asmvik/skhd
Skhd
skhd is a hotkey daemon and keyboard remapper for macOS. It operates as a background service that maps custom keyboard shortcuts to shell commands, scripts, and system actions.
The utility features application-aware shortcut management, allowing the same hotkey to execute different commands depending on which application is focused. It also includes an input mode manager to define distinct operational modes that change how keys behave based on the active state.
The system supports contextual routing through application-specific shortcuts and event exclusions to preserve native app behavior. Users can organize these mappings using modular text-based configuration files and utilize a built-in tool to identify live keycodes and modifiers for accurate mapping.
Features
- Global Keyboard Shortcuts - Provides system-wide hotkeys to trigger shell commands, scripts, and system actions on macOS.
- Hotkey Daemons - Operates as a background daemon that intercepts keyboard input to execute custom system commands and scripts.
- Scope Configurations - Provides a system to restrict or allow hotkey activation based on the active application or defined operational modes.
- Shell Command Execution - Spawns system processes to execute shell commands or scripts triggered by keyboard shortcuts.
- Application Focus Filtering - Implements logic to enable or disable hotkeys based on the currently focused macOS application.
- Application-Specific Hotkeys - Enables the definition of keyboard shortcuts that only trigger when a specific application is focused.
- Input Event Interception - Uses system-level event taps to capture raw keyboard signals before they reach the active application.
- Input Remappers - Maps keyboard combinations to system actions and application-specific commands on macOS.
- Keyboard Input Modes - Features an input mode manager to define distinct operational modes that change how keyboard input is interpreted.
- Background Daemons - Operates as a persistent background daemon that monitors input events and manages triggered shell commands.
- Configuration-Based Mappings - Implements a system for triggering actions or external commands via key combinations defined in modular configuration files.
- Event Debugging Tools - Provides a tool to identify live keycodes and modifiers for precise shortcut definition.
- Keycode Identification Tools - Includes a built-in tool to identify live keycodes and modifiers for accurate mapping definitions.
- Workflow Automations - Automates repetitive system tasks by mapping key combinations to external scripts and commands.
- Configuration File Parsers - Parses plain-text configuration files to map key combinations to system actions.
- Productivity Tools - Listed in the “Productivity Tools” section of the Awesome Mac awesome list.
