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

#chatgpt #githubcopilot #deepseek #extensions

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
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

  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

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