Keybindings

This is the reference for `cider-mode’s keybindings - the commands available in Clojure(Script) source buffers once you’ve connected a REPL. They’re grouped by task; the printable quick-reference card covers the same ground on a single page.

This page covers source-buffer bindings. A few related references:

  • The REPL buffer has its own bindings - see REPL Keybindings.

  • Feature pages carry the bindings specific to their tools (e.g. the debugger, the inspector, and the buffer-local browsers in Code Navigation and Browsing).

  • Many commands do something extra when invoked with a prefix argument (C-u). Use C-h k on a binding for the full story.

Discovering keybindings

Emacs can always tell you what’s bound right now, which is handy given CIDER’s many prefix keys:

Keyboard shortcut Description

C-h m

Describe the current major/minor modes, including a full list of active bindings.

C-h k key

Describe the command bound to key.

C-h b

List all key bindings active in the current buffer.

prefix C-h

Show every binding that starts with prefix (e.g. C-c C-d C-h).
Install which-key and CIDER’s prefixes become self-documenting - pause after a prefix like C-c C-d and a popup lists the keys that follow. See Using cider-mode for more.

Starting and stopping CIDER

C-c C-x opens the cider-start-menu transient, from which you pick how to start or connect to a session. The most common entries:

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-c C-x j j

cider-jack-in-clj

Start an nREPL server for the project and connect to it (Clojure).

C-c C-x j s

cider-jack-in-cljs

Start an nREPL server and connect to it (ClojureScript).

C-c C-x j m

cider-jack-in-clj&cljs

Start a server and connect both a Clojure and a ClojureScript REPL.

C-c C-x c j

cider-connect-clj

Connect to an already-running nREPL server (Clojure).

C-c C-x c s

cider-connect-cljs

Connect to an already-running nREPL server (ClojureScript).

C-c C-q

cider-quit

Quit the current connection.

C-c M-r

cider-restart

Restart the current connection.
C-c C-x shows the whole menu (jack-in, connect, connect-sibling), so you don’t have to memorize the suffixes. See Up and Running.

Evaluating code

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-x C-e (also C-c C-e)

cider-eval-last-sexp

Evaluate the form preceding point and show the result in the echo area.

C-c C-c (also C-M-x)

cider-eval-defun-at-point

Evaluate the top-level form containing point (redefine it in the running program).

C-c C-v v

cider-eval-sexp-at-point

Evaluate the form around point.

C-c C-v l

cider-eval-list-at-point

Evaluate the list around point.

C-c C-v r

cider-eval-region

Evaluate the active region.

C-c C-v s

cider-eval-dwim

Evaluate the region if one is active, otherwise the top-level form.

C-c C-v z

cider-eval-defun-up-to-point

Evaluate the enclosing top-level form up to point.

C-c C-v w

cider-eval-last-sexp-and-replace

Evaluate the form preceding point and replace it with the result.

C-c M-e

cider-eval-last-sexp-to-repl

Evaluate the form preceding point and send the result to the REPL.

C-c C-p

cider-pprint-eval-last-sexp

Evaluate the form preceding point and pretty-print the result in a popup.

C-c C-f

cider-pprint-eval-defun-at-point

Evaluate the top-level form and pretty-print the result in a popup.

C-c M-;

cider-eval-defun-to-comment

Evaluate the top-level form and insert the result as a comment.

C-c M-:

cider-read-and-eval

Read a Clojure expression from the minibuffer and evaluate it.

C-c M-i

cider-inspect

Evaluate an expression and open the result in the inspector.
See Code Evaluation for the evaluation commands and their prefix-argument variations.

Loading code

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-c C-k

cider-load-buffer

Load (evaluate) the current buffer.

C-c C-l

cider-load-file

Load a file, prompting for its name.

C-c C-M-l

cider-load-all-files

Load all files under a directory, prompting for it.
Keyboard shortcut Command Description

M-.

cider-find-var

Jump to the definition of the symbol at point.

M-,

cider-pop-back

Return to where you were before the last jump.

C-c C-.

cider-find-ns

Jump to a namespace, selected via completion.

C-c C-:

cider-find-keyword

Jump to the definition of the namespaced keyword at point.

C-c M-.

cider-find-resource

Jump to a classpath resource referenced by the string at point.

C-c C-? r

cider-xref-fn-refs

Show the usages of the function at point in a dedicated buffer.

C-c C-? C-r

cider-xref-fn-refs-select

Show the usages of the function at point in a minibuffer selector.

C-c C-? s

cider-xref-fn-refs-in-source

Search the project’s source for references to the symbol at point.

C-c C-? d

cider-xref-fn-deps

Show the functions used by the function at point.

C-c C-? C-d

cider-xref-fn-deps-select

Show the functions used by the function at point in a minibuffer selector.

