Modes

Each mode gives the keys their own meaning. d deletes only in the mode where d means delete, so HUME can put most commands on plain letters instead of modifier chords.

The statusline shows the active mode on its right. Esc always takes you back to Normal.

Normal mode

Normal mode is the default. Its keys are commands: they move the cursor, modify text, or switch to another mode. Nothing you type appears in the buffer.

Enter: at startup, or Esc from any mode

Exit: enter another mode (i, e, :, /, s, …)

Insert mode

In Insert mode, what you type goes straight into the buffer. The cursor becomes a bar while you insert.

Enter: i, a, I, A, o, O, or c. See Editing for what each key does.

Exit: Esc or Ctrl-c

Extend mode

Extend mode works like Normal mode, but every motion extends the current selection instead of replacing it, and moving back toward where you started shrinks it. See Extend mode.

Enter: e (toggles; the statusline shows EXT)

Exit: Esc, e again, or ; (collapse to head) / Ctrl-; (collapse to anchor, kitty only)

Command mode

Command mode opens the : prompt at the bottom of the screen, where you type a command such as :w. See Command mode for the commands, and Keys in the command line to bind keys there.

Enter: :

Exit: Enter runs the command, Esc or Ctrl-c cancels

Search mode

Search mode opens a prompt for a search pattern. n / N cycle through matches afterward.

Enter: / (forward) or ? (backward)

Exit: Enter jumps to the first match, Esc or Ctrl-c cancels

Sift mode

Sift mode opens a regex prompt (⫽) that narrows each selection to the parts matching the pattern, for example to break a line into words. See Sift within.

Enter: s

Exit: Enter narrows the selections, Esc or Ctrl-c cancels

Multi-key sequences

Some Normal-mode keys wait for a second key before doing anything. Either they open a family of related commands, or they take a single character as their argument.

Prefixes

Prefix	Keys	Purpose
Goto	g + key	Jump to a position in the buffer, or to the next/previous instance of a structural kind. See Default Keys
G	G + key	Change the selected text: case, comments, number sequences. See Default Keys
Match	m + key	Select text objects, or select and wrap surrounding delimiters. See Text objects and Surround
Match WORD	M M	Select the WORD under the cursor. See Selections
View	z + key	Scroll the view to a position, open a fuzzy picker, or open a language-server list or menu. See Moving Around, Fuzzy Finder and Language Servers
Pane	Ctrl-p + key	Manage panes and tabs: move focus, split, close, rotate, switch tabs. See Default Keys
Register	" + char	Target a specific register for yank, paste, or delete. See Copy & Paste

Keys that take a character

Keys	Purpose
f, F, t, T + char	Jump to a character on the current line. See Moving Around
r + char	Replace the selected characters with the typed character. See Editing
m w + char	Wrap the selection in that character. See Editing

Count prefix

Prefix	Purpose
1–9 then [0-9]*	Repeat the next command a number of times. See Editing