Package Exports
- @theryansmee/ngx-command-palette
- @theryansmee/ngx-command-palette/package.json
Readme
@theryansmee/ngx-command-palette
Beta: This library is in active development. The core API is stable but minor changes may occur before v1.0. Feedback and issues are welcome.
A keyboard-driven command palette for Angular. Routes are auto-registered from your Router config - zero setup required. Add custom commands, async search providers, contextual visibility, and full keyboard navigation out of the box.
Inspired by tools like Linear, GitHub, and Raycast.
Features
- Auto-registers routes - walks your Angular Router config and creates searchable commands from every route with a
title - Lazy-load aware - re-scans routes as lazy modules load
- Async search providers - register API-backed search sources with per-provider debounce and loading states
- Prefix routing - scope providers behind prefixes (
@for users,#for tickets) so they only fire when needed - Contextual commands - show or hide commands based on the current route or dynamic conditions
- Fuzzy search - built-in scoring that ranks exact matches, prefix matches, word boundary matches, and character-by-character fuzzy matches
- Keyword search - add extra search terms to any command
- Recent commands - tracks recently used commands in localStorage with a configurable recency boost
- Priority boosting - manually rank commands higher or lower
- Keyboard navigation - Arrow keys, Enter, Escape, Tab - all handled
- Accessible - follows the WAI-ARIA combobox pattern with
role="combobox",aria-activedescendant, and focus trapping - Fully themeable - CSS custom properties for every visual aspect
- SSR-safe - platform checks for
localStorageand DOM APIs - Standalone components - no
NgModuleneeded - Signal-based - reactive state using Angular signals
Installation
ng add @theryansmee/ngx-command-paletteThis automatically adds provideCommandPalette() to your app config, imports CmdPaletteComponent, and adds <cmd-palette /> to your root template.
Or install manually:
npm install @theryansmee/ngx-command-palette
# or
yarn add @theryansmee/ngx-command-palette
# or
pnpm add @theryansmee/ngx-command-palettePeer Dependencies
| Package | Version |
|---|---|
@angular/core |
^22.0.0 |
@angular/common |
^22.0.0 |
@angular/router |
^22.0.0 |
@angular/cdk |
^22.0.0 |
Quick Start
1. Provide the command palette
// app.config.ts
import { ApplicationConfig } from '@angular/core';
import { provideRouter } from '@angular/router';
import { provideCommandPalette } from '@theryansmee/ngx-command-palette';
import { routes } from './app.routes';
export const appConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
providers: [
provideRouter(routes),
provideCommandPalette(),
],
};2. Add the component to your root template
<!-- app.component.html -->
<cmd-palette />
<router-outlet />3. Add titles to your routes
// app.routes.ts
import { Routes } from '@angular/router';
export const routes: Routes = [
{ path: 'dashboard', component: DashboardComponent, title: 'Dashboard' },
{ path: 'settings', component: SettingsComponent, title: 'Settings' },
{ path: 'profile', component: ProfileComponent, title: 'Profile' },
];That's it. Press Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K) and all your titled routes are searchable.
Configuration
Pass a config object to provideCommandPalette() to customize behavior:
provideCommandPalette({
shortcut: 'mod.k', // Keyboard shortcut to open (default: 'mod.k')
placeholder: 'Search...', // Input placeholder text (default: 'Search or type a command...')
