diff --git a/src/App.tsx b/src/App.tsx
index 25a71be..f3aff56 100644
--- a/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/App.tsx
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ import Gutter from "./lib/layout/Gutter";
 import Notifications, { type Toast } from "./components/Notifications";
 import Palette from "./components/Palette";
 import HostManager from "./components/HostManager";
+import Help from "./components/Help";
 import "./App.css";
 import "./lib/layout/Gutter.css";
 
@@ -84,6 +85,7 @@ export default function App() {
   });
   const [hosts, setHosts] = useState<SshHost[]>([]);
   const [hostManagerOpen, setHostManagerOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [helpOpen, setHelpOpen] = useState(false);
   const [ready, setReady] = useState(false);
   const [notifications, setNotifications] = useState<Toast[]>([]);
   const [paletteOpen, setPaletteOpen] = useState(false);
@@ -353,6 +355,14 @@ export default function App() {
       const key = e.key.toLowerCase();
       const { activeLeafId, tree } = kbdStateRef.current;
 
+      // F1 — toggle help overlay
+      if (key === "f1") {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        e.stopPropagation();
+        setHelpOpen((v) => !v);
+        return;
+      }
+
       // Ctrl+K — palette
       if (ctrl && !shift && !alt && key === "k") {
         e.preventDefault();
@@ -713,6 +723,14 @@ export default function App() {
         >
           🔔
         </button>
+        <button
+          className="palette-btn"
+          onClick={() => setHelpOpen(true)}
+          title="Show keyboard shortcuts and tips (F1)"
+          aria-label="Help"
+        >
+          ?
+        </button>
 
         <span className="layout-info">
           {leafCount(tree)} pane{leafCount(tree) === 1 ? "" : "s"}
@@ -774,6 +792,8 @@ export default function App() {
           onClose={closeHostManager}
         />
       )}
+
+      {helpOpen && <Help onClose={() => setHelpOpen(false)} />}
     </div>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/components/Help.css b/src/components/Help.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50475d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/Help.css
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+.help {
+  position: fixed;
+  top: 8vh;
+  left: 50%;
+  transform: translateX(-50%);
+  width: min(720px, 92vw);
+  max-height: 84vh;
+  background: #161616;
+  color: #ccc;
+  border: 1px solid #2a2a2a;
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  box-shadow: 0 20px 60px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6);
+  z-index: 100;
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  font-family: "Cascadia Mono", "JetBrains Mono", "Consolas", monospace;
+}
+
+.help-header {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  padding: 10px 14px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid #2a2a2a;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.help-title {
+  font-weight: 600;
+  font-size: 13px;
+}
+.help-close {
+  background: transparent;
+  border: none;
+  color: #888;
+  font-size: 18px;
+  line-height: 1;
+  padding: 2px 8px;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  border-radius: 3px;
+}
+.help-close:hover {
+  background: #2a2a2a;
+  color: #ddd;
+}
+
+.help-body {
+  padding: 14px 18px;
+  overflow-y: auto;
+  font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+.help-body h3 {
+  margin: 18px 0 6px;
+  font-size: 13px;
+  color: #e6e6e6;
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+.help-body h3:first-child {
+  margin-top: 0;
+}
+
+.help-section {
+  margin-bottom: 10px;
+}
+.help-section h4 {
+  margin: 8px 0 4px;
+  font-size: 10px;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.08em;
+  color: #888;
+  font-weight: 500;
+}
+
+.help-shortcuts {
+  width: 100%;
+  border-collapse: collapse;
+}
+.help-shortcuts td {
+  padding: 3px 4px;
+  vertical-align: top;
+}
+.help-shortcuts td.keys {
+  white-space: nowrap;
+  width: 260px;
+  padding-right: 12px;
+}
+.help-shortcuts td.desc {
+  color: #aaa;
+  line-height: 1.4;
+}
+.help-shortcuts kbd {
+  font-family: inherit;
+  font-size: 11px;
+  background: #222;
+  color: #cce6ff;
+  border: 1px solid #2a2a3a;
+  border-radius: 3px;
+  padding: 1px 6px;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+
+.help-tips {
+  list-style: none;
+  padding: 0;
+  margin: 4px 0 0;
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 6px;
+}
+.help-tips li {
+  padding: 7px 10px;
+  background: #1c1c1c;
+  border: 1px solid #2a2a2a;
+  border-radius: 4px;
+  color: #aaa;
+  font-size: 11px;
+  line-height: 1.45;
+}
+.help-tips strong {
+  color: #e6e6e6;
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+
+.help-footer {
+  margin: 18px 0 0;
+  padding-top: 10px;
+  border-top: 1px solid #2a2a2a;
+  color: #666;
+  font-size: 11px;
+  line-height: 1.45;
+}
diff --git a/src/components/Help.tsx b/src/components/Help.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e41779
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/Help.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import { useEffect } from "react";
+import { SHORTCUT_SECTIONS, TIPS } from "../lib/shortcuts";
+import "./Help.css";
+
+interface HelpProps {
+  onClose: () => void;
+}
+
+export default function Help({ onClose }: HelpProps) {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    function onKey(e: KeyboardEvent) {
+      if (e.key === "Escape") {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        onClose();
+      }
+    }
+    window.addEventListener("keydown", onKey);
+    return () => window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKey);
+  }, [onClose]);
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <button
+        className="backdrop"
+        onClick={onClose}
+        aria-label="Close help"
+      ></button>
+
+      <div className="help" role="dialog" aria-label="tiletopia help">
+        <header className="help-header">
+          <span className="help-title">tiletopia — help</span>
+          <button
+            className="help-close"
+            onClick={onClose}
+            aria-label="Close help"
+          >
+            ×
+          </button>
+        </header>
+        <div className="help-body">
+          <h3>Keyboard shortcuts</h3>
+          {SHORTCUT_SECTIONS.map((section) => (
+            <div key={section.title} className="help-section">
+              <h4>{section.title}</h4>
+              <table className="help-shortcuts">
+                <tbody>
+                  {section.items.map((item) => (
+                    <tr key={item.keys}>
+                      <td className="keys">
+                        <kbd>{item.keys}</kbd>
+                      </td>
+                      <td className="desc">{item.description}</td>
+                    </tr>
+                  ))}
+                </tbody>
+              </table>
+            </div>
+          ))}
+
+          <h3>Tips</h3>
+          <ul className="help-tips">
+            {TIPS.map((tip) => (
+              <li key={tip.title}>
+                <strong>{tip.title}.</strong> {tip.body}
+              </li>
+            ))}
+          </ul>
+
+          <p className="help-footer">
+            Shortcuts work while a terminal is focused — they capture the key
+            before xterm.js sees it. They don't fire while you're typing into
+            a label edit or the palette input.
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/shortcuts.ts b/src/lib/shortcuts.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1543457
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/shortcuts.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+/**
+ * Single source of truth for the keyboard shortcuts and inline tips shown
+ * in the help overlay. README has a hand-maintained shortcut table that
+ * mirrors this — keep them in sync until/unless we generate one from the
+ * other.
+ */
+
+export interface ShortcutSpec {
+  /** Display string for the key combo, e.g. "Ctrl+Shift+E". */
+  keys: string;
+  description: string;
+}
+
+export interface ShortcutSection {
+  title: string;
+  items: ShortcutSpec[];
+}
+
+export const SHORTCUT_SECTIONS: ShortcutSection[] = [
+  {
+    title: "Layout",
+    items: [
+      { keys: "Ctrl+Shift+E", description: "Split active pane to the right" },
+      { keys: "Ctrl+Shift+O", description: "Split active pane downward" },
+      { keys: "Ctrl+Shift+W", description: "Close active pane" },
+      {
+        keys: "Ctrl+Shift+P",
+        description:
+          "Promote active pane out one level (turns a nested pane into a full row/column; self-inverse)",
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Navigation",
+    items: [
+      { keys: "Ctrl+K", description: "Open jump-to-pane palette" },
+      {
+        keys: "Ctrl+Shift+← / → / ↑ / ↓",
+        description: "Focus neighbour pane in that direction",
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Broadcast",
+    items: [
+      { keys: "Ctrl+Shift+B", description: "Toggle broadcast on active pane" },
+      {
+        keys: "Ctrl+Shift+Alt+B",
+        description: "Toggle broadcast on ALL panes (same as titlebar 📡)",
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Font size",
+    items: [
+      {
+        keys: "Ctrl+= / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0",
+        description: "Zoom active pane in / out / reset",
+      },
+      {
+        keys: "Ctrl+Shift+= / Ctrl+Shift+- / Ctrl+Shift+0",
+        description: "Same, applied to every pane",
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Terminal",
+    items: [
+      {
+        keys: "Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V",
+        description: "Copy selection / paste in terminal",
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Help",
+    items: [{ keys: "F1", description: "Show this help overlay" }],
+  },
+];
+
+export interface TipSpec {
+  title: string;
+  body: string;
+}
+
+export const TIPS: TipSpec[] = [
+  {
+    title: "Per-pane shell picker",
+    body: "Click the distro chip in any pane's toolbar to switch between WSL distros, PowerShell, or a saved SSH host. The pane respawns with the new shell.",
+  },
+  {
+    title: "SSH host manager",
+    body: "Titlebar 🔑 SSH hosts opens the manager. Add hostname / user / port / identity file / jump host / extra ssh args. Saved hosts appear in every pane's dropdown.",
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Saved passwords",
+    body: "Optionally save a host's password — stored in Windows Credential Manager (DPAPI-encrypted), never written to hosts.json. When ssh prompts on connect it's typed automatically. Hosts with a saved password show 🔒 in the list.",
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Clickable links",
+    body: "http and https URLs in terminal output get underlined and open in your default browser on click.",
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Drag pane headers to swap",
+    body: "Grab a pane's title bar and drag it onto another pane to swap their tree positions. Useful for reorganizing without keyboard.",
+  },
+  {
+    title: "Workspace persistence",
+    body: "Layout, labels, distro choices, and SSH hosts auto-save to %APPDATA%/com.megaproxy.tiletopia (debounced 500ms). Closed panes don't come back — only the structure is restored, shells spawn fresh on next launch.",
+  },
+];