Application Settings - Tabby AI Keyboard

Configure Tabby to match your preferences and workflow. Settings are accessible through the system tray menu or keyboard shortcuts.

Environment Configuration

Tabby uses environment variables for core configuration across three components:

Frontend Application

Configure the Electron app in frontend/.env.local:

# Supabase (local Docker)
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:54321"
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="your-anon-key"

# Application Branding
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME="Tabby"
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_ICON="/logos/tabby-logo.png"

# Backend URLs
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL="http://localhost:3001"
NEXT_PUBLIC_MEMORY_API_URL="http://localhost:8000"

Next.js Backend

Configure the API backend in nextjs-backend/.env.local:

# Supabase
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:54321"
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="your-anon-key"
SUPABASE_ADMIN="your-service-role-key"

# Email (Optional)
RESEND_API_KEY=""
RESEND_DOMAIN=""

# Application
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME="Tabby"
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_ICON="/logos/tabby-logo.png"

# AI Providers (see AI Provider Configuration)
OPENAI_API_KEY=""
GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY=""
GROQ_API_KEY=""
CEREBRAS_API_KEY=""
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=""

# Tools
TAVILY_API_KEY=""

# Memory Backend
MEMORY_API_URL="http://localhost:8000"

Memory Backend

Configure the Python backend in backend/.env:

# OpenAI (Required)
OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# Supabase PostgreSQL
SUPABASE_CONNECTION_STRING="postgresql://postgres:postgres@127.0.0.1:54322/postgres"

# Neo4j (Optional)
NEO4J_URL=""
NEO4J_USERNAME=""
NEO4J_PASSWORD=""
NEO4J_DATABASE=""
AURA_INSTANCEID=""
AURA_INSTANCENAME=""

Restart all services after modifying environment variables for changes to take effect.

Application Branding

Customize the application name and icon:

Variable	Default	Description
`NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME`	`Tabby`	Application name shown in UI
`NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_ICON`	`/logos/tabby-logo.png`	Path to app icon

Branding changes require restarting the frontend and Next.js backend.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Tabby provides global keyboard shortcuts for quick access to features.

Global Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl+\`	Action Menu	Open/close AI action menu
`Ctrl+Space`	AI Suggestion	Get context-aware AI completion
`Ctrl+Shift+B`	Brain Panel	Toggle memory dashboard
`Ctrl+Alt+I`	Interview Ghost	Interview mode ghost text
`Ctrl+Alt+J`	Voice Agent	Activate voice assistant
`Ctrl+Shift+X`	Stop Autotyping	Stop AI typewriter mode
`Ctrl+Shift+T`	Cycle Transcribe	Switch transcription modes
`Ctrl+Alt+T`	Toggle Transcription	Enable/disable voice transcription

Copilot Mode (Coding Interview)

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Alt+X`	Analyze Problem	Capture screen & analyze coding problem
`Alt+Shift+X`	Update Analysis	Add new constraints to analysis
`Alt+N`	Code Suggestions	Get code improvements
`Ctrl+1-6`	Switch Tabs	Navigate between Chat, Idea, Code, Walkthrough, Test Cases, Memories

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl+\`	Open Menu	Show action menu with selected text
`Tab`	Quick Chat	Switch to quick AI chat mode
`Alt+[Key]`	Trigger Action	Execute specific action (e.g., Fix Grammar)

Window Controls

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl+Arrow`	Move Window	Reposition floating windows
`Esc`	Back/Close	Close panels or go back
`Enter`	Accept	Accept result and paste

Keyboard shortcuts are currently hardcoded. Future versions may support customization.

System Tray

Tabby runs in the system tray for quick access. Right-click the tray icon for:

Show Actions Menu - Open AI action menu
Brain Panel - View memory dashboard
Settings - Application preferences (future)
Quit - Exit application

Text Output Modes

Tabby supports two modes for AI-generated text output:

Paste Mode (Default)

Standard clipboard paste. AI responses are copied to clipboard and pasted normally.

Speed: Instant
Detection: Standard paste operation
Use Case: General use, quick insertions

Typewriter Mode

AI types character-by-character, simulating human typing.

Speed: Character-by-character
Detection: Undetectable as AI-generated
Use Case: Situations requiring human-like input
Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+X to stop

Typewriter mode is slower but appears as natural typing. Use responsibly.

Service Ports

Default ports for Tabby services:

Service	Port	URL
Frontend (Electron)	3000	`http://localhost:3000`
Next.js Backend	3001	`http://localhost:3001`
Memory API (Python)	8000	`http://localhost:8000`
Windows MCP Server	8001	`http://localhost:8001`
Supabase API	54321	`http://127.0.0.1:54321`
Supabase Studio	54323	`http://localhost:54323`
Supabase DB	54322	`postgresql://...@127.0.0.1:54322/postgres`

Port conflicts can be resolved by modifying the respective service configurations.

