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Vim’s expressive grammar is also its steepest learning curve: operators, motions, text objects, leaders, and surround commands all combine into chords that you either remember or don’t. Vorto narrows that gap by showing inline hint panels as you type — both for multi-key Normal-mode sequences and for command-prompt completions. The panels are derived from the same binding tables the editor uses to dispatch keys, so whatever you remap or extend in ~/.config/vorto/config.toml shows up automatically. There are two distinct panels.

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Which-key panel

When you press a key that opens a multi-key sequence — an operator, a leader, a g prefix, a z prefix, a [ or ] bracket prefix, a window prefix, or a surround command — Vorto pops a small panel above the status bar in the bottom-right listing every valid next key with a short description. The panel disappears the moment you complete the sequence or cancel with Esc. The panel triggers in every mid-parse state, including: Counts don’t reset the hint context: typing 3d still shows the delete menu because counts are ignored when resolving “what panel should I show right now?”
The hint panel reads directly from Vorto’s binding tables. If you remap Space f to a different action or add a new leader binding in your config, the panel reflects your version — there’s no separate hints file to maintain.

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Command hint panel

Press : to open the command prompt, and Vorto shows a two-column hint panel directly above the prompt with command-name candidates that match what you’ve typed so far. Each row shows the command name and its description.
  • Filtering is live: type :re and you’ll see :reload, :reload-all, and any other matching commands.
  • Press Tab to cycle forward through the matches and Shift-Tab to cycle backward. While cycling, the panel pins itself to the captured candidate list, so you can rewind without the matches shifting under you.
  • Once you’ve typed past the command name (i.e. you’ve entered a space), the command-name panel hides itself. If the command takes a file path, a files panel takes its place and shows path completions instead.
  • Both the primary name and every alias appear as separate rows. :bls and :buffers are the same command, but both are typeable — so both show up.
The panel pulls from the same COMMAND_BINDS registry that dispatches commands, so any command documented in Command mode appears here automatically.

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Why this matters

The full Vim keymap is large enough that most users either keep a cheat sheet open or settle into a small subset of commands they use daily. The hint panels collapse that tradeoff:
  • New users can start with Space or g and discover what’s available without leaving the editor.
  • Returning users who haven’t touched a modal editor in months don’t lose their muscle memory — the panel reminds them what the next key does.
  • Power users get a free audit of their own keymap: remap something, press the prefix, and the panel confirms the change is wired up.
The panels are not a tutorial mode you toggle on and off — they’re always on, designed to stay out of your way (they only appear when you’re mid-sequence) and disappear the moment you commit to an action.