Browse the web from your keyboard.

Key Surf adds a command bar to every page in Chrome and Firefox. Press CtrlJ, type where you want to go, hit Enter.

Add to Chrome, it's free Add to Firefox

A working demo with example commands and bookmarks. In the extension, your own commands and bookmarks show up here.

Three keys from anywhere.

Press the shortcut

The command bar opens over whatever page you're on. No new tab, no menu.
Type a command

A bookmark search, one of the built-ins, or a shortcut you made for the sites you use.
You're there

Key Surf builds the URL and takes you to it. Your hands never leave the keys.

Useful the minute you install it.

Key Surf comes with a handful of commands built in. Type help or ? in the bar to see them any time.

Click one to run it in the demo above.

Made for the sites you live in.

Most of the day is spent going back to the same few places. Give each one a short command and stop clicking through to get there.

Jump straight to a teammate's pull requests or a PR number without digging through notifications.

gh pr 4821: github.com/acme/web/pull/4821
gh pr alice: github.com/acme/web/pulls?q=author:alice
gh issues: github.com/acme/web/issues

Write a command in ten seconds.

A command is two things: what you type, and where it goes. Words starting with a colon are filled in when you use it.

Pattern gh pr :id

Path /pull/:id

You type gh pr 4821

You land on github.com/acme/web/pull/4821

Patterns and paths

Map a short phrase to a path. For a fixed jump, there's nothing else to it.

Pattern  repo docs
Path     /your-org/your-repo/tree/main/docs

Parameters

Use :name for the parts you supply each time. You can use more than one: jira :project-:key goes to /browse/:project-:key.

Variables

Give long IDs a short alias. Add one per line, then type @NAME in place of the ID.

Pattern    map :city :page
Path       /map/:city/:page
Variables  ATL="ABCDEF1234"
           BOS="1234ABCD"

map @ATL budget  →  /map/ABCDEF1234/budget

Path modes

Choose how the path joins the page you're on:

append adds to the current path
replace swaps the path on the same site
absolute always uses the full address you set, for jumps between sites

Naming

Use short prefixes you'll remember: gh, jira, sf.
Keep verbs consistent: pr, issue, case, board.
Group related commands: gh pr :id, gh issue :id.
Save one-word commands for the places you go most.

Share with your team

Export your commands from settings and send the file round, so everyone types the same thing. Start with five or ten, and add more as they become habit.

Questions

The shortcut doesn't open Key Surf

The shortcut may be unassigned, taken by another extension, or reserved by your system.

In Chrome, go to chrome://extensions/shortcuts. In Firefox, open about:addons, click the gear icon and choose Manage Extension Shortcuts.
Find Key Surf and its "Open up Key Surf spotlight search" command.
Click the shortcut box and press the keys you want, such as Ctrl+J, Alt+K, or Cmd+J on a Mac.

If that combination still doesn't work, try another, like Ctrl+Space or Alt+Shift+K.

Why doesn't it open on a new tab?

Browsers don't let extensions draw on their own pages: the new tab page, chrome:// and about: pages, and the add-on stores. Open any regular website and press the shortcut again.

The shortcut suddenly stopped working

This can happen after a browser update, or when another extension claims the same keys.

Reassign it at chrome://extensions/shortcuts in Chrome, or Manage Extension Shortcuts in Firefox's about:addons.
Turn off recently added extensions for a moment to check for a clash.
Let the page finish loading. Key Surf starts once the page has loaded.

The command bar never appears anywhere

Check Key Surf is turned on at chrome://extensions in Chrome or about:addons in Firefox.
Reload the tab, especially right after installing.
Check a content blocker isn't removing it.
Try an incognito window, if you've allowed Key Surf there, to rule out a clash.

Can I import and export my commands?

Yes. Type settings in the command bar to export your commands to a file, or import a set someone shared with you.

What does Key Surf do with my data?

Nothing leaves your browser except through the browser itself. Your commands are saved with your browser's own storage and sync, bookmark search reads your bookmarks on your machine, and the extension makes no network requests. The privacy policy has the details.

Still stuck? Email dbpatel219@gmail.com.

Free, with no account.

Key Surf is made by one person at Sarnia LLC. If it saves you time, you can chip in to keep it maintained as browsers change.

Chip in with Venmo Chip in with PayPal

Your hands are already on the keyboard.