A keyboard-first workflow

Solid Vibes is built so that you rarely need to leave the keyboard. This article collects the habits that experienced users settle into, so you can borrow them.

For the basic key list, see Keyboard shortcuts and the command palette. This page is about how the pieces fit into a working rhythm.

Set up your workspace once

1. Turn on Pro terms so the interface uses the vocabulary you think in.
2. Leave the agent trace open. You will spot misroutes immediately.
3. Keep the Parameters panel and the Recipe visible. They are your dashboard.
4. Set your printer or process in your profile so every check starts configured.
5. Choose a default mode. A common pattern is Fast with Balanced effort, escalating to Smart for hard requests.

The core loop

select  ->  type or speak  ->  Enter  ->  look at the ghost  ->  accept, tweak or reject

Each part has a keyboard-friendly form:

Learn the shortcuts that tooltips and the palette show beside the commands you use daily. Do not try to memorize them all up front.

Prompt like a command line

The agent understands terse, imperative instructions. When you know exactly what you want, skip the pleasantries and use parameter names:

Direct parameter changes are among the cheapest requests, since a simple edit costs 1 credit in Fast and 2 in Smart by default. For plain slider changes you do not even need the agent: use the Parameters panel.

Name things so you can address them

A little discipline pays back every day:

• Use snake_case parameter names that say what they are: board_width, lid_lip, fit_clearance.
• Group parameters (Fit, Mounting, Appearance).
• Give steps labels where the auto-description is not clear.
• Name branches after the question they answer.

Then you can say "set lid_lip to 1.8" instead of pointing and describing.

Selection patterns

Review before you accept

The ghost preview and the Recipe are your safety net. A pro habit: scan the change summary, glance at the new Recipe steps, and then accept. If a step surprises you, open the trace.

Branch as a reflex

Before anything with more than a couple of steps, branch. It costs nothing, and the visual diff tells you exactly what changed. See Branches and commits.

Stress test with sliders

After a significant change, drag the main driving sliders to both ends of their ranges. Red steps or red chips mean the model is not as robust as it should be, and it is much cheaper to find that now.

Use script view for bulk work

When you need to change twenty things consistently, script view is quicker than the Recipe. See Script view and the edit vocabulary.

Keep voice for thinking, keyboard for precision

Many pros use Live voice mode for exploring ("what are my options for holding this?") and switch to typing for the exact numeric edits that follow.

A sample ten-minute session

1. N, new Thing. Type: "bracket for a 20 mm round tube, 3 mm aluminum plate, two M5 bolts".
2. Accept. Open the Parameters panel. Rename two parameters.
3. Click an edge, type: "fillet this 2".
4. Type: "branch called weight, add lightening cutouts, keep the bolt holes".
5. Compare with main. Merge or drop.
6. Type: "make a CNC shop drawing of this".
7. Export STEP and PDF.

Try it

Run the session above on a part from your own backlog and time it. Then write down which step felt slow. That is probably the next shortcut or habit to learn.