autoRegisterRoutes: true, // Auto-register routes from Router config (default: true)
maxResults: 10, // Maximum search results shown (default: 10)
recentCount: 5, // Number of recent commands to track (default: 5)
debounce: 150, // Input debounce in milliseconds (default: 0)
});Shortcut Format
The shortcut string uses dot-separated modifier keys followed by the key:
| Shortcut | Keys |
|---|---|
mod.k |
Cmd+K (Mac) / Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux) |
meta.k |
Cmd+K (Mac) / Win+K (Windows) |
ctrl.k |
Ctrl+K |
ctrl.shift.p |
Ctrl+Shift+P |
meta.shift.p |
Cmd+Shift+P |
alt.shift.k |
Alt+Shift+K |
Route Configuration
Basic Routes
Routes with a title property are auto-registered with no extra config:
{ path: 'dashboard', component: DashboardComponent, title: 'Dashboard' }
// -> Appears as "Dashboard" in the palette, navigates to /dashboardRoutes without a title still get registered - the label is generated from the path:
{ path: 'user-settings', component: UserSettingsComponent }
// -> Appears as "User Settings" in the paletteEnriching Routes
Add a commandPalette object to data to customize how a route appears:
{
path: 'settings/billing',
component: BillingComponent,
title: 'Billing',
data: {
commandPalette: {
label: 'Billing & Payments', // Override the display label
category: 'Settings', // Override the default "Pages" category
keywords: ['invoice', 'payment', 'subscription'], // Extra search terms
priority: 5, // Higher = appears first
},
},
}Excluding Routes
Set commandPalette to false to exclude a route:
{
path: 'admin/debug',
component: DebugComponent,
title: 'Debug Panel',
data: { commandPalette: false },
}Parameterized Routes
Routes with parameters (e.g. :id) are automatically skipped unless you provide an explicit commandPalette config:
// This route is SKIPPED (has :id, no commandPalette config)
{ path: 'users/:id', component: UserDetailComponent, title: 'User Detail' }
// This route is INCLUDED (explicit config provided)
{
path: 'users/:id',
component: UserDetailComponent,
title: 'User Detail',
data: {
commandPalette: {
label: 'View User',
},
},
}Wildcard and Redirect Routes
Wildcard (**) and redirect (redirectTo) routes are always excluded automatically.
Child Routes
Child routes are walked recursively and registered with their full path:
{
path: 'admin',
component: AdminComponent,
title: 'Admin',
children: [
{ path: 'users', component: AdminUsersComponent, title: 'Users' },
{ path: 'roles', component: AdminRolesComponent, title: 'Roles' },
],
}
// Registers: "Admin" (/admin), "Users" (/admin/users), "Roles" (/admin/roles)Lazy-Loaded Routes
The palette automatically re-scans routes when lazy modules are loaded. Routes inside loadChildren become available once the module has been loaded at least once.
Custom Commands
Registering Commands
Inject CommandPaletteService and call register() to add custom commands:
import { Component, inject, DestroyRef } from '@angular/core';
import { CommandPaletteService } from '@theryansmee/ngx-command-palette';
@Component({ ... })
export class ProjectListComponent {
readonly #palette = inject(CommandPaletteService);
readonly #destroyRef = inject(DestroyRef);
constructor() {
this.#palette.register(
[
{
id: 'create-project',
label: 'Create New Project',
category: 'Actions',
shortcut: 'Cmd+N',
keywords: ['new', 'add'],
priority: 10,
action: () => this.openCreateDialog(),
},
{
id: 'export-csv',
label: 'Export Projects as CSV',
category: 'Actions',
action: () => this.exportService.exportCSV(),
},
],
this.#destroyRef, // Commands auto-deregister when the component is destroyed
);
}
}Auto-Cleanup with DestroyRef
When you pass a DestroyRef as the second argument to register(), the commands are automatically deregistered when the component or service is destroyed. This is the recommended approach for component-scoped commands.
// Commands exist only while this component is alive
this.palette.register(commands, this.destroyRef);Without a DestroyRef, commands persist until manually deregistered or the app is destroyed.
Contextual Commands
Commands can be scoped to specific routes or dynamic conditions using the context property:
this.palette.register(
[
{
id: 'delete-project',
label: 'Delete Project',
category: 'Danger',
action: () => this.deleteProject(),
context: {
routes: ['/projects/*'], // Only visible on /projects/* pages
when: () => this.canDelete(), // And only when the user has permission
},
},
],
this.destroyRef,
);Context rules:
routes- an array of glob patterns matched against the current URL. Supports*(single segment) and**(any depth).when- a function that returnsboolean. Re-evaluated each time the palette opens or the query changes.- If both are provided, both must pass for the command to be visible.
- Commands without a
contextare always visible.
Command Interface
interface Command {
id: string; // Unique identifier
label: string; // Display text
category?: string; // Group heading (e.g. "Pages", "Actions")
icon?: string; // Icon name or identifier
keywords?: string[]; // Additional search terms
shortcut?: string; // Display-only shortcut hint (e.g. "Cmd+N")
action: () => void | Promise<void>; // What happens when the command is executed
priority?: number; // Ranking boost (higher = appears first)
context?: {
routes?: string[]; // Glob patterns for route visibility
when?: () => boolean; // Dynamic visibility check
};
}Async Search Providers
Register API-backed search sources that return results asynchronously. Results are merged with static commands and grouped by category.
