Press R to cite selected assistant text

[chhoumann]

Request

Add a keyboard shortcut to the existing Cite action on web and desktop. When text in an assistant response is selected and the Cite button is showing, pressing R cites it and puts the cursor in the comment box, exactly as clicking Cite does.

Today the flow is: select text, move to the Cite button, click it, then type the comment. With the shortcut it becomes: select text, press R, type.

Proposed behavior

• R only acts while the Cite button is visible. Without a selection, typing R behaves as it does today.
• Plain R only. Cmd/Ctrl/Alt+R stay with the browser, and R is never taken from a focused text field.
• The Cite button shows a small R hint (and aria-keyshortcuts), so the shortcut is visible where it applies.
• It is a contextual shortcut on a visible control, like the letter shortcuts in the right-panel launcher, so it is not added to the configurable keybindings. I can route it through keybindings instead if you prefer.
• Mobile does not create citations today, so it is unaffected.

Direction and scope approval

Would maintainers accept this direction and scope? Would you prefer a different key, or integration with the keybindings system?

Prototype

I have a working implementation on a branch and have not opened a PR. It is about 35 lines in AssistantSelectionToolbar plus one line so type-to-focus leaves R for the Cite action, with focused tests, checked in T3's Browser panel. If the direction is approved, I will open the PR with before/after screenshots and link this discussion.

What it looks like

Select text in a response. The Cite button shows the R hint:

Press R. The quote is cited in the composer and the cursor is in the comment box, so you can type right away:

Prepared with Claude Opus 5.5 through Claude Code in T3 Code.

[aryaxo]

Another approach to faster citing: hold a modifier

This has the same goal as this thread: cite without the detour to the Cite button. It uses a held modifier instead of a letter key.

hold-to-cite.mp4

• Hover marks the target. Holding Option (Alt on Windows and Linux) over a response highlights the object under the pointer: a paragraph, list item, quote, code block, inline code, table row or column, or heading section. The highlight shows exactly what a click will cite.
• Click cites it. It then opens the comment box, the same as the Cite button.
• Releasing a selection cites it. Releasing a drag selection while holding Option cites it immediately, so selection cites skip the button too.
• It can be changed or turned off. Settings → General → Hold to cite keybind offers Option, Command, Shift, or Off.

Scope:

• Web and desktop only. Mobile doesn't create citations.
• It reuses the existing citation path and stored format. The only contract addition is one client setting.
• A table column isn't one contiguous quote. A column cite keeps the column's text, but following the chip back shows the response without marking the cells.

Performance:

• Hover work runs only when the hovered element changes, using the CSS Custom Highlight API, with no DOM or React updates.
• Each flash is a single short animation, and nothing repaints continuously.

I have a working implementation with focused tests. Would you take this as a PR, and should it sit alongside the R shortcut or instead of it?

[chhoumann]

I think that's pretty cool. The reason why I'm mostly keen on the shortcut (pressing R) is that usually I might mark something, but then maybe I decide I want to mark less or more.

You can hold Shift and then click elsewhere in the text to still capture that. Having a hotkey to confirm 'I want to cite' allows for pretty nice UX here IMO.