fix(tui): move voice capture to Ctrl+Space

internal/tui/commands.go

@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ var commandDefinitions = []commandDefinition{
 		name:        "/voice",
 		usage:       "/voice",
 		group:       commandGroupRuntime,
-		description: "Toggle voice mode (hold Space to dictate).",
+		description: "Toggle voice mode (" + voiceCaptureUsage + ").",
 		kind:        commandVoice,
 	},
 	{

internal/tui/dictation.go

@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ type dictationController struct {
 	waveBars []int
 	waveTick int
 
-	// voiceModeEnabled repurposes Space into hold-to-record (§13.9).
+	// voiceModeEnabled repurposes Ctrl+Space into hold-to-record (§13.9).
 	voiceModeEnabled bool
 	// eventTypesSupported records whether the terminal confirmed key-release
 	// reporting (Kitty protocol); eventTypesKnown gates it until the terminal has
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ func firstNonEmptyStr(a, b string) string {
 func (d dictationController) active() bool { return d.phase != dictIdle }
 
 // toggleDictation starts a recording when idle and stops-and-transcribes when
-// recording. Invoked by the voice-mode Space gesture; a call during
+// recording. Invoked by the voice-mode Ctrl+Space gesture; a call during
 // startup/transcription is ignored (the machine is mid-transition).
 func (m model) toggleDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if !m.dictation.available() {
@@ -193,15 +193,15 @@ func (m model) toggleDictation() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	}
 }
 
-// toggleVoiceMode flips the /voice hold-to-record gesture — the dictation
-// trigger. While on, Space records; run /voice again to type spaces normally.
+// toggleVoiceMode flips the /voice hold-to-record gesture. While on,
+// Ctrl+Space records and ordinary Space continues to type normally.
 func (m model) toggleVoiceMode() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if !m.dictation.available() {
 		return m.appendSystemNotice("Dictation is not configured. See docs/dictation.md to set up a local engine or a Groq/OpenAI key."), nil
 	}
 	m.dictation.voiceModeEnabled = !m.dictation.voiceModeEnabled
 	if m.dictation.voiceModeEnabled {
-		return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Voice mode on — hold Space to dictate; run /voice again to turn it off.", transientNoticeSuccess), nil
+		return m.showTransientNoticeInline("Voice mode on — "+voiceCaptureUsage+". Run /voice again to turn it off.", transientNoticeSuccess), nil
 	}
 	// Turning voice off is the "done dictating" signal, so release the warm sherpa
 	// streaming server — otherwise a loaded model keeps idling in RAM (and holding
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ func (m model) handleDictationStarted(msg dictationStartedMsg) (model, tea.Cmd)
 	if m.dictation.phase == dictStarting {
 		m.dictation.phase = dictRecording
 	}
-	// A voice-mode Space release that arrived mid-startup asked us to stop as soon
+	// A voice-mode Ctrl+Space release that arrived mid-startup asked us to stop as soon
 	// as recording began.
 	if m.dictation.voiceStopPending && m.dictation.phase == dictRecording {
 		m.dictation.voiceStopPending = false
@@ -480,12 +480,8 @@ func needsLeadingSpace(state composerState) bool {
 func (m model) dictationStatusChip() string {
 	switch m.dictation.phase {
 	case dictStarting, dictRecording:
-		stop := "release Space to stop"
-		if !m.dictation.eventTypesSupported {
-			stop = "press Space to stop" // press-to-toggle fallback
-		}
 		wave := zeroTheme.amber.Render("● " + renderWaveBars(m.dictation.waveBars) + " REC")
-		return wave + zeroTheme.muted.Render(" · "+stop+", Esc to cancel")
+		return wave + zeroTheme.muted.Render(" · "+m.voiceCaptureStatus()+", Esc to cancel")
 	case dictTranscribing:
 		return zeroTheme.accent.Render("●") + " " + zeroTheme.muted.Render("transcribing…")
 	}
@@ -601,13 +597,12 @@ func (m model) handleRecTick() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	return m, nil
 }
 
-// voiceModeIndicator renders the persistent "voice mode on" hint shown while
-// idle so the user knows Space is repurposed to hold-to-record (§10).
+// voiceModeIndicator renders the current voice gesture or transcription state.
 func (m model) voiceModeIndicator() string {
 	if !m.dictation.voiceModeEnabled {
 		return ""
 	}
-	return zeroTheme.accent.Render("🎙 voice") + zeroTheme.muted.Render(" · "+m.dictation.currentModelLabel())
+	return zeroTheme.accent.Render("🎙 voice") + zeroTheme.muted.Render(" · "+m.voiceCaptureStatus()+" · "+m.dictation.currentModelLabel())
 }
 
 // dictationErrorText renders a dictation error for the transcript: a missing-

internal/tui/dictation_voice.go

@@ -4,17 +4,19 @@ import (
 	tea "charm.land/bubbletea/v2"
 )
 
-// Voice mode's Space-hold gesture — the (only) dictation trigger. Two terminal
+const voiceCaptureUsage = "hold Ctrl+Space to record; press it to toggle where key releases are unavailable"
+
+// Voice mode's Ctrl+Space gesture — the (only) dictation trigger. Two terminal
 // tiers:
 //
 //  1. The terminal confirms key-release reporting (Ghostty/Kitty/WezTerm, …):
-//     Space press starts recording, Space release stops it — true hold-to-record,
-//     no ambiguity.
-//  2. The terminal does not confirm release events: Space falls back to
+//     Ctrl+Space press starts recording and release stops it — true
+//     hold-to-record, with ordinary Space left available for typing.
+//  2. The terminal does not confirm release events: Ctrl+Space falls back to
 //     press-to-toggle (press to start, press again to stop) — a deliberately
 //     simpler, robust fallback than inferring release from key-repeat timing
-//     (racy in a terminal). This works on ANY terminal, so voice mode is always
-//     usable once enabled.
+//     (racy in a terminal). Legacy NUL input is decoded as Ctrl+Space by the
+//     terminal input layer, so the same matcher covers both tiers.
 //
 // Only active while voice mode is on; the rest of dispatch is built on
 // KeyPressMsg and is untouched.
@@ -27,8 +29,37 @@ func (m model) handleKeyboardEnhancements(msg tea.KeyboardEnhancementsMsg) model
 	return m
 }
 
-// handleVoiceSpacePress handles a Space press while voice mode is on.
-func (m model) handleVoiceSpacePress(msg tea.KeyMsg) (model, tea.Cmd) {
+func voiceCaptureKey(msg tea.KeyMsg) bool {
+	mod := msg.Key().Mod &^ (tea.ModCapsLock | tea.ModNumLock)
+	return keyIs(msg, tea.KeySpace) && mod == tea.ModCtrl
+}
+
+// voiceCaptureReleaseKey matches either half of the held Ctrl+Space chord. A
+// terminal may report Ctrl releasing first, or report the later Space release
+// without ModCtrl because Ctrl is no longer down.
+func voiceCaptureReleaseKey(msg tea.KeyMsg) bool {
+	return keyIs(msg, tea.KeySpace) || keyIs(msg, tea.KeyLeftCtrl) || keyIs(msg, tea.KeyRightCtrl)
+}
+
+func (m model) voiceCaptureStatus() string {
+	switch m.dictation.phase {
+	case dictStarting, dictRecording:
+		if m.dictation.eventTypesSupported {
+			return "release Ctrl+Space to stop"
+		}
+		return "press Ctrl+Space to stop"
+	case dictTranscribing:
+		return "transcribing…"
+	default:
+		if m.dictation.eventTypesSupported {
+			return "hold Ctrl+Space to record"
+		}
+		return "press Ctrl+Space to record"
+	}
+}
+
+// handleVoiceCapturePress handles Ctrl+Space while voice mode is on.
+func (m model) handleVoiceCapturePress(msg tea.KeyMsg) (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if !m.dictation.eventTypesSupported {
 		// Tier 2: no release events — press-to-toggle.
 		return m.toggleDictation()
@@ -45,8 +76,8 @@ func (m model) handleVoiceSpacePress(msg tea.KeyMsg) (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	return m, nil // already recording; the release will stop it
 }
 
-// handleVoiceSpaceRelease stops a hold-to-record session when Space is released.
-func (m model) handleVoiceSpaceRelease() (model, tea.Cmd) {
+// handleVoiceCaptureRelease stops a hold-to-record session when Ctrl+Space is released.
+func (m model) handleVoiceCaptureRelease() (model, tea.Cmd) {
 	if !m.dictation.spaceHeld {
 		return m, nil
 	}