Sequence Recording Guide

TanStack Hotkeys includes the useHotkeySequenceRecorder hook for building UIs where users record multi-chord sequences (Vim-style shortcuts). Each step is captured like a single hotkey chord. Users finish with Enter by default, or you can use manual commit and optional idle timeout.

Sequence recording uses recordBy: 'code' by default, preserving every step as a physical string such as ['[KeyG]', 'Alt+[KeyS]']. Set recordBy: 'key' for logical characters. The shared rejection and conflict options follow the hotkey recording guide.

TanStack Hotkeys automatically suppresses registered hotkey and sequence callbacks while any recorder is active. You do not need to set enabled from isRecording. Registrations remain available for conflict detection, and recorded keys stay suppressed through repeats and key release.

Basic usage

import { useHotkeySequenceRecorder, formatForDisplay } from '@tanstack/preact-hotkeys'
import type { HotkeySequence } from '@tanstack/preact-hotkeys'

function HotkeySequenceRecorder() {
  const recorder = useHotkeySequenceRecorder({
    onRecord: (sequence: HotkeySequence) => {
      console.log('Recorded:', sequence)
    },
  })

  return (
    <div>
      <button
        type="button"
        onClick={
          recorder.isRecording ? recorder.cancelRecording : recorder.startRecording
        }
      >
        {recorder.isRecording
          ? 'Press chords, then Enter…'
          : recorder.recordedSequence
            ? recorder.recordedSequence.map((h) => formatForDisplay(h)).join(' ')
            : 'Click to record'}
      </button>
      {recorder.isRecording && (
        <button type="button" onClick={recorder.cancelRecording}>
          Cancel
        </button>
      )}
    </div>
  )
}

Return value

Options

recordBy defaults to 'code'; choose 'key' for logical characters. Repeats and IME composition never append steps. Modifier-only presses wait for a complete chord.

Core options live on HotkeySequenceRecorderOptions from @tanstack/hotkeys:

• onRecord(sequence): called when a nonempty sequence is committed. Clearing calls only onClear.
• onCancel, onClear: same intent as the hotkey recorder.
• commitKeys: 'enter' (default) or 'none'. With 'none', only commitRecording() (or idleTimeoutMs) finishes recording; plain Enter can be recorded as a chord.
• commitOnEnter: when commitKeys is 'enter', set to false to treat Enter as a normal chord (then use commitRecording() or idle timeout to finish).
• idleTimeoutMs: optional milliseconds of inactivity after the last completed chord to auto-commit. The timer does not run while waiting for the first chord.

Provider defaults

<HotkeysProvider
  defaultOptions={{
    hotkeySequenceRecorder: {
      idleTimeoutMs: 2000,
    },
  }}
>
  <App />
</HotkeysProvider>

ignoreInputs

The HotkeySequenceRecorderOptions supports an ignoreInputs option (defaults to true). When true, the recorder doesn't intercept normal typing in text inputs, textareas, selects, or contentEditable elements. Keystrokes pass through to the input as usual. Pressing Escape still cancels recording even when focused on an input. Set ignoreInputs: false if you want the recorder to capture keys from within input elements.

Validation and conflicts

Sequence validate(sequence, { events, parsedSequence }) runs when committing and returns true, false, or a rejection message. detectConflicts checks sequence prefixes as well as single bindings. Rejected commits keep recording active with the steps intact so the user can edit them with Backspace. Empty Backspace/Delete clears and emits onClear only; removing a nonempty step does not commit. Recorded steps, commit keys, and releases are isolated from application handlers.

Behavior

Recorded chords use portable Mod format, same as HotkeyRecorder.

Under the hood

useHotkeySequenceRecorder wraps the HotkeySequenceRecorder class and subscribes to its TanStack Store, same pattern as useHotkeyRecorder.