Basic Provider (Universal)
A provider without a prefix fires on every query:
import { Component, inject, DestroyRef } from '@angular/core';
import { HttpClient } from '@angular/common/http';
import { map } from 'rxjs';
import { CommandPaletteService } from '@theryansmee/ngx-command-palette';
@Component({ ... })
export class AppComponent {
readonly #palette = inject(CommandPaletteService);
readonly #destroyRef = inject(DestroyRef);
readonly #http = inject(HttpClient);
constructor() {
this.#palette.registerProvider(
{
id: 'doc-search',
category: 'Documentation',
minQueryLength: 2,
debounce: 300,
search: (query) => this.#http.get<Doc[]>(`/api/docs?q=${query}`).pipe(
map(docs => docs.map(doc => ({
id: `doc:${doc.id}`,
label: doc.title,
action: () => window.open(doc.url),
}))),
),
},
this.#destroyRef,
);
}
}Prefixed Provider
A provider with a prefix only fires when the user types that prefix. This prevents unnecessary API calls when you have many providers:
this.palette.registerProvider(
{
id: 'user-search',
category: 'Users',
prefix: '@', // Only fires when query starts with @
minQueryLength: 2,
debounce: 300,
search: (query) => this.userService.search(query).pipe(
map(users => users.map(user => ({
id: `user:${user.id}`,
label: user.name,
icon: 'person',
action: () => this.router.navigate(['/users', user.id]),
}))),
),
},
this.destroyRef,
);
this.palette.registerProvider(
{
id: 'ticket-search',
category: 'Tickets',
prefix: '#', // Only fires when query starts with #
minQueryLength: 1,
debounce: 200,
search: (query) => this.ticketService.search(query).pipe(
map(tickets => tickets.map(ticket => ({
id: `ticket:${ticket.id}`,
label: `${ticket.key}: ${ticket.title}`,
action: () => this.router.navigate(['/tickets', ticket.id]),
}))),
),
},
this.destroyRef,
);With the above, typing @john only hits the user API, typing #billing only hits the ticket API, and typing dashboard only searches static commands. The prefix is stripped before being passed to the provider's search function.
Registered prefixes are automatically shown as hints in the palette footer.
SearchProvider Interface
interface SearchProvider {
id: string; // Unique identifier
category: string; // Group heading for results
search: (query: string) => Observable<Command[]>; // The search function
prefix?: string; // Prefix trigger (e.g. '@', '#')
debounce?: number; // Debounce in ms (default: 300)
minQueryLength?: number; // Minimum chars before searching (default: 1)
order?: number; // Category sort order
}Loading State
The palette shows a "Searching..." indicator while async providers are in-flight. You can also read the loading state programmatically:
const isLoading: boolean = this.palette.loading();Programmatic Control
const palette = inject(CommandPaletteService);
// Open the palette
palette.open();
// Open with a pre-filled query
palette.open('settings');
// Close the palette
palette.close();
// Toggle open/closed
palette.toggle();
// Update the search query
palette.updateQuery('dashboard');
// Execute a command programmatically
palette.execute(someCommand);
// Read current state (signals)
const isOpen: boolean = palette.isOpen();
const query: string = palette.query();
const results: ScoredCommand[] = palette.results();
const isLoading: boolean = palette.loading();Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+K / Ctrl+K |
Open the palette (configurable) |
Escape |
Close the palette |
Arrow Down / Tab |
Move selection down |
Arrow Up |
Move selection up |
Enter |
Execute the selected command |
Search & Ranking
The built-in search engine uses a multi-signal scoring approach:
Scoring Breakdown
| Signal | Score Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Exact label match | 100 | Query matches the label exactly |
| Label starts with query | 80 | Label begins with the query |
| Word boundary match | 60 | Query matches at a word boundary |
| Fuzzy substring match | 40 | Characters appear in order within the label |
| Fuzzy character match | 0-35 | Characters match with gaps (consecutive matches score higher) |
| Keyword match | Capped below label | Keywords contribute but never outrank a label match |
| Recent command boost | +4 to +20 | Recently used commands get a boost (most recent = highest) |
| Priority boost | priority * 10 |
Manual priority multiplier |
When the query is empty, commands are sorted by priority (highest first) and limited to maxResults.
