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fix(editor): Change node list shortcut from Tab to N to unlock keyboard navigation#2094

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everettbu wants to merge 4 commits intomasterfrom
ds-457-a11y-tab-key-opens-nodes-panel-breaking-keyboard-navigation
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fix(editor): Change node list shortcut from Tab to N to unlock keyboard navigation#2094
everettbu wants to merge 4 commits intomasterfrom
ds-457-a11y-tab-key-opens-nodes-panel-breaking-keyboard-navigation

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@everettbu everettbu commented Feb 23, 2026

Mirror of n8n-io/n8n#26148
Original author: Tuukkaa


Summary

  • Changed the node creator panel shortcut from Tab to N to fix keyboard navigation being broken by the Tab key opening the nodes panel
  • Added a coachmark tooltip that appears when users press Tab, informing them of the new shortcut
  • The coachmark is dismissible and persists the dismissed state so it only shows once
  • Removed Tab from watched keyboard navigation keys and the NodeCreator close handler
  • Encapsulated coachmark event bus logic in a dedicated composable for clean separation of concerns

Related Linear tickets, Github issues, and Community forum posts

https://linear.app/n8n/issue/DS-457

Review / Merge checklist

  • PR title and summary are descriptive.
  • Docs updated or follow-up ticket created.
  • Tests included.
  • PR Labeled with release/backport (if the PR is an urgent fix that needs to be backported)

Tuukkaa and others added 3 commits February 23, 2026 18:22
…rd navigation

Tab key was opening the nodes panel, which broke standard keyboard navigation.
Replace Tab with N as the shortcut and show a coachmark when users press Tab
to educate them about the change.

Ref: https://linear.app/n8n/issue/DS-457

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Move event bus subscription for deprecated tab shortcut from NodeCreation.vue
into useNodeCreatorShortcutCoachmark composable, keeping isTabPressed as an
internal implementation detail.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
…-opens-nodes-panel-breaking-keyboard-navigation
@everettbu everettbu added the n8n team Authored by the n8n team label Feb 23, 2026
…d use onScopeDispose

Rename NodeCreatorOpenSource value from 'tab' to 'node_shortcut' to
accurately reflect that the shortcut key is now N, not Tab. Also switch
the coachmark composable from onMounted/onUnmounted to onScopeDispose
to match the established codebase pattern for event bus cleanup.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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