# Show shortcuts

Slideshot can overlay key-press chips on the demo whenever the agent fires a keyboard shortcut, so viewers can read the exact chord that triggered an action. The overlay uses mac-style symbols (`⌘`, `⇧`, `⌥`, `⌃`) plus normalized arrow and letter keys.

Enable it with `options.video.shortcuts`.

## When shortcuts help

Use shortcut overlays when the value of the demo depends on the viewer being able to repeat what they just saw.

- Power-user workflows: jump-to, command palette, multi-select.
- Editor and IDE walkthroughs where the keyboard is the main input device.
- Onboarding flows that teach an app's keyboard shortcuts intentionally.
- Tutorials where the viewer needs to perform the same chord later.

Skip the overlays for click-heavy flows that do not actually use the keyboard. The chips just add noise.

{% docsVideoExample title="Shortcut overlay placeholder" description="This placeholder uses an existing demo video while we add examples for keyboard shortcut overlays." videoSrc="/videos/examples/buffer/6cdb3384-3f06-4060-b0b6-cebd425cf4a8.mp4" /%}

## Option shape

```json
{
  "video": {
    "shortcuts": true
  }
}
```

Default is `false`. Only completed key-press actions with a non-empty chord produce a chip. Empty or single-modifier presses are skipped.

## Behavior to know about

- Chips are rendered as transparent PNGs and composited above the cursor layer. When a chip enters, the synthetic cursor fades out so the two never overlap; when the chip exits, the cursor fades back in.
- Mac-style symbols are used by default. Chord strings (`Mod+K`, `Shift+Enter`) are normalized into the symbol form before display.
- The overlay only fires for completed actions. If the workflow used a chord that failed or never resolved, no chip is rendered.

## Agent prompt pattern

```text
Create a Slideshot video that surfaces relevant keyboard shortcuts when
they explain how the workflow is being performed. Skip the overlay for
purely click-driven steps.
```

## Related

- [Intro templates](/docs/customizing-video/intro-templates): set context before the shortcut-heavy walkthrough begins.
- [Background](/docs/customizing-video/background): keep the canvas calm so chips remain readable.
- [Blur emails](/docs/customizing-video/blur-emails): privacy controls that pair with public-facing demos.