Keyhac 2

Python-scriptable keyboard customization for Windows and macOS.

Keyhac installs a system-wide keyboard hook and lets you script what your keys do in Python. You write one file, ~/.keyhac/config.py, and it runs unchanged on both OSes — remapping keys, binding keys to Python functions, and driving windows, applications and the clipboard from the keyboard.

Keyhac 2 replaces the two previous-generation products, Keyhac for Windows (1.x) and Keyhac for macOS (1.x), rebuilt as one shared codebase. Those older versions are no longer developed — if you are coming from one of them, see the migration guides in Documentation below. Keyhac 2's UI is built on PuiKit.

Features

• Key remapping: key → key, key → key sequence, key → Python function.
• Per-application key tables: match by app name, window title, Win32 window class, or the full accessibility focus path (AX on macOS, UI Automation on Windows) — down to "only in this app's text editor pane".
• User modifiers: turn any key into a modifier of your own (User0–User3), invisible to applications.
• One-shot modifiers: tap a modifier alone for one action, hold it to modify.
• Multi-stroke key tables: Emacs-style prefix keys, with a balloon showing the armed prefix.
• Clipboard history: persistent history in a popup chooser — type to filter, Enter pastes into the app you came from. Plus fixed snippets and scriptable clipboard-transform tools.
• Window control: move, snap/tile, minimize, activate and launch applications, multi-monitor aware.
• Keyboard macros: record and replay keys.
• Mouse output: send clicks, wheel scrolls and pointer moves from key bindings.
• Console window: live log, last-key and focus-path inspector — see exactly what to bind. Runs from the system tray (Windows) / menu-bar extra (macOS).

Screenshots

Console (macOS)	Console (Windows)

Menu-bar extra (macOS)	Task tray (Windows)

Install

• macOS 15+ — download Keyhac-<version>-macos.dmg from Releases: drag Keyhac.app into Applications and launch it. Grant the Accessibility permission when prompted (required for the keyboard hook).
• Windows 10/11 (x64) — install from the Microsoft Store (or winget install --id 9P8H1PG6PRHH --source msstore) — automatic updates, no SmartScreen warning. Alternatively, download Keyhac-<version>-win64.zip from Releases, unzip anywhere and run Keyhac.exe.

Details, data locations and privacy notes: doc/installation.md.

Quick start

On first run Keyhac creates ~/.keyhac/config.py from a fully commented template. Open it from the tray / menu-bar icon ("Edit Config"), edit, then "Reload Config". A config defines one function:

from keyhac import *

def configure(keymap):
    kt = keymap.define_keytable(focus_path_pattern="*")   # active everywhere

    kt["Fn-J"] = "Left"                        # key -> key
    kt["Fn-A"] = "Home", "Shift-End"           # key -> sequence

    def hello():                               # key -> Python function
        print("Hello from config.py")
    kt["Fn-H"] = hello

    kt["Fn-V"] = ShowClipboardHistory()        # clipboard history popup

    kt_browser = keymap.define_keytable(app="chrome|Safari")   # per-app table
    kt_browser["Fn-R"] = "Cmd-R"

The full guide is doc/configuration.md, the per-symbol reference doc/config-api.md; the shipped template (keyhac/_config.py) is a working tour of every feature.

Documentation

• Installation — install, permissions, data files, privacy.
• Configuration — the complete config.py guide.
• API reference — every class and function a config.py can reach, with its exact arguments.
• Migrating from Keyhac for macOS — mostly drop-in.
• Migrating from Keyhac for Windows — API renamed; translation table.
• Legacy products (no longer developed, kept for reference): Keyhac for Windows 1.x, Keyhac for macOS 1.x.
• Developer documentation — architecture, platform layer, packaging, testing. Project guide for coding agents: CLAUDE.md.

Running from source

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install -e ".[dev]"
.venv/bin/python -m pytest          # engine + unit tests, no permissions needed
.venv/bin/python -m keyhac          # run (macOS: needs Accessibility permission)

python -m keyhac -d enables debug logging, --no-ui runs headless (hook + engine only), --config PATH uses an alternate config file (its data files live beside it).

Contact & Support

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
• PyPI: pypi.org/project/keyhac — released versions
• Author's X (Twitter): @crftwr

License

MIT — see LICENSE.