Shortcut Manager
A context-aware keyboard shortcut manager for React and Next.js that enables scoped shortcuts, automatic conflict resolution, and SSR-safe registration.
Stack
TypeScript · React · Next.js
Status
Live
The problem
Modern web applications often contain multiple interfaces—such as modals, side panels, and editors—that reuse the same keyboard shortcuts. Coordinating these shortcuts manually leads to conflicting behavior, unnecessary state management, and difficult-to-maintain code.
The approach
Built a lightweight shortcut system that introduces scoped keyboard shortcuts. Developers register shortcuts declaratively with React hooks while a central manager automatically resolves conflicts by prioritizing the most recently activated scope. The library also exposes a framework-agnostic core for use outside React.
Key decisions
Separated the shortcut engine from the React integration to keep the core reusable and framework-independent. The React API was designed around hooks instead of imperative event listeners, allowing automatic registration, cleanup, SSR compatibility, configurable priorities, and safe handling of form inputs without additional boilerplate.
The result
Published as an npm package under @dskyle77/shortcut-manager. The library provides context-aware shortcut management, scoped priority resolution, automatic cleanup, and a developer-friendly API for building keyboard-driven React and Next.js applications.