Escape key doesn't interrupt in desktop app
Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Apr 15, 2026 by billquilt Closed May 27, 2026
Description
The Escape key does not trigger app:interrupt in the Claude Code desktop app, despite being configured in ~/.claude/keybindings.json. The same keybinding works correctly in the CLI.
Steps to Reproduce
- Configure keybindings.json with
"escape": "app:interrupt"(this is also the default) - Open Claude Code desktop app
- Start a response that takes a while (e.g., a subagent research task)
- Press Escape while the response is actively streaming
Expected: Response is interrupted, same as in the CLI.
Actual: Nothing happens. The only way to interrupt is clicking the stop button.
Also tried Cmd+Shift+Escape — no effect.
Environment
- macOS (Darwin 25.3.0)
- Claude Code desktop app
- keybindings.json:
{
"bindings": [
{
"context": "Global",
"bindings": {
"escape": "app:interrupt"
}
}
]
}This issue has 4 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