check out QMK keyboard firmware at https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware
do whatever you want with layouts, macros and layers without any need for software or driver on the host machine
In The Workman Keyboard Layout Philosophy (2010)qmk
qmk_firmware
C2017–2026
qmk / qmk_firmware
qmk_firmware
Open-source keyboard firmware for Atmel AVR and Arm USB families
44Distinct people
56Mentions
3Explicit recommenders
20.8KGitHub stars
What to know before exploring
What it is
Open-source keyboard firmware for Atmel AVR and Arm USB families
GitHub
Where it is used
The source check is incomplete. Verified examples will appear here.
What people are saying
That thing looks totally awesome! I especially like the steps taken to integrate mouse control into the design. A centered, integrated pointing device makes all computer…
1MachineElf used a recommendation phrase. 3 indexed comments match. This is a phrase match, not a verdict.
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This week on Hacker News
Nov 8–Nov 15 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/15/2026, 4:00:59 PM UTC.
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HN mentions by year56 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2017-05-03 08:19:26 UTC to 2026-08-22 21:27:55 UTC.
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Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2024 | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 10 | 1 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 (partial) | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 12, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
Quantum Mechanical Keyboard Firmware
This is a keyboard firmware based on the tmk_keyboard firmware with some useful features for Atmel AVR and ARM controllers, and more specifically, the OLKB product line, the ErgoDox EZ keyboard, and the Clueboard product line.
Documentation
See the official documentation on docs.qmk.fm
The docs are powered by VitePress. They are also viewable offline; see Previewing the Documentation for more details.
You can request changes by making a fork and opening a pull request.
Supported Keyboards
Planck
Preonic
ErgoDox EZ
Clueboard
Cluepad
Atreus
The project also includes community support for lots of other keyboards.
Maintainers
QMK is developed and maintained by Jack Humbert of OLKB with contributions from the community, and of course, Hasu. The OLKB product firmwares are maintained by Jack Humbert, the Ergodox EZ by ZSA Technology Labs, the Clueboard by Zach White, and the Atreus by Phil Hagelberg.
Official Website
qmk.fm is the official website of QMK, where you can find links to this page, the documentation, and the keyboards supported by QMK.
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
7 sourcesBuilding your own keyboard is actually very easy. There is some open source firmware out there that can run an arduino pro-micro's (and teesy 2.x) and clones. (https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware)
Search above in another comment by me and find a few vendors for keyboard kits that run qmk firmware...
In Setting up a second keyboard for more shortcuts in EmacsA little more complicated, but a lot more versatile.
I had a similar issue, where I wanted a large amount of extra keys for macros/hotkeys. I bought a planck kit from olkb (https://olkb.com/planck/) (which is just one of many keyboard kits that will run the QMK firmware (https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware)) built it and rewrote the keymap to output my special keys.
Later I went on to wire up a couple simple industrial style footswitches to a cheapo arduino pro micro clone and put qmk on there.
A few other interesting and smaller keyboard kits can be found from vendors like https://www.1upkeyboards.com/ (the sweet16 macropad/keypad) and https://keeb.io (the chocopad or just half of any of their "ortholinear" split keyboard pcbs.
In Setting up a second keyboard for more shortcuts in EmacsQMK - open source firmware for keyboards. Allows to move around physical keys and add different actions for "hold", "tap" actions.
https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/tree/master/keyboards
In User banned from Das Keyboard forums for telling people of open-source drivers- If you use 'normal' layout then you can use any keyboard. But mechanical switches allow to build ANY layout you would like (see links)
- You can program most mechanical keyboards (https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware) and move any key whenever you like and use additional features like assigning different actions on key 'tap' and 'hold'
- You can customize keycaps
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/KBDfans-Free-shipping-Ergodo...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/KBDfans-Free-shipping-Ergodo...
In Why I use the IBM Model M keyboard that is older than meso while it's not exactly the all in one service you describe, you can do something similar already:
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
to design your layout, then
http://builder.swillkb.com/
to design a layer case, files go to a laser cutting service,
then you would need a controller of some sort (commonly something like a https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/), switches, diodes, usb ports, etc.
then hand wire everything together.
tmk/qmk is more or less a defacto standard in custom keyboard firmware:
https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware
here are some examples of people generating firmware with webtools, I don't know what they use on the backend.
https://www.massdrop.com/configurator/ergodox
http://qmk.thevankeyboards.com/
In Matias Click Switches: Tactile mechanical keyswitches