Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
If you disable mouse mode, the only way to move through the conversation timeline is Page Up and Page Down. Both jump a full screen at a time, so long responses, diffs, and tool output are hard to read and review. You can't scroll back through your terminal or tmux either, because the CLI draws on the alternate screen and that output never reaches the terminal's history. For people who work keyboard-only, including over SSH or inside tmux, there's no good way to read back through a session.
Proposed solution
Add a pager/review mode that:
- Hides the input box and uses the full screen for chat history
- Shows the entire session history, not just what's currently on screen
- Uses
less/Vim-style keys:
j/k or ↓/↑: scroll one lineh/l: scroll left/right on long linesCtrl+D/Ctrl+U: half pageCtrl+F/Ctrl+B, Space, PgDn/PgUp: full pageg/G: jump to top/bottom/ and ?, then n/N: search forward/backward and step through matchesq or Esc: return to the input box
- Opens with a keybinding (e.g.
Ctrl+X → p) or a /pager command
- Optionally jumps between messages (e.g.
[/]) and expands/collapses tool output
Benefits: Better keyboard accessibility, a familiar workflow for terminal users, and easier review of long output, especially over SSH or in tmux.
Example prompts or workflows
- Ask Copilot to review a large change, then open pager mode and step through its findings line by line with
j/k.
- Run a build or test command that produces long output, then use
/error or /FAILED and n to jump between matches.
- Go back to an earlier explanation or code snippet in a long session with
g, /, and j/k, without leaving the session.
- Use Copilot CLI over SSH or in tmux with mouse mode disabled and still navigate the full conversation history.
- Jump between assistant/user messages with
[/] to find a prior decision or suggestion.
Additional context
Alternatives considered:
- Page Up/Page Down: too coarse for reading.
/search: finds text but doesn't support browsing nearby content./share or /exit print, then less: works, but interrupts the live session.- tmux copy mode: doesn't retain history because of the alternate screen.
Environment: Copilot CLI 1.0.89, Linux, [terminal], [tmux: yes/no], mouse mode disabled.
Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
If you disable mouse mode, the only way to move through the conversation timeline is Page Up and Page Down. Both jump a full screen at a time, so long responses, diffs, and tool output are hard to read and review. You can't scroll back through your terminal or tmux either, because the CLI draws on the alternate screen and that output never reaches the terminal's history. For people who work keyboard-only, including over SSH or inside tmux, there's no good way to read back through a session.
Proposed solution
Add a pager/review mode that:
less/Vim-style keys:j/kor↓/↑: scroll one lineh/l: scroll left/right on long linesCtrl+D/Ctrl+U: half pageCtrl+F/Ctrl+B,Space,PgDn/PgUp: full pageg/G: jump to top/bottom/and?, thenn/N: search forward/backward and step through matchesqorEsc: return to the input boxCtrl+X→p) or a/pagercommand[/]) and expands/collapses tool outputBenefits: Better keyboard accessibility, a familiar workflow for terminal users, and easier review of long output, especially over SSH or in tmux.
Example prompts or workflows
j/k./erroror/FAILEDandnto jump between matches.g,/, andj/k, without leaving the session.[/]to find a prior decision or suggestion.Additional context
Alternatives considered:
/search: finds text but doesn't support browsing nearby content./shareor/exit print, thenless: works, but interrupts the live session.Environment: Copilot CLI 1.0.89, Linux, [terminal], [tmux: yes/no], mouse mode disabled.