Theming
The palette uses CSS custom properties for full visual control. Override any variable on the cmd-palette selector or a parent element:
cmd-palette {
/* Backdrop */
--cmd-backdrop: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
/* Dialog */
--cmd-bg: #ffffff;
--cmd-border: #e2e8f0;
--cmd-border-radius: 12px;
--cmd-shadow: 0 16px 70px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
--cmd-width: 640px;
--cmd-max-height: 400px;
/* Input */
--cmd-input-padding: 16px;
--cmd-input-font-size: 16px;
--cmd-input-color: #1a1a1a;
--cmd-input-placeholder: #64748b;
/* Items */
--cmd-item-padding: 10px 16px;
--cmd-item-color: #334155;
--cmd-item-hover-bg: #f1f5f9;
--cmd-item-active-bg: #e2e8f0;
/* Group headings */
--cmd-group-heading-color: #64748b;
--cmd-group-heading-size: 12px;
/* Shortcut badges */
--cmd-shortcut-bg: #f1f5f9;
--cmd-shortcut-color: #64748b;
--cmd-shortcut-border: #e2e8f0;
/* Empty state */
--cmd-empty-color: #64748b;
}Dark Theme Example
.dark cmd-palette,
cmd-palette.dark {
--cmd-backdrop: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7);
--cmd-bg: #1e1e2e;
--cmd-border: #313244;
--cmd-shadow: 0 16px 70px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
--cmd-input-color: #cdd6f4;
--cmd-input-placeholder: #6c7086;
--cmd-item-color: #cdd6f4;
--cmd-item-hover-bg: #313244;
--cmd-item-active-bg: #45475a;
--cmd-group-heading-color: #a6adc8;
--cmd-shortcut-bg: #313244;
--cmd-shortcut-color: #a6adc8;
--cmd-shortcut-border: #45475a;
--cmd-empty-color: #6c7086;
}Accessibility
The palette follows the WAI-ARIA combobox pattern out of the box with no configuration needed. Focus trapping, focus restoration, screen reader announcements, keyboard navigation, and active item scrolling all work automatically.
API Reference
provideCommandPalette(config?)
Environment provider factory. Call in your appConfig.providers array.
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
shortcut |
string |
'mod.k' |
Keyboard shortcut to open the palette |
placeholder |
string |
'Search or type a command...' |
Input placeholder text |
autoRegisterRoutes |
boolean |
true |
Auto-register routes from Router config |
maxResults |
number |
10 |
Maximum results shown |
recentCount |
number |
5 |
Number of recent commands tracked |
debounce |
number |
0 |
Input debounce in milliseconds |
Coming soon: Configurable open/close animations and a headless (renderless) mode.
CommandPaletteService
The main service for interacting with the palette.
| Method | Signature | Description |
|---|---|---|
open |
(initialQuery?: string) => void |
Opens the palette, optionally with a pre-filled query |
close |
() => void |
Closes the palette and clears the query |
toggle |
() => void |
Toggles the palette open/closed |
updateQuery |
(query: string) => void |
Updates the search query |
execute |
(command: Command) => void |
Executes a command, records it as recent, and closes |
register |
(commands: Command[], destroyRef?: DestroyRef) => void |
Registers static commands with optional auto-cleanup |
registerProvider |
(provider: SearchProvider, destroyRef?: DestroyRef) => void |
Registers an async search provider with optional auto-cleanup |
| Signal | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
isOpen |
Signal<boolean> |
Whether the palette is currently open |
query |
Signal<string> |
The current search query |
results |
Signal<ScoredCommand[]> |
The current search results (scored and sorted) |
loading |
Signal<boolean> |
Whether any async provider is currently searching |
CmdPaletteComponent
The root component. Add it once in your app root template.
<cmd-palette />Future Plans
- Headless mode. Use all the search, routing, and provider logic with your own custom UI
- Configurable animations. Open/close transitions on the backdrop and dialog
- Preset themes. Dark, GitHub-style, Linear-style, and an Angular Material mixin
- CI/CD. GitHub Actions for automated testing and npm publishing
License
MIT