Vim bindings done right
Most apps that claim "Vim support" give you hjkl and call it a day. Glifo takes it further — a full space-leader system that makes every action accessible from normal mode.
The space-leader system
In Vim, the leader key is a namespace for custom commands. Glifo uses Space as the leader, which means every app action is two keystrokes away:
| Sequence | Action |
|---|---|
Space I | Enter insert mode |
Space Z | Toggle zen mode |
Space B | Toggle sidebar |
Space S | Toggle split view |
Space E | Toggle preview |
Space F | Focus sidebar search |
Space W | Save note |
Space N | New note |
Space U | Undo |
Space R | Redo |
Space Y | Copy as HTML |
Space Q | Close current note |
Space / | Search within note |
This means you can create a note (Space N), write in insert mode, switch to split view (Space S), save (Space W), and close (Space Q) — all without touching the mouse.
Standard shortcuts
For non-Vim users, everything works with standard macOS shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+N | New note |
Cmd+S | Save |
Cmd+, | Settings |
Cmd+B | Toggle sidebar |
Cmd+W | Close note |
Cmd+Z | Undo |
Cmd+Shift+Z | Redo |
Search operators
The sidebar search builds structured filter chips from typed shortcuts:
| Input | Creates |
|---|---|
#blog | Tag filter |
-#draft | Exclude tag |
/Projects | Folder scope |
modified:week | Modified this week |
is:untagged | Notes without tags |
has:code | Notes with code blocks |
type:drawing | Only drawings |
Press Enter to commit a chip. Backspace on an empty input removes the last chip.
Slash menu
Type / at the start of a line to open the block inserter:
- Heading 1, 2, 3
- Bullet list, numbered list, task list
- Code block, blockquote, table
- Horizontal rule
No palette to memorize, no toolbar to hunt through. Type the trigger, pick the block, keep writing.