Hotkeys Rails

Keyboard shortcuts for Hotwire apps. No dependencies. No configuration. Just HTML.

Add to your Gemfile:

gem "hotkeys-rails"

Run:

bundle install
rails generate hotkeys_rails:install

<%= link_to "Back", root_path, hotkey: :esc %>
<%= button_to "New Card", cards_path, hotkey: :c %>
<%= button_tag "Save", hotkey: [:ctrl, :enter] %>

The :ctrl modifier binds both Ctrl (Windows/Linux) and Cmd (Mac).

<%= link_to cards_path, hotkey: :c do %>
  Add a card <%= hotkey_hint(:c) %>
<% end %>

<%= button_tag "Save",
      title: "Save (#{hotkey_label(:ctrl, :enter)})",
      hotkey: [:ctrl, :enter] %>

<%= text_field_tag :search, data: hotkey(:f, action: :focus) %>

<%= link_to "Edit", edit_path,
      hotkey: :e,
      data: { turbo_frame: "modal" } %>

• hotkey(*keys) - Returns data attributes for Stimulus controller
• hotkey_label(*keys) - Platform-aware label (⌘ on Mac, Ctrl+ elsewhere)
• hotkey_hint(*keys) - Renders <kbd> element with hide-on-touch class

This gem overrides link_to, button_to, and button_tag to support the :hotkey option. When you use hotkey: :esc, it extracts the option and merges the Stimulus data attributes into the element.

If you prefer explicit control, use the hotkey() helper directly:

<%= link_to "Back", root_path, data: hotkey(:esc) %>

MIT