YouTube Shorts Keyboard Controls (⏮ ⏯ ⏭)
Control Shorts with your keyboard's ⏮ ⏯ ⏭ keys. Skip videos like skipping songs. All without leaving your IDE or touching your mouse.
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Why Mouse Control Breaks Flow
Clicking on the Shorts player steals focus from your IDE
Every mouse movement to control video = context switch
YouTube's touch-optimized UI is awkward with a mouse
No native keyboard shortcuts for Shorts navigation
Browser media key support is inconsistent at best
Tab-switching to control video interrupts everything
System Keyboard Integration
Vibe Scroll registers as a media player with your OS. Your keyboard's ⏯ ⏭ ⏮ keys control Shorts directly, working system-wide even when YouTube isn't focused.
Play/Pause Toggle
Press ⏯ to pause on something interesting. Press again to resume. Video state persists correctly.
Next Short
Press ⏭ to skip to the next Short immediately. No waiting for the current video to end.
Previous Short
Press ⏮ to go back. Missed something good? One keystroke brings it back.
How It Works
System Registration
Uses souvlaki for OS integration (MPRemoteCommandCenter on macOS, SMTC on Windows, MPRIS on Linux).
Event Routing
When you press a media key, the OS routes the event to Vibe Scroll's Rust backend.
JavaScript Trigger
Backend calls injected functions: __togglePlayback(), __triggerNextVideo(), __triggerPrevVideo().
Video Control
For Next/Prev: Dispatches ArrowDown/ArrowUp to the focused video, with scrollIntoView fallback.
Why Developers Love This
Keyboard-First Control
Your hands stay on the keyboard. Control entertainment the same way you control Spotify.
Works System-Wide
Media keys work even when Vibe Scroll isn't focused. Keep coding while controlling Shorts.
Cross-Platform
Same experience on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Works with any keyboard with media keys.
Intuitive Mental Model
Skip a Short like skipping a song. The interface is already in your muscle memory.