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Settings & Shortcuts Reference

Settings sections

SectionWhat it configures
ServicesAI service formats, addresses, access keys, timeouts, models, model discovery
PromptsBuilt-in prompts, custom prompts, order, enabled state, custom instructions
Selection AssistantPermission, trigger mode, default action, auto-show, app scope, delay
ShortcutsGlobal hotkey and shortcuts used while the SpotAsk window is open
GeneralLanguage, launch behavior, session retention, proxy, diagnostics, local data
AppearanceAppearance, font size, message style, and reading size
AboutVersion, project source, and updates

Default shortcuts

ActionShortcut
Open or focus the question window⌥ + Space (customizable)
Trigger the selection assistant⌥ + ⇧ + Space
Focus the input⌘ + L
Regenerate or retry⌘ + R
Copy the latest answer⌘ + ⇧ + C
Open Settings⌘ + ,
New conversation⌘ + N
Zoom in⌘ + =
Zoom out⌘ + -
Run the first enabled prompts⌘ + 1 through ⌘ + 9
Send the question
Add a line break⇧ + ↩
Stop generating

Prompt shortcuts depend on prompt order and which prompts are enabled. In-app shortcuts can be reassigned or cleared in Settings.

Supported attachment types

TypeExamples
ImagesPNG, JPEG, WebP, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF, GIF
CodeSwift, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, TSX, JSX, Rust, Go, Java, C, C++, shell
TextTXT, Markdown, JSON, YAML, XML, CSV, TSV, log

Up to 8 attachments are supported per message. Very large images are normalized before they are sent, and large text files are truncated after the first 60,000 characters.

Conversation behavior

  • Switching a model in the chat window changes only the current conversation.
  • New Conversation returns to the Settings default model and clears the current draft.
  • If conversation retention is enabled, SpotAsk asks whether to continue a conversation after it has been idle for a while.
  • Escape behavior can be set in General: it stops a response or starts a new conversation.

Native macOS menu-bar AI assistant