diff --git a/config/copernicus.nix b/config/copernicus.nix
index 73e751a..22f9dac 100644
--- a/config/copernicus.nix
+++ b/config/copernicus.nix
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@
         ${pkgs.coreutils}/bin/ln -sf $config_prefix/sxhkd/sxhkdrc /home/usr/.config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc
         ${pkgs.coreutils}/bin/ln -sf $config_prefix/sxhkd/mouse /home/usr/.config/sxhkd/mouse
         ${pkgs.coreutils}/bin/ln -sf $config_prefix/sxhkd/nodemanip /home/usr/.config/sxhkd/nodemanip
+        ${pkgs.coreutils}/bin/ln -sf $config_prefix/sxhkd/vnc /home/usr/.config/sxhkd/vnc
 
         mkdir -p /home/usr/.config/todoman
         ${pkgs.coreutils}/bin/ln -sf $config_prefix/todoman/config.py /home/usr/.config/todoman/config.py
diff --git a/config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc b/config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc
index 11e0bcb..9aac2f9 100644
--- a/config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc
+++ b/config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ ctrl + b; {t,f,s}
 shift + Insert
 	dmenu-special
 
+# switch to vnc passthrough mode
+super + v
+	sxhkd-mode vnc
+
 # phone specific -- send the escape key since we can't use it
 ctrl + b; [
 	xdotool key Escape
diff --git a/config/sxhkd/vnc b/config/sxhkd/vnc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7eca89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/sxhkd/vnc
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# allow us to transmit meta commands over vnc
+super + v
+	sxhkd-mode sxhkdrc