Command menu

The invocation of commands by name, navigating the tension between discoverability and speed.

Global

Pop up in the middle of the screen…

The move recurs wherever a capability has a command space of its own. For instance choosing a block in a block-based editor TODO: Add demo.

Command menu — the mechanism: the combobox composition with hierarchical drill-in and AI fallback
Combobox — the mechanism this pattern builds on; src/components/combobox/ drives the text input, filtered list, and keyboard model
Keyboard key
Context menu — pointer-driven and target-aware; command menu is keyboard-driven and name-based
Toolbar — exposes a persistent subset of commands; the command menu offers the full set on demand

Related patterns to capture: search (including local search), bookmarks, recent stuff, …

Unavailable actions — context menus show only relevant commands, hiding those inaccessible in the current context

Block-based editor — picking a block and placing it; summoned at the current position

Searching — searching is the broader seeking move, applied to a command vocabulary

Autocomplete — supports command menu functionality by reducing typing effort and increasing discoverability of commands.
Collaboration — Command menus provide quick access to collaborative actions and workflows
Embedded intelligence — helps the actor find relevant commands when exact matches aren't available
Keyboard shortcuts — surfaces shortcuts alongside each command name, making the invisible visible — the command menu is often the primary discovery mechanism for a shortcut system
Fully connected — keyboard-driven alternative for power users
Hub and spoke — provides escape hatch for quick navigation without hub return
Mastery — key enabler of mastery, accessible to intermediates
Multilevel tree — quick access bypassing hierarchy
Workspace — provides rapid access to workspaces and contexts without navigating the interface hierarchy

Modality — overlay invocation that intersects modality without being defined by it