Keybored

Keybored lets you bind system-wide hotkeys to anything. Control Spotify, launch apps, run scripts, or toggle system settings, all executed instantly in the background.

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Installation

You can install Keybored using Homebrew:

brew tap ronykax/apps
brew install --cask keybored

Tip

When installed via Homebrew, quarantine removal is handled automatically. If installing manually, you can bypass the Gatekeeper block by running:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Keybored.app

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Getting Started

1. Create your Configuration File

Keybored automatically creates a ~/keybored.json file on first launch. If you'd prefer to set it up manually beforehand, you can create it yourself:

touch ~/keybored.json

(Alternatively, click the folder icon in the main window to show the file directly in Finder.

2. Configure Your Hotkeys

Add your shortcut mappings in the following JSON array format:

[
  {
    "modifiers": ["cmd", "shift", "ctrl", "opt"],
    "key": "space",
    "binary": "/usr/bin/osascript",
    "arguments": ["-e", "tell application \"Spotify\" to playpause"]
  }
]

3. Reload Your Configuration

Whenever you make changes to ~/keybored.json, you need to reload the configurations in Keybored:

• Menu Bar Icon: Click on the Keybored menu bar icon and select Reload.
• Main Window: Open the window and click the Reload button.

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Hyper Key

For conflict-free hotkeys, Keybored includes an optional Hyper Key feature which turns

Holding Caps Lock acts as if Control + Option + Command + Shift are all pressed together.

Enabling the Hyper Key

1. Open the Keybored window.
2. Under the Hyper Key section, toggle Remap Caps Lock on.
3. In your ~/keybored.json, set your shortcut modifier list to use all four modifiers:

   "modifiers": ["cmd", "shift", "ctrl", "opt"]

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Configuration Reference

Key	Type	Description
modifiers	string[]	Modifier keys that trigger the action: "cmd", "shift", "ctrl", "opt"
key	string	The key to press (case-insensitive). See supported keys below.
binary	string	Absolute path to the executable, e.g. "/usr/bin/osascript"
arguments	string[]	Arguments passed to the executable, e.g. ["-e", "tell application..."]

Supported Keys

• Special: "space", "return", "tab", "escape", "delete", "fwddelete", "home", "end", "pageup", "pagedown"
• Arrow: "left", "right", "up", "down"
• Function: "f1" through "f12"
• Alphanumeric: "a" to "z", "0" to "9"
• Symbols: "-", "=", "[", "]", ";", "'" (quote), ",", ".", "/", "\\" (backslash), "`" (backtick)