New Version 0.1.0 is out. Free and open source.

Turn your iPhone, iPad or Android phone into a trackpad, keyboard and button deck for your Mac. No app to install on the phone. No account. Nothing leaves your network.

Download for Mac
  • macOS 15+ on Apple silicon
  • iPhone, iPad and Android
  • Free, open source
9:41
MacBook Pro 4 ms

One finger points · Tap to click
Two fingers scroll · Two-finger tap right‑clicks

Live demo Drag on the phone’s trackpad. Tap to click. Scroll with two fingers, the side rail or your mouse wheel. Hold, then drag a window.

An interactive demo of CmdPalm. The phone on the left controls the simulated Mac on the right, with trackpad, keyboard, deck, apps and media tabs, just like the real app.

Trackpad Keyboard Custom keys Deck App launcher Media Voice typing Any browser
Tap to clickTwo-finger scrollPinch to zoomMission Control⌘ ⇧ 4Sticky modifiersWASDGo livePlay / pauseSpotlightMulti-step sequencesJust talkNo app to install
The launch film

86 seconds. Every mode.

Muted preview

Stop walking back to your desk. Your phone is already in your hand. Now it’s the trackpad, the keyboard, the remote and the button deck for your Mac.

Six modes, one phone

Everything your Mac needs. Right in your hand.

Five tabs on your phone, each one built for a different way of using your Mac. Switch between them with your thumb, and your Mac reacts instantly.

01 Trackpad

A trackpad that feels real.

Tap to click, drag, two-finger scrolling with real momentum, pinch to zoom, and three- and four-finger gestures you can assign. The pointer glides smoothly even on busy Wi-Fi.

  • Tap, hold and drag, just like glass
  • Two-finger scroll with momentum
  • Pinch to zoom anywhere
  • Mission Control, Spaces, Desktop
Gesture cheat sheet Every gesture can be changed in the phone’s settings.
Click Tap
Right-click Two-finger tap
Drag Hold, then move
Scroll Two-finger move
Zoom Pinch
Mission Control Three-finger swipe up
Switch Spaces Three-finger swipe sideways
Middle click Three-finger tap
Launchpad Four-finger swipe up
Show Desktop Four-finger swipe down
02 Keyboard

Your Mac’s keyboard. Every shortcut, intact.

It shows your Mac’s own layout, with sticky modifiers, function and media keys. Shortcuts arrive intact even on shaky Wi-Fi, and you can hold several keys at once for any combination.

  • Tap a modifier for the next key, double-tap to lock
  • Function, media and arrow keys
  • Follows your Mac’s input source
  • One button releases every held key
⌘ + ⇧ + 4 Screenshot, sent intact
03 Custom keyboards

Build the keyboard you actually need.

Only the keys you need, laid out how you like: arrows for slides, WASD for games, or your editing shortcuts. Each key stays pressed for as long as you touch it.

  • Slides: giant ← and → keys
  • Games: WASD that holds
  • Editing: ⌘C, ⌘V, ⌘Z, J K L
  • Mouse buttons and media keys too
← → B esc space
W E A S D Q space
⌘C ⌘V ⌘Z ⌘⇧Z J K L Click
Slides Game Edit
04 Deck

A Stream Deck in your pocket.

A grid of buttons for shortcuts, text snippets, apps, websites, system actions, Shortcuts automations and multi-step sequences, shared by all your devices.

  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Text snippets
  • Open apps
  • Websites
  • System actions
  • Shortcuts automations
  • Mouse clicks
  • Multi-step sequences
  • Shell commands, once you allow them
05 App launcher & media

Launch, switch, quit. Then press play.

Launch, switch, hide and quit Mac apps with their real icons, including apps on an external drive. Play, pause, skip, set the volume and dim the display without getting up.

  • Real app icons, live running state
  • Add folders, even on external drives
  • Play, pause, skip, scrub
  • Volume, brightness and keyboard backlight
06 Voice typing

Just talk. Your Mac types.

Talk into your phone and your Mac types what you say, using on-device speech recognition where your Mac supports it. Perfect for long replies from the sofa.

  • Speak, and words land on the Mac
  • On-device recognition where supported
  • Runs over CmdPalm’s encrypted link
Made for real life

Your Mac, from across the room.

CmdPalm shines when you are not at your desk. Here is how it changes the little moments that used to mean getting up.

Presenting 01

Next slide, from anywhere in the room.

Before Walk back to the laptop every time you need the next slide.

With CmdPalm A custom Slides keyboard with giant ← → keys and B for a black screen. Walk the stage.

Custom keyboard
Movie night 02

Pause the movie. Stay on the couch.

Before Get up, find the trackpad, squint at a tiny pause button.

With CmdPalm Play, pause, skip, volume and brightness from the Media tab. Your Mac becomes the TV.

Media
Cooking 03

Scroll the recipe. Clean screen, messy hands.

Before Flour on the keyboard. Butter on the trackpad.

With CmdPalm Prop your phone on the counter and two-finger scroll the recipe from a safe distance.

Trackpad
Gaming 04

WASD in your hands.

Before Hunched over the laptop for a quick round.

With CmdPalm Lean back with a game layout. Every key stays pressed for as long as you hold it.

Custom keyboard
Streaming & creating 05

Go live, mute the mic, switch scenes.

Before Juggling hotkeys while the camera is rolling.

With CmdPalm A Creator page on your Deck. One tap per action, or a whole multi-step sequence.

Deck
Quick replies 06

Reply without getting up.

Before Walk across the room to answer one message.

With CmdPalm Tap the mic, say it, done. Your Mac types every word.

Voice typing
and the couch, the bed, the standing desk, the other side of the room.
Works on the phone you already have

Nothing to install on your phone.