C-c C-w c

cider-who-calls

Browse the callers of the function at point as a tree.

C-c C-w d

cider-who-is-called

Browse the functions the function at point calls, as a tree.

C-c C-w m

cider-who-macroexpands

Find a macro’s use sites by searching the project’s source.

C-c C-w i

cider-who-implements

Browse the types that implement the protocol at point.

C-c C-w t

cider-type-protocols

Browse the protocols a type implements.

C-c C-w p

cider-protocols-with-method

Browse the protocols that declare a given method.

C-c M-s

cider-selector

Quickly jump to an important buffer (REPL, docs, stacktrace, etc.).
See Code Navigation and Browsing for the complete navigation and call-graph toolkit.

Looking up documentation

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-c C-d d

cider-doc

Show documentation for the symbol at point.

C-c C-d j

cider-javadoc

Open the Javadoc for the symbol at point in a browser.

C-c C-d a

cider-apropos

Search for definitions matching a pattern.

C-c C-d f

cider-apropos-documentation

Search documentation strings matching a pattern.

C-c C-d c

cider-clojuredocs

Show ClojureDocs documentation for the symbol at point.

C-c C-d w

cider-clojuredocs-web

Open the symbol’s ClojureDocs page in a browser.
See Working with Documentation for more.

Macroexpansion

C-c M-m opens the cider-macroexpand-menu transient; the keys below are its suffixes, so C-c M-m a means "open the menu, then press a".
Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-c C-m (also C-c M-m 1)

cider-macroexpand-1

Expand the macro call at point once.

C-c M-m a

cider-macroexpand-all

Fully expand the macro call at point.

C-c M-m e

cider-macrostep-expand

Step through the expansion inline in the source buffer (requires macrostep).

C-c M-m E

cider-macrostep-expand-all

Fully expand the macro at point inline in the source buffer.

C-c M-m b

cider-macrostep-expand-in-buffer

Run a macro-stepping session in a dedicated popup buffer.
See Macroexpansion for details.

Working with namespaces

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-c M-n n

cider-repl-set-ns

Switch the REPL to the current buffer’s namespace.

C-c M-n e

cider-eval-ns-form

Evaluate the ns form of the current buffer.

C-c M-n r

cider-ns-refresh

Reload changed namespaces (via clojure.tools.namespace).

C-c M-n l

cider-ns-reload

Reload the current namespace with require :reload.

C-c M-n b

cider-browse-ns

Browse the contents of a namespace.

C-c C-u

cider-undef

Undefine a symbol.

C-c C-M-u

cider-undef-all

Undefine all symbols and aliases in the namespace.
See Code Reloading for the reloading workflow.

Testing

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-c C-t t

cider-test-run-test

Run the test at point.

C-c C-t n

cider-test-run-ns-tests

Run the tests in the current namespace.

C-c C-t l

cider-test-run-loaded-tests

Run all currently loaded tests.

C-c C-t p

cider-test-run-project-tests

Run all the project’s tests.

C-c C-t a

cider-test-rerun-test

Re-run the last test you ran.

C-c C-t r

cider-test-rerun-failed-tests

Re-run only the failing tests.

C-c C-t b

cider-test-show-report

Show the test report buffer.
See Running Tests for the full test runner.

Debugging and tracing

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-u C-M-x (also C-u C-c C-c)

cider-eval-defun-at-point

Instrument the top-level form and step through it in the debugger.

C-c M-t v

cider-toggle-trace-var

Toggle tracing of the var at point.

C-c M-t n

cider-toggle-trace-ns

Toggle tracing of a whole namespace.
See Debugger and Tracing.

Interacting with the REPL

Keyboard shortcut Command Description

C-c C-z

cider-switch-to-repl-buffer

Switch between the source buffer and the REPL.

C-c M-z

cider-load-buffer-and-switch-to-repl-buffer

Load the current buffer and switch to the REPL.

C-c M-p

cider-insert-last-sexp-in-repl

Copy the form preceding point into the REPL prompt.

C-c C-j c

cider-send-to-comment

Copy the top-level form into the namespace’s rich comment block.

C-c C-j v

cider-jump-to-comment

Move point into the namespace’s rich comment block.

C-c C-o

cider-find-and-clear-repl-output

Clear the output of the last evaluation from the REPL.

C-c M-d

cider-describe-connection

Show information about the current connection.

C-c C-b

cider-interrupt

Interrupt any pending evaluations.

Completion

CIDER completes the symbol at point through the standard completion-at-point mechanism, so it’s normally bound to M-TAB (and triggered automatically by completion UIs like company or corfu). See Code Completion for details.

Printable reference card

CIDER also ships a one-page, printable quick-reference card covering these essentials, meant to be printed and kept on your desk. You can find the PDF (and its source) in the refcard directory of the CIDER repository.