diff --git a/src/common/script/env.ts b/src/common/script/env.ts
index 13950138..ee42f0f7 100644
--- a/src/common/script/env.ts
+++ b/src/common/script/env.ts
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ export class Environment {
         }
         return errors;
     }
-    getLoadableState() {
+    commitLoadableState() {
         // TODO: visit children?
         for (let [key, value] of Object.entries(this.obj)) {
             let loadable = <any>value as io.Loadable;
diff --git a/src/common/script/lib/scriptui.ts b/src/common/script/lib/scriptui.ts
index 9ceda395..4f825cfc 100644
--- a/src/common/script/lib/scriptui.ts
+++ b/src/common/script/lib/scriptui.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 
-import { coerceToArray } from "../../util";
 import * as io from "./io";
 
 // sequence counter
@@ -173,3 +172,22 @@ export function toggle(name: string) {
         this.enabled = !this.enabled;
     });
 }
+
+///
+
+export class ScriptUIShortcut extends InteractionRecord implements ScriptUIType, Interactive {
+    readonly uitype = 'shortcut';
+    $$interact: InteractionRecord;
+
+    constructor(
+        readonly key: string,
+        callback: InteractCallback
+    ) {
+        super(null, callback);
+        this.$$interact = this;
+    }
+}
+
+export function key(key: string, callback: InteractCallback) {
+    return new ScriptUIShortcut(key, callback);
+}
diff --git a/src/common/script/ui/notebook.ts b/src/common/script/ui/notebook.ts
index 03e4529b..e9446ab2 100644
--- a/src/common/script/ui/notebook.ts
+++ b/src/common/script/ui/notebook.ts
@@ -436,10 +436,23 @@ class UIButtonComponent extends Component<UIComponentProps> {
     }
 }
 
+class UIShortcutComponent extends Component<UIComponentProps> {
+    render(virtualDom, containerNode, replaceNode) {
+        let shortcut = this.props.uiobject as scriptui.ScriptUIShortcut;
+        // TODO: needs to fire on container node
+        return h('div', {
+            onKeyDown: (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+                sendInteraction(shortcut, 'key', e, { });
+            },
+        }, [ ])
+    }
+}
+
 const UI_COMPONENTS = {
     'slider': UISliderComponent,
     'select': UISelectComponent,
     'button': UIButtonComponent,
+    'shortcut': UIShortcutComponent,
 }
 
 ///
diff --git a/src/worker/tools/script.ts b/src/worker/tools/script.ts
index 5d6f73cc..4d5f533b 100644
--- a/src/worker/tools/script.ts
+++ b/src/worker/tools/script.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import { BuildStep, BuildStepResult, emglobal, store } from "../workermain";
 import { Environment, RunResult } from "../../common/script/env";
 import * as io from "../../common/script/lib/io";
+import { createNewPersistentStore } from "../../ide/project";
 
 // cache environments
 var environments: { [path: string]: Environment } = {};
@@ -18,13 +19,23 @@ function getEnv(path: string): Environment {
 export async function runJavascript(step: BuildStep): Promise<BuildStepResult> {
     var env = getEnv(step.path);
     var code = store.getFileAsString(step.path);
+    var lstore = createNewPersistentStore(step.platform + "//items");
+    // load items from persistent storage (TODO)
+    const itemskey = step.path;
+    if (store.items == null) {
+        store.items = (await lstore.getItem(itemskey)) || {}; // TODO
+        console.log(store.items);
+    }
+    io.$$setupFS(store);
+    io.$$loadData(store.items);
     try {
-        io.$$setupFS(store);
-        io.$$loadData(store.items); // TODO: load from file
         await env.run(code);
         let cells = env.render();
-        let state = env.getLoadableState(); // TODO: doesn't work
+        let state = env.commitLoadableState(); // TODO: doesn't work
         let output : RunResult = { cells, state };
+        // save items to persistent storage (TODO)
+        lstore.setItem(itemskey, state); // TODO
+        store.items = state; // TODO: why????
         return { output: output };
     } catch (e) {
         console.log(e);
diff --git a/src/worker/workermain.ts b/src/worker/workermain.ts
index 70c52af3..7fca1166 100644
--- a/src/worker/workermain.ts
+++ b/src/worker/workermain.ts
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ export interface BuildStep extends WorkerBuildStep {
 export class FileWorkingStore implements WorkingStore {
   workfs : {[path:string]:FileEntry} = {};
   workerseq : number = 0;
-  items : {} = {};
+  items : {};
 
   constructor() {
     this.reset();