houmain

keymapper

C++2022–2026

houmain / keymapper

keymapper

A cross-platform context-aware key remapper.

Productivity Systems & Infrastructure Automation & Workflows

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6Distinct people

9Mentions

1Explicit recommenders

1.2KGitHub stars

REPOSITORY AT A GLANCE

What to know before exploring

What it is

A cross-platform context-aware key remapper.

GitHub

Where it is used

No documented product use has been verified yet.

What people are saying

My JIS bottom row is currently: <Meta> <Super> <Alt> <Control> <Space> <Control> <Alt> <Super> <Compose/Meta> <Greek> I have left Control mapped to Meta, {,Mu}Henkan mapped to…

MarsIronPI used a recommendation phrase. One indexed comment matches. This is a phrase match, not a verdict.

No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.

Also in these discussions

No other repository is repeatedly linked in the same discussions.

This week on Hacker News

Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 12:54:37 PM UTC.

No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.

Mentions over time

HN mentions by year9 dated mentions

Observed mentions: 2022-04-30 00:00:40 UTC to 2026-06-13 19:58:54 UTC.

* An incomplete calendar period is marked with an outlined bar. Its count is not directly comparable with a full period.

Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.

View mention counts and date ranges

UTC ranges include their start and exclude their end. Select a period to filter the source evidence.
Period	Start (UTC)	End (exclusive, UTC)	Mentions	Submissions	Comments
2022	2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	1	0	1
2023	2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	1	0	1
2024	2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	1	0	1
2025	2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	3	1	2
2026 (partial)	2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC	3	0	3

What Hacker News says

9 sources

KetoManx64·Jun 13, 2026

I use https://github.com/houmain/keymapper to achieve the same thing, Meta + W: open or switch through existing Firefox windows, Meta + Z: open or switch through existing Terminal Windows, etc. It works on Wayland from my understanding, but I'm using X11 as my daily driver.

In A key remapping daemon for Linux

ristomatti·May 24, 2026

I'd be surprised if someone hasn't already solved this. I'm not an Emacs user myself but try searching for something like "seamless <tiling_system> <tiling_app> navigation site:github.com". I've seen several scripts/plugins to setup seamless navigation between i3/tmux, tmux/Vim, i3/tmux/NeoVim, i3/Zellij etc. Recently I hacked together a Bash script for seamless navigation between i3 windows/tabs and Kitty windows/tabs using i3-msg, xdotool, jq, kitty's remote control sockets. Now if I only figured out how to add Helix windows into the mix... Sometimes thinking outside the box helps. I've been able to unify a lot of keybindings by using a context aware remapping tool such as Keymapper (https://github.com/houmain/keymapper.

In My I3-Emacs Integration

MarsIronPI·May 4, 2026Recommendation phrase

My JIS bottom row is currently: <Meta> <Super> <Alt> <Control> <Space> <Control> <Alt> <Super> <Compose/Meta> <Greek> I have left Control mapped to Meta, {,Mu}Henkan mapped to Control, Kana to right Alt, right Alt to Super, Menu to Compose/Meta (tap/hold) and right Control mapped to Greek. I use keymapper[0] to do low-level remapping and tap/hold, and a custom XKB layout for the Greek modifier. I highly recommend this setup. [0]: https://github.com/houmain/keymapper

In Why TUIs are back

ristomatti·Feb 9, 2025

AFAIK https://github.com/houmain/keymapper should support this on MacOS even though it also makes use of the Karabiner virtual device lib (referring to a sibling comment). I suggest giving both a try!

In Kanata: Cross-platform multi-layer keyboard remapper with advanced customization

ristomatti·Feb 9, 2025

I'd also recommend checking out https://github.com/houmain/keymapper if you're interested in context aware remaps (based on OS, application, device). It's cross-platform as well. Keymapper was posted here ~10 days ago https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42871040, but the link received relatively little attention, so I assume it might have been missed by many. Disclaimer: I'm active on the issue threads and a big fan. :)

In Kanata: Cross-platform multi-layer keyboard remapper with advanced customization

todsacerdoti·Jan 29, 2025Submission

Keymapper: A cross-platform context-aware key remapper

96 points · Open discussion

KetoManx64·Dec 29, 2024

Check out keymapper, it let's you rebind keys and intercepts keystrokes before the application receives them: https://github.com/houmain/keymapper

In Guide to mechanical keyboards

sph·Jun 3, 2023

See also: keymapper (for Windows and Linux) https://github.com/houmain/keymapper

In Keyd: Linux Key Remapper

hushpuppy·Apr 30, 2022

This is true. Apple still is more sophisticated in the desktop scripting department. Applescript support in most applications and the ability to tie that into actions is seriously powerful stuff. Gnome wins in the ability to use javascript to customize window handling, but it isn't really able to script application actions like you can in OS X. It is improving though. If you can use keyboard to navigate the functions you want in applications you can automate it with software like keymapper. https://github.com/houmain/keymapper There are other similar software available. Probably a half a dozen serious projects in total. Keymapper is software that intercepts input from your keyboard and allows you to 'remap' it. It operates on the libinput level of things, so it works regardless of environment or if you are in the console. It does require

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elevated privileges, though. This, when combined with Gnome-shell extension and user keymapperd daemon can provide application-specific contexts for keyboard combos. The extension monitors for switching applications and gives keymapper the ability to be context-aware. This is how I "solved" the copy past nightmare for myself in Linux. This way no matter if I am in a browser, terminal, or Emacs I have consistent copy-paste keys. (super-c, super-v). Makes things easier. This isn't even remotely on the same level as applescript, but at least it is something. You have to understand low-level Linux keyboard stuff, which is still a mess. Versus being able to simply record yourself using applescript. Gnome certainly is a very relaxing environment once you get used to it. Much less frantic or distraction filled compared to Windows or OS X. I like it.

In PipeWire: Bluetooth Support Status Update