Email Configuration (Optional)

Tabby supports email notifications via Resend:

nextjs-backend/.env.local

RESEND_API_KEY="re_..."
RESEND_DOMAIN="your-domain.com"

Get Resend API Key
Configure

Visit Resend
Create an account or sign in
Navigate to API Keys
Create a new API key
Add a verified domain (or use Resend’s test domain)

Add to nextjs-backend/.env.local:

RESEND_API_KEY="re-your-key-here"
RESEND_DOMAIN="yourdomain.com"

Windows MCP Integration (Optional)

Tabby supports Windows desktop automation via the Windows MCP server:

Start MCP Server
Features

cd frontend
pnpm run windows-mcp

Server runs on http://localhost:8001

Windows MCP requires Python and uvx. Install via: pip install uvx

Built-in Actions

Tabby includes pre-configured AI actions accessible via Ctrl+\:

Text Transformation

Fix Grammar - Correct grammatical errors
Shorten - Make text more concise
Expand - Add more detail and context

Tone Adjustment

Professional - Formal business tone
Casual - Friendly, relaxed tone
Friendly - Warm and approachable

Content Generation

Email Writer - Compose professional emails
Custom Prompts - Create your own actions

Custom actions and prompts will be configurable in future releases.

Copilot Tabs

When using coding interview mode (Alt+X), switch between tabs:

Tab	Shortcut	Content
Chat	`Ctrl+1`	Free-form conversation with context
Idea	`Ctrl+2`	Problem breakdown, observations, approach
Code	`Ctrl+3`	Clean, commented implementation
Walkthrough	`Ctrl+4`	Step-by-step solution explanation
Test Cases	`Ctrl+5`	Edge cases with input/output/reasoning
Memories	`Ctrl+6`	Retrieved memories about your preferences

AI Suggestions

Tabby provides two modes for AI suggestions:

Hotkey Mode (Default)

Manual trigger via Ctrl+Space:

No automatic monitoring
Privacy-friendly
On-demand completions

Auto Mode (Clipboard Watcher)

Automatic suggestions based on clipboard:

Monitors clipboard for context
Automatic completions
More proactive assistance

Auto mode monitors clipboard activity. Use with awareness of privacy implications.

Production Deployment

Frontend (Windows Executable)

cd frontend
npm run dist

Output: frontend/dist/Tabby-Setup.exe

Next.js Backend (Vercel)

Automatic deployment from main branch:

Platform: Vercel
URL: tabby-api-psi.vercel.app
Trigger: Push to main

Memory Backend (Azure)

Automatic deployment via GitHub Actions:

Platform: Azure Container Apps
URL: tabby-backend.azurecontainerapps.io
Trigger: Push to backend/ directory

Production deployments require setting up GitHub secrets for credentials and API keys.

Troubleshooting

Keyboard shortcuts not working

Check if another app is using the same shortcuts
Restart the Electron application
Verify the app is running (check system tray)
Run as administrator if on Windows

Services won't start

Verify Docker Desktop is running (for Supabase)
Check for port conflicts (3000, 3001, 8000)
Review environment variables in .env.local files
Check console logs for specific error messages

AI responses not working

Verify API keys are set in nextjs-backend/.env.local
Check Next.js backend is running on port 3001
Review browser console for network errors
Ensure AI provider has credits/quota available

Memory not persisting

Verify memory backend is running on port 8000
Check MEMORY_API_URL in frontend and backend configs
Ensure Supabase is running (npx supabase status)
Review memory backend logs for errors

Best Practices

Development Workflow

Start Docker Desktop first
Run npx supabase start and note credentials
Configure all .env.local files with Supabase keys
Start services in order: Memory backend → Next.js backend → Frontend
Use system tray for quick access to features

Security

Keep .env files out of version control
Use .env.example as templates
Rotate API keys regularly
Use local Supabase for development
Secure production deployments with proper authentication

Performance

Use Groq for fast inference when speed is critical
Reserve powerful models for complex tasks
Monitor memory usage in Brain Panel
Clean up old memories periodically
Optimize vector store indexes for your data size

​Environment Configuration

​Frontend Application

​Next.js Backend

​Memory Backend

​Application Branding

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Global Shortcuts

​Copilot Mode (Coding Interview)

​Action Menu

​Window Controls

​System Tray

​Text Output Modes

​Paste Mode (Default)

​Typewriter Mode

​Service Ports

​Email Configuration (Optional)

​Windows MCP Integration (Optional)

​Built-in Actions

​Text Transformation

​Tone Adjustment

​Content Generation

​Copilot Tabs

​AI Suggestions

​Hotkey Mode (Default)

​Auto Mode (Clipboard Watcher)

​Production Deployment

​Frontend (Windows Executable)

​Next.js Backend (Vercel)

​Memory Backend (Azure)

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

​Development Workflow

​Security

​Performance

​Next Steps

AI Providers

Memory Backend

Environment Configuration

Frontend Application

Next.js Backend

Memory Backend

Application Branding

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Shortcuts

Copilot Mode (Coding Interview)

Action Menu

Window Controls

System Tray

Text Output Modes

Paste Mode (Default)

Typewriter Mode

Service Ports

Email Configuration (Optional)

Windows MCP Integration (Optional)

Built-in Actions

Text Transformation

Tone Adjustment

Content Generation

Copilot Tabs

AI Suggestions

Hotkey Mode (Default)

Auto Mode (Clipboard Watcher)

Production Deployment

Frontend (Windows Executable)

Next.js Backend (Vercel)

Memory Backend (Azure)

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Development Workflow

Security

Performance

Next Steps