[FEATURE] Configurable Enter Key Behavior for Message Submission

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Currently, Claude Code uses the following keyboard shortcuts for chat input:

• Enter → Send message
• Shift+Enter or Option+Enter → New line

This behavior is hardcoded and cannot be changed through settings. Many users prefer the opposite behavior (common in other chat applications like Slack, Discord, or IDEs):

• Enter → New line
• Shift+Enter or Cmd+Enter → Send message

Proposed Solution

Add a configuration setting to allow users to swap the Enter key behavior:

{
"chat.submitBehavior": "enter" | "shift-enter" | "cmd-enter"
}

Or in the settings UI:
Chat Input Behavior:
○ Enter to send, Shift+Enter for new line (default)
○ Enter for new line, Shift+Enter to send
○ Enter for new line, Cmd+Enter to send

Benefits:

• Improved user experience for users coming from other chat applications
• Reduces accidental message sending when trying to format multi-line input
• Aligns with common patterns in modern development tools
• Maintains backward compatibility with default behavior

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

_No response_

Additional Context

This is a common feature request pattern across chat-based development tools. VS Code's Copilot Chat, for example, offers similar configuration options.

Environment:

• Claude Code version: 2.0.29 (Claude Code)
• Platform: macOS