[ A persistent "normal mode" for keyboard-driven navigation?] to change between agents interactions and herdr shortcuts

[adrien-barret]

idea / problem

Driving herdr from the keyboard is one-shot: every move (focus a pane, switch a tab, open a picker) is prefix + key, and you re-press the prefix for the next one. For bursts of navigation that's a lot of prefix taps.

requested change

A persistent "normal mode" (vim-like): one keybind enters it, the existing prefix keymap becomes available on bare keys, and it stays open until Escape. Rename/confirm dialogs would suspend it and return on commit/cancel.

why you want this

It can be fully opt-in: unbound by default, no change for anyone who doesn't want it, additive, not a redesign.
Would maintainers be open to this direction? Happy to align on scope/UX first. A rough proof-of-concept exists on a fork adrien-barret/herdr@feat/command-layer if useful, but I'd rather check interest before any code.