Nightingale on a Mac with a controller
The Nightingale layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: No Mac version. It streams to a Mac from a Windows PC you own. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, Nightingale plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad. Nightingale is a survival game with an umbrella, and the umbrella is the jump held: tap to jump, hold to glide.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 20 across and 14 up and down.
- Fight and use. The right trigger attacks or uses the tool (left click), the left trigger blocks, parries and aims (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump and glide on the bottom (Space), dodge on the right (Ctrl), interact and grapple on the left (E), ready the ranged weapon on the top (Q).
- Shoulders and clicks. Sneak on the left bumper (C), crafting on the right (V). Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), lock on with the right (Tab).
- Hotbar and menus. Action bar slots 1 to 4 on the D-pad. The bag on Back (I), menu on Start (Escape).
Hold the jump button and the umbrella opens.
Tune it
- A slow pointer for building. Its building is the usual pointer work. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to a button on the copies, and give them a low speed.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
A slower pointer behind one button makes building easy.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to the game's own scheme. Try that first with the preset off. Press Activate only if the game ignores the pad, and Deactivate if one press does two things.
Test Nightingale's own pad support first, and keep the layout for when it never reacts.
Nightingale controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for Nightingale: it plays on a controller, but some parts, such as a launcher, text entry or a menu, still expect a keyboard or a mouse. This layout sends keys and mouse movement from the pad, which can cover the parts the game's own support leaves out. With partial support, a layout fills the gaps the game leaves.
From Steam's listing, checked in October 2026. Every game's listing is in Mac games with controller support.
If your controller is not working in Nightingale
When Nightingale does not react to your controller on a Mac, climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check that the Mac sees the controller. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. If nothing lights up there, the problem is the connection, and a controller that is connected but not working covers that first.
- Press a button after the stream has started. A stream only picks up a controller that is paired with the Mac, and a browser shows a controller to a page only after a button press. Start Nightingale, then press any button. Streaming from your own PC has its own checks, in how to stream PC games to a Mac with a controller.
- Play it from keys. If Nightingale still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Nightingale already reads. Turn the game's own controller option off while it runs, or a press can arrive twice. The layout works whether or not Nightingale ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Nightingale and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
To check the controller itself first, the gamepad tester shows every button and stick live in your browser.
Nightingale controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Nightingale's default keyboard and mouse controls, as this layout expects them. If you changed a key in the game's settings, change the same row in InputConfig.
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | A | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Right trigger: Use Item / attack (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Left trigger: Block and Parry / aim (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | A/Cross: Jump (hold to open glider), Space |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | B/Circle: Evade dodge (Left Ctrl) |
| X / Square | E | X/Square: Contextual action / interact / grapple (E) |
| Y / Triangle | Q | Y/Triangle: Ready ranged weapon (Q) |
| LB / L1 | C | LB/L1: Sneak toggle (C) |
| RB / R1 | V | RB/R1: Crafting in inventory (V) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | L3: Sprint (Left Shift) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Tab | R3: Lock on target toggle (Tab) |
| D-pad up | 1 | D-pad Up: Action bar slot 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | D-pad Left: Action bar slot 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | D-pad Right: Action bar slot 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | D-pad Down: Action bar slot 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | I | Back/Share: Inventory (I) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start/Options: System menu (Esc) |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does Nightingale run on a Mac?
Nightingale does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Nightingale have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for Nightingale: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is Nightingale better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for Nightingale, so some screens still expect a keyboard or a mouse, and a layout like this one can put those on the pad.
Why is my controller not working in Nightingale on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Nightingale still ignores it, activate the Nightingale layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Nightingale on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Nightingale runs on the other end, on a cloud service or your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
Updated