[idea] Built-in prefix-free keybinding preset (e.g. keys.preset = "direct")

[echarrod]

Coming to Herdr from CMUX and Warp, the biggest friction is that every core action defaults to two keystrokes: prefix, then key.

Direct chords are already fully supported per-action, and they work great:

[keys]
focus_pane_left = ["prefix+h", "ctrl+alt+h"]

The keyboard docs even recommend the ctrl+alt family as the safe choice for direct chords. But getting a fully prefix-free setup today means hand-writing ~20 bindings, and everyone who does it ends up maintaining the same boilerplate.

Proposal

Ship a built-in preset that applies direct chords to all core actions in one line:

[keys]
preset = "direct"  # ctrl+alt chords for core actions; prefix bindings still work

The expansion rule is deliberately boring: every default prefix+X binding gains a ctrl+alt+X twin. No new layout to learn - if you know the prefix key, you know the direct chord.

What the preset expands to

Action	Prefix default	Added by the preset
New tab	prefix+c	ctrl+alt+c
Next / previous tab	prefix+n / prefix+p	ctrl+alt+n / ctrl+alt+p
New workspace	prefix+shift+n	ctrl+alt+shift+n
Close pane	prefix+x	ctrl+alt+x
Close tab	prefix+shift+x	ctrl+alt+shift+x
Split vertical / horizontal	prefix+v / prefix+minus	ctrl+alt+v / ctrl+alt+minus
Focus pane	prefix+h/j/k/l	ctrl+alt+h/j/k/l
Cycle panes	prefix+tab / prefix+shift+tab	ctrl+alt+tab / ctrl+alt+shift+tab
Zoom pane	prefix+z	ctrl+alt+z
Rename tab	prefix+shift+t	ctrl+alt+shift+t
Rename workspace	prefix+shift+w	ctrl+alt+shift+w
Jump to tab 1-9	prefix+1..9	ctrl+alt+1..9

Semantics: the preset adds direct chords alongside the existing prefix bindings (not replacing them), and any explicit binding in [keys] takes precedence over the preset. Chords that a platform claims for itself (ctrl+alt+t on Ubuntu, ctrl+alt+arrows on GNOME - already called out in the keyboard docs) just fail through to the prefix binding, so nothing breaks.

Why a preset rather than docs

People arriving from CMUX, Warp, or IDE terminals expect single-chord muscle memory, and their first impression is "Herdr feels slow because of the prefix" - when actually the capability is already there, just not discoverable or ergonomic to enable. A one-line preset removes that first-run friction without changing defaults for anyone else.

Related: #1627 (secondary prefix), #1500 (chord/prefix system for 40% keyboards), #2555 (extended keys for more bindable chords), #2699 (prefix chords swallowed while Ctrl still held - the kind of issue direct chords sidestep).

[echarrod]

Aside: pairing the preset with a macOS terminal keymap (not part of the proposal above)

Nothing here is being asked of Herdr. A Herdr preset cannot claim cmd at all - the terminal never forwards raw cmd keys to the TTY - so true cmd-style single-modifier shortcuts have to be configured terminal-side, in Ghostty text: bindings or iTerm2 key mappings, translating each cmd chord into a sequence Herdr already listens for.

Posting it as context only: this is what the ceiling looks like coming from Warp or CMUX, and the ctrl+alt preset in the proposal is what such a keymap targets. A working setup is written up in this guide and gist.

Action	Single chord (macOS terminal keymap)
New tab	cmd+t
Next / previous tab	cmd+shift+] / cmd+shift+[
New workspace	cmd+n
Close pane	cmd+w
Close tab	cmd+shift+w
Split vertical / horizontal	cmd+d / cmd+shift+d
Focus pane	cmd+alt+h/j/k/l (or arrows)
Cycle panes	cmd+] / cmd+[
Cycle workspaces	ctrl+tab / ctrl+shift+tab
Zoom pane	cmd+shift+enter
Rename tab	cmd+r
Rename workspace	cmd+shift+r
Jump to tab 1-9	alt+1..9
Jump to workspace 1-9	cmd+1..9