards.

Entry Detail Navigation#

When you're in an entry's detail view:

The Cmd + → / ← shortcuts are essential for review workflows where you're going through a view and updating each entry in sequence — investor pipeline reviews, weekly deal check-ins, lead qualification passes.

Quick Entry Creation#

The fastest way to add a new entry without leaving your current context:

1. Cmd + K → type "new" + object name → Enter
2. Tab through fields in the creation modal
3. Enter to save

The whole workflow: Cmd+K, "new person", Tab, type name, Tab, type email, Tab, type company, Enter. New contact added in under 10 seconds.

For power users: configure required fields on your objects so that quick entry only asks for what's essential — the agent can fill in the rest later.

View Switching Shortcuts#

If you've set up multiple views on an object (Table, Kanban, SF Leads, Hot Prospects, etc.), switch between them without the sidebar:

• Cmd + Shift + V — open view switcher
• Type view name to filter
• Enter to switch

This is particularly useful when you have 5-10 saved views on a busy object like People or Deals.

Working with the Agent via Keyboard#

The most underused keyboard workflow in DenchClaw: talking to the agent without switching contexts.

• Cmd + J — open the inline agent chat overlay
• Type your instruction
• Enter to send

Examples from within the Deals table:

• Cmd+J → "Update all deals in Proposal stage to set follow-up date = tomorrow" → Enter
• Cmd+J → "Show me summary statistics for this view" → Enter
• Cmd+J → "Mark the selected entry as closed won" → Enter

The agent responds in the overlay without navigating you away from your current view.

The Telegram Speed Layer#

For mobile and on-the-go use, Telegram keyboard patterns matter too:

Quick entry via voice: Telegram on iOS/Android has a hold-to-record voice message button. Hold it, speak your note, release. DenchClaw's agent transcribes and acts on it.

Telegram shortcuts for DenchClaw:

• /new [type] [details] — create a new entry: /new lead Sarah Chen, Stripe, VP Product
• /show [object] — quick view: /show deals → returns your pipeline summary
• /remind [when] [what] — set a reminder: /remind tomorrow 9am follow up with Acme Corp

These slash commands work in your DenchClaw Telegram bot even without configuring explicit commands — the agent understands them as intent.

Optimizing Your Layout for Keyboard Use#

Tip 1: Put your most-used objects at the top of the sidebar. Sidebar reordering is in settings. Your most frequent object should be Cmd+1 or the first thing you see when you open DenchClaw.

Tip 2: Name your views for keyboard navigation. "a-hot-leads" (starting with 'a') will appear before "stale-leads" when you type in the view switcher. Consistent naming conventions make keyboard search faster.

Tip 3: Use the kanban view as your default for action-oriented objects (deals, leads). Table view is for analysis; kanban is for workflow. Keyboard shortcuts to move cards between stages are faster than any other status-update UI.

Tip 4: Set up the global shortcut. If you have DenchClaw as a PWA in your Dock, configure a system-wide keyboard shortcut (in macOS System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts) to focus the DenchClaw window from anywhere. This is the highest-ROI keyboard configuration you can make.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Can I customize keyboard shortcuts in DenchClaw?#

Custom shortcut configuration is on the roadmap. Currently, shortcuts follow the standard patterns documented here. For the agent interaction shortcuts (Cmd+K, Cmd+J), these are consistent across all views.

Do keyboard shortcuts work in the Dench Apps I build?#

Keyboard shortcuts within Dench App tabs are controlled by the app's own JavaScript. If you're building an app and want keyboard navigation, implement it in the app's code using standard DOM event listeners.

How do I use keyboard shortcuts with a foreign keyboard layout?#

The shortcuts use key positions (Cmd+K) not key labels. On non-US layouts, the shortcuts map to the physical key positions where those letters appear on a US keyboard. If you encounter a conflict with your layout, the command palette (Cmd+K) is the universal fallback.

What's the fastest way to log a note after a customer call?#

From laptop: Cmd+J → dictate or type the note → Enter. From phone: Telegram voice note → hold mic button → speak → release. Both take under 30 seconds and update the right entry automatically.

Ready to try DenchClaw? Install in one command: npx denchclaw. Full setup guide →