CmdPalm lives in your Mac’s menu bar and serves a fast web app on your own network. Scan a QR code with your phone and you are in control. No App Store, no account, no sign-up.

  1. Or enter this PIN 155 405
    1

    Scan the QR code

    Point your phone’s camera at the code in your Mac’s menu bar, or open the address and type the six-digit PIN.

  2. iPhoneiPhone 16 Pro · Since 9:41 PM
    iPadiPad Air · Since 9:12 PM
    Connected
    2

    You’re connected

    CmdPalm remembers the phone, so it reconnects on its own next time. Pair as many devices as you like.

  3. CmdPalm
    3

    Add it to your home screen

    It opens full screen, just like a native app. On iPhone: Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android: install it from Chrome.

iPhone. iPad. Android. Any browser.

Works in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Samsung Internet, with step-by-step help for adding CmdPalm to the home screen in each. Grab whatever device is closest.

iPhone · iOS 17+ iPad Android · Chrome Safari Firefox Samsung Internet
Your settings live on your Mac

Settings, custom keyboards and gestures are kept on the Mac for each device, so they survive a cleared browser. Set up a new phone in one tap with Copy settings from another device.

Private by design

Your Mac stays yours. Always.

One switch

Everything stops. Instantly.

Pause in the menu bar stops all input at once, including text that is still being typed and Deck buttons still running. While paused, phones can’t run actions, use the clipboard or start voice input.

Try it: flip the switch.

CmdPalm iPhone connected
Running five minutes late — start without me
Paused on the Mac Nothing reaches your Mac until you switch it back on.
~0% CPU when idle
~19MB memory when idle
0 accounts to create
0 cloud servers in the loop

Local only

CmdPalm talks to your phone over your own network. No accounts, no analytics, no cloud service. The only outside connection is the update check.

Only devices you pair

Pairing needs the QR code, the PIN shown on your Mac, or your approval on the Mac. Remove a device at any time.

Encrypted when you want it

CmdPalm creates its own certificate for an encrypted connection, and nothing you type ever appears in its logs.

Free and open source

Every line is public under the GNU AGPL v3. Read it, build it yourself, and see exactly what runs on your Mac.

Read SECURITY.md for the full details.

Get started

Set up in a minute.

Install CmdPalm on your Mac. That is the only thing you install, anywhere.

With Homebrew

Recommended. Updates and first launch are handled for you.

Easiest
brew install --cask rahatsagor/tap/cmdpalm

Or download it

Drag CmdPalm into Applications, then confirm the first launch once.

Download CmdPalm.dmg
Why does macOS ask me to confirm?

CmdPalm is free and open source, and it isn’t notarized by Apple, so macOS asks you to confirm the first time it opens. Run this once in Terminal:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/CmdPalm.app

Or open CmdPalm, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. You only do this once. Updates install from inside the app.

  1. 01

    Allow Accessibility

    macOS requires it for any app that moves the pointer or types. CmdPalm asks on first launch and opens the right page.

  2. 02

    Scan the QR code

    Use your phone’s camera on the code in the menu bar, or open the address and enter the six-digit PIN.

  3. 03

    Add to Home Screen

    Optional, and lovely. CmdPalm then opens full screen like a native app, and reconnects on its own.

A Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 15 Sequoia or later iPhone or iPad with iOS 17+, or Android with Chrome Both on the same network
FAQ

Questions, answered.

Still curious? Open an issue on GitHub and we’ll help you out.

Do I really not need an app on my phone?

Really. CmdPalm runs a fast web app on your Mac and your phone opens it in the browser. Add it to your home screen and it opens full screen, just like a native app. Nothing to download from an app store.

Does it work with Android and iPad?

Yes. iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, and Android phones with Chrome. It also works in Firefox and Samsung Internet. On Android, Chrome installs web apps only over an encrypted connection, which you can set up in Settings → Phone Setup on the Mac.

Is it free?

Yes. CmdPalm is free and open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. No subscription, no trial, no account.

Does anything go to the cloud?

No. CmdPalm talks to your phone over your own network. There are no accounts, no analytics and no cloud service. The only outside connection is the update check, and nothing you type ever appears in its logs.

Why does it need the Accessibility permission?

macOS requires it for any app that moves the pointer or types. CmdPalm asks on first launch and opens the right page in System Settings. It notices the permission as soon as you grant it, without a relaunch.

How does voice typing work?

Tap the microphone and talk. Your Mac types what you say, using on-device speech recognition where your Mac supports it. Browsers allow the microphone only over an encrypted connection, so set that up once in Settings → Phone Setup → Encrypted Connection. Without it, you can still dictate with the microphone on your phone’s keyboard.

Can I connect more than one phone?

Yes. Pair as many phones and tablets as you like. Each device’s settings, custom keyboards and gestures are kept on the Mac, and you can copy them from one device to another in one tap.

Which Macs are supported?

A Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 15 Sequoia or later. CmdPalm lives in the menu bar and uses about 0% CPU and around 19 MB of memory when idle.

My phone can’t reach the Mac. What now?

Both need to be on the same network. Guest networks and some office or hotel Wi-Fi block devices from talking to each other. If scanning the QR code on Android doesn’t open CmdPalm, set “QR link uses” to IP Address under the QR code, and check that the macOS firewall allows incoming connections for CmdPalm.

Keys type the wrong characters in games or remote desktops.

CmdPalm follows the Mac’s current input source. For apps that ignore typed text, such as games, virtual machines and remote desktops, set “Send text as” to Key presses in the phone’s advanced settings.

Your Mac, in your palm.

Free, open source and ready in a minute. Your couch will never be the same.

Download for Mac View on GitHub
brew install --cask rahatsagor/tap/cmdpalm