diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/AdaptiveRootView.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/AdaptiveRootView.swift
index 653c521..0e64aba 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/AdaptiveRootView.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/AdaptiveRootView.swift
@@ -74,14 +74,17 @@ struct SplitRootView: View {
     @EnvironmentObject var store: RemoteStore
     @State private var selection: SidebarItem? = .home
     @State private var columnVisibility: NavigationSplitViewVisibility = .all
+    /// One-shot: a Cmd+N sets this, the Home composer consumes it to grab focus.
+    @State private var focusNewChat = false
 
     var body: some View {
         NavigationSplitView(columnVisibility: $columnVisibility) {
-            SplitSidebar(selection: $selection)
+            SplitSidebar(selection: $selection, focusNewChat: $focusNewChat)
         } detail: {
-            SplitDetail(selection: selection)
+            SplitDetail(selection: selection, focusNewChat: $focusNewChat)
         }
         .navigationSplitViewStyle(.balanced)
+        .background { keyboardShortcuts }
         // Notification tap → select its session directly (the regular-width analogue of the
         // compact path's jump-to-Sessions-tab). Then clear the request so it isn't re-consumed.
         .onChange(of: store.pendingRoute) { _, route in
@@ -96,6 +99,23 @@ struct SplitRootView: View {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    /// Hardware-keyboard shortcuts (Magic Keyboard on iPad), the remote's echo of the Mac's menu
+    /// commands: ⌘N new chat, ⌘1–4 jump to a destination, ⌘R refresh. Carried by hidden buttons —
+    /// SwiftUI still routes a shortcut to a zero-opacity button that's in the hierarchy.
+    private var keyboardShortcuts: some View {
+        Group {
+            Button("New chat") { selection = .home; focusNewChat = true }
+                .keyboardShortcut("n", modifiers: .command)
+            Button("Home") { selection = .home }.keyboardShortcut("1", modifiers: .command)
+            Button("Projects") { selection = .projects }.keyboardShortcut("2", modifiers: .command)
+            Button("To-dos") { selection = .todos }.keyboardShortcut("3", modifiers: .command)
+            Button("Settings") { selection = .settings }.keyboardShortcut("4", modifiers: .command)
+            Button("Refresh") { store.refreshSessions() }.keyboardShortcut("r", modifiers: .command)
+        }
+        .opacity(0)
+        .accessibilityHidden(true)
+    }
 }
 
 /// The leading column: global destinations, then the live sessions grouped under their projects
@@ -104,6 +124,7 @@ struct SplitRootView: View {
 private struct SplitSidebar: View {
     @EnvironmentObject var store: RemoteStore
     @Binding var selection: SidebarItem?
+    var focusNewChat: Binding<Bool> = .constant(false)
 
     /// Live sessions grouped under their project (dashboard order), with anything whose project
     /// isn't in the dashboard collected into a trailing "Other" group. Attention-first sort.
@@ -173,11 +194,21 @@ private struct SplitSidebar: View {
         .listStyle(.sidebar)
         .navigationTitle(store.hostName.isEmpty ? "Nucleic" : store.hostName)
         .toolbar {
+            ToolbarItem(placement: .primaryAction) {
+                Button {
+                    selection = .home
+                    focusNewChat.wrappedValue = true
+                } label: {
+                    Image(systemName: "square.and.pencil")
+                }
+                .help("New chat (⌘N)")
+                .disabled(!store.canControl)
+            }
             ToolbarItem(placement: .primaryAction) {
                 Button { store.refreshSessions() } label: {
                     Image(systemName: "arrow.clockwise")
                 }
-                .help("Refresh")
+                .help("Refresh (⌘R)")
             }
         }
         .safeAreaInset(edge: .bottom) {
@@ -192,11 +223,12 @@ private struct SplitSidebar: View {
 /// their own `NavigationStack`, so they're shown directly.
 private struct SplitDetail: View {
     let selection: SidebarItem?
+    var focusNewChat: Binding<Bool> = .constant(false)
 
     var body: some View {
         switch selection {
         case .home, .none:
-            HomeView()
+            HomeView(focusNewChat: focusNewChat)
         case .projects:
             ProjectsView()
         case .todos:
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift
index 89b2157..44fef85 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift
@@ -5,11 +5,16 @@ import NucleicProtocol
 /// composer). Picks a project, types a prompt, optionally toggles Auto.
 struct StartChatComposer: View {
     @EnvironmentObject var store: RemoteStore
+    /// A one-shot request from the iPad `Cmd+N` shortcut to focus the prompt so a keyboard user can
+    /// start typing a new chat immediately. Consumed (reset to false) once handled, so it never
+    /// steals focus on a later Home appearance. `.constant(false)` for the iPhone/compact path.
+    var focusNewChat: Binding<Bool> = .constant(false)
     @State private var projectID: ProjectID?
     @State private var draft = ""
     @State private var auto = false
     @State private var model: String?
     @State private var effort = MobileEfforts.fallback
+    @FocusState private var draftFocused: Bool
     // Advanced options (the Mac new-session sheet's base branch + worktree fields).
     @State private var showOptions = false
     @State private var baseBranch = ""
@@ -79,6 +84,7 @@ struct StartChatComposer: View {
                     .lineLimit(1...5)
                     .orchestraGlow(active: MobileEfforts.isOrchestra(effort) && controlled)
                     .keyboardDismissable()
+                    .focused($draftFocused)
                 Button {
                     if let project = selected {
                         let branch = baseBranch.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces)
@@ -107,6 +113,18 @@ struct StartChatComposer: View {
                 effort = levels.last ?? MobileEfforts.fallback
             }
         }
+        // A Cmd+N (iPad) focuses the prompt so the keyboard user can type a new chat immediately.
+        // onAppear handles the case where Cmd+N switched to Home from a session (composer just
+        // mounted); onChange handles Cmd+N while Home is already on screen. Consumed either way.
+        .onAppear { consumeFocusRequest() }
+        .onChange(of: focusNewChat.wrappedValue) { consumeFocusRequest() }
+    }
+
+    private func consumeFocusRequest() {
+        guard focusNewChat.wrappedValue else { return }
+        if projectID == nil { projectID = store.dashboard.projects.first?.id }
+        draftFocused = true
+        focusNewChat.wrappedValue = false
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/HomeView.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/HomeView.swift
index f1bd9c7..9f0e813 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/HomeView.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/HomeView.swift
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import NucleicProtocol
 /// start-chat composer (control scope).
 struct HomeView: View {
     @EnvironmentObject var store: RemoteStore
+    /// Set by the iPad `Cmd+N` shortcut to focus the start-chat composer below (consumed there).
+    var focusNewChat: Binding<Bool> = .constant(false)
 
     private var counts: DashboardCounts { store.dashboard.counts }
 
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@ struct HomeView: View {
 
                     QuickTodos()
 
-                    StartChatComposer()
+                    StartChatComposer(focusNewChat: focusNewChat)
                 }
                 .padding()
                 // Cap + center the dashboard on a wide iPad so it reads like the Mac home rather
@@ -138,6 +140,7 @@ private struct InProgressSessions: View {
                     SessionRow(summary: summary)
                 }
                 .buttonStyle(.plain)
+                .hoverEffect(.highlight)
             }
         }
         .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading)
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
index 9ccf742..0fcbf47 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
@@ -74,6 +74,19 @@ struct SessionDetailView: View {
         // Pass our own id so an iPad split-view A→B switch (which may mount B before A
         // disappears) unsubscribes A without tearing down B's just-opened state.
         .onDisappear { store.closeOpen(sessionID) }
+        .background { interruptShortcut }
+    }
+
+    /// ⌘. interrupts a running session (the Mac's "stop" convention) — the action is otherwise
+    /// only in the ⋯ menu. A hidden button carries the shortcut; present only when it applies.
+    @ViewBuilder
+    private var interruptShortcut: some View {
+        if store.canControl, summary?.status == .running {
+            Button("Interrupt") { store.interrupt(sessionID) }
+                .keyboardShortcut(".", modifiers: .command)
+                .opacity(0)
+                .accessibilityHidden(true)
+        }
     }
 
     /// Whether this session's project is under Nucleic Control (gates Orchestra + autoship).
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/ToolGroupRow.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/ToolGroupRow.swift
index 3eda77d..ae953e6 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/ToolGroupRow.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/ToolGroupRow.swift
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ struct ToolCallCard: View {
 
     var body: some View {
         let content = VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 8) {
-            Button { expanded.toggle() } label: { header }.buttonStyle(.plain)
+            Button { expanded.toggle() } label: { header }
+                .buttonStyle(.plain)
+                .hoverEffect(.highlight)
             if expanded { details }
         }
         if inGroup {
@@ -98,6 +100,7 @@ struct ToolBlockCard: View {
         VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
             header
                 .contentShape(Rectangle())
+                .hoverEffect(.highlight)
                 .onTapGesture { withAnimation(.easeInOut(duration: 0.15)) { expanded.toggle() } }
             if expanded {
                 ForEach(groups, id: \.toolCallID) { group in