ControllerKeys for macOS

A native macOS application that maps Xbox and DualSense controller inputs to keyboard shortcuts, mouse movements, and scroll, magnify, pan actions. Features an on-screen keyboard and full DualSense touchpad support.

Website & Documentation | Download

I created this app because I wanted to vibe code with an Xbox controller and use all my regular shortcuts.

I found other existing apps to be lacking or not configurable enough.

With the rise of whisper-driven voice transcription, just hook up any button to your favorite voice transcription program (mine is the open-source VoiceInk) and you now have full typing abilities with only the controller.

Later on, I realized a PS5 Dualsense controller that has a built in touchpad to control the mouse is an excellent solution for this kind of program. As of v1.1.0, there is now full support for Dualsense controllers in addition to Xbox Series X|S controllers.

Why This App?

There are other controller mapping apps for macOS, but none offered everything I needed:

Feature	ControllerKeys	Joystick Mapper	Enjoyable	Controlly
DualSense touchpad support	✅	❌	❌	❌
Multi-touch gestures	✅	❌	❌	❌
Chord mappings (button combos)	✅	❌	❌	✅
Layers (alternate mapping sets)	✅	❌	❌	❌
Macros & system commands	✅	❌	❌	❌
On-screen keyboard	✅	❌	❌	❌
Command wheel (radial menu)	✅	❌	❌	❌
Quick text/commands	✅	❌	❌	❌
Community profiles	✅	❌	❌	❌
App-specific auto-switching	✅	❌	❌	❌
DualSense Edge (Pro) support	✅	❌	❌	❌
DualSense LED customization	✅	❌	❌	❌
DualSense microphone support	✅	❌	❌	❌
Third-party controllers (~313)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Native Apple Silicon	✅	❌	❌	✅
Actively maintained (2026)	✅	❌	❌	✅
Open source	✅	❌	✅	❌

Joystick Mapper is a paid app that hasn't been updated in years and lacks modern controller support. Enjoyable is open source but abandoned since 2014 with no DualSense support. Controlly is a solid newer app but doesn't support DualSense touchpad gestures, on-screen keyboard, or quick commands. Steam's controller mapping only works within Steam games, not system-wide.

ControllerKeys is the only option with full DualSense touchpad support, making it ideal for vibe coding and couch computing where precise mouse control matters.

Features

• Button Mapping: Map any Xbox/DualSense controller button to keyboard shortcuts

  • Modifier-only mappings (⌘, ⌥, ⇧, ⌃)
  • Key-only mappings
  • Modifier + Key combinations
  • Long-hold for alternate actions
  • Double-tap for additional actions
  • Chording (multiple buttons → single action)
  • Custom hints to label your mappings

• Layers: Create alternate button mapping sets activated by holding a designated button

  • Up to 3 layers total (base + 2 additional)
  • Momentary activation while holding the activator button
  • Fallthrough behavior for unmapped buttons
  • Name your layers (e.g., "Combat Mode", "Navigation")

• Macros: Multi-step action sequences

  • Key Press, Type Text, Delay, and Paste steps
  • Configurable typing speed
  • Assignable to buttons, chords, long-hold, and double-tap

• System Commands: Automate actions beyond key presses

  • Launch App: Open any application
  • Shell Command: Run terminal commands silently or in a terminal window
  • Open Link: Open URLs in your default browser

• Joystick Control:

  • Left joystick → Mouse movement (or WASD keys)
  • Right joystick → Scrolling (or Arrow keys)
  • Configurable sensitivity and deadzone
  • Hold modifier (RT by default) for precise mouse movement with cursor highlight
  • Disable option to turn off stick input entirely

• Touchpad Control: Use the touchpad from a DualSense controller with taps and multitouch gestures

  • Single-finger tap or click → Left click
  • Two-finger tap or click → Right click
  • Two finger swipe → Scrolling
  • Two finger pinch → Zoom in/out

• On-Screen Keyboard, Commands, and Apps: Use the on-screen keyboard widget to quickly select apps, commands, or keyboard keys

  • Use the controller without a keyboard with the on-screen keyboard
  • D-pad navigation with floating highlight
  • Easily enter configurable text strings and commands in Terminal with a single click
  • Use built-in variables to customize text output
  • Show and hide apps in customizable app bar
  • Website links with favicons
  • Media key controls (playback, volume, brightness)
  • Global keyboard shortcut to toggle visibility

• Command Wheel: GTA 5-inspired radial menu for quick app/website switching

  • Navigate with right stick, release to activate
  • Haptic feedback during navigation
  • Modifier key to toggle between apps and websites
  • Force quit and new window actions at full stick deflection

• Cursor Hints: Visual feedback showing executed actions above the cursor

  • Shows action name or macro name when buttons are pressed
  • Badges for double-tap (2×), long-press (⏱), and chord (⌘) actions
  • Held modifier feedback with purple "hold" badge

• Profile System: Create and switch between multiple mapping profiles

  • Community profiles: Browse and import pre-made profiles
  • App-specific auto-switching: Link profiles to applications
  • Custom profile icons

• Visual Interface: Interactive controller-shaped UI for easy configuration

  • Auto-scaling UI based on window size
  • Button mapping swap to quickly exchange mappings between two buttons

• DualSense Support: Full PlayStation 5 DualSense controller support

  • Full touchpad support with multi-touch gestures
  • Multi-touch gesture support
  • Customizable LED colors in USB connection mode
  • DualSense built-in microphone support in USB connection mode
  • Microphone mute button mapping
  • Battery notifications at low (20%), critical (10%), and fully charged (100%)

