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Solving the Enter Key Frustration in AI Chat: “Chat-Key-Changer” Chrome Extension


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Deer hunt

Hello everyone! Have you ever experienced the frustration of accidentally sending an incomplete message while chatting with AI?

I regularly use ChatGPT, Claude, GitHub Copilot, and other AI services, but I often found myself accidentally hitting Enter while typing long messages, thinking I was adding a new line but ending up sending an incomplete message instead.

So I built a Chrome extension to solve this small but persistent annoyance – let me introduce it to you!

🚨 Do These Sound Familiar?

  • Accidental sends: Pressing Enter to add a new line but accidentally sending an incomplete message
  • Awkward key combinations: Shift+Enter feels uncomfortable and hard to press during long conversations
  • Workflow interruption: Constantly thinking “which key combination was it?” breaks your flow of thought
  • Inconsistent behavior: Each chat service works differently, causing confusion when switching between platforms

💡 Solution: Reverse the Key Roles!

The solution I came up with was simple: reverse the key behavior.

Before:

  • Enter → Send message
  • Shift+Enter → New line

After:

  • Enter → New line (natural!)
  • Shift+Enter → Send message (intentional action)

This way, you can add new lines just like in a regular text editor, and sending becomes an intentional action that requires pressing Shift+Enter.

🎯 Supported Services

Currently supporting the following AI chat services:

Service Provider Status
ChatGPT OpenAI ✅
Claude Anthropic ✅
GitHub Copilot Chat GitHub ✅
Microsoft Copilot Microsoft ✅
Google Gemini Google ✅
Poe Quora ✅
Grok X.AI ✅
Perplexity AI Perplexity AI ✅
DeepSeek DeepSeek ✅
Notion AI Notion Labs ✅

📦 Installation

Currently not available on Chrome Web Store, so manual installation is required.

Manual Installation Steps

  1. Download the extension 
   git clone https://github.com/deer-hunt/chat-key-changer.git
   cd chat-key-changer

  1. Enable Developer Mode in Chrome

    • Open chrome://extensions/
    • Toggle “Developer mode” in the top right corner

  2. Load the extension

    • Click “Load unpacked”
    • Select the src folder

  3. Start using

    • Visit any supported AI chat service like ChatGPT
    • Key behavior will be automatically swapped in input fields!

📖 Need help with manual installation? See Google’s official guide: Load an unpacked extension

🔧 Development Considerations

Privacy First

  • No user data collection whatsoever
  • No external server communication
  • Only runs on specified AI chat service domains

Zero Configuration Design

I intentionally avoided creating a settings screen to keep it simple – it works right out of the box after installation!

🎉 User Experience

After using it myself, it’s been genuinely stress-free!

Before: “Oh no, I sent it by accident again…” 😅

After: “I can just press Enter for new lines – so comfortable!” 😊

The psychological burden has been significantly reduced, especially when writing long questions or explaining code.

📝 Final Thoughts

Even small inconveniences are worth solving when you use something every day.

I hope this extension can make your AI chat experience a little more comfortable!

If you like it, please give it a ⭐ on GitHub. Bug reports and feature requests are also welcome!

GitHub: https://github.com/deer-hunt/chat-key-changer


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Deer hunt