The command palette
The command palette is a single search box that runs any command in Altretta by name — create a note, toggle a panel, run the AI, open the graph — so you never have to hunt through menus. It's the fastest way to drive the app, and most power users keep a hand on it all day.
Coming from Obsidian or VS Code? This is the same idea: one shortcut, type what you want, press Enter. If you can name it, you can run it.
Open it
Press Mod + Shift + P (⌘ on macOS, Ctrl on Windows and Linux). A search box appears; start typing the name of any command.
Don't confuse it with Mod + P, which is the quick switcher — that opens a note by name, not a command.
Open the palette
Press Mod + Shift + P from anywhere in the app.
Type what you want
Type a few letters of the command. Matching also runs over each command's keywords, so a synonym often finds it even when the exact title doesn't.
Run it
Use the arrow keys to pick a result and press Enter.
What you can do from it
Almost every action in Altretta is a command, which means it's reachable from the palette — and for most of them the palette is the only way in, since they carry no key binding. Common things people run, by their exact names:
| You want to… | The command is called |
|---|---|
| Create a note | New note, New note from template… |
| Jump to a note | Switch note |
| Search your vault | Search |
| Toggle a panel | Reading mode: toggle, Vault index: show/hide, Inspector panel: show/hide |
| Split the workspace | Split right, Split down |
| Open a graph | Local graph (this note's neighbourhood) or Vault map (the whole vault) |
| Open today's note | Today's daily note |
| Run the AI on your notes | Ask your vault, Connect your assistant |
| See what the AI can read | Trust · what your AI sees |
| Open a canvas | New canvas… |
| Share a note or a site | Export note…, Publish verifiable site… |
The palette is the discovery tool for the whole app. If you're not sure whether Altretta can do something, open the palette and start typing the verb — "publish", "restore", "backlink", "map". If it's there, you'll find it. Several features have no other entry point.
Properties are not driven from the palette — edit them in the Properties panel on a note. Backlinks likewise live inside the Inspector rather than behind their own command.
Palette vs. quick switcher
They look alike but do different jobs:
- Command palette (
Mod + Shift + P) runs commands (actions). Use it to do things. - Quick switcher (
Mod + P) opens notes by name. Use it to go somewhere.
See Keyboard shortcuts for the full set of bindings and how to change them.
Related
Reference overview
The section this page belongs to.
Keyboard shortcuts
The keys behind every command, and how to rebind them.
Your knowledge graph
One of the most-run commands opens it.
Grounded, cited answers
Run the AI on your notes straight from the palette.
Daily notes
"Today's daily note" is one of the commands you'll reach for most.