About InputConfig
I am Ryleigh Newman, and I make InputConfig. I built it because my hands do not work well, and a keyboard and trackpad ask for a kind of fine, steady control I do not reliably have. I run my own Mac with it. This page is who I am, why the app exists, and what I promise about it.
Who I am
I have a progressive neuromuscular disease that weakens my hands and limits how precisely I can move them, and I have used a power wheelchair since the winter of 2023. For a long time I got through a day at the computer on effort alone. Effort runs out. A controller with big buttons and sticks I can feel turned out to be the way I could keep using a Mac on bad days as well as good ones.
I write about my life, my research and the things I build at ryleighnewman.com, including a longer post on how InputConfig works inside.
Why InputConfig exists
The mapping tools I found were expensive, missing things I needed, or not built for the people using them. So I made the one I wanted. It grew out of an earlier project of mine called JoystickConfig. I built the accessibility I needed first, then cleaned it up so other people could use it too.
That is why so much of it is about hands that tire or shake: one-stick driving, deadzones and response curves per control, hold and double tap so one button can do three jobs, and an emergency stop that works whatever the preset says. The full list is on the accessibility features page.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
What I promise about the app
- It is free on the Mac App Store. Nothing is locked. There is an optional tip jar, and a tip unlocks nothing.
- The source is public on GitHub under the MIT license, so anyone can read what it does.
- No account, no analytics, no network access. Settings and presets stay on your Mac. The privacy policy says the same thing in more detail.
- It runs on macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
How the pages on this site are written
The help, guides and answers here describe InputConfig 1.5. Where something depends on hardware, the page says what it was tested on. Tap the Mac is the clearest case: it worked on the M4 MacBooks it was tested on and did not work on an M1 Pro, so the page says exactly that and points you to the calibrator's status chip, which tells you whether your Mac's sensor is listening.
Where macOS, Steam or the game itself already solves a problem, the page says so first, even when that means you do not need InputConfig. On pages that compare mappers, I say at the top that I make one of them. If a page is wrong, tell me on the issue tracker so it can be fixed.
Where else to find it
- InputConfig on the Mac App Store
- Source code on GitHub, with the changelog for every version
- ryleighnewman.com, my personal site
Questions
Who makes InputConfig?
Ryleigh Newman, one developer who runs his own Mac with it because his hands do not work well. It is published on the Mac App Store under his name.
Why is InputConfig free?
I build the accessibility I need, and I do not want anyone else to pay a premium for it. The tip jar is there for people who want to support the work; it unlocks nothing.
Is InputConfig safe to install?
It comes from the Mac App Store, so Apple reviewed it and it runs inside the App Store sandbox. It has no network access and no analytics, and the full source is public on GitHub. It asks for Accessibility permission because that is what lets it send keystrokes and clicks to other apps.
How do I report a bug or ask for a feature?
Open an issue on the project's GitHub issue tracker. That is also where to tell me if a page on this site is wrong.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.