• DualSense Edge (Pro) Support: Full support for Edge-specific controls

  • Function buttons and paddles
  • Edge buttons available as layer activators

• Third-Party Controller Support: ~313 controllers supported via SDL database

  • 8BitDo, Logitech, PowerA, Hori, and more
  • No manual configuration needed

More Screenshots

Xbox Series X|S

Chord Mappings

Joystick Settings

On Screen Keyboard Widget

On-Screen Keyboard

DualSense (PS5)

Button Mappings

Chord Mappings

Joystick Settings

On Screen Keyboard Widget

Touchpad Settings

Multi-touch Touchpad

LED Customization

Microphone Settings

On-Screen Keyboard

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 or later
• Xbox Series X|S, DualSense, DualSense Edge, or compatible third-party controller
• Accessibility permissions (for input simulation)
• Automation permissions (for launching Terminal app with commands)

Installation

Download ControllerKeys - Get the latest signed and notarized build.

1. Purchase and download the DMG from Gumroad
2. Open the DMG and drag the app to /Applications
3. Launch and grant Accessibility permissions when prompted
4. Automation permissions will be requested when using terminal commands from the on-screen keyboard

The app is signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, so it will run without Gatekeeper warnings.

Trust & Transparency

This app requires Accessibility permissions to simulate keyboard and mouse input. We understand this is a sensitive permission, which is why this project is fully open source.

Why this app is safe:

• Open Source: The complete source code is available for audit. You can verify exactly what the app does with your input data.

• No Network Access: The app does not connect to the internet. Your data cannot be sent anywhere.

• No Data Collection: The app does not log, store, or transmit any input data. Controller inputs are translated to keyboard/mouse events in real-time and immediately discarded.

• Signed & Notarized: Releases are signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, ensuring the binary matches the source code and hasn't been tampered with.

What the Accessibility permission is used for:

• Simulating keyboard key presses (when you press controller buttons)
• Simulating mouse movement (when you move the left joystick)
• Simulating scroll wheel events (when you move the right joystick)

The app uses Apple's CGEvent API to generate these input events. This is the same API used by accessibility tools, automation software, and other input remapping utilities.

Project Structure

XboxControllerMapper/
├── XboxControllerMapperApp.swift      # App entry point
├── Info.plist                          # App configuration
├── XboxControllerMapper.entitlements   # Sandbox/permissions
│
├── Models/
│   ├── ControllerButton.swift          # Xbox button enum
│   ├── KeyMapping.swift                # Mapping configuration
│   ├── Profile.swift                   # Profile with overrides
│   ├── ChordMapping.swift              # Multi-button chords
│   └── JoystickSettings.swift          # Joystick configuration
│
├── Services/
│   ├── ControllerService.swift         # Controller connection
│   ├── InputSimulator.swift            # Key/mouse simulation
│   ├── ProfileManager.swift            # Profile persistence
│   ├── AppMonitor.swift                # Frontmost app detection
│   └── MappingEngine.swift             # Mapping coordination
│
├── Views/
│   ├── MainWindow/
│   │   ├── ContentView.swift           # Main window
│   │   ├── ControllerVisualView.swift  # Controller visualization
│   │   └── ButtonMappingSheet.swift    # Button configuration
│   ├── MenuBar/
│   │   └── MenuBarView.swift           # Menu bar popover
│   └── Components/
│       └── KeyCaptureField.swift       # Shortcut capture
│
└── Utilities/
    └── KeyCodeMapping.swift            # Key code constants

Default Mappings

Button	Default Action
A	Return/Enter
B	Escape
X	Space
Y	Tab
LB	⌘ (hold)
RB	⌥ (hold)
LT	⇧ (hold)
RT	⌃ (hold)
D-pad	Arrow keys
Menu	⌘ + Tab
View	Mission Control
Xbox	Launchpad
L-Stick Click	Left Click
R-Stick Click	Right Click
Left Joystick	Mouse
Right Joystick	Scroll

Usage

1. Connect your Xbox or DualSense controller via Bluetooth (System Settings → Bluetooth)
2. Launch ControllerKeys
3. Grant Accessibility permissions when prompted
4. Click any button on the controller visualization to configure its mapping
5. Use the menu bar icon for quick access to enable/disable and profile switching

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you'd like to contribute code:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly with both Xbox and DualSense controllers if possible and applicable
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

Please ensure your code follows the existing style and includes appropriate comments for complex logic.

Feature Requests

Have an idea for a new feature? I'd love to hear it!

• Open an issue on GitHub with the feature request label
• Describe the feature and the problem it solves
• Include any mockups or examples if applicable

Popular requests are more likely to be implemented. Feel free to upvote existing feature requests that you'd find useful.

Issues & Bug Reports

Found a bug? Please help by reporting it:

1. Check existing issues to avoid duplicates
2. Open a new issue with:
   • macOS version
   • Controller model (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, DualSense, etc.)
   • Connection method (Bluetooth or USB)
   • Steps to reproduce the issue
   • Expected vs actual behavior
   • Screenshots if applicable

The more detail you provide, the easier it is to diagnose and fix the issue.

License

Source Available - See LICENSE for details.

The source code is open for transparency and security auditing. Official binaries are available for purchase on Gumroad.

Star History