Editing text
Issue descriptions, comments and knowledge pages share one editor. It shows formatted text while you write and stores plain Markdown underneath, so what agents read and write through MCP is the same text you see. You can type Markdown as you are used to, use shortcuts, or pick blocks from a menu.
Starting and finishing
Section titled “Starting and finishing”- Description: click into it, or press E on an issue page. The cursor lands where you clicked, or at the end. Changes are saved automatically; the line below the editor shows “Saving …” and then “Saved automatically”.
- Knowledge page: click into the text or press E.
- Comment: type in the field at the end of the activity and press CtrlCommand Enter to send. You can edit your own comments later.
Esc leaves the editor and keeps the text. When you are editing an existing comment, it cancels the edit instead. Back outside, the keyboard shortcuts of the app work again.
If an agent changes a description while you are typing in it, XLR8 does not overwrite either version. It shows a notice with Keep mine and Take theirs.
The / menu
Section titled “The / menu”Type / at the start of a line or after a space to open the block menu. Keep typing to filter it, use the arrow keys and press Enter or Tab.
| Entry | Inserts |
|---|---|
| Text | a plain paragraph |
| Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 | a heading |
| Bulleted list, Numbered list | a list |
| Checklist | a list with checkboxes |
| Quote | a quote |
| Code block | a code block |
| Table | a table with three columns and a header row |
| Divider | a horizontal line |
| Image | an image from a file (where images are allowed) |
| Link wiki page | a link to a knowledge page (when a team has a knowledge area) |
Markdown while you type
Section titled “Markdown while you type”Type the Markdown and the editor converts it as you go:
| You type | You get |
|---|---|
# to ###### and a space |
heading, level 1 to 6 |
-, * or + and a space |
bulleted list |
1. or 1) and a space |
numbered list |
[ ] or [x] and a space |
checklist item, open or done |
> and a space |
quote |
``` and a space or Enter |
code block; add the language right after, like ```ts |
--- |
divider |
**bold** or __bold__ |
bold |
*italic* or _italic_ |
italic |
~~strike~~ |
|
`code` |
inline code |
| a web address and a space | a link |
BackspaceDelete at the start of a heading, list item, quote or code block turns it back into plain text.
Formatting shortcuts
Section titled “Formatting shortcuts”| Keys | Effect |
|---|---|
| CtrlCommand B | bold |
| CtrlCommand I | italic |
| CtrlCommand E | inline code |
| CtrlCommand Shift X | strikethrough |
| CtrlCommand K | add or edit a link |
| CtrlCommand AltOption 1, CtrlCommand AltOption 2, CtrlCommand AltOption 3 | heading 1, 2, 3 |
| CtrlCommand AltOption 0 | plain paragraph |
| CtrlCommand Shift 7 | numbered list |
| CtrlCommand Shift 8 | bulleted list |
| CtrlCommand Shift 9 | checklist |
| CtrlCommand Shift \ | code block on or off |
| Tab / Shift Tab | indent / outdent a list item |
| Shift Enter | line break within a paragraph |
| CtrlCommand Z / CtrlCommand Shift Z | undo / redo typing |
Pressing a list shortcut inside a list of the same kind turns the current item back into a paragraph; inside a different kind of list, it converts the list.
- Select text and press CtrlCommand K to add a link, or paste a web address over selected text.
- A web address followed by a space becomes a link on its own.
- CtrlCommand-click a link in the editor to open it.
- Type
[[to pick a knowledge page and insert a link to it. This works when at least one team has a knowledge area. - An issue ID like
ACME-42in the text becomes a link to that issue when the text is shown.
Images
Section titled “Images”Add images in any of these ways:
- Paste a screenshot with CtrlCommand V.
- Drag image files into the text.
- Choose Image in the / menu, or use the Image button below the editor.
PNG, JPEG, WebP and GIF work, up to 5 MB per image. XLR8 shrinks large images in the browser before uploading them (longest edge 2560 pixels) and converts JPEGs and large images to WebP. GIFs are uploaded unchanged. While an image uploads, a placeholder shows where it will appear. If the upload fails, a notice offers to try again. Click an image in the finished text to see it full size.
Code blocks
Section titled “Code blocks”Start a code block with ``` plus the language, with the / menu, or with CtrlCommand Shift \. To
leave it, press Enter on an empty last line, or use the arrow keys at the end of the text.
Code is colored for these languages: TypeScript, JavaScript, Svelte, Vue, HTML, XML, CSS, JSON, Bash,
SQL, Python, Kotlin, YAML, Markdown and Diff. Common short names work too, like ts, js, sh or
py. To change the language, click the language button at the top right of the code block. This also
works without opening the editor, in a description, on a knowledge page and in your own comments. In the editor, the same
menu offers Convert to text, which turns the block back into paragraphs. Shown code blocks have a copy
button.
Tables
Section titled “Tables”Insert a table with Table in the / menu. Inside a table:
| Keys | Effect |
|---|---|
| Tab / Shift Tab | next / previous cell; Tab in the last cell adds a row |
| CtrlCommand AltOption Up arrow / CtrlCommand AltOption Down arrow | insert a row above / below |
| CtrlCommand AltOption Left arrow / CtrlCommand AltOption Right arrow | insert a column left / right |
| CtrlCommand AltOption BackspaceDelete | delete the row |
| CtrlCommand AltOption Shift BackspaceDelete | delete the column |
The table button at the edge of the current cell opens a menu with the same commands, plus column alignment and Delete table.
Checklists
Section titled “Checklists”Checkboxes in a description, on a knowledge page or in your own comments can be ticked without opening the editor: click the box in the shown text.