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Claude Code Adds a Send-Now Key for Queued Messages

Claude CodeView original changelog

Claude Code 2.1.275 introduced a dedicated send-now key, ctrl+enter or ctrl+x ctrl+s, that interrupts whatever turn is currently running and immediately sends every queued message at once. Previously, a user typing follow-up instructions while Claude was still working had no way to flush that queue early; it only went out once the current turn finished. Sent and queued messages now display in gray until the model actually receives them, giving a clear signal of what has and hasn't gone through yet.

Key Takeaways

  • ctrl+enter (or ctrl+x ctrl+s) now interrupts the current turn, sending all queued messages at once instead of waiting for the response to finish.
  • Sent and queued messages show in gray until the model receives them, giving a clear delivery signal.
  • The feature targets a common friction point: typing follow-up instructions while Claude is still working on the previous request.
  • It shipped in version 2.1.275 on September 17, 2026, alongside a broad set of reliability and security fixes.
  • The shortcut applies to Claude Code's interactive terminal sessions.
  • It continues a pattern in recent releases of tightening the feedback loop between typing and execution.

A Faster Way to Interrupt and Send

Claude Code's terminal interface lets a user type additional instructions while Claude is still working on a previous request, and those messages queue up to be delivered once the current turn ends. Version 2.1.275 added a way to skip that wait: pressing ctrl+enter, or the chorded ctrl+x ctrl+s, interrupts the current turn and sends all queued messages at once.

Until the model receives them, both the freshly sent message and anything still queued behind it show in gray. That visual cue tells the user exactly what has been handed off to Claude and what is still pending, removing the ambiguity that came with the old queue-and-wait behavior.

Why It Matters

The change targets a common friction point in agentic coding sessions: realizing mid-turn that Claude needs a course correction, but not wanting to wait out the rest of a long-running response before that correction lands. With the send-now key, a user can act on that realization the moment it occurs instead of composing a message and hoping it gets picked up promptly afterward.