diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 4011439bf..598b00ff8 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.11
 	github.com/integrii/flaggy v1.4.0
 	github.com/jesseduffield/go-git/v5 v5.1.2-0.20201006095850-341962be15a4
-	github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402033412-1238f910f001
+	github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402040718-77a1b9631715
 	github.com/jesseduffield/termbox-go v0.0.0-20200823212418-a2289ed6aafe // indirect
 	github.com/jesseduffield/yaml v2.1.0+incompatible
 	github.com/kardianos/osext v0.0.0-20190222173326-2bc1f35cddc0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index e9a22851d..ecc1941fa 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210329131148-bcc4dcd991ff h1:fTt3EzLtp
 github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210329131148-bcc4dcd991ff/go.mod h1:QWq79xplEoyhQO+dgpk3sojjTVRKjQklyTlzm5nC5Kg=
 github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402033412-1238f910f001 h1:1WH+lTSK5YMr8emISHPA+VqYDDcLei6djuSxBCLIaiI=
 github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402033412-1238f910f001/go.mod h1:QWq79xplEoyhQO+dgpk3sojjTVRKjQklyTlzm5nC5Kg=
+github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402040718-77a1b9631715 h1:nELTdFJiZk3vv7j8nWoHvl7H2IqTr26EHKl6LaorRA8=
+github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402040718-77a1b9631715/go.mod h1:QWq79xplEoyhQO+dgpk3sojjTVRKjQklyTlzm5nC5Kg=
 github.com/jesseduffield/termbox-go v0.0.0-20200823212418-a2289ed6aafe h1:qsVhCf2RFyyKIUe/+gJblbCpXMUki9rZrHuEctg6M/E=
 github.com/jesseduffield/termbox-go v0.0.0-20200823212418-a2289ed6aafe/go.mod h1:anMibpZtqNxjDbxrcDEAwSdaJ37vyUeM1f/M4uekib4=
 github.com/jesseduffield/yaml v2.1.0+incompatible h1:HWQJ1gIv2zHKbDYNp0Jwjlj24K8aqpFHnMCynY1EpmE=
diff --git a/pkg/config/user_config.go b/pkg/config/user_config.go
index 73b19cc3b..b9221c01b 100644
--- a/pkg/config/user_config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/user_config.go
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ func GetDefaultConfig() *UserConfig {
 				DiffingMenuAlt:               "<c-e>",
 				CopyToClipboard:              "<c-o>",
 				SubmitEditorText:             "<enter>",
-				AppendNewline:                "<tab>",
+				AppendNewline:                "<a-enter>",
 			},
 			Status: KeybindingStatusConfig{
 				CheckForUpdate:      "u",
diff --git a/pkg/gui/editors.go b/pkg/gui/editors.go
index 0cddd1385..7d3054cd0 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/editors.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/editors.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import (
 func (gui *Gui) commitMessageEditor(v *gocui.View, key gocui.Key, ch rune, mod gocui.Modifier) bool {
 	newlineKey, ok := gui.getKey(gui.Config.GetUserConfig().Keybinding.Universal.AppendNewline).(gocui.Key)
 	if !ok {
-		newlineKey = gocui.KeyTab
+		newlineKey = gocui.KeyAltEnter
 	}
 
 	matched := true
diff --git a/pkg/gui/keybindings.go b/pkg/gui/keybindings.go
index 272d63a88..41c61e07f 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/keybindings.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/keybindings.go
@@ -53,8 +53,9 @@ var keyMapReversed = map[gocui.Key]string{
 	gocui.KeyArrowDown:  "▼",
 	gocui.KeyArrowLeft:  "◄",
 	gocui.KeyArrowRight: "►",
-	gocui.KeyTab:        "tab",        // ctrl+i
-	gocui.KeyEnter:      "enter",      // ctrl+m
+	gocui.KeyTab:        "tab",   // ctrl+i
+	gocui.KeyEnter:      "enter", // ctrl+m
+	gocui.KeyAltEnter:   "alt+enter",
 	gocui.KeyEsc:        "esc",        // ctrl+[, ctrl+3
 	gocui.KeyBackspace:  "backspace",  // ctrl+h
 	gocui.KeyCtrlSpace:  "ctrl+space", // ctrl+~, ctrl+2
@@ -133,6 +134,7 @@ var keymap = map[string]interface{}{
 	"<backspace>": gocui.KeyBackspace,
 	"<tab>":       gocui.KeyTab,
 	"<enter>":     gocui.KeyEnter,
+	"<a-enter>":   gocui.KeyAltEnter,
 	"<esc>":       gocui.KeyEsc,
 	"<space>":     gocui.KeySpace,
 	"<f1>":        gocui.KeyF1,
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/edit.go b/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/edit.go
index f5844da47..f30d4bf0d 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/edit.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/edit.go
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 package gocui
 
 import (
+	"unicode"
+
 	"github.com/go-errors/errors"
 
 	"github.com/mattn/go-runewidth"
@@ -53,12 +55,8 @@ func simpleEditor(v *View, key Key, ch rune, mod Modifier) bool {
 		v.MoveCursor(-1, 0, false)
 	case key == KeyArrowRight:
 		v.MoveCursor(1, 0, false)
-	case key == KeyTab:
+	case key == KeyEnter:
 		v.EditNewLine()
-	case key == KeySpace:
-		v.EditWrite(' ')
-	case key == KeyInsert:
-		v.Overwrite = !v.Overwrite
 	case key == KeyCtrlU:
 		v.EditDeleteToStartOfLine()
 	case key == KeyCtrlA:
@@ -66,12 +64,12 @@ func simpleEditor(v *View, key Key, ch rune, mod Modifier) bool {
 	case key == KeyCtrlE:
 		v.EditGotoToEndOfLine()
 		matched = true
+
+	// TODO: see if we need all three of these conditions: maybe the final one is sufficient
+	case ch != 0 && mod == 0 && unicode.IsPrint(ch):
+		v.EditWrite(ch)
 	default:
-		if ch != 0 && mod == 0 {
-			v.EditWrite(ch)
-		} else {
-			matched = false
-		}
+		matched = false
 	}
 
 	return matched
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/keybinding.go b/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/keybinding.go
index 813ebae70..95857656e 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/keybinding.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/keybinding.go
@@ -297,7 +297,8 @@ const (
 	// In tcell, these are not keys per se. But in gocui we have them
 	// mapped to the keys so we have to use placeholder keys.
 
-	MouseLeft         = Key(tcell.KeyF63) // arbitrary assignments
+	KeyAltEnter       = Key(tcell.KeyF64) // arbitrary assignments
+	MouseLeft         = Key(tcell.KeyF63)
 	MouseRight        = Key(tcell.KeyF62)
 	MouseMiddle       = Key(tcell.KeyF61)
 	MouseRelease      = Key(tcell.KeyF60)
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/tcell_driver.go b/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/tcell_driver.go
index a7faed903..1bc4c1217 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/tcell_driver.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/jesseduffield/gocui/tcell_driver.go
@@ -151,7 +151,14 @@ func pollEvent() GocuiEvent {
 			// - shift - will be translated to the final code of rune
 			// - ctrl  - is translated in the key
 			mod = 0
+		} else if mod == tcell.ModAlt && k == tcell.KeyEnter {
+			// for the sake of convenience I'm having a KeyAltEnter key. I will likely
+			// regret this laziness in the future. We're arbitrarily mapping that to tcell's
+			// KeyF64.
+			mod = 0
+			k = tcell.KeyF64
 		}
+
 		return GocuiEvent{
 			Type: eventKey,
 			Key:  Key(k),
diff --git a/vendor/modules.txt b/vendor/modules.txt
index 23dfa0005..6bfcac748 100644
--- a/vendor/modules.txt
+++ b/vendor/modules.txt
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ github.com/jesseduffield/go-git/v5/utils/merkletrie/filesystem
 github.com/jesseduffield/go-git/v5/utils/merkletrie/index
 github.com/jesseduffield/go-git/v5/utils/merkletrie/internal/frame
 github.com/jesseduffield/go-git/v5/utils/merkletrie/noder
-# github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402033412-1238f910f001
+# github.com/jesseduffield/gocui v0.3.1-0.20210402040718-77a1b9631715
 ## explicit
 github.com/jesseduffield/gocui
 # github.com/jesseduffield/termbox-go v0.0.0-20200823212418-a2289ed6aafe