frontend/auth/admin/main.js

@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ import '@/assets/style.css'
 import { createApp } from 'vue'
 import { createPinia } from 'pinia'
 import AdminApp from './AdminApp.vue'
+import { initKeyboardNavigation } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const app = createApp(AdminApp)
 app.use(createPinia())
 app.mount('#admin-app')
+initKeyboardNavigation()

frontend/auth/main.js

@@ -3,9 +3,11 @@ import '@/assets/style.css'
 import { createApp } from 'vue'
 import { createPinia } from 'pinia'
 import App from './App.vue'
+import { initKeyboardNavigation } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const app = createApp(App)
 
 app.use(createPinia())
 
 app.mount('#app')
+initKeyboardNavigation()

frontend/auth/restricted/main.js

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { createApp } from 'vue'
 import RestrictedApi from './RestrictedApi.vue'
 import '@/assets/style.css'
+import { initKeyboardNavigation } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 createApp(RestrictedApi).mount('#app')
+initKeyboardNavigation()

frontend/int/forward/main.js

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { createApp } from 'vue'
 import App from './RestrictedForward.vue'
 import '@/assets/style.css'
+import { initKeyboardNavigation } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 createApp(App).mount('#app')
+initKeyboardNavigation()

frontend/int/reset/ResetApp.vue

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
         <section class="section-block" v-else-if="!canRegister">
           <div class="section-body center">
-            <div class="button-row center" style="justify-content: center;" @keydown="handleButtonKeydown">
+            <div class="button-row center" style="justify-content: center;">
               <button class="btn-secondary" @click="goHome">Return to sign-in</button>
             </div>
           </div>
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ import { computed, onMounted, reactive, ref } from 'vue'
 import passkey from '@/utils/passkey'
 import { getSettings, uiBasePath } from '@/utils/settings'
 import { apiJson, ApiError, getUserFriendlyErrorMessage } from '@/utils/api'
-import { handleButtonKeydown } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const status = reactive({
   show: false,

frontend/int/reset/main.js

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { createApp } from 'vue'
 import ResetApp from './ResetApp.vue'
 import '@/assets/style.css'
+import { initKeyboardNavigation } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 createApp(ResetApp).mount('#app')
+initKeyboardNavigation()

frontend/src/admin/AdminDialogs.vue

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <script setup>
 import Modal from '@/components/Modal.vue'
 import NameEditForm from '@/components/NameEditForm.vue'
-import { handleButtonKeydown } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const props = defineProps({
   dialog: Object,
@@ -82,7 +81,7 @@ const NAME_EDIT_TYPES = new Set(['org-update', 'role-update', 'user-update-name'
           <p>{{ dialog.data.message }}</p>
         </template>
         <div v-if="dialog.error && !NAME_EDIT_TYPES.has(dialog.type)" class="error small">{{ dialog.error }}</div>
-        <div v-if="!NAME_EDIT_TYPES.has(dialog.type)" class="modal-actions" @keydown="handleButtonKeydown">
+        <div v-if="!NAME_EDIT_TYPES.has(dialog.type)" class="modal-actions">
           <button
             type="button"
             class="btn-secondary"

frontend/src/components/AccessDenied.vue

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   <div class="message-container">
     <div class="message-content">
       <h2>🔒 Access Denied</h2>
-      <div class="button-row" @keydown="handleButtonKeydown">
+      <div class="button-row">
         <button class="btn-secondary" @click="goBack">Back</button>
         <button class="btn-primary" @click="$emit('reload')">Reload Page</button>
       </div>
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 
 <script setup>
 import { goBack } from '@/utils/helpers'
-import { handleButtonKeydown } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 defineEmits(['reload'])
 </script>

frontend/src/components/DeviceLinkView.vue

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
       <h1>📱 Add Another Device</h1>
       <p class="view-lede">Generate a one-time link to set up passkeys on a new device.</p>
     </header>
-    <div class="button-row" style="margin-top:1rem;" @keydown="handleButtonKeydown">
+    <div class="button-row" style="margin-top:1rem;">
       <button @click="showModal = true" class="btn-primary">Generate Registration Link</button>
       <button @click="authStore.currentView = 'profile'" class="btn-secondary">Back to Profile</button>
     </div>
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 import { ref, onMounted } from 'vue'
 import { useAuthStore } from '@/stores/auth'
 import RegistrationLinkModal from '@/components/RegistrationLinkModal.vue'
-import { handleButtonKeydown } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const authStore = useAuthStore()
 const userName = ref(null)

frontend/src/components/HostProfileView.vue

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
     <section class="section-block">
       <div class="section-body host-actions">
-        <div class="button-row" @keydown="handleButtonKeydown">
+        <div class="button-row">
           <button
             type="button"
             class="btn-secondary"
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ import { computed } from 'vue'
 import UserBasicInfo from '@/components/UserBasicInfo.vue'
 import { useAuthStore } from '@/stores/auth'
 import { goBack } from '@/utils/helpers'
-import { handleButtonKeydown } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 defineProps({
   initializing: {

frontend/src/components/NameEditForm.vue

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 
 <script setup>
 import { computed, ref } from 'vue'
-import { handleButtonKeydown, getDirection } from '@/utils/keynav'
+import { getDirection } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const props = defineProps({
   modelValue: { type: String, default: '' },
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ const handleActionsKeydown = (event) => {
     inputRef.value?.focus()
     return
   }
-  handleButtonKeydown(event)
+  // Left/right navigation is handled globally by keynav
 }
 
 function handleCancel() {

frontend/src/components/RemoteAuthPermit.vue

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 
         <p v-if="error" class="error-message" style="margin-top: 0.5rem;">{{ error }}</p>
 
-        <div class="button-row" style="margin-top: 0.75rem; display: flex; gap: 0.5rem;" @keydown="handleButtonKeydown">
+        <div class="button-row" style="margin-top: 0.75rem; display: flex; gap: 0.5rem;">
           <button
             type="button"
             class="btn-secondary"
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ import { getSettings } from '@/utils/settings'
 import { getUniqueMatch, isValidWord, isValidPrefix } from '@/utils/wordlist'
 import { solvePoW } from '@/utils/pow'
 import { useAuthStore } from '@/stores/auth'
-import { handleButtonKeydown } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const props = defineProps({
   title: { type: String, default: 'Help Another Device Sign In' },

frontend/src/components/RestrictedAuth.vue

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
           <div class="section-body center">
             <!-- Local passkey authentication view -->
             <div v-if="authView === 'local'" class="auth-view">
-              <div class="button-row center" ref="buttonRow" @keydown="handleButtonKeydown">
+              <div class="button-row center" ref="buttonRow">
                 <slot name="actions"
                   :loading="loading"
                   :can-authenticate="canAuthenticate"
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ import passkey from '@/utils/passkey'
 import { getSettings, uiBasePath } from '@/utils/settings'
 import { fetchJson, getUserFriendlyErrorMessage } from '@/utils/api'
 import RemoteAuthRequest from '@/components/RemoteAuthRequest.vue'
-import { handleButtonKeydown, focusDialogButton } from '@/utils/keynav'
+import { focusDialogButton } from '@/utils/keynav'
 
 const props = defineProps({
   mode: {

frontend/src/utils/keynav.js

@@ -12,6 +12,11 @@
  * - data-nav-group: Marks a navigation group container
  * - data-nav-primary: Marks the preferred element to focus when entering a group
  * - data-nav-items: CSS selector for focusable items within the group (default: 'button, a, [tabindex="0"], [tabindex="-1"]:not([disabled])')
+ *
+ * Automatic navigation:
+ * - Buttons/links inside .button-row or .modal-actions get automatic left/right arrow navigation
+ * - No need for explicit @keydown handlers on elements
+ * - Call initKeyboardNavigation() once at app startup to enable global navigation
  */
 
 // Direction mapping from key events
@@ -406,3 +411,64 @@ export const installKeyboardNav = (container, options = {}) => {
 
   return () => container.removeEventListener('keydown', handler)
 }
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Global Automatic Keyboard Navigation
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * Selector for containers that should have automatic button row navigation
+ */
+const BUTTON_ROW_SELECTOR = '.button-row, .modal-actions, .actions, .role-actions, .ancillary-actions'
+
+/**
+ * Global keydown handler for automatic button row navigation.
+ * Handles arrow key navigation for buttons/links within .button-row or .modal-actions containers.
+ * @param {KeyboardEvent} event
+ */
+const globalKeydownHandler = (event) => {
+  const direction = getDirection(event)
+  if (!direction) return
+
+  // Only handle buttons and links
+  const target = event.target
+  if (target.tagName !== 'BUTTON' && target.tagName !== 'A') return
+
+  // Find the button row container
+  const container = target.closest(BUTTON_ROW_SELECTOR)
+  if (!container) return
+
+  if (direction === 'left' || direction === 'right') {
+    event.preventDefault()
+    navigateButtonRow(container, target, direction, { itemSelector: 'button:not([disabled]), a' })
+  }
+  // Note: up/down navigation is intentionally not handled globally
+  // Components can add their own handlers for vertical navigation between groups
+}
+
+let globalNavInitialized = false
+
+/**
+ * Initialize global keyboard navigation.
+ * Call this once at app startup to enable automatic arrow key navigation
+ * for buttons within .button-row and .modal-actions containers.
+ * Safe to call multiple times (only initializes once).
+ */
+export const initKeyboardNavigation = () => {
+  if (globalNavInitialized) return
+  if (typeof document === 'undefined') return // SSR safety
+
+  document.addEventListener('keydown', globalKeydownHandler)
+  globalNavInitialized = true
+}
+
+/**
+ * Cleanup global keyboard navigation (useful for testing).
+ */
+export const destroyKeyboardNavigation = () => {
+  if (!globalNavInitialized) return
+  if (typeof document === 'undefined') return
+
+  document.removeEventListener('keydown', globalKeydownHandler)
+  globalNavInitialized = false
+}