CodexHotKey

CodexHotKey is a lightweight VS Code extension that provides a smart Ctrl+L / Cmd+L shortcut for OpenAI Codex.

Smart behavior

• If there is a selection in a file editor: send the selection to the current Codex thread (chatgpt.addToThread).
• If there is no selection: open the Codex sidebar (chatgpt.openSidebar).

Default keybinding

• Windows/Linux: Ctrl+L
• macOS: Cmd+L

Requirements

• OpenAI Codex VS Code extension (openai.chatgpt) must be installed and enabled.

LaTeX Workshop conflict

LaTeX Workshop uses Cmd+L ... / Ctrl+L ... chord shortcuts in LaTeX files. In that case VS Code may show:

(Cmd+L) was pressed. Waiting for second key...

CodexHotKey automatically checks for this conflict after VS Code starts. If it finds LaTeX Workshop using Cmd+L ... / Ctrl+L ... chords, it moves those chords to Cmd+Alt+L ... / Ctrl+Alt+L ... and asks you to reload VS Code.

You can also run this command manually:

CodexHotKey: Patch LaTeX Workshop Cmd+L Chords

The command updates LaTeX Workshop's installed package.json by moving those chords to Cmd+Alt+L ... / Ctrl+Alt+L ..., and creates a backup named package.json.codexhotkey.bak.

You must reload VS Code after patching. If LaTeX Workshop is updated, CodexHotKey will check the new version again on startup.

Vim users

This extension contributes Ctrl+L both in normal editor focus and in Vim-active contexts. If your Vim setup still captures Ctrl+L, set:

"vim.handleKeys": {
  "<C-l>": false
}

Commands

• CodexHotKey: Smart Ctrl+L
• CodexHotKey: Add Selection to Codex Thread
• CodexHotKey: Patch LaTeX Workshop Cmd+L Chords