Disable Discourse keyboard shortcuts

Customization Theme component

AI-generated summary

The discussion introduces a Discourse theme component titled Disable Keyboard Shortcuts, developed by satonotdead. This component is designed to disable Discourse’s native single-key keyboard shortcuts (such as j, k, ?, g-sequences, r, l, and b) for all users. The primary goal is to prevent accidental actions like liking posts, leaving pages, or logging out, while ensuring that browser, OS, and composer keys remain functional.

The component pauses every default shortcut from the core’s keyboard-shortcuts service, with specific exceptions for Ctrl+Alt+F (search), Ctrl/Cmd+P (print), Shift+F11 (full-screen composer), and o or Enter (open selected topic). Additionally, it hides the keyboard button in the sidebar footer and removes shortcut hints from dropdown menus, ensuring the help modal does not list inactive keys. While composer shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I) and those added by other plugins continue to work, their visual hints in menus are also hidden.

Installation is straightforward: there are no settings to configure. Users simply install the theme component to disable shortcuts and remove it to restore them. The repository is available at https://github.com/somos-criptonautas/discourse-disable-keyboard-shortcuts. A known limitation is that the list of disabled shortcuts is copied from the core; if Discourse adds new shortcuts in future versions, they will remain active until the component is updated. The developer welcomes pull requests to keep the component synchronized with core updates.

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:information_source: Summary Turns off Discourse’s own keyboard shortcuts (j/k, ?, g-sequences, r, l, b…) for everyone
:hammer_and_wrench: Repository GitHub - somos-criptonautas/discourse-disable-keyboard-shortcuts: Discourse theme component: turns off Discourse's own keyboard shortcuts (j/k, ?, g-sequences) · GitHub
:question: Install Guide How to install a theme or theme component
:open_book: New to Discourse Themes? Beginner’s guide to using Discourse Themes

Install this theme component

Turns off Discourse’s own single-key shortcuts, so members stop liking posts, leaving pages or logging out by accident. Browser, OS and composer keys keep working.

What it does

  • Pauses every default shortcut from core’s keyboard-shortcuts service, except:
    • Ctrl+Alt+F (search), Ctrl/Cmd+P (print) and Shift+F11 (full-screen composer)
    • o / Enter (open the selected topic)
  • Hides the keyboard button in the sidebar footer and the shortcut hints in dropdown menus, so the help modal doesn’t list keys that do nothing.

Composer shortcuts (Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, Ctrl+Enter…) and shortcuts added by other plugins keep working, but their hints in dropdown menus are hidden too.

Settings

None. Install it to turn shortcuts off, remove it to bring them back.

Known limits

The list of shortcuts is copied from core. A shortcut core adds in a future version stays active until the component is updated. PRs welcome.

1 Like
Setting to disable discourse keyboard